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Body repair

Posted by JohnMacks

MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Classic British Car Restoration Parts & Accessories

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Body repair #1
JohnMacks John McAneney Upstate NY, USA 1976 MG MGB	Posted: April 05, 2012 05:54PM Registered: 5 years ago Posts: 113

Hello all, I started to sand some good replacement doors and came across some pin hole rust, very small and very few. What would be the best way to repair? Thanks in advance, John

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Re: Body repair #2
John D. Weimer Cape Girardeau, MO, USA	Posted: April 05, 2012 06:17PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 21,577

A lasting quick fix would be to fiberglass the area from on the back side then normal finish work on the outside.

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Re: Body repair #3
AHark Andy Harkness Pittsburgh, USA 1975 MG MGB 1978 MG MGB V6 Conversion	Posted: April 05, 2012 07:27PM Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 897

or reskin the door. Cost is about $100 for the skin, not a bad job and you have a full cross section of steel when you're done.

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Re: Body repair #4
GTgeezer Lynn Kirkpatrick Indiana, USA 1968 MG MGB GT	Posted: April 05, 2012 07:31PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 340

Look farther, where there is a little rust, there is likely more rust. Then decide.

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Re: Body repair #5
pooch2 aussie 1968 MK 1 By the Beach, south coast NSW, Australia	Posted: April 05, 2012 08:27PM Registered: 4 years ago Posts: 4,191

The door skin is about .035 thick.

If you see rust on the outside, that means that .035 of metal has rusted away from inside.

Like the tip of an iceberg.

What you don't see is what's under the water.

If it is only pinholes and not joined up large holes, AND you were able to sandblast the rust inside completely away, JDW/s advice would suffice if you don't want to weld in a patch or reskin.

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Re: Body repair #6
j-blueridge Jamie Bourland C'ville VA, USA 1968 MG MGB GT "Antichrist"	Posted: April 06, 2012 10:33AM Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 787

For what it's worth I re-skinned a door and found it to be pretty easy. The I carefully sanded (4.5" grinder with sanding disc) away the folded edges of the old skin until the metal broke away. Took of old skin. Put new skin on and folded over frame with sheet metal hammer. Tacked with a few welds behind.

I had little holes behind the chrome.

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Re: Body repair #7
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: April 06, 2012 03:50PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 12,132

Word to the wise. If you do decide to reskin a door, trial fit it before you tack the skin in place. Once the old skin is off, the door frame can twist and you get to joint the crowd of MGB owners whose bottom rear of the doors does not sit flush.

I wish the guy who did the door skins on the GT from Hell knew this!

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Re: Body repair #8
j-blueridge Jamie Bourland C'ville VA, USA 1968 MG MGB GT "Antichrist"	Posted: April 06, 2012 04:53PM Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 787

I did test fit it and, as I recall, it was sitting pretty.

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Re: Body repair #9
MGB567 Barrie Braxton Sunshine Coast, Australia 1966 MG MGB MkI "Money Guzzler"	Posted: April 06, 2012 05:28PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 5,512

Pooch will correct me if I'm wrong but one of the best ways to find out the extent of any rust is to sand blast and then you'll see how many rust pinholes you've got. In the case of the door I'd do this from the inside out (not outside in). I had my wings sand blasted that way - revealed enough pinholes in the bottom of the dog leg to require a 6" x 3" panel being welded in.

CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67 owned since 3/77. Undergoing nut and bolt restoration. Tartan Red (now). 18GB +40 balanced with almost all new internals. Peter Burgess big valve fast road head. Piper 285. TT exhaust. ARP everywhere. 123 ign. Needham 4synchro c/r box. Stock rebuilt/replaced suspension. Superpro bushes. New brakes all round including all pipes in SS flex. Interior redone. CAMS approved roll bar and side bars. Lots more. Hybrid of o/e and show/fast road car. Not for sale - it's my toy!

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Re: Body repair #10
The old NZMGBs Paul WIERINGA Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand	Posted: April 06, 2012 05:30PM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 456

I’ve re skinned doors. Taking them apart and getting the skin off is fun…..fitting and lining them up isn’t. Lining up a new skin in the established door hole is the worse bit.
Remove the rust from the back side of the skin, cut out the hole and weld up would be how I would do it.
Paul ;-)

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Re: Body repair #11
9146 rick dentel yardley, pa, USA 1970 Porsche 914 1978 MG MGB 2002 Mini Cooper	Posted: April 06, 2012 07:15PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 1,453

Skin it.

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