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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - wing gaps

I am just starting to fit the front wings and it appears that the gaps are quite big i assume the gap is set by the raised bit on the edge of the wing is there a way of making the gap smaller to match the doors.
mark heyworth

Hi Mark,

Are you finding the gaps are big along all edges? i.e. A-post, outer sill and bonnet?

James Paul

just the a post and front of dash
mark heyworth

I had a similar problem but thankfully only on the right side. I can get it to fit on the top part of the A post but the gap opened up down by the bottom of the a post.

If your gap is equally oversized on both wings the it could be to do with the front valance.

Have you tried fitting without tightening any of the bolts for wings, front valance and bonnet?

James Paul

I have got it down to the thickness of a pound coin think that is ok as i dont want the bonnet gap too small.

mark heyworth

I have always looked at this from the viewpoint that the fixed wing models evolved from the Frogeye with its one piece front, so the wing and bonnet gaps should be the same.

I start with getting good alignment horizontally-ish with the bonnet and scuttle, and then ensure that the bonnet is far enough forward to clear the scuttle when opened, including an adequate safety margin.
This usually results in a gap of 5-6 mm, which is then followed through to the wings for the above frogeye reason.

An important point to remember is to maintain a gap at the bottom between wing and sill to allow water to drain out as the top arrangement isnt always watertight. That reduces the chances of it staying damp and allowing cancer to set in.
Paul Walbran

Looks really good from that angle. Trick is to maintain that once it is all bolted together.

Fit it all loose including the bonnet. Then tighten all the bolts starting in the footwell to make sure the gap you’ve got above stays as is. Then work on the bonnet gaps down to the front valance. Then tighten all of that area.

Hopefully it won’t pull the gap wider as you adjust the bonnet to wing gap at the front.

I’ve had about 50 goes at it and still can’t seem to get it perfect. Mines off to paint soon so have to keep tinkering with it.

Good luck
James Paul

James you could do what many body shops would do which is to bolt it all up, fill the surface (for example) across doors, 'A'post and wing, rub it back with a long body file so all the highlights run true, and then cut and radius the panel gaps last. This ensures the outside surface is good from one panel to another, and also that all joints have a uniform gap. Mine are all at 4.5mm (painted) which is the clearance gap for the door swing. Any tighter and you may be rubbing paint off. You can check the unpainted condition by sliding in some card off a cereal packet at the tightest point - if it catches it's probably too tight.
f pollock

This thread was discussed between 18/10/2021 and 22/10/2021

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