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 MGA - Arm rest installation

All,
I am currently installing the MOSS upholstry kit in y 61' A MK1. My A was missing the arm rest so I do not know how the original was installed. I have not been able to find installation instructions in any of the books that I have. How was the original Arm rest attached to the interior. The Moss kit includes the plywood, foam and leater cover but that is it no other information or attaching bits.

Thanks,
Jim
1961 MG A Mk1 1600
Jim Pennoyer

The original was sewn to the carpet. Most people now staple or glue the armrest covering to the plywood base, and either screw thru the carpet into the plywood, or mount the whole thing with velcro.
Jeff Schultz

Jim, I had the same problem. I took the kit and tunnel carpet piece to my local upholstery shop and had it sewn in for about $30.

Looks great!

Clayton
C. Merchant

Hi Jim,
Maybe a little unorthodox (and not original), but I used a couple of bedrail slide fasteners. First I grooved the bottom of the plywood armrest base. I screwed half of the fasteners into the grooves of the plywood and the other half to the top of the transmission tunnel, through the carpet. The complete upholstered armrest pad then can just be slid onto the halves of the fasteners on the transmission tunnel. It's a much more solid connection then just being stitched to the carpet, if you don't mind a couple of holes through the top of the tunnel. It's not going anywhere. And it can be removed easily, for whatever reason. I can show you mine, when our cars thaw out in the spring.
Jack
Jack Schneider

Jim
I also had local shop make an arm rest for me from an old one I borrowed. I stuffed it and applied the plywood base myself. I had planned to velcro it to the carpet but found that once in place it sits there quite well held in place between the seats. I also used a much denser foam than original and made it 3/4 of an inch taller. It feels a little more comfortable at that height and the denser foam allows me to lean on it when I get out of the car without totally squashing it.
Kris
Kris Sorensen

Shoulda bought the VB kit--theirs is already sewn to the carpeting.
R. L Carleen

Jim, I usually make two small brackets from sheet metal and screw them to the bottom of the arm rest then I carefully slit the carpet where the brackets touch on each side of the tunnel and slip the ends of the brackets through the carpet then drill through the carpet, brackt and tunnel and drive screws into it. If your carpet is black and you use black screws you'll never see them and it holds the arm rest tight.
john

Jim.
I also made two small metal brackets. I stapled the carpet to the plywood then screwed on the brackets.
I then screwed the other end of the bracket to the trans tunnel. Then layed the carpet down over the brackets to the floor.
Jim.
Jim Jensen

I just used spray contact adhesive to fix my (original) armrest to the new carpets. 17 years later, it is still there...

I don't think you will find brackets are necessary, as the thing is only ever under compression, and never under tension.
dominic clancy

The best way to fit oy of all the above is to buy a kit where the trimmer atatches the whole armrest (cover and new foam)to a piece of ply and NOT a cover only ,If you buy the latter and dont live local to the trimmer who supplied you then you will need to seek out a upholsterer local to yourself to sew on to your carpet. Whenever we supply a kit if customer not local we allways mont onto a piece of ply,this way the customer can either staple the carpet on to the armrest or buy a strip of stick on velcro,and ut 2 strips down either side of the armrest and then the other half onto the carpet,making sure you mark 1st where it will make contact.Kris,s comment above make foam in higher density and a little higher is how we make ours as over the years customer feedback as convinced us this makes a far more comfortable drive, so well done kris.good luck to all
yvonne
y.s Dutton

I recently purchased what I believe is an original arm rest. It came with the rear short section of the transmission tunnel since the wooden bottom of the arm rest assembly is screwed to that with sheet metal screws. The black upholstery covering looks to be original, so maybe this is how it was done by the factory.....?

George
G Goeppner

Jim, I took a small peice of sheet metal a little smaller than the surfice of the arm rest and glued one side of velcro to it. and used 4 small pan head screws and secured it on top of the carpet. I then glued the other half to the arm rest. Doesn't budge! This also allows you to remove it to clean the carpet. If you do not secure it it does tend to slide.
WMR Bill

I don't remember any plywood in my armrest when I took it out many years ago. Is the plywood original, or is it an addition in the newer kits?

Ken
k v morton

I installed mine by using a thin board underneath the carpet and put screws up into the armrest.

Unfortunately, after I installed all my carpet and then the seats, I realized that I had positioned the armrest too far back.

Since repositioning it would require removing the carpets I just left it where it was. It has been that way for over 20 years.

If I were doing it over again I would mount it in a way that I could reposition and adjust it without having to get under the carpet to do it. Velcro, maybe, or some of the other suggestions offered up.
David Littlefield

Just an FYI,
Original armrests had no wood base. The armrest was sewed to the carpet and the carpet was slit to allow the foam to be stuffed inside.
Cheers,
GTF
G T Foster

I'm glad to know that my long-term memory still works. I thought I remembered the original arm rest being sewn to the carpet, no wood. The replacement armrest from the kit I bought in 1967 from MG Mitten was screwed down to the tunnel through the carpet, I believe.
Ken
k v morton

Thanks for that info GTF. I have been reading these posts, then going out to my car to try and find the wood with no luck. I bought my carpet set and armrest through Bob West in 1997. The armrest was sewn on.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Interesting discussion here. Seems about equally split between plywood/no plywood as part of the armrest. Wonder if this is another case of "factory variation" across production....?


G Goeppner

Try installing lift a dots. Predrill and screw the studs into the tunnel. No need for the wood. This makes the arm rest easily removable. I have a lift a dot on each side inthe front and then one under the rear of the back of the arm rest.

Ted
Ted Persons

My arm rest came with my still-original seats. It was sewn onto a piece of tunnel carpet with string. It is filled with a pre-formed foam.

The original carpet was in an awful state, so I cut the stitching and just used contact glue to fix to the new carpet, which I repeated 15 years later when fitting new carpets. I like the idea of using a piece of plywood a lot, would make fitting a lot easier.

dominic clancy

GTF is quite right on this one:

"The armrest was sewed to the carpet and the carpet was slit to allow the foam to be stuffed inside".

Every one of the 5 MGA's I have restored have been like that! Have never seen the plywood bit! Maybe 'down under' car were different?

Barry.
Barry Gannon

Does the arm rest taper down front to back, or is it a constant height (thickness) down the length? The pictures in Clausager seem to show both shapes.

Thanks, George
G Goeppner

George

Not sure if my pictures help as they are reproductions, as supplied by Bob West. That said, he aims to reproduce his items to original specs. Note that the arm rest is sewn in.

As an aside, a number of the cars and bits and pieces shown in Clausager were either supplied by Bob West or were the result of his restoration work.

Steve


Steve Gyles

Thanks Steve, that helps. The "original" I recently purchased has that shape, so I'm concluding now that the plywood in the assembly is not original, but the armrest bit with the foam padding most probably is.

Cheers, George
G Goeppner

This thread was discussed between 14/02/2005 and 17/03/2011

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.