I've been slowly plodding along on the MGA since I removed the body from the
chassis, and I'm almost to the point of having just a frame sitting on the
floor.
At this point, all that is on the frame is the front and rear suspension.
In the mean time, I've picked up some parts (the highlights of which include an
NOS 1500cc block and some standard bore 9:1 pistons suitable for use with stock
connecting rods). I've had the gauges rebuilt, too. I sent them off to
Nisonger in New York - after about 2 weeks they came back looking like new. The
cases and everthing were bead blasted, so even the parts you don't see while
driving were cleaned up. The guy I talked to there (Bob Castagnetta) had an
NOS Smiths heater core, so I picked that up, too. He's got more of them so if
you're intersted in a heater core or having your gauges redone, the number is
(914)381-1952.
Yesterday I was working on removing the rusted floor board supports from the
frame and I'm finding rust that I didn't know about previously. There are small
holes where the plywood floorboards held moisture against the frame rails. I
even found a mouse nest from yesteryear. There is a big hole in the passenger
footwell and the little critters must have crawled in there and built there nest
where I found it - about 2 feet away.
My original plan for prepping the frame was to wire brush the rust off the
exterior and treat it with "Corroless" from Eastwood. Since I've found more
rust that I had anticipated, I think that it would be in best interest to have
the chassis dipped so I have a clearer picture of problem areas. Dipping it
should make repairs easier, too, since everything would be clean while welding.
I figure that after welding in the repair sections, I could prime and paint with
Epoxy paint (or something equally as durable) then could Waxoyl the interior
sections of the frame rails to keep deterioration to a minimum.
So, does anyone know of a place in New Hampshire or Massachussetts that would
dip my chassis? Any idea how much I would have to spend to have this done?
Thanks for any leads on strippers or advice about what I'm planning to do.
-Al
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