As to suppliers, you already have the major ones, as I am still 'in the
process' of
my MGA restoration (I'll finish it someday! Really! :-)) I can't speak to
alot of the
smaller suppliers.
But as to the 'A itself, I can put a little in. As to sources of
information, I would
suggest a couple of things. The first, which is probably unlikely, is to
see if you
might have a friend with a copy of one of the many books published about the 'A
and MGs. I have a copy of Robert Vitrikas "Handbook and Restoration Guide"
which is good on the history, model variations, and and what to look for in a
restoration subject. The other is a bit easier. Check and see if a nearby
(if there
is a University it's great) library has back issues of car magazines (most
likely
they will be on fiche or film) and look for old tests. I don't have the
dates with me,
but Motor Trend, C&D, and R&T (I think) all had articles. I xeroxed
everything I
could find, which included a couple or three different road tests, and a
story on
the MGA in general. It was really interesting to see the old ads for Judson
superchargers for the 'A, and T-series.
I have a MkII (that I have never driven :-(). The main advantage they are
supposed to have over the 1600 is the increase in power. It uses a different
block than the 1600 (I think a 1600 was just a bored-out 1500) and I read
somewhere that the block also incorporated designs for increased cooling.
Plus I
kinda happen to like the horizontal tail lights and the 'kicked in' grill,
but that's a
subjective thing :-). The 1600 and MkII have the advantage of front disk
brakes,
whereas the earlier models had four wheel drums. Other than that, everything
else was pretty much the same throughout. Of course unless you happen to
come across a Twin Cam (with the engine still in it). These are very rare,
collectably valuable, and a bit more expensive to restore. They have more power
and torque than any of the other models (too bad they didn't make a 1622
TwinCam :-() and they have four wheel disk brakes. I seem to recall that the
suspension was also more performance oriented than the average 'A also. There
was also a hybrid model termed as deluxe which was a Twin Cam with either a
1600 or 1622 engine in it.
Things to look for: all the normal MG stuff. Rocker panels, sills: check
these as
closely as possible as this can determine alot of what your restoration may
entail
(sometimes wiggling the door up and down can tell you something), shocks, play
in the steering gear. If it is driveable, check the transmission feel,
remember it is
a 3-synchro tranny.
Mostly 'A stuff: Thouroughly check the inside of the frame rails. As the
'A has
wooden floors, moisture tends to get trapped between the frame rail and
rails that
hold the floorboard, I know mine was a mess (but I taught myself to weld
:-)). The
battery boxes tend to be gone too. Don't bother looking for rust on the doors,
hood, and trunk lid (okay, so I used american terms) as they are aluminum.
That's my contribution. BTW, if anyone wants the citations on the articles
I have,
let me know and I'll post them.
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