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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 - Rotten rubber

I have a growing list of rubber components on both my cars that have disintegrated and need replacing. The saga of poor quality rubber in replacement parts on these cars has been a topic discussed here often enough. It can ultimately only be down to suppliers (in China?) cutting costs with poor materials because its a small market and no one checks. Equivalent components on modern cars don't start falling apart within 3 months!

So are any of the main UK suppliers of our spares taking this up with their sources? Have efforts been made to specify use of proper long lasting "rubber" material by manufacturers. Part of tge problem is I don't think one can judge the quality by looks alone when new. It needs to be part of a technical specification in manufacture.

Has anyone had discussed this issue with the main spares businesses or have any advice on which, if any, spares companies can be relied upon to sell acceptable quality.
GuyW

Guy
Going back a few years there were problems with a certain brand of dual master cylinder the name of which escapes me this morning: three letters.
At a trade show the brand had a stall. I mentioned the faulty product and showed them the complaints mainly on the MGA threads.
By all accounts Classic Car stuff only accounted for 8% of their trade so Spridgets & MGA’s probably would not account for a whole 1%.
The parts are made in China and dispatched direct to the store without even touching the brand. It wasn’t worth wasting my breath.

A late female friend of mine used to use her handcream on rubber parts to keep them supple. Her Austin Metropolitan is still displayed at the Haynes Motor Museum at Sparkford.



Alan Anstead

My first car was identical Alan. Albeit mine was a red one.

Reg 7315 MV. I'd love to have it back but I personally scrapped it. I got through several halfshafts dropping the clutch. Lol.

Back to rubber. Same problem Guy. Rear bushes seem to disintegrate on the shelf, let alone in the shackles.

anamnesis

When it comes to suspension parts I dont even bother with rubber anymore and go straight to poly if available.

Now strugling with rubbers for front&rear window for my series2 Jag.
Available but last ones ive seen used were all to short/small.
I am now on a lead to a supplier in Germany of whom Ive understand produce well fitting ones... knock on wood.

So beside crap quality of the rubber much of the reproduced parts are not fitting...
I even thought of buying 2 rubbers and use one to cut out the bit the otherone lacks and glue it inbetween.
A de Best

Alan
TRW. I have a TRW m/c on the Frogeye, bought before I knew about the quality issues. It's been fitted since 2020 and in use since August 2021, so far without issue. Maybe the fluid helps to preserve the seal? I check brake fluid every time I take the car out.
Bill B

I guess it's inevitable. We're getting to the point that it will soon be easier to get parts for a 15th century printing press, than for a 60s/70s car or bike.

The only people making the parts we need, are simply exploiting the diminishing demand. Seems to me they have no real interest other than the profit. It's not the suppliers fault per se, they too are at the maker's mercy.

We no longer have sufficient demand for the economies of scale that lead to cheap prices, hence higher and higher prices, which people baulk at paying, which leads to poorer materials used, and poorer quality.

Best look for nos, or good 'pre loved', as used is called now.

anamnesis

Much as before then. This issue of poor rubber on multiple components has been going on for at least 10 years. The thing is though, that door seals and the like on modern cars don't crumble away at 3 months old, so the decent material, whatever it is, is available. It needs the intermediary suppliers like Moss, MGOC, AHSpares etc to specify with their supply chain what they buy in. But I suspect that for much of this stock these companies dont see the problem. The rubber looks identical and (generally) has sufficient shelf life before it is moved on as someone else's problem.

I just thought that it has been such a widespread problem for so long that one or other spares supplier might have taken it up with the manufacturers by now.
GuyW

I agree that modern car parts seem to last for many years, but for our cars they don’t.

A few years ago I asked a manager at Moss why rubber components never appeared to last long, he said it was due to legislation requiring the removal of substances that were considered harmful, and this affected the quality.

But that doesn’t explain why modern cars don’t have this problem.
Philip Sellen

Bill, I too have a TRW, like you bought without knowing the issue. The first one I had leaked straight away, the supplier claiming they had had no issues with them. They replaced it and it was ok although I did have trouble with the brakes binding which I only resolved when Alan pointed me in the direction of the MGA forum and I discovered many there had the same problem. I assume you still have drums on the Frogeye so maybe not a problem with them. The irony is that at the time you could buy a decent one for about another £15.

Trev
T Mason

https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk Excellent! they do even have NOS.
Flip Brühl

What Spridget NOS do Woolies stock Flip?
anamnesis

Mini spares even have some items in more than one grade !
They have track rod end gaitors in rubber and poly !

So they must have had issues.
richard b

Trev
Not drums, I converted front brakes to disc and used a 3/4" m/c from the 1098 cars (instead of original 7/8") which is intended for disc brakes.
Bill B

Regarding windscreen rubber section, I used to know someone that had a Gordon-Keeble and they used an obsolete rubber profile so not available. He contacted a company in the UK IIRC that did rubber extrusion and got a price for the tooling and run of the section and was willing to fund it and charge at cost for the new rubber. I don't know if it happened as I lost touch but it seemed some in the owners club were concerned over him having a monopoly on supply.

I've had silicone rubber tubing extruded to my requirements in the past at quite modest cost but in that case it was round and so it was a matter of setting the machine up with standard tooling to suit the OD and ID requirement.
David Billington

Came to me halfway through the morning. As a couple have pointed out TRW master cylinders. Must be my age?
Alan Anstead

Bill, so did you have trouble with the discs binding when you fitted it?

Trev
T Mason

Trev
No, no binding as the 3/4" m/c is designed for disc brakes (I forget the terminology but I think it allows quicker fluid return than the 7/8 drum brake m/c).
Bill B

I fitted disc brakes to my frogeye with the 7/8" MC and never had any issues, I didn't know at the time that there was any difference in the internals other than size. I only changed to the 3/4" MC when the 7/8" one started leaking and were NLA whereas 3/4" were available new.
David Billington

Bill, mine is a 1098 with right size cylinder but still had problems.

Trev
T Mason

Trev
I remember having to shorten the pushrods to allow the pistons to fully return, but that was in a 948 pedal box. I presume the 1098 pedal box is the right size for a 3/4" m/c.
Bill B

Bill, I had no problem with the clutch but had to shorten the brake pushrod. Several years ago now I did mine so hard to remember but I think some people drilled a small hole in the seal which the originals had but these didnt.

Trev
T Mason

So does anyone have a supplier recommendation for non-rotting steering rack gaiters? Current ones on the frog have cracked and split near the narrow, outer end, at only 4 years old.
GuyW

Guy, I don't have a supplier recommendation but I have had some success preserving aftermarket rubber parts (mainly for Japanese bikes) with a German product called "Gummipflege".
It's marketed mainly for window/boot/roof seals but I've found it effective on all sorts.
I've never tried it on rack boots but don't see why it wouldn't work just as well if applied before the rubber degraded.
Available in liquid or "stick" form.
I found out about it when it nicely revived the seals of Mrs GB's Focus cabriolet; they came up like new and stopped leaking so after that I used it as a maintenance product.
Also on the midget door and boot rubbers, and I used the last of my bottle on the Volvosaurus door and boot seals the other day.
I'll probably buy some more soon.
It might help, who knows?
Greybeard

Anam ; I did buy vinide: right color and grain, draught excluders. Did you ever visit them?
Flip Brühl

Ah right Flip. No I've never uded Woolies.
anamnesis

This thread was discussed between 20/06/2025 and 24/06/2025

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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