MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Heater box clip - refurbishment

Good afternoon,

The weather is my best ally to finish my heater box refurbishment - started last spring :)

I was wondering how you "refurbish" the heater clip ? Mine are dark. I think they should be "natural" ? How would you refurbish and then protect them from rust ?

I started with 400 and then 320 sandpaper, it looks like it remove most of the durt, but not everything. I am concerned going bigger and scratch the steel... And don't know how what to put after to protect them (if needed)

Thanks :)
Cedric - feeling chilly in his midget ;P
CH Hamon

They had a zinc plated finish originally.
Mine had surface rust and quite tatty so I cleaned and derusted them and just painted them a silver colour.

Richard Woolley does refurbed heater units so he may have refurbed/plated clips if you want original looks - he often advertises in the classified section.
Have used him for parts numerous times.
richard b

Cedric,
is it part number 17H1595 in your copy of the factory Parts Catalogue?

If so £1 a-piece from MGB Hive.

Or you could try putting yours in the sweet acid drink from the giant American company, or vinegar or proper brown sauce - HP, as British as an "Indian" curry!

This might lead you to forget clip polishing and enjoy some local cuisine instead - bacon or sausage sandwich (not roll or cob) with HP brown sauce. - https://www.hpsauce.co.uk/product/100118200001/hp-brown-sauce

If you were very lucky you might find a bottle of Northamptonshire sauce (Harrods?). -
https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/business/pictures-jeyes-northamptonshire-sauce-goes-down-storm-opening-new-earls-barton-deli-2994821

Or Marmite bread - "Our Marmite Bread is very popular too...along with our Cheese & Marmite Rolls." -
http://www.gardnersbakery.co.uk/content.asp?cpage=Bread%20%26%20Confectionery
Nigel Atkins

I'm sure you can get Stainless Steel replacements.
Rob
MG Moneypit

Stainless steel replacements from Ashley Hinton.
Chris Madge

Nigel

HP Sauce is no longer made in Birmingham but in the Netherlands since bought by Heinz from Danone.

Mike
M Wood

M Wood. I now favour Dadies sauce for that very reason.
Rob
MG Moneypit

Where is the fun in replacing ? :D

The only fuzzy drink I have home is some "Japanese" beers to go with sushis we made last weekend.
So HP was French, before becoming Dutch ? :D

Any recommended products to protect stainless steel ? If too complicated, I might go down the painting road...
CH Hamon

Mike,
that was my point in a way, and Daddies IIRC is made in Poland but the idea and taste is so British, an "Indian" curry is so British but not from or of Britain really (IIRC 80% are Bangladeshi anyway).

There is so much 'Goodness Gracious Me' type of "British" stuff about.


Nigel Atkins

Reading some Grandpa ideas, I did give a try to cider vinegar over night + autoglym. I am not so disappointed about the result, does look better than dark-rusti-ish, and still keep some patina :)

I know it might not be easy to tell from pictures, but what do you think are the marks ? Should I give more cleaning/sandpaper and could get rid of it, or it is the coating that is gone ?

I need to go to buy some organic cider vinegar to replace the bottle I finished: apparently, if the bottle look like a cheap one and in-used for months, it means there is the expensive stuff in it... Who would have guess ?






CH Hamon

Important stuff first vinegar is malt vinegar wot you put on your chips (not fretes, or fries!!!) not the fancy (and expensive) cooking stuff.

Sarson's (now owed by a Japanese company) is the vinegar for your table - https://www.sarsons.co.uk/range/malt-vinegar

- and cleaning - http://thehomecleaning.co/vinegar-and-its-many-uses-for-cleaning/

Others may know better than I about these clips, but generally the thing is Cedric once you start with coarse you can't put back what you have taken off with it. You should always start with the lightest that will work and go one step heavier only if that doesn't work (same with polishing) then you go back to lighter to polish as you have now. You should have started with something like the vinegar to get the rough stuff off.

Now this will please your better-half, how about cover the clips in a thin layer of clear nail varnish to seal the finish. I've no idea how it would react to Autoglym but you could probably use a quick wipe of vinegar to get it off? - https://tiphero.com/38-clever-uses-for-nail-polish-readers-digest

BTW - I'm old enough to be a great-granddad.

Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 20/10/2020 and 22/10/2020

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.