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Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:41 pm

Adding the rear seat really balances the colors. It really completes the look and pulls it all together.

Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:54 pm

Marcdeb wrote: Adding the rear seat really balances the colors. It really completes the look and pulls it all together.

Thanks, yeah I agree. I'm really looking forward to seeing it with the door panels in (the rear door panel is just sort of wedged in place in the pics at the moment). I need to install the side molding first though. I bought a bunch of the MG trim clips for the side moldings, but they didn't come with mounting nuts, so I have to figure out what the thread pitch is on them first and then buy the nuts.
A while back DaveB9 shared that MG Midget trim clips perfectly fit the Ghia side molding. That'll probably be my next item on the to do list.

DaveB9 wrote:
I used the stud plate method from this thread, but you can't get Chrsyler trim clips in the UK. I found clips from an MG Midget sill trim worked perfectly - no need to trim them, they slide straight in. Part number is AHA9447. I got mine from the MGB Hive, who were nice to deal with. https://mgbhive.co.uk/?s=AHA9447

Fri Mar 22, 2024 1:50 am

Looking great :D

Antoine

Tue Apr 09, 2024 1:55 pm

TRS63 wrote: Looking great :D

Antoine

Thanks!

Tue Apr 09, 2024 1:59 pm

Installed a starter relay. Even though I installed a brand new harness, it just seems safer to run the full starting current through a relay and a few inches of wire, rather than 10-12 feet of wire back and forth across the length of the car and through a 60-ish year old ignition switch.
Tough to see it through the wire bundle, but there is an inline fuse in there on the lead from the battery.

Tue Apr 09, 2024 6:15 pm

love the interior

Wed Apr 10, 2024 3:11 pm

obus wrote: love the interior

Much appreciated! Not gonna lie, I was sitting in it a few days ago just to kind of see how it feels...and then obviously I had to put my hands on the wheel and pretend to drive for a minute :lol: 8)

Anyway...I just replaced the RMS on my engine today. Flywheel and clutch looked good so I put them back on. Gonna try and get the engine in the car sometime in the next couple weeks. And then it's not much left to do. I really hope to be driving it this summer.

Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:41 pm

Just for the record - Californian Classics are/were selling MY Ribbed dash tops

Jerry KGCOA

Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:37 pm

"Not gonna lie, I was sitting in it a few days ago just to kind of see how it feels...and then obviously I had to put my hands on the wheel and pretend to drive for a minute"

I'm in this picture and I don't like it. :oops:

Seriously, what car enthusiast doesn't do this?! If they don't, they're doing it wrong.

:lol:

Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:09 pm

WestyMeg wrote: "Not gonna lie, I was sitting in it a few days ago just to kind of see how it feels...and then obviously I had to put my hands on the wheel and pretend to drive for a minute"

I'm in this picture and I don't like it. :oops:

Seriously, what car enthusiast doesn't do this?! If they don't, they're doing it wrong.

:lol:

Haha, glad I'm not the only one! :lol:

Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:10 pm

56cpe wrote: Just for the record - Californian Classics are/were selling MY Ribbed dash tops

Jerry KGCOA

That's what I figured, Jerry, thanks for confirming. BTW, I was the guy that contacted you through your website about them as well.

Tue Apr 16, 2024 3:11 pm

Prepping the under the rear seat battery location

Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:38 am

My 72 coupe is at pretty much the same stage of resto as yours. I’m also putting the battery under the back seat. What battery you plan on running? The odyssey that I’ve seen folks use on here? And what are your thoughts on securing it?

Wed Apr 17, 2024 12:39 pm

I have to say I wasn't sure about the grey carpet / red upholstery with the blue paint when you first mentioned it, but now it is done it looks stunning. The fit and finish also look spot on, great job!

Wed Apr 17, 2024 12:45 pm

Era Vulgaris wrote: Marcdeb wrote: Adding the rear seat really balances the colors. It really completes the look and pulls it all together.

Thanks, yeah I agree. I'm really looking forward to seeing it with the door panels in (the rear door panel is just sort of wedged in place in the pics at the moment). I need to install the side molding first though. I bought a bunch of the MG trim clips for the side moldings, but they didn't come with mounting nuts, so I have to figure out what the thread pitch is on them first and then buy the nuts.
A while back DaveB9 shared that MG Midget trim clips perfectly fit the Ghia side molding. That'll probably be my next item on the to do list.

DaveB9 wrote:
I used the stud plate method from this thread, but you can't get Chrsyler trim clips in the UK. I found clips from an MG Midget sill trim worked perfectly - no need to trim them, they slide straight in. Part number is AHA9447. I got mine from the MGB Hive, who were nice to deal with. https://mgbhive.co.uk/?s=AHA9447

The threads on the stud plates I got were M5, standard pitch which is 0.8mm. Hopefully standard M5 nuts won't be hard to get. I used sealing washers to stop water ingress and locknuts to stop them shaking loose. They don't need to be done up too tight that way.

On refitting the trim after paint, I have had 3 stud plates where the stud broke loose so far. The sealing washers and locknuts obviously put more load on them, but none of them broke loose the first time on the dry build, so I think it is the strain of having taken the sealing washers and locknuts off and then put them back on again.

Wed Apr 17, 2024 3:14 pm

joshmoney wrote: My 72 coupe is at pretty much the same stage of resto as yours. I’m also putting the battery under the back seat. What battery you plan on running? The odyssey that I’ve seen folks use on here? And what are your thoughts on securing it?

I'm leaning towards the Odyssey PC925, but I'm still kind of researching if there are any other options. No idea yet on securing yet. I think the battery choice will dictate that. Likely I'll just tack weld some kind of bracket to the pan, but I'm not certain yet.

Wed Apr 17, 2024 3:24 pm

DaveB9 wrote: I have to say I wasn't sure about the grey carpet / red upholstery with the blue paint when you first mentioned it, but now it is done it looks stunning. The fit and finish also look spot on, great job!

Ha, you and me both! Way back when I bought the carpet, like 2 or 3 years ago, I was planning on doing an off-white or cream interior. I thought the charcoal carpet worked well with Gulf Blue, since it has a fair amount of grey in it, and that it would also work well with a light interior.
But then looking at vinyl color samples for the interior, I felt like the off-white was just too boring, so I pivoted. Not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous about how it was going to look, but I think it works. It definitely has more pop than a light off-white/cream interior would.

Thanks for the head's up on the M5 thread pitch size!

Fri Apr 26, 2024 12:35 pm

A friend of mine stopped by last weekend to help me install the engine. I finished installing the muffler and heat exchangers today. I bought the Jopex muffler with the high temp paint. I know other folks have mentioned having an easier time installing it, but the one I got was a nightmare. Almost nothing lined up. I took me two days of massaging it with a rubber mallet, ratchet straps, clamps, etc to get it to fit. But it's on there now!
And yes, that is our old dryer, which has turned into an impromptu tool bench while it waits to go to the dump :lol:

Fri Apr 26, 2024 12:51 pm

Wow! That looks great. You should be driving it in no time now. Are you going to add an insulation panel on the fire wall behind the engine?

Fri Apr 26, 2024 1:25 pm

Loren wrote: Wow! That looks great. You should be driving it in no time now. Are you going to add an insulation panel on the fire wall behind the engine?

Thanks! Yeah, I really hope to be driving it later this summer.
No there won't be any insulation in the engine bay. I really like the painted engine bay look. It's just such a clean look. I did, however, fully cover the luggage area on the other side of the firewall with both dynamat and 40oz jute padding under all the carpet. I think that should compensate for the lack of tarboard in the engine bay. And if not, oh well. I enjoy hearing the engine anyway 8)