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MG MGA - MGA outer sills

The outer sills under the door openings appear to be bolted on. Is thsis correct or do they need welding/brazing?
H L Davy

They are spot welded from the factory; they are not structural, but the section they cover (the inner box section) certainly is. If they are bolted I would check underneath before doing any welding. See mgaguru.com for a complete guide to body sill replacement and information on what they should look like etc.
Neil McGurk

I certainly welded mine in place but I thought originally they had pop rivets.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

And bolts along the bottom edge

Pressed submit too early :-))
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

The outer sills were spot welded all around. No bolts anywhere. The sill bolts hold on the lower edge of the fenders and are in front and behind the outer sill you ask about.
R J Brown

My coupe had bolts on the bottom seam, spot welded on the top side and my roadster was spot welded all around. Have a good day!

John
John Progess

Greetings all,

The "bolt heads" you're seeing might actually be the attachment hardward left behind from the finishing trim/strip which is now absent. Everything I've seen suggests the outer rocker panels were spot welded top and bottom. The attachment hardware for the finish strip was drilled through the bottom edge. Those who see pop-rivets and other means of securing the bottom of the outer rockers may be witnees to previous owners attempts at a repair/replacement?
Robert Maupin

I believe that the original was spotwelded all around. Bolts must have been a PO repair attempt. Were there captive nuts on the back of yours Bob or John? I have never seen bolts under the door in 7 MGAs (1 57 rdstr, 2 58 coupes, 1 58 rdstr, 2 60 rdstr and 1 62 rdstr) that I have owned other than the ones for the finishing strip. There are 2 bolts that hold the finishing strip under the door. The holes for the finishing strip do not have captive nuts.

R J Brown

Thanks for all comments. I will proceed cautiously. Only have slight rust bubbling on one side.
H L Davy


" Only have slight rust bubbling on one side"
If you don't want a fright then don't look underneath, it will be worse than you imagine most likely. Sounds like your outer sills have been replaced but since they're bolted I doubt if the inner sill areas were repaired. I agree with Neil, check mgaguru.com http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/ or check out the photos at Eclectic Motor Works for good shots of what might lie underneath. http://www.eclecticmotorworks.com/
Bill Young

I think Mr Brown is right. I was looking at the bolts that hold the fenders.
H L Davy

The full shocking course is here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/restore1.htm

Paint blister = rust over a pin hole = far more rust behind the panel. This is the single most common, most significant, and most expensive problem with unrestored MGAs. Anyone looking to buy an MGA should know all about this before buying.
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 19/04/2009 and 24/04/2009

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