Discussion
Hi all
I keep looking at pictures of MGA's and am slowly but surely falling love with its curves. I guess it will only be a matter of time before I get the urge to buy one but wanted to know the pros and cons of owning an MGA. I am particularly keen on the coupe over the convertible.
Any pointers would be much appreciated.
regards
Nick
I keep looking at pictures of MGA's and am slowly but surely falling love with its curves. I guess it will only be a matter of time before I get the urge to buy one but wanted to know the pros and cons of owning an MGA. I am particularly keen on the coupe over the convertible.
Any pointers would be much appreciated.
regards
Nick
I had an MGA Roadster back in 1984
Like all classic cars the bodywork is the key
look at loads - buy all the books - and look,look,look
mechanicals are simple and can be replaced cheaply bodywork is expensive
Roadster is the one to go for in my opinion
coupe will probably get hot in summer like all small closed cabs
don't be swayed because they are cheaper - it's for a reason
good luck
Carl
Like all classic cars the bodywork is the key
look at loads - buy all the books - and look,look,look
mechanicals are simple and can be replaced cheaply bodywork is expensive
Roadster is the one to go for in my opinion
coupe will probably get hot in summer like all small closed cabs
don't be swayed because they are cheaper - it's for a reason
good luck
Carl
Hi,
I've owned my 1961 coupe since 1981, enjoyed restoring it and love driving it. Coupe or roadster is down to personal preference. The coupe is more practical - and prettier to look at - and if it is raining you wind the windows up rather than try and manage yards of flapping canvas or vinyl! It doesn't get too hot inside even in the summer in Europe - think Le Mans in June in 35+ heat - as long as you use heat wrap on the manifold and the exhaust pipe as far back as near the rear axle, and make sure the cooling system is cleared out and working properly. The mechanics are very robust and reliable, pretty much like an MGB, and many of the components are actually interchangeable -but because they are robust, they can get neglected, so look for evidence of proper, regular servicing. Bodywork and chassis condition are the keys. Body work is actually less important because it is not structural, but I would not want the sills, inner wings and the thin winsdcreen pillars (check the bottom of these on the inside of these under the trim card) to be dodgy in an accident! Main chassis rails and cross members are generally robust, but need checking and prodding hard with a screwdriver, particularly at the lowest points, where they can rust from the inside where condensation collects, and the floorboard rails where they attach to the chassis, as water can collect there.
Otherwise, look around for the best you can afford - a good older restoration will be less trouble than a recent one done badly! The body panels should be a good fit with even gaps etc, but you are only likely to get those that good if the original panels are still on the car and have been repaired - the original panels needed a fair amount of fettling to fit to the car at the factory in the first place, so even old original panel replacements may not fit as well as they could, let alone thin modern reproductions. As far as spec goes, if you want originality, go for a MkII - it has the more powerful 1622cc engine, higher gearing, and disc brakes on the front instead of drums. If originality is not so important, then any of the marks take an MGB engine conversion, a 5-speed box conversion and disc brakes conversion, to give you better cruising speed at lower engine revs. Mine still has the original 1622cc engine - it is tuned and I prefer it to the B engine - much freer revving and less asthmatic - mated to an MGB overdrive gearbox fitted with a close ratio gear set (a lot of work but worth it!). The fifth speed or overdrive makes the world of difference to comfort levels on long journeys - it cruises all day at 80-85mph at 3200-3500 rpm instead of at 4000-4500 rpm with a standard box - the inside of a coupe with those higher revs is much noisier! polybushed front suspension sharpens the front end handling up no end too.
Coupe or roadster is down to personal choice - they are equally at home around town, on the motorway or flinging it round a track - enormous fun and I love it.
MG Mark
I've owned my 1961 coupe since 1981, enjoyed restoring it and love driving it. Coupe or roadster is down to personal preference. The coupe is more practical - and prettier to look at - and if it is raining you wind the windows up rather than try and manage yards of flapping canvas or vinyl! It doesn't get too hot inside even in the summer in Europe - think Le Mans in June in 35+ heat - as long as you use heat wrap on the manifold and the exhaust pipe as far back as near the rear axle, and make sure the cooling system is cleared out and working properly. The mechanics are very robust and reliable, pretty much like an MGB, and many of the components are actually interchangeable -but because they are robust, they can get neglected, so look for evidence of proper, regular servicing. Bodywork and chassis condition are the keys. Body work is actually less important because it is not structural, but I would not want the sills, inner wings and the thin winsdcreen pillars (check the bottom of these on the inside of these under the trim card) to be dodgy in an accident! Main chassis rails and cross members are generally robust, but need checking and prodding hard with a screwdriver, particularly at the lowest points, where they can rust from the inside where condensation collects, and the floorboard rails where they attach to the chassis, as water can collect there.
Otherwise, look around for the best you can afford - a good older restoration will be less trouble than a recent one done badly! The body panels should be a good fit with even gaps etc, but you are only likely to get those that good if the original panels are still on the car and have been repaired - the original panels needed a fair amount of fettling to fit to the car at the factory in the first place, so even old original panel replacements may not fit as well as they could, let alone thin modern reproductions. As far as spec goes, if you want originality, go for a MkII - it has the more powerful 1622cc engine, higher gearing, and disc brakes on the front instead of drums. If originality is not so important, then any of the marks take an MGB engine conversion, a 5-speed box conversion and disc brakes conversion, to give you better cruising speed at lower engine revs. Mine still has the original 1622cc engine - it is tuned and I prefer it to the B engine - much freer revving and less asthmatic - mated to an MGB overdrive gearbox fitted with a close ratio gear set (a lot of work but worth it!). The fifth speed or overdrive makes the world of difference to comfort levels on long journeys - it cruises all day at 80-85mph at 3200-3500 rpm instead of at 4000-4500 rpm with a standard box - the inside of a coupe with those higher revs is much noisier! polybushed front suspension sharpens the front end handling up no end too.
Coupe or roadster is down to personal choice - they are equally at home around town, on the motorway or flinging it round a track - enormous fun and I love it.
MG Mark
I too have fallen for one I viewed today at Beaulieu Garage...1600 black with red leather, grey hood. I was told it was a heritage car but didn't have a certificate or indeed much paperwork. I thought that was a little strange for a well cared for car. The price was not cheap, but I am happy to pay top money, say £25k for the right car. I guess I need to look around alot more, but I hope I don't regret holding fire on this one.
wadgebeast said:
wildoliver said:
At 25k you should be looking at a car built fresh to your spec!
Definitely! Half that price will get you a decent A - 1600 Deluxe with a bag full of receipts and a photo restoration.My Dad has a Mk 2 roadster which is a real garage queen! It is not for sale but is probably only worth £15k or so. In fact he's very keen his grand children will get to drive it so it will be in the family for some time to come.
Your best bet is to join the club and go to a few events, a few will be for sale and you'll get the chance to go see the good and the not so good. Plus you'll get chapter and verse on every facet of the car.
We looked at just about every A for sale in the country at the time (about 10 years ago)and found a real mixed bag, there are some dodgy restorations out there and some which have modifications which you may or may not want.
Good luck with the search.
Your best bet is to join the club and go to a few events, a few will be for sale and you'll get the chance to go see the good and the not so good. Plus you'll get chapter and verse on every facet of the car.
We looked at just about every A for sale in the country at the time (about 10 years ago)and found a real mixed bag, there are some dodgy restorations out there and some which have modifications which you may or may not want.
Good luck with the search.
We bought ours about 18 months ago, its a 1500 roadster, came back here from the US about ten years ago and was converted from LHD to RHD.
I chose the particular car because the chassis and body are perfect, paint is 80% and the trim 70%.
Its a very nice tidy car and very useable.
There is some really horrid cars out there and some massively overpriced ones too.
The acid test with these old cars that I ask my self is this, if you took the car and stripped it to a bare shell and dipped it in an acid tank to remove all paint, filler, rust, sealer, waxoyl etc, what would the bare metal look like when it came out? Everything else is an easy and relatively cheap fix.
It was bought to replace a Healey but did not have the guts so...
Over last winter I rebuilt a 3.9 diff, rebuild and lightly modified an 1800 and bought a ford 5 speed conversion.
Its a much quicker car now with a massively improved ability for todays roads.
I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, pretty little thing too.
I have a few odd jobs to do and then its going on the market, it might seem odd given the amout of work I have done and how pleased I am with the results but i never manage to stick with a car for long and already I have another project and the council want to knock down my lockup and build a house.
I'd reccomend a MGA as a lovely classic for anyone, with an 1800 and 5 speed its the dogs doo dahs!
I chose the particular car because the chassis and body are perfect, paint is 80% and the trim 70%.
Its a very nice tidy car and very useable.
There is some really horrid cars out there and some massively overpriced ones too.
The acid test with these old cars that I ask my self is this, if you took the car and stripped it to a bare shell and dipped it in an acid tank to remove all paint, filler, rust, sealer, waxoyl etc, what would the bare metal look like when it came out? Everything else is an easy and relatively cheap fix.
It was bought to replace a Healey but did not have the guts so...
Over last winter I rebuilt a 3.9 diff, rebuild and lightly modified an 1800 and bought a ford 5 speed conversion.
Its a much quicker car now with a massively improved ability for todays roads.
I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, pretty little thing too.
I have a few odd jobs to do and then its going on the market, it might seem odd given the amout of work I have done and how pleased I am with the results but i never manage to stick with a car for long and already I have another project and the council want to knock down my lockup and build a house.
I'd reccomend a MGA as a lovely classic for anyone, with an 1800 and 5 speed its the dogs doo dahs!
Something to add about the 5 speed conversion.
The ford box does not drive the speedo cable at the same ratio, so your speedo under reads. You can send your speedo off and have it 'recalibrated' to read more accurately, however the odometer will always under read. This is the one aspect of the conversion that's a bit rubbish. But on balance its well worth doing it.
The ford box does not drive the speedo cable at the same ratio, so your speedo under reads. You can send your speedo off and have it 'recalibrated' to read more accurately, however the odometer will always under read. This is the one aspect of the conversion that's a bit rubbish. But on balance its well worth doing it.
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