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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Rear bodywork

Some upgrading of the rear end of my Frog.

From this:

GuyW

With the addition of this:

GuyW

Via this:

GuyW

Add several hours. No, add several years, and you get to this:



GuyW

Very nice.
Martin

Looking good Guy!
Bill Bretherton

Beautiful, Guy.
Where did that wheel come from?
Nick and Cherry Scoop

That's came with the car. A set of five 14" Morris Minor wheels with brand new tyres. But l will be using proper Sprite ones
GuyW

Just hijacking your thread, Guy, to talk about progress. I salute you and Bill for the work you're doing - and all I've managed is to strip her down, pay someone to paint her, and (nearly) build her up again.

Nearly there, though, and hoping for Spridget 60.

I do love that reverse curve just next to the tail light, and your lighting man has captured it perfectly.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

I'm at what looks like to be a similar stage to Guy and I can tell you I'm starting to get fed up with it! I've had a full week off work and still nowhere near to getting paint on it. That dent that you thought would take 10 mins to fill and rub down always seems to take about three hours.

It's also a bit too hot to paint celly at the moment, about 15 degrees c is about best with 20 an absolute maximum apparently. I'm hoping to get the epoxy primer on it in the next week or so and wait for a cool few days to do the top coat. Apparently the light blues like mine (and Guy's) are the worst for differences in colour depending on the weather, thinners quantity etc. I've been told to try and do it all on the same day and not do panels separately. Impossible with my set up so I'm just hoping it will work out!!

I can't wait to get to the stage when there is a fully painted bare shell scant in the garage and I can start bolting new bits to it!!

One day soon.......
John Payne

Knew you were at it, John, but not how deep you've been. I salute you too: how GOOD you will feel, when you're motoring along the lovely Lincolnshire lanes to Spridget 65.

(I was going to include this evening's progress picture from Herefordshire, but I don't want to inflame your jealous passions)
Nick and Cherry Scoop

John,

I don't know why you say it's too hot to paint celly at the moment, I painted my car in hotter condition and it all came out great. Just a matter of picking the right thinners for the conditions. Used to have a choice of fast, medium and slow thinners and I think the slow would be appropriate for the current temps.
David Billington

I borrowed a truck and went to collect my bonnet from being blasted and primed today.

I got her to do my set of 5 wheels at the same time, although 3 were already stripped when I got them (Thanks John P)

This is literally the only bit that I have paid someone else to do on the car so far, but I just couldn't face stripping and derusting all those awkward corners on the inside shapes of the bonnet!

GuyW

The bonnet came to me as separate bits: a central section, two new "pattern" front wings, the front valance and a collection of rusted bits and pieces from the airbox thing. I spent ages getting it all together with new wing beading. And then even longer adjusting and tweeking it to fit closely to the scuttle, curvy bits of the front sills whilst sitting on the dumb irons at the front and clearing the top of the radiator. I hadn't realised how many critical points of contact there would be!

That was all about 18 months ago. Before sending it off for blasting I trial fitted it again and was disappointed to find it no longer fitted as well as before. I cannot see why the fit should alter as I have made no changes to that end of the car and I don't see why rebuilding the rear shroud, wings and floor should have upsert the front fit in any way? My conclusion is that the bonnet has changed its shape in storage off the car - is this likely? Anyway now its cleaned and primed I need to get it back to fit properly so that is tomorrow's task.

At least it is beginning to look like a car at last!


GuyW

Looks like a Frogeye to me Guy! A lot of them seem to have an increasing gap between front wing and sill as you move forward.

Nick, don't overestimate my abilities - I did cheat a bit by using a new basic shell but it took considerable time and effort to make the rear end fit. Doors and front end are original but front has needed a lot of patching and welding, not finished yet. I make it up as I go along! Most mechanical renovation done - just needs fitting! Unfortunately I'll miss Sprite 60th.
Bill Bretherton

Guy, is that a shadow over the sill, where the bonnet sides have spread, or does the gap actually increase as Bill suggests? That would be bizzare, if it was correct at one time. Lovely pictures, though.

Bill, I cannot imagine how you are doing what you are doing, you and Guy and John P. My talents do not lie in the direction of car restoration, and I make mistake after mistake, but I just like it.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Nick,
it is a shadow, but that forward edge of the bonnet is standing out from the sill, so causing a shadow. If l push it in by hand the bonnet and sill curves do match on that side. But there are other worse misfit areas that l need to try and adjust when l get home later.
GuyW

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2018 and 23/06/2018

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