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MG MGA - Body panel question

Hey good folks, The shiney red 1960 MGA with minimal rust now has 2 piece body, front & rear. Whew, buyer beware!

The last piece of this puzzle is the piece of metal that belongs on the rear of the inner sill panel. The inner sill should be attached to it?

What is it called? Is there a lip on the end that goes by the rear wheel well? Does the rear side have a radius? Anyone have a picture? As ever, thanks, Tom......off to Barney's site.
Thomas McNamara

I would call it a "backing sill" it is a flat piece of metal that is shaped to suit the line at the bottom of the car between the front and rear then it is curved on top to suit the chassis as seen on this photo.

simple to make yourself out of a flat sheet of steel

Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Tom,
Here's a photo of the RH inner sill. Yes, it's a coupe not a roadster, but they are the same in this area. If this helps, I have a number of others with this type of detail.
Cheers,
Gerry

G T Foster

TM, its a major structural component that when welded to the outer cills resists the bending between the front and rear body sections. I replaced mine with new panels from Moss and because they were of thin gauge steel (as were the originals) I used them as a template and cut heavier gauge steel ones. One face of this component is exposed to the weather and will corrode readily if not given good paint protection.
J H Cole

A good source for the quality inner body panels is Todd Clarke at: <www.clarkespares.com>

David Werblow

Hey good folks, all that advice and carefull disassembly was, (is), for naught. The wholw darn lower portion od the car has been visited by the infamous tin worm! I'll just cut the other sie off when I get to it.

I have parts coming from a local shop, Moss, Scarbourgh Faire and Todd Clarke to replace it all.

I did find out that most of it was never welded but bodo is hard to remove. Now I need to learn to weld. Any advice out there for novice welders? Thanks again, summer is coming! Regards, Tom
Thomas McNamara

Welcome to the wonderful world of MGAs. I think that is about a common finding for all of us. My car was about the same, only the sill plates were salvagable. I had to fabricate repair panels for the areas ahead and behind the inner sill panel as well as portions of the A and B posts on both sides. Plenty of good photos of the process on both Barney's site as well as the Eclectic Motorworks site. Just look there at the photos of their work regarding sills and pillars. http://www.eclecticmotorworks.com/mga.html
As for the welding, it just takes a bit of practice. A small 110v MIG unit will do the job on these sheet metal pieces. Get some scrap sheet stock and a hole punch and start practicing plug or rosette welds. Cleco fasteners will help hold the panels together tightly when you weld. I use self drilling sheet metal screws as they are cheap and easy to use, just run them in with a drill, weld the holes on either side and then remove them and weld up the screw hole. Here's a photo of the rear of my sills and you can see the patch panel for the rear quarter with it's flange and radius.

Bill Young

Tom,
If you've never welded at all you might consider taking a course at a local vocational school. That's what I did. The instructor was a Hot Rod guy and knew all sorts of tips and tricks. We did arc, oxy/acetelene, Mig and Tig. Mig is probably most useful for what you'll be doing. I would strongly recommend a gas version, not the flux core type. Get an auto dimming helmet and some good quality Mig gloves. They're thin and flexible, very comfortable. A light weight canvas welding jacket and skull cap (to wear under your helmet) are probably a good idea. In lieu of school, find a friend or club member who welds and have him show you. It's not too difficult. Getting the heat setting and wire feed speed is the tricky part. When proper, you get a sound like frying bacon and little spatter. Start with about 1/8 inch of "stick out" (wire protruding past the nozzle). With sheet metal, tack welds are most useful. If you try to lay long beads it'll get too hot and warp. Keep the nozzle clean and replace the tip (wire guide) when it gets worn. Get some scrap and practice, pratice practice!
Oh and have fun with it! I love "makin sparks".

Gerry
G T Foster

And buy an angle grinder to clean them up!
Art Pearse

Tom,

As Bill says "Welcome to the wonderful world of MGAs".

Having replaced the boot floor, rear valance, stiffening ribs, boot closing panels (front and rear repair sections). I've now moved onto the front section and in the middle of replacing the front closing panels (both sides), heater shelf/bulkhead, radiator duct panel - and all of this is before I get to the sill sections!

Plus, don't expect repair parts to fit without fettling (the boot floor needed widening 1/2"at the front).

All good fun and what else would we do in our spare time!

Chris.
Chris Bond

Before and after pictures of the right side of my 58.
First one I did this bad. I used a Mig welder and plug welded. Spot welding would be as original. Bottom 6" between the wheels is all new, or was in 88.

R J Brown

Chris, Sounds like sour grapes to me, lol. In answer to your question: All good fun and what else would we do in our spare time! My answer: wine, women and song? Good luck with your restoration! Glenn
Glenn Hedrich

here's one that I made out of flat steel: old and new. Easy really.

M S Randell

and welded to the inner sill

M S Randell

Holy Cow, the inner sill can be welded to the sill plate before mounting! How about the "cover plate" that goes over the frame? Can that be pre-welded? Thanks, Tom
Thomas McNamara

I welded together my entire body sill assemblies, even painted them inside after assembly but before welding them onto the car body. See here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/rt616.htm
Originally the front and rear inner fenders extended all the way to bottom of the sills, so the inboard "joiner" panel shown in MSR's picture above is as original with lap joints at the ends.
MSR, -- Did you install the proper gussets inside the box sill below the door posts (2 under each post)?
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 24/01/2010 and 28/01/2010

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