Category: MG Midget

The intention for this build was to turn an ugly duckling into a classic sports car with a very limited budget. The best way to do this cheaply is to remove the old rubber bumpers and run without them.

Once the bumpers are removed there are several modifications needed to give the rear a pre ’74 look.

The flat area below the rear lights, which was modified for the rubber bumper models, needed to be returned to chrome bumper spec. As the lower edges of the rear valance and wings were rotten pre’74 repair panels were used.

The lower section of the valance was cut out and the chassis trimmed…

…to fit the lower section of the new panel.

 

This took time as I had to weld slowly with a series of tack welds to make sure the panel did not warp with the heat. In retrospect I think I would just replace the whole panel next time.

Anyway I’m happy with the results.

The other side looks like this.

 

So, In my experience if one side of the car is rotten then this will probably be mirrored on the other side. A quick check of the A post revealed more corrosion. This was cut out…

….and the inner structure repaired.

A Metal Folder and shrinker were used to make a repair section from sheet steel. This was painted on the inside before being welded in place.

Further towards the back of the car more corrosion was found. Guess what? This was cut out and replaced with new metal.

I noticed this ‘old school repair which made me laugh. It seems to be a plate bolted and riveted  on to the front wheel arch then blathered with thick camouflaging underseal.

I will investigate this next time.

 

No matter how I tried I could not get the front wing to line up with the A post. I had a genuine wing which came with the car. I compared this to the wing on the car and it became apparent that the wing was at fault. The wing was removed. This showed that further repairs were needed to the A pillar.

The rot was cut out…

…and the inner structure repaired.

I then fabricated a new repair skin from sheet steel. I used a Shrinker to get the curve at the top of the pillar. This was made to follow the curve of the wing.

A small repair section was tacked then seam welded in above.

This was all then ground back ready for a final skim of filler.

When the wing came off I could see that the front wheel arch was a bit frilly so the rot was cut out and new metal let in.

 

I seam seal all repairs with polyurethane sealant. I find this so much better than old fashioned brushable seam sealer. You can paint over it too.

 

So after completing the under wing rust repairs on one side, I removed the other wing.

At a glance the A pillar looks in better shape with less corrosion but this will require further investigation. The wheel arch was worse on this side with fibre glass matting being the repair material of choice.

This was cut out and replaced.

This was an easy repair as all the sections were flat.

Next I will be investigating the A pillar before moving around to the back of the car where extensive repairs need to be done.