MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Dirt traps and gaps

Anyone tried a workable solution to the gap behind and above the front wheel arches between bonnet wing and inner wing?

On a frogeye, the flange of the inner wing points inwards, unlike the later cars where it points outwards and there is less of a gap. There has got to be a way to improve on this road dirt trap!

GuyW

Duct tape. Easy.

(lol)
Greybeard

I have never seen this as a problem. The flange pointing the way it does seems to stop too much muck going on the inside of the bonnet. I just wash this area when I wash the car.
Bob Beaumont

Ah, maybe I am worrying over nothing then. Does the gap look more or less correct to you Bob? I was expecting it to be more closed than that!

Duct tape Greybeard ? Then How would I open the bonnet!



GuyW

I've fitted a rubber seal on mine. Think it was off the back door of a Discovery. Fitted to the edge of the inner wing, but you could fit one to the bonnet?
Rob Armstrong

Rob, I did the same on my other car but it is easier with the out-turned flange and with the fixed wings.
GuyW

Guy that's why duct tape comes on a long roll! Never mind, I was just taking the Mickey..
Rob's suggestion is great. You can get seal strip by the metre easily with practically any profile you like on the bay of E. I got some to replace the missing lower door seals on my campervan for about 3 quid. Delivered.
Greybeard

Grey, I am a great fan of duck (duckt) tape, especially when used with humour!
GuyW

Nice wheels!

What paint/primer did you go with in the end Guy? It's about time I got mine done as I've started to get some running gear fitted so might need them soon!
John Payne

Hi John, yes, nice wheels ;-)

I sprayed them with silver Combicolor Metal paint over their CombiPrimer and then oversprayed with clear laquer.

It is similar to Smoothrite, though less brittle I think. I used it as it is supposed to be slightly flexible. That said, although they do look quite good I am logging that as a fail really because I don't think they will last like that. I think I should have gone for powder coating.
GuyW

Hi Guy

The gap looks about right. The bonnet fit is good from the photos. Greybeard's idea is not a bad one. Personally I prefer to keep as is so I can clean around there. The bonnet gets mucky at the front by the sidelight so you have to get the sponge/hose to that area anyway. BTW talking of water traps, I drilled a hole at the bottom of the bonnet under the sidelight where the wing and centre panel meet as it is a nasty water collection point. Damp can get into the seam joint at this point. The bottom of a Spridget from wing has a similar problem I think.
Bob Beaumont

The Spridget wing does have a drain hole, although I think it is prone to blockage through neglect, or over-zealous undersealing.
Dave O'Neill 2

It actually has 2. One at the lowest point beneath the sidelight and a second one just outboard of the bolted seam to the front valance panel where the flange dipsdown again.
GuyW

Bob, thanks for the comment about bonnet fit. I have been dealing with the fit for weeks now! Not continuously I must add, but its a job I keep coming back to.

The problems are quite complex. Currently the gap to the A post still widens a bit towarads the bottom, as does the sill/bonnet gap, widening towards the front of the curve. The apparently obvious solution would be to lower the front where the conical pins locate on the top of the front chassis extensions. But that is pretty well fixed unless I started with some signifiant alterations to the air box area. But then the bonnet clearance to the top of the radiator is also very limited. So move the radiator - no, its already tight up against the steering rack as it is!

But its addictive! I do a bit, and think it looks about right. But then after a day or two I decide it could be better, and start on it all over again!

Still, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't enjoy it!
GuyW

Cheers Guy, I think I’ll get our painters to have a go after they blast them then. Just got to choose the right paint. I’m trying to avoid powder coating anything as I’m not a fan - especially in corrosion prone areas. But maybe I’ve only seen bad examples.

John Payne

It was a bit of an experiment John. That Combicolor is good stuff, goes on well and dries to a hard glossy finish. Especially good when brush painting as the brush marks normally disappear nicely. But with silver, I think because it has metalic platelets in the paint, shows shaddow marks when brushed on so I thinned it and sprayed.
GuyW

In addition to what Bob said about drilling holes, I would suggest that you also consider drilling holes in the horizontal flanges of the bottom rear corners of the wings (at the A-post / sill joint) as muck/water gets trapped here and makes it's way behind the wing stiffener and rots the lower corner out from the inside.
Simon Wood

Thanks Simon. That's a good one.
GuyW

Guy, I had a similar problem with the sill and A post shut gaps. I modified the air box area which meant the red was close if not touching the bonnet. I spaced the rad back by fitting 1/2" ally packing pieces between the rad and the rad mounting upright. The slant on the front of the rad helped the clearance. The pieces were drilled to accept the 1/4" rad mounting set screws. The bonnet does sit lower so when I fitted twin HS4's I had to shorten the dashpot on the front carb by about 1/4" to ensure clearance. All good fun as you say.

Bob Beaumont

Bob,
It's good to hear I am not the only one with these clearance problems!
I remembered that you suggested that slanting the radiator back would increase the clearance between it and the bonnet. I tried that but it is hard up against the steering rack clamps as it is, with no room to tilt it back. I did slot the holes in the stanchions to lower the rad a little and gained about 3/8".

Although the fit is now not bad, current thinking is to do some minor modification to either the top of the sill, or to the lower edge of the wing to get a better match. I think Fergus (in Cornwall) mentioned that he had done something of the sort. Or I may leave it just as it is!
GuyW

My 5" alloys spray a lot of muck into the engine bay because they project beyond the inner arches. I have tried many approaches, and now have a combination of a rubber strip attached to the inner arch and a brush-type draught excluder on the outer arch. Much better but water from puddles still splashes over the front of the inner arches. The Frogeye bonnet is pretty but a poor design.

Les
L B Rose

I just want to confirm the assembly please, if anyone knows what is correct for the front of the Frogeye bonnet, where it closes down for the two cone shaped locators to meet the front chassis extensions?

At the moment, the cones fit snugly into the forward angled plates on the chassis rails, and are simply bolted through a trough shaped transverse stiffener at the lower front of the air box. Then fastened with a large washer, spring washer and nut on the upper side.

Turning the bonnet locking handle secures it all pretty tightly so I assume this is all correct unless maybe there should be a second large washer on the underside of the stiffener as the bolt hole on mine is oversized to allow for lateral adjustment.
GuyW

Mine has a washer on the underside of the stiffener. I also put a rubber gasket round the cones to reduce rattles.
Bob Beaumont

Thanks Bob.
I was asking at this point as I am doing the matching along the curved sill joint and anything I need to add that would raise the front locking arrangement, like extra washers and rubber gaskets, is going to affect that gap. So I need to add them first.
GuyW

This thread was discussed between 23/09/2018 and 26/09/2018

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS now