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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 - MGA In a Box - The Ultimate Bolt / Fastener Set -

"MGA In a Box - The Ultimate Bolt / Fastener Set - 1500 Pieces"

Has anyone bought this kit and used it? A-Series Spares of the UK sells it. With shipping to the US it will cost over $300. Is it worth it? I am doing a pretty comprehensive restoration. Thanks
Tom Going

You've already got the Ultimate Bolt and Fastener Supplier for the MGA on your doorstep (Todd Clarke) so why bother importing?

Todd gives good discounts for quantities and you won't need to worry about sending stuff back.


If I were starting my restoration again I would put top of my list TC's fastener kit F200 (about $300) or perhaps F201 at about $400.

However if your fasteners are not too bad and can be reused get them replated.................Mike
m.j. moore

The guy who puts these together posted on the MG Experience site. He would not say what was in the box, just that it was almost everything you need. As I understood there are no special fasteners only standard size bolts and set screws (and "standard" washers and lock washers). The pozidrive fasteners are replaced with allen head.

He said they would have the pozidrive ready this year and I think I would happily buy a set if they listed the contents.

Personally I didn't care for his "we know best, if you want to see what's in the kit then buy one" attitude.
N McGurk

I got the distinct impression from looking at their site, that any resemblance between the fasteners in their kit, and the fasteners originally used on the car, would be purely coincidental.
Del Rawlins

Tom

Definitely go for Todd Clarke's set. He even has some bolts with the original branding. Most are new alternatives but the sizes / head types and length are correct. Also they are mostly packed in small bags so they are easy to identify what is what once you convert his part number to the application part.

John
John Francis

Original branding on fasteners may be a matter of pure speculation. See here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/rt104.htm
There are of course cases when you can tell British brands from non-British brands.
Barney Gaylord

You already have the ultimate bolt and fastener set already on your car. A comprehensive restoration deserves the original hardware IMO.I cleaned mine before I sent them out to be cadmium plated back in the day for 50 bucks. I had everything done,air filter screens,bolts, washers,outside housings for the control cables,gauge housings,gas pedal brackets etc. Now days zinc is commonly used.
gary starr

Here's a pic- It was quite a project in it's self. I had disassembled the car and put everything into ziploc bags and tagged.I then took the fasteners, measured them and made note of the head markings and where they went. Then when they came back I had to go thru each one and then put them back into the bag they came out of

gary starr

Super job Gary. Labour of love.

Steve
Steve Gyles

That is indeed appealing... Too bad many of my car's bolts have been either previously replaced, or are in pretty sad shape after 50 years. I replated some of the original fasteners on the engine that were not in too terrible shape using a DIY kit, which was a pain in the neck. My current plan is to reassemble the car using new fasteners, that resemble the originals as much as is possible. So I'll probably end up buying the fastener kit from Todd. I won't be getting rid of any parts, so later on there won't be anything stopping me from sorting through the best of the original fasteners from my car and the parts car, having them replated, and swapping them with the replacements in places that will show, after the car is back together. Can anybody make a recommendation for a good zinc replating service?
Del Rawlins

If you are interested in cad plating, Don Hutchinson Cycle in MA offers a cad plating service for a flat rate of $200, up to 60 pounds. I have been pleased with the quality and service from him in the past and will be sending off another box of fasteners. I will be adding my extra MGA fasteners this time.
Bill Haglan

Yes Steve it certainly was thanks.Don't know how I did it and I know there wont be another. A sign of the times is that I paid 50.00 for up to 50lbs to have them done.
gary starr

That really was a project Gary and well worth it judging by your picture.

How much work did you do in terms of cleaning? I mean in what condition will the plater accept them?

On my current project every part is covered with rust as is the norm for old cars here. I have plated some and am in the process of plating some more bits myself but, unless I can shotblast them, they take a long time to clean up.
N McGurk

Neil there used to be a product from Du Pont called Metal Prep that you would reduce with water and wipe on bare metal to clean before painting. I don't believe they have it any more but it was a mild acid.I ended up cleaning them myself because while the plater I believe does too they don't take as much time. I soaked my parts in that for a day or two. If some bolts threads have alot of rust it never got it all off. At the time thats all I had to do the job,I too now have a blast cabinet and have heard a rock tumbler works also,which would be great as you could just walk away and let it do it's thing.Some were so bad I just got extras from Todd Clarke back when he had bought up some NOS ones and thru them in to be plated like the rest.
gary starr

I used phosphoric acid (metal prep) on some of my screws but first I soaked them in petrol for a day or two to remove any oil and underseal followed by running a die down the screws; the die removes a lot of the rust and gives the acid an easier time.

The oblong wing washers I removed were dreadful, covered in thick rust scale and I was about to ditch them but I thought I'd give molasses a try. I made up a 10-20% solution, covered the washers and put them in the shed and forgot about them. Two months later, after which time there was mould growing on the solution, I had a look and was very impressed at how effective the rust removal had been - all but two or three washers were completely rust free.

I would recommend people try molasses if time isn't a factor. It is available from farm/equestrian suppliers and is cheap i.e. less than £5 a gallon which will make up a lot of solution. Phosphoric acid is more expensive, 80% is over £50 a gallon but this can also be diluted 4 or 5 times. You have to be careful to keep the acid away from zinc plating as it will disappear in seconds! ................Mike
m.j. moore

This thread was discussed between 14/05/2012 and 19/05/2012

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