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MG MGA - Trunk opening and Carpet

Hi MGAers!

Well I am in the process of gathering all the pieces to put back together the car after having it re-sprayed.

I have some philosophical questions regarding the trunk carpeting.
I have a MGA Roadster 1600 from 1960, and I ordered a rear carpet set + a trunk set for it.
To my surprise, when the trunk arrived it had the pieces for the 1/3 spare wheel carpet for cockpit and the 2/3 spare wheel carpet for the trunk.
HOWEVER my trunk opening has been blocked with a riveted metal plate by the previous owner.
Now I have been speaking with Cecilia from SF, and she is suggesting to just take off the plate and install the carpet as was intended in a roadster.

I kind of like the fact that the spare wheel fits fully in the trunk, even if maybe the space is reduced...

My question what do you think I should do?

1 - remove the plate and install as original? Has the advantage of originality, but maybe more messy as a design?

2 - leave the plate and change the carpeting for one of the 1600 Coupe which does have full wheel in the trunk?
Not original but keeps the bulkhead clean.

Any thoughts? Has any of you done the blanking plate conversion before?

Thanks!
Gonzalo
Gonzalo Ramos

Remove the plate and install the tire cover as original. It will give more boot space and you will loose very little usable cockpit space. Besides everything will fit right with the spare in the correct position. The tire clamp will work.

My $0.02

Jim
Jim Ferguson

Also the hood/top can rest on the tyre (tire) when it is folded up.
Gary Lock

If you are going to keep the folding hood (soft top) on the car I would remove the blanking plate and fit the tire in its original place Gonzalo

I have had my roadster for 3 years and I always complained about the "bad design" of the soft top as the hood frame bows, when folded, stuck out forwards and damaged the leather seats.

I have only just discovered that with the spare wheel pushed firmly into the slot through the bulkhead, the hood frame fits up over the top of the wheel and tucks nicely into place with the hood frame bows lying neatly down against the chassis.

So, it was really a clever piece of engineering to make it fit so well and the problem was down to my ignorance!

So without the spare wheel in its correct place you will struggle to fold the hood away neatly and the hood frame will dig into the seats and rip them like mine did.

(I never had this problem with either of the two coupes I owned )

Colyn

PS for translation purposes, whenever I wrote "Hood" I meant "Soft top"!
Colyn Firth

Colyn,
I have considered making a faux spare tire (curved wood or metal) for this very reason. Hood would be support but increased storage space in the boot.
Cheers,
GTF
G T Foster

Gonzalo

Consider how you intend to use the car, only you know that.

I decided that my roadster was an open air car. If I wanted a hood over my head I would drive my modern standard box. Therefore, my MGA is always topless and I have removed the entire hood assembly. I keep the spare tyre in the slot and have rigged an elastic cargo net behind the seats to retain what ever I throw in the back.

Works for me, but I fully understand that the hot USA temperatures often require the hood up for shelter against the sun - send some (with its heat) over here please.

Steve
Steve Gyles

"Consider how you intend to use the car"

I have done the same as Steve. I have not carried or used a soft top for 16 years. If the weather is really bad I fit the fibreglass top.

I have not carried a spare wheel during the same time -- 'touch wood', -- no flat tyre, yet!
Barry.
Barry Gannon

Barry, dont you find that driving with no soft top causes the corks dangling from your bush hat to resonate dangerously in the slipstream whilst you race from the shade of one coolibah tree to the next?
(apologies for the spelling)

I could probably leave the spare wheel at home as I have never needed it yet,but with my luck, the first time I did, I would get a puncture.

Also, you must have a better climate in Victoria than we do in the North of England Barry, leaving the soft top at home would probably mean me wearing a wet-suit most of the time!

Gonzalo, probably you could manage without the soft top most of the time in Florida, you may have to ask Barry if he can advise on suitable headwear though!

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Gonzalo,
Do whatever makes you happiest!
And Colyn, your comment reminded me I owe you a belated thank you for the tip about pushing the spare in to suport roof, which you posted a while back on another thread too. Amazing the differnce it makes.
Graham M V

See attached image for official accredited headwear for Australian MGA drivers.


T Aczel

Well I am glad that I asked cos I spent one full afternoon trying to fit the hood properly in the back and it would always sit badly. I had to hook it upwards with a strap to avoid the scuffing of the seats!

I will definitely need to keep the top, since the the weather in Miami is warm, but unpredictable, so sometimes I am forced to put up the top in the middle of a ride.

So for originality, and simplicity I think I will drill out the rivets and install the carpet I received.

Thanks a lot guys for your views! that really helped, and now my hood will fold correctly!!

BTW anyone know the source of tire clamp at a moderate price? Seems like the ones from the usual suppliers are made out of gold!

Otherwise I will make a temporary one myself... anyone done it before?

THANKS AGAIN!

Gonzalo Ramos

Gonzalo, I had to buy a repro spare wheel clamp as my car came without one.

If you dont fit one, the spare wheel gradually slides backwards into the boot (trunk) and causes the seat damage again.

The annoying thing is that I have thrown a couple of these clamps away over the last 20 years and they were much better than the repro ones.

You can get them over here but I would think you have a much greater chance of finding an original one in the States than in the UK

Colyn

(Graham, glad my info about the spare wheel position helped, when Les at Bob West's asked to look at the spare wheel when I grumbled about the hood frame, I thought he was kidding me at first!)
Colyn Firth

Colyn, I'm getting dejavu, have we been here before?!
Lindsay Sampford

If you need the space, the spare tyre can be left home but I carry a can of tyre repair/inflator just in case. My friend's a new Porsche has no spare wheel/tyre (but they may supply a can like mine, can't remember). Some years ago we had a flat tyre on a Cherokee six aircraft on a remote "outback" airstrip and "repaired" it with one of the aforementioned cans (and landed, albeit "gingerly", and lived to tell the tale!).
Barry Bahnisch

Barry, presence of a spare wheel is required for the correct stowing of the hood. Strange but true!
Lindsay Sampford

Have we been here before Lindsay?

Sounds more like re-incarnation rather than dejavu?
Bit philosophical for the MGA BBS isnt it?

In my case its probably more likely a combination of senility on my part, and the fact that the subject came up again.

Colyn



Colyn Firth

This thread was discussed between 01/12/2010 and 03/12/2010

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