MG-Cars.info

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

Recommendations

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 MGA - Door Skins, Can they be re-used

Hi I need to take the skins off my doors due to some pitting that is occuring in the door frames. Just wondering if anyone has successfully re-used the skins or whether the aluminum is too brittle and therefore have to go for new skins.

Cheers, John
g gillian

It depends on if the alloy work hardens, so that the fold created when applying it is harder than the surrounding metal. If this is the case, it will not unfold exactly to the original shape and you will end up with some lumpy areas to fill after re-applying it.
But not sure if aluminium actually does this. Try a bit of scrap first. Bend it and then try to unbend it.
A Pearse

Ou club has had a guy who has remove a skin from a rusted door frame and placed it on a better frame. Patience is required and a bit of welding. Jim may want to comment in person.
Mike
Mike Ellsmore (1)

If you annealed the aluminum before you removed the skin you should be able to refit it with minimal cracking. You will probably have to do a bit of welding though. Even if you didn't anneal it, do it now and you might be able to reform it without stress cracking.
Bill Young

I was taught that to anneal aluminum all it takes is a cake of white hand soap. Rub the soap on the aluminum and then heat it with a torch until the soap turns brown. I have used this mmethod several years and it always worked for me.
Using an acetylene torch I use a soft flame. (light on the oxygen)
Sandy
conrad sanders

Anneal the aluminum first, if done correctly it will bend and be workable without cracking. Old war bird aircraft with lots of vibration time, cowling for example, can be stress annealed over time and will become brittle enough to break like glass! Most aircraft workers use the soot method to return the aluminum to a workable state. The following is a good link to a really professional metal working site:


http://www.tinmantech.com/html/aluminum_alloys_continued.php

Russ
Russ Carnes

If you anneal the aluminium first as described by Bill and Conrad and be patient door skins can be removed and replaced quite easily.Another 40c day coming up here in Melbourne this week,but no problem for open A's as local rules make it illegal to pass any pub when the temp exceeds 35c. Jim
jim mckenzie

This thread was discussed between 03/02/2009 and 04/02/2009

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGA BBS now