MGA 1600 MK II

MGA MKII’s have a vinyl dash and vinyl between the dash and windscreen to reduce glare. We matched the original vinyl and recovered both areas. We saved the original vinyl to use as a pattern.… Read more: 1962 MGA MKII – Dash and Taillights

This car has been well-taken care of despite a long period of storage. Therefore, the dashboard and gauges were in pretty good shape. We’re recovering the dash with new material, so while the switches and… Read more: 1962 MGA MKII – Gauges and Switches

The old front parking lamp/turn signals were too rusty and cracked to fix, so we started with new ones. We always bench test parts when we can. The lights worked, so it was time to… Read more: 1962 MGA MKII – Front Bumper, turn signals, finishing strips

We’re continuing assembly by putting more blue parts on the car. We were able to retain the original steel valence after some metalwork and bodywork. Many MGAs have a fiberglass valence or none at all!… Read more: 1962 MGA MK II – Valence and Splash Panels

Reassembly is moving along and we put the headlights and heater back in the car. We had previously painted the outside heater box in gloss black. The hardware was replated with the other hardware in… Read more: 1962 MGA MK II – Heater and Headlights

We spent some more time painting parts that will be going back on the car. We had a few more parts to paint black after painting the freshly sandblasted wheels silver. In both cases, we… Read more: 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II – More paint, plated parts back

As we prepare to put the car together, we had a number of things that needed some black paint. We had many small parts that we sandblasted in our cabinet blaster, primed with black epoxy… Read more: 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II – Painting Things Black

When the MGA came back from the body shop, the doors and fenders were hung on loosely, with large gaps for safety. Our job was to install the fender welt and adjust the gaps. We… Read more: MGA 1600 MK II – Panel Gaps

We’re so fortunate to have our bodywork partners at Kimber Auto Body just blocks away from the our shop so that we can stay in constant communication as cars progress. Following are some photos as… Read more: MGA 1600 MK II – Bodywork and Paint

We ended up quite a bit behind on our website postings as we (very slowly) updated the website in 2023. Here’s a photo dump of some of the metalwork we repaired before sending the body… Read more: MGA 1600 MK II – Metalwork Photo Dump

Before this MGA can be painted we have to take care of some collision damage to the front end, especially on the left side of the radiator surround, radiator duct panel, and left front fender.… Read more: Beginning the grille surround and radiator duct panel repairs

Before we start assembly on the driver’s side we decided to strip down the damage on the passenger side as well. We found fiberglass in the outer rocker and lots of rust beneath.

Before the MGA can be painted, we need to take care of some rust and collision damage. This car was hit hard in the front left at some point in its past and we’ll be… Read more: Beginning the sheet metal repairs

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ text_text_color=”#000000″ sticky_enabled=”0″]The rear suspension and brake systems were as worn out as the fronts were. We disassembled and cleaned… Read more: Rear suspension and brake renewal

The front suspension and brake system on this MGA was beyond worn out. Add in lots of surface rust, grease, grime, road grit, and cobwebs and that meant a complete rebuild of everything. The steering… Read more: Front suspension and brake renewal

After a clean bill of health from the machine shop, which included new pistons, rings, camshaft, oil pump, bearings, water pump, timing chain, polished crankshaft, a reworked valvetrain, and the very difficult job of locating… Read more: Engine back together

The battery boxes on this MGA were in poor shape, but with the exception of one small rust spot, the arms were in great shape. We opted to repair the driver’s side inner arm and… Read more: Repairing the battery boxes

With the exception of the battery boxes, the chassis is in good shape. Rather than a full body-off chassis restoration, the owner has opted for a clean-up and repaint. We find that in these situations,… Read more: Cleaning and painting the chassis and underbody

After a brief look-over of the engine, we decided that the best course of action was to pull it out of the car and have a thorough inspection done at a machine shop. With the… Read more: Disassembly and evaluation of the engine

This 1962 MGA 1600 Mk II is from Alabama, and has been in the same family since new. It was restored at some time in the past, but stored poorly beneath a tarp under a… Read more: Arrival and inspection