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 MGA - Rocker panels

I need to narrow the rear of the rocker panel by 1/4 and the front by 1/8. The top flange was toast, so I have cut to the new line and will make a flange to fit either under or over (probably under). This leaves me with the task of removing the same from the bottom. The flange is radiused, not sharp. Should I flatten it out and re-form it, or cut out the excess? My first thought is that cutting and fitting is easier to get right, flanging can be done once. Also, any detail on the joint at the A pillar is appreciated. The rocker I am working on was previously brazed everywhere except at the bottom where there was nothing to braze to. So it has been hacked about to get it off.
Art Pearse

I cut a long wedge out of the middle of my (Moss) outer rockers - about 3/8" to 1/2" at the back and 1/4" at the front - then welded the long seam back together to get the height to fit right. This was the easiest place to weld - not worried about messing up the bends at the top or bottom.

It sounds like yours have already been butchered though and you should proceed as best you can!

I have an extra set which are mostly good if you need them for donors...though shipping to Canada might be as much as buying another set from Moss.

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Jim, any problems with such a long weld puckering (shrinkage)? Was that a butt weld? I'm tempted to do the same.
Art Pearse

Moss rocker panels have the same problem since I bought them in 1977. The preferred solution is to send them back and buy better fitting panels somewhere else. If everyone did that then Moss would either repair the parts before sale, or trash the lot and procure better ones, and the problem would go away. The problem persists forever when people keep buying the junk and not returning it.

If you insist on using the Moss panels, then straighten the bottom flange and reform the bend a little higher up (easier than all that welding and grinding).
Barney Gaylord

To weld a long weld on thin metal you make short welds. Weld skip weld skip and so forth. Only filling in the welds later then grinding smooth. Study the way its done on this website. http://www.eclecticmotorworks.com/mga.html
Lots of good info.
Barney: Who does sell sills that fit? I have modified many from various sources and they all seem the same. It is easier to modify a bad part than make it up from scratch has been my attitude. If there really is a proper fitting set who sells them?
R J Brown

Agree with the commment above...

I MIG welded a spot every 8" or so, then halfway between, then halfway between again, etc., making sure I had good penetration to the back. When done, I just ran the sanding disk on my grinder along the seam and Bob's your uncle...

Here is a pic of me fitting the rocker (I didn't take any others - sorry...)

On this side, I left it intact at the front, which later turned out to be a mistake - should have taken 1/4 out there. I did better on the other side.

Cut it in half the long way, then bolt/rivet/clamp the top half onto the inner sill. Line the lower half section up with the body line at the bottom and let them overlap in the middle. When the fit is good to the front and rear fenders, draw a line and cut away the long skinny wedge you have just marked out. Weld the two together and they will fit. Remember that you'll get a bit of shrinkage as you weld the gap, so just cut to the waste side of you line and you'll be fine!

JIM in NH

AJ Mail

My rocker panel installation story is here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/rt624.htm
If you don't want to see the whole thing, the short answer to rocker panel source is:

web site: www.sportsnclassics.com - - eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Sports-and-Classics-Inc
e-mail: sportsnclassics@aol.com -- Phone: 203-348-2226

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MGA-1500-1600-TWINCAM-STEEL-ROCKER-PANELS-BEST-QUALITY-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a64f93b44QQitemZ250802158404QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

This guy gets a lot of mileage out of my web page. He has jacked the price up considerably in the past couple of years.

Find more information on alternate rocker panels here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/restore4.htm
Barney Gaylord

Jim, the slice and burn method worked great. It is all tacked up. Question - did you weld from the inside or the outside? It seems if you weld from the inside there is far less grinding to do.
I'm also going to butt weld in the new top flange. I'm finding that the gaps where the rocker go inside the fenders is quite large - about 3/8. Not much can be done here except maybe filler.
Art Pearse

I welded from the outside - much easier to grind off and looks better on the inside with no grinding...personal choice I guess.

The gap with the fenders will be pulled tighter when you actually install the fenders with all the fastners, etc...it pulls them "flatter" against the car.


Glad you got it done.

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Art - did you take pictures? I should have when I did mine. Please post if so!
AJ Mail

Jim, will do when I get back home in a week.
Art Pearse

This was the starting point - LH B pillar dog leg. The only connection front to back was the rocker panel.

Art Pearse

So I had to fab "Barney's beam"

Art Pearse

... and weld it in

Art Pearse

Fix the pillars and fit the rocker. Needed cuts top and bottom and redo the top flange

Art Pearse

Wow - not much left there! My car was similar on both sides, but I had NO idea until I started taking things apart. It looks like you had the body off the frame, but I don't see a jig. How did you keep it straight/doors aligned, etc? Great job on the beam! I am guessing you used the lumber as the brake?

Once you get it all fixed, how do you keep this from happening again? I primed and painted thoroughly, and I have a can of undercoat but not sure if I want to use it. There are weep/drain holes on the inner sill - I plan to rinse the area out occasionally and make sure these are free of debris. I am considering going to a local MG shop (Brit Bits in Rye) to have the car "Waxoiled", or trying to do something like that myself.

My car also did not have the splash guards in the front of the rear wheel arches, so I plan to add those (I have them, just not installed yet).

Anything else we can do?

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Jim, I braced the body at the top and lifted it off using a frame which lifted fr and back individually so as to not bend it. But in the end, I put both halves back on the frame having removed the rockers, and aligned them from scratch using the doors to get the correct spacing, etc. This is how it is now, on the frame. Soon I will lift it off again to complete some welding on the inside. The beams I bent on the edge of my bench which is reinforced with 1x1 x1/8 angle iron . Clamp the sheet to this and use a 2 lb sledge to make the creases! Hard work, but Barney gave me the courage to try it. It is really critical getting the sill beams at the right elevation, fortunately it seems to fit, but I can see where I could have screwed up!
Art Pearse

This thread was discussed between 24/05/2011 and 15/06/2011

MG MGA index

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