Doug Gaither wrote:
> Good News!
>
> My dad just bought a 1957 MGA 1500!
Well I would say that is *great* news ... ;^)
> Anyways, we found this MGA basically in boxes but mostly
> all there. It is missing the rear left fender and the
> rear right fender has some rust damage. So, I whipped
> out the ol Moss catalog and WHOA!!! $800 for a fender!
Yep ... SOP is to fit a 'repair panel' (say Moss 457-780)
to the existing fender.
> The good news is that the engine was rebuilt 18 years ago
> and has never been filled with fluids or started (duh!).
Hmmm ... check it carefully for rust prior to starting.
> There are extra parts: head, axle, alloy doors, bonnet.
> There are also new-in-box interior, chrome trim, rubber
> seals, etc.
Cool ... let us know what ya don't want ... ;^)
> It is missing the hydraulics.
Ouch ... which bits?
> He paid $2500 for this which I thought was pretty good.
>
> Questions:
>
> Was this really a good deal or have I led him down a
> wayward path?
Depends ... if the sills are in good condition (only the
one fender has tin worm) and all the bits are there (except
the hydraulics) then I would say that it was a *good* deal.
> Are there places to acquire rear fenders at a reasonable
> price?
Well depends on what you consider to be a *reasonable*
price ... ;^) Good used/repaired fenders can be had for
substaintially less.
> We've purchased most of our parts from Moss, are there
> any MGA specific suppliers that we should seek out?
Todd Clarke ... Clarke Spares and Restorations ... Todd
has most of the small hard to find bits.
> Is a disk brake conversion a smart modification?
Yes ... especially since the hydraulics are missing.
> If we are going to paint it (ourselves) do we paint the
> body off the chassis or on?
Depends ... proper concours restoration ... off the frame.
> I thought the original color code was designated
> somewhere on the car, where is it?
Yep ... on the 1500 its the third letter of of the Car
Number ... IOW, the A in HDA33/15704 indicates that
the car was Black ...
A ... Black
C ... Red
D ... Blue
E ... Green
K ... Light Red
L ... Light Blue
R ... White
T ... Light Green
H .. Primer or CKD finish
I highly recomend that you get a copy of Anders Clausager's
book "Original MGA" as it has this type of info ... it will
show/tell you exactly what the 'A' was like when new.
> What things about A's should be pointed out to B owners
>(important diffferences)?
It's a fair superior car ... bada bing ... ;^)
Safety Fast! ... larry.g.unger@lmco.com
'61 MGA 1600 MkII
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