MGA car

[jono]

I have spotted a restoration project abandoned in the corner of a paddock way, way, in the back of beyond in northern England.

Always loved the look of these cars but never been an MG fan and I know they are as far removed from a Lotus as could be imagined.

But....I am tempted to make an approach and see if the owner will bite. It needs lots of work but looks to be all there (be nice it it were a TC, he say hopefully).

Any thoughts out there - would I be mad

Jon

[nebogipfel]

I have spotted a restoration project abandoned in the corner of a paddock way, way, in the back of beyond in northern England.

Always loved the look of these cars but never been an MG fan and I know they are as far removed from a Lotus as could be imagined.

But....I am tempted to make an approach and see if the owner will bite. It needs lots of work but looks to be all there (be nice it it were a TC, he say hopefully).

Any thoughts out there - would I be mad

Jon

I've done quite a bit of restoration work on MGA's in my time and must warn you they get very rusty. You will need good metalworking skills or deep pockets if you intend to take it on. I think that as with most MG's the spares situation is very good. They are certainly simple old things to work on.

If it can be saved and you can do the work it is certainly worth taking on.

Do I like MGA's? .........nope, I think they are ugly clunky old things

Now a nice TC ..........

[elansprint71]

Agree with all the words above, particularly about the rust. A friend rebuilt a basket case MGA Twin-Cam a few years ago; all the panels are available new but would they fit together straight off? Because they are all complex curves it is impossibly difficult to cut and shut and make it look correct. Now, if someone were to take a glass-fibre mould off a good example...

[elansprint]

A friend of mine rebuilt one to concourse standard and it looked fantastic but the ride was bloody awful especially after an ?lan
Ian

[ceejay]

Fancy the MGA being discussed here, nice old British sports, at age 18 I bought a
N?rburg White1962 MGA Mk2, Eng #16GCUL7700. this model had the
recessed grill... lovely car to drive... certainly no performance fireball, but
very reliable.

Likes:
Engine 1600 push rod, dead easy to work on,
good four speed gear box... but no close ratios like elan has. (But available from Moss)
Rack and pinion steering.
Brakes: Front disc - rear drums, (no booster.)
Good handling, car was fitted with nice hardtop
and a soft top that did not leak.

Hates:
Wire spokes that kept on breaking
Lever Arm Shockers (Front) that kept leaking oil.
Really bad Rust in the sills. (Mongrel to repair)
Leaf springs: Old technology (Like horse and cart)

But over all a pretty nice sports car of the era.
Just like the old Healeys, TRs etc, but when you compare the
technology that Chapman provided with the Lotus elan of the
same era, you wonder if the other manufactures were sleeping
on the job. Or maybe they were so set in their ways that
they wouldn't - couldn't change.
Ceejay.

[jono]

Thanks for comments guys,

I was thinking perhaps a modern take - 1.8 K series and coiler over suspension conversion could be nice Primarily I am attracted to the shape.

I will have a think - it would have to be cheap

Jon

[Spyder fan]

Thanks for comments guys,

I was thinking perhaps a modern take - 1.8 K series and coiler over suspension conversion could be nice Primarily I am attracted to the shape.

I will have a think - it would have to be cheap

Jon

Hi Jon,
The K series is probably easy to do as there's kits to convert MGB's (recycled MGA's), there are also loads of suspension modifications available, but on the engine front it looks like the most fun you can have is putting a V8 in the car, once again it's all covered for the MGB and there's a few V8 MGA's around. see this one on Yuoutube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCtQKn6TZX8.

Octane have a good buying guide here, but it looks like a good case for buyer beware to me! http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/buying/sports_cars/282274/mga_19551962.html

[ardee_selby]

I was thinking perhaps a modern take... Jon

http://www.britishv8.org/MG/SteveBowen.htm

This one modern enough?

Richard

[cliveyboy]

A company just up the road from me will build you a brand new MGB GT with MX5 running gear
Modern suspension etc
?60,000. ($90,000)

Clive

[ianf]

Just to throw in a comment here, a friend has a de-bumpered twin cam A with Ford 5 speed. It goes really well, (twin cam is so much nicer than B series) will cruise at 90 mph all day and is very reliable. Also handles well - unlike standard Bs.

Lovely car would have one to go with Elan if I had the cash!

Cheers,

Ian

[abstamaria]

MGAs are lovely cars, and a nice addition to a garage with an Elan. They have their own charm,and are going up in price too. I had an MGA until two years ago. I still have my MG TC.

Andy

[69DHC]

I've owned an MGA for 23 years. I have to say they are probably my favorite car. They are reliable and beautiful things and feel solidly built. You can even make them go ok and the little sixteen hundred is a very revvy engine. They couldn't be further removed from a Lotus in just about every way possible both good and bad. You can't compare them and you shouldn't. Go and try a good one and see what you think.