1962 MGA 1600 Mk II

Beginning the sheet metal repairs

Beginning the sheet metal repairs

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 getting that all fixed up, along with the typical lower fender rust, rockers, doglegs, etc. The first...

Rear suspension and brake renewal

Rear suspension and brake renewal

The rear suspension and brake systems were as worn out as the fronts were. We disassembled and cleaned everything. The leaf springs were sent off for re-arching and repainted when they returned. At the same time we painted the front suspension, we painted the cleaned...

Front suspension and brake renewal

Front 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 rack was disassembled and gone through, and ultimately we had to...

Engine back together

Engine back together

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 a replacement for a cracked 1622 cylinder...

Repairing the battery boxes

Repairing the battery boxes

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 replace the battery boxes. We had arms on standby if we found more damage or were unable...

Disassembly and evaluation of the engine

Disassembly and evaluation of the engine

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 large amounts of rust in the valvetrain, the poor condition of the coolant in the block, and...

Arrival and inspection

Arrival and inspection

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 deck for many years. It arrived for evaluation and we will be making the car mechanically sound,...