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MG MGA - 1600 Badges mystery

Hi all,

I am in the process of putting together my car and had a question regarding the 1600 badges.

According to the serial no. info, engine, tail-lights, etc I am convinced I have a 1600.
However, the car has no 1600 badges installed as would be normal, NOR does it have the holes on the fenders or boot-lid.
Is there a logical explanation for this? Apart from the possibility that the PO changed both fenders and boot-lid?

I have bought the badges and will be installing them in the next days. Do you have the exact measurements for the positioning of these so I know where to drill the holes?

Many thanks!
Gonzalo Ramos

Gonzalo,

Have you looked under the boot and shroud in the normal location of the badges to see where the holes were previously filled? If it is a 1600 then there will evidence of holes on the bottom side. You can use these to guide you for original placement. If you are drilling through paint you want to preserve be careful and place some tape over the area to be drilled and this will avoid cracking of the paint (hopefully).

I don't think the fenders have any badges on them. I believe they were behind the cowl vents on the shroud.

Cheers,
Christopher
Christopher Wilson

Fenders = no badge
The 1600 body had badges just rearward of the cowl vents. Should be able to see some evidence from the engine comp't. If not, the front clip or body may have been swapped out.

Boot lid may have been replaced with a 1500 boot lid or perhaps the holes were filled. Easy enough to check out the underside of the lid.

Perhaps somebody with a 1600 in process of restoration would send you a tracing of the fender and boot lid badge locations. This would be the best way of locating new holes. Make SURE your car never had these badges. If you locate slightly off center of a previously drilled hole, you may find the drill will wander off. It would be a shame if it were the last hole in the group.
Chuck Schaefer

In fact I miss-explained myself.
I was talking about the badges rear of the cowls, which are indeed on the body and not the fenders.

I do have the impression that the body around there was changed as I can see some welding/cutting marks on the inside.

I will check to see if any 'filed holes' are present.
Indeed there I will try to use your tape trick to drill them!
In hindsight I should had drilled them before painting.

Gonzalo Ramos

Gonzalo, My 1600 motif holes were also filled in for some reason - maybe there was a time gap between the last of the original 1600 badges and reproduction ones and anyone restoring a car in this period would have thought it best to do without them rather than replace bad originals.

Anyway, to find the motif hole positions I looked up the pictures on page 27 of Clausager (there is an excellent photo of just the chrome vent plus the 1600 motif). Using a ruler on this photo I scaled the distance of the motif from the vent against the width of the vent. This fraction times the actual vent width will give the actual separation.

The actual line between the two holes to be drilled appears to pass through the central vent bar with MGA on it. I think the line positioning is more important than the distance apart of motif and vent (I don't think anyone would notice a 1/4" here either way)...............................mike


m.j. moore

This thread was discussed on 08/12/2010

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