The MGA Restoration Project
Page Sixteen: Body Panel Repair
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Here are three instances of panel repair with via welding. On the
left, moisture-induced rust perforated the body panel at the seam with the
right front fender. On the right, the holes for the dealer-installed
fender-mounted rear view mirrors are filled in. Below, decades of moisture
trapped by the edge of the spare tire also caused rust to eat through the floor
of the trunk.
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The left-front fender suffered from an "oilcan" dent which bows in and out
like the eponymous lubricating device. In this type of dent, the metal is
actually stretched, so the only way to repair it is to cut out a lens-shaped
plug and weld the edges together.
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The rear-fender "dogleg", rocker panel and lower section of the front fender
on the passenger side have all been fitted, and the clearances around the
door are within factory spec. However...
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On the driver's side, the lower section for the front fender is hardly
lining up at all. Just another indication of the poor manufacturing
tolerances of some reproduction body panels. More custom-reshaping of
this part will be required.
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History:
Two MGAs and a Magnette are sent out to the "test track" after leaving
the assembly line. This test course was actually a route around the
streets and roads of Abingdon. Visitors to the MG Car Club headquarters
in Abingdon can get maps of this course and recreate the text drive
experience for themselves.
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