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MG MGA - MGA Ragtop Bracket

Hi,

Does anyone know how the frame for the ragtop is supposed to fit on a 1961 MGA roadster?
I have a bracket which appears to be welded (!!) to the body. I thought that there was a bracket that bolted onto the door piller. I also wondered where I can get that bracket, if that's the way it's supposed to fit.

Thanks,

Duncan
DA MacFarlane

Mine is a 59 1600, but yours must be the same.........

its bolted on either side, you will probably need to get under the rear wheel wells with wrenchs to hold back on the nuts that run through.

If no one actually put a welding torch on these, I cant imagine why anyone would, it should be fairly easy to remove. WD 40 or similar will probably help break the rusted frozen nuts.

Ted
Ted

Hi Duncan. The bracket is supposed to be bolted to the car body, with a couple of screws on each side of the car. I think Anglo parts in Belgium have the bracket you need, but other (closer) suppliers would likely have them. Try Scarbourogh Faire in Rhode Island. If they dont have new ones, they may have them used. Cheers! Glenn PS the captive nuts (on the car body) that the top bolts to are notorious for stripping out. The retaining bolts are often known to snap off inside the nuts. I believe the nuts are in an enclosed area, and are pretty much inaccessible. This situation leaves an MG owner with an interesting problem to solve.
Glenn

The nuts are captive to the inside and inaccessible as Glenn mentioned. I had mine broke off in the nuts by the PO and had to heat them up to red hot to get them out. In case you can't and are not replacing the door post, you can buy patch panels from Scarborough Faire for about $10 each side. They bascially overlay where the old set of three would have been. First trace out the patch set and then cut out the old set leaving a 1/4" of sheet metal all around. Lay in and weld in place. Good idea to run some orientation line marks out from the original nuts to align the new patch panel.
Ken

Todd Clarke of Clarkespares.com has the brackets and rivets. He makes very high quality reproductions. You will need to call and request one of his catalogues and then place a phone/FAX order. His web site is only useful for general info about his business.

Steve

Steve Brandt

I had the same problem. The PO welded the ragtop frame brackets to the car. I got all the parts I needed from Todd Clarke.

Paul
P.D. Stewart

A much simpler and cheaper solution than patch panels is to drill out the old stripped captive nuts and have Rivnut Fasteners put in by an engineering shop.
Dave Barron

I had one nut missing when I went to install my top. A rivnut installlation tool is not very expensive, and a handy thing to keep around. The only compromise I had to make was using a coarse threaded bolt for that one particular nut...but since originality is not an issue on my car it matters not.
R. L Carleen

Thanks,

Rivnut sounds like the way to go in my case.

Any idea of suppliers in Canada (specifically Calgary)? And what size, length works best? What about the installation tool?

Duncan
DA MacFarlane

Duncan,
Most agricultural engineering shops use Rivnut Fasteners and will install them for you for a minimum charge, as it only takes a few seconds (just like a large pop rivet really) The size depends on the hole needed to release the old captive nut. When I had mine fitted I think the bolts were approx. 30mm long and M8 diameter.
Dave.
Dave Barron

Thanks everyone,

Found a supplier here in Calgary. It does sound like a pop rivet but with an internla thread. I'll see what size I need once I get the old welded mess sorted out.

Duncan
DA MacFarlane

This thread was discussed between 07/03/2005 and 09/03/2005

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