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MG MGA - Problem fitting badge bar

I bought a badge bar from someone last year and finally got around to installing it today. The bar is sandwiched between the bumper and the overrider. Looking at the photo you can see that I've snugged up the bolt to the point where the top back edge of the overrider is tight against the vertical part of the bar, but the overrider is still more than an 1/8" away from the bumper. It doesn't look right, but I can't figure any other way that this bar could be attached. Have I done something wrong or do I have an odd badge bar that just doesn't fit?



Andy Bounsall

Andy

Your badge bar is a different design to mine. See photo. Mine is tight, as is the lamp bracket. Both touch the over rider, but do not cause distortion.

Although I bought mine from Bob West, I think he uses the same supplier as Moss for this part. Perhaps yours is another supplier and he got the measurements wrong.

Steve

PS. Excuse the dirty chrome. This afternoon's job. It's a b****r cleaning behind the badge bar and light bracket.




Steve Gyles

My bar is like Steve's. I don't have the driving lamps. I had to add washers to space the bar out and allow for tightening of the whole assembly. I forgot how many but everything fits fine.

Jim
Jim Ferguson

Thanks Steve & Jim. That copnfirms my suspicion. I guess I'll take it back off and look for a bar like yours.
Andy Bounsall

Steve or Jim, could you take a measurement on your badge bar? I'm interested to know the distance between the front edge of the vertical part of the bracket to the front edge of the vertical part of the bar. Also, does the vertical part of the bar come straight up, or is it angled back a bit towards the car? Just trying to figure out if a new bar from Moss will fit any better on my car.
Andy Bounsall

Steve...? Jim...?
Andy Bounsall

Andy

Will measure it tonight. It's all a bit tight down there. I hope I can get a meaningful reading.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Mine comes straight up from the mounting bolt. That is an eyeball measurement.

Jim
Jim Ferguson

Andy

It is very difficult getting an exact measurement once installed. The attached image shows the best I can get. Please excuse the quality of the schematic.

If anything, rather surprisingly, the tubular bar seems to lean forward by about 5 degrees on the right angle bracket. Would have been a more comfortable fit if it leaned back towards the car by a similar amount.

Steve


Steve Gyles

Many thanks Steve. That really helps. On the bar that I have, the leading edge of the upright tubular bar is only about 0.5cm from the leading edge of the bracket. 2cm should allow the bar to clear the trailing edge of the overrider without interence. Guess I'll have to save up my pennies and order a new bar.
Andy Bounsall

Andy

Could you not cut the tubular bar and reposition slightly further back on the bracket?. Even with rechroming it may work out less expensive than a new bar.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Yes, that's something to consider.
Andy Bounsall

Hi Steve
I was interested to see that in your photo you had both the badge bar and a spotlight bracket mounted behind the over rider. Is this a standard setup or did you have to make modifications? I have a badge bar which looks to be the same as yours. Where would I get some light brackets? Are they a standard type.
Thanks Brian
Brian Woolmer

Brian

Yes it is a standard setup. The lamp brackets are Moss parts: AHH5520 and AHH5521. They are handed items.

The lamp brackets have right angled attachments that use the existing vertical and horizontal bumper joining bolts behind the overrider. The badge bar bracket uses just the vertical attachment bolt and is in front of the lamp bracket.

Both the badge bar and the lamp bracket in this dual arrangement touch the back of my overrider but it all tightened up okay with distortion.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve
Thanks for the heads up. I've got the bumpers and badge bar off at the moment repairing a few dings in the body so before I put everything back on I'll get the Moss parts and try it for fit. Then all I have to do is get a couple of Lucas lights.

Cheers
Brian
Brian Woolmer

Brian

I have just re-read my post. I missed a most a most important word out -'out'. i.e.

"Both the badge bar and the lamp bracket in this dual arrangement touch the back of my overrider but it all tightened up okay withOUT distortion."

Steve
Steve Gyles

This thread was discussed between 04/05/2009 and 15/05/2009

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