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It's a challenge
to replace the door locks, regulator, glass, ventilator (wind
wing), and window channel. It's a tight fit. The glass goes in
last. Leave the wind-wing assembly loose and then install the
glass. Moss rebuild kits went into the locks, new rubber
in the wings, flex channels, handles etc. |
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I left the bumper
over riders off. It has the Moss "Crystal Clear Headlight"
treatment for a new look. I don't know how well they light up
but the price was right... The windshield frame is out for
polishing. The anodized finish is worn and will be
buffed to aluminum. Reassembly is a nightmare, I know... |
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A taillight frame
snagged on the buffing wheel so I bought the Moss lamp
reproductions while they were on sale. What was the chaps at
Lucas smokin' when they designed those lenses anyway? It's
like some kind of puzzle to install them... |
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The trunk is
dolled up with a molded carpet kit and I used the later type
trunk seal. |
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The wire harness
has a couple orphaned wires so it will be replaced. It gets
interesting in here so each terminal gets labeled and the new
harness is checked for correctness before installation. The
dash will be refinished with wrinkle coat black.
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Photoshop to the
rescue. The schematic enlarged and mounted for easy reference.
The new harness came
from an Ebay seller. It is new and made in U.K. The wrapping
is black vinyl rather than original cloth. |
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08/14/07
I decided to polish
the windscreen frame myself after looking for local help. There was
a time when you could find a plating shop but no more, not
here anyway. I used
400#or 500# wet or dry paper and fine sanding sponges to remove anodized finish then buffed with a spiral wheel
and tripoli compound. This was followed by white polishing
rouge on a soft wheel. The anodized finish won't buff off
without distorting the surface so elbow grease is needed in
preparation for the polishing. [3/09 I later learned that some
guys have used oven cleaner to remove the finish without the
hard labor. Search MG Experience Forums for testimonials
because I haven't tried it.] This is the first finished
pillar.
All threads in the
frame and "L" brackets were chased with a tap and new screws
were fitted in reassembly. The bottom rail seal was
reinstalled using Vaseline as a lubricant before the frame was
reassembled. I used some Waxoyl as a lubricant in fitting the
windscreen seal into the frame. It should retard corrosion as
well.
It is a challenge to
reinstall the pillars to the body. First I noted any
irregularities in the body drillings and used the Dremel
grinder to insure a smooth reinsertion. Two of the holes were
drilled slightly off center and slight cleanup was needed.
First insure the pillar to body grommets are installed
properly and install the rear pillar/body bolts. No clamps
needed, only muscle. Then I placed a piece of bedsheet under
the bottom rail seal to minimize scuffing and ease adjustment.
Then use the leverage of the windshield i.e. push it forward
until the forward bolts can be inserted then pull the bedsheet
forward to pull bottom rail seal into position. |
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The ragtop is canvas made by Robbins and installation was
fairly simple.
The header rail
rivets were removed and the holes cleaned up. A 1/4" hole was
drilled in an inconspicuous location to remove the rivet
fragments and a suitable plug glued in place.
The top was
installed on the frame and glue applied sparingly to the front
edge and ends of the header rail and then the top is carefully
tacked in place. It's pulled tight to remove wrinkles and centered
left to right while paying close attention to the fit at the
rail ends. At this point the rear bow was folded down and the
top was pulled a little tighter. Then the rear bow was put
back to the locked unfolded position to check the fit.
The header rail
seal retainer is riveted in place to secure the top. I
modified my rivet gun to fit into the channel with a grinder
to insure a strong rivet installation. |
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The heat lamps
(rear) kept the dash warm during painting with wrinkle coat.
More heat was applied with heat gun. The heat makes the paint
wrinkle more. The first attempt was botched for lack of heat.
The 8" buffer in the
foreground is for the windscreen polishing. |
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The finished
dashboard. This after one failed attempt to get a good wrinkle
coat. It needs a lot of heat to set the texture properly. |
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The carpeting and
panels in place ready for final installation. Beneath all the
carpeting is felt and foil heat shield except for the tunnel
which has felt only. It is not glued to the floor panels so
that water may be removed if necessary. The original floor
pans rusted badly beneath the dash up in the footwells mostly
from the inside.
The front door seal
finisher (driver side) wouldn't fit properly. Closer
inspection revealed the factory assembler missed a rivet
at the bulkhead so the finisher would not install squarely..
Minor grinding fixed it quickly but it's a reminder that these
cars had their flaws right from the start. |
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 TIPS |
