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Thanks Jeff. People always seem to mix in MGA parts with TDs, TFs, and MGBs. I still think your resto was better!

Correct, no odor in the jute padding (surprisingly) Didn't have anything special planned today, so was able to get a good 5 hours on the MG. First, got the rest of the car on jackstands so I don't get flat spots. I also installed the front inner fender supports (Photo 1). I'm still focusing on rear to front as far as putting it back together, so worked a lot on the interior. I got the two front toe board/floorboard jute pads (original) and trimmed off the floorboard part of them on both sides, as there was practically nothing left of them. I cleaned up the toe board portions and glued them in place. I also patched the hole in the front transmission hump jute pad and glued that in as well (Photo 2). I have repro jute padding I got from Moss with my repro carpets, but I will always try to use any original piece I can if it's presentable and safe to reuse. The rest of the floorboards will get the reproduction jute pads since I couldn't use any of the original pieces here. Last, I was able to install the rear upper scuttle trim pieces which, strangely, are real leather around the curved section closest to the doors, but are vinyl on the long straight piece at the rear. They probably had to compromise because the rear long piece is also connected to the side curtain storage back, which hangs down from it. I decided to reuse the original for this, as it's in great condition, although the white piping is discolored and the bag itself seems to have some white overspray mist on it from whatever terrible attempt at painting was done to the car in the 1960's. Since it's not really seen, I just cleaned it the best I could for now. I also continued to piece together the original vertical trim panels in the same rear area. This involves a few staples, but mainly a lot of trim glue to secure the vinyl trim around the card backing. This takes a while as there are many small pieces folded over which need to be glued as well as held down or clamped and I only have so many ways to hold each section at a time. Should be finished in a few more days. I also bought new trim screws for these panels, as the originals were too far rusted and most of the chrome plating had come off, so they couldn't be reused in that condition. I think I may continue on to the carpet, as that will make a nice base for me to lie on when I'm trying to attach the 1,000 crazy things that go under the gauge cluster. I'll probably install the doors right after that, since they are the most adjustable and will set the stage for the installation of the front and rear fenders.

Continued on today, although it's been hard to find much time with all kinds of other problems with other cars, as usual! First, put some more of the original jute padding back into place on the transmission hump. The front piece (which is not glued on yet) not only had a hole worn thru the carpet, but had a hole worn through the jute padding as well, due to the wear from the driver's foot on the gas pedal 50-60 years ago. They didn't leave much room for your foot, so it makes sense that this would wear quickly (Photo 1). I'm going to attempt to use some completely trashed jute padding from the floorboards to cut out a circle and hopefully seamlessly fabric weld a piece in to complete this original jute padding piece. Then, I have to figure out what the junk jute padding looked like if it was complete, and I have to get a hold of some original-ish jute padding. Next, I move on to the rear-most interior trim panels. These go behind the seats and cover the vertical sides around the battery cover panel to make it look like you have some type of finished area behind the seats. I should be able to reuse all the original panels. The mounting screws for the snaps that go on the panels were rusted a little too much, so I'll have to buy new ones tomorrow. Here's the partially-completed and cleaned-up driver's side one (right side) next to the untouched original passenger side one (left side). They are mostly just dirty and need new staples and glue to the cardboard backing, or which both are in excellent condition, surprisingly (Photo 2).

Found some more time today, although not as much as I would have liked. Made some minor adjustments and was able to get the final rivet installed in the spare tire cover. Then, I put in the spare tire and the spare tire hold down bracket (Photo 1). I then put the spare tire cover over the tire, added the two sets of tools, and added in the tool roll hand down straps (Photo 2). Here's a view from the interior with the spare tire in its cover along with the battery cover panel in place (Photo 3).

Back from a lengthy Thanksgiving break. Got some time today to continue. First, I installed the carpeting on the rear interior backing panel (Photo 1). It just glues on; I used some 3M adhesive spray and it worked perfectly. Next, I attempted to tackle the spare tire cover in the trunk. I was able to save the original cover with a LOT of cleaning. I drilled out the original rivets that held it in place when I disassembled the car. I also had to replace the fiber board backing that holds it all in place when riveted back in. The upper portion and sides were fairly easy to rivet, but the lower four were incredibly difficult, as I didn't quite have the size of the holes right when I replaced the rusted out metal. There's also more material on the lower part of the cover, mainly the carpeting, so it was more difficult for the rivets to get all the way through. Ended up wasting about four rivets by missing the mark, as the rivets didn't quite go all the way through the hole. I kept at it and got three of the four rivets installed, but still having problems with the last one (also Photo 1). Very difficult to reach the two rivets in the lower middle with just one person, when you don't know how for the rivet is extending through the hole. I gave up for the night, but should be able to get it finished tomorrow.

Thanks!

Keiser, Thank you very much for your generous offer. However, I paid this plater a lot of money for show-quality chrome, so switching to one that is probably not to that standard would defeat the purpose. I have plenty of time, so I'll be taking mine back to the plater in December and making them fix it properly on their dime. I will keep yours in mind if my shop loses or totally destroys it, which is an experience I've had with some low-quality platers I used in the past before I found this shop. Regards, Chris

Didn't have too much time today, only about 2 hours. Tried to install the "MG" and "1600" badging on the trunk lid. Had to increase the hole sizes in the lid by about double, as they had become too small with the body work that was on top of it. Was able to fit the "M" and "G" with some trouble, the "1600" badge was easy, but the Octagon around the "MG" is a no go (Photo 1). I believe that when I took it off originally, either one of the studs was already broken, maybe I broke it, or the plating shop broke it, I can't remember at this point, but they messed up and when they installed a replacement stud, they moved it about 1mm over, which caused the problem seen in the photo. They are a very reputable plating shop, and very expensive, but they do stand behind all their work, so I think they will repair it for free, but unfortunately, I will have to stop near Harrisburg, PA next time I'm up there to drop it off to have the stud moved to the proper location. I'm not going to trust the post office with it. Next, I was able to install the trunk weatherstripping. Very easy, just put in some adhesive and work it around the channel, then cut off the excess. Last, I decided to install the trunk lid itself, it didn't seem like it would difficult. It was fairly easy, just 6 bolts and some slight adjustment. I got it fairly well adjusted and closed it up to help seat the weatherstripping (Photo 2). I'll do some other minor adjustments in the near future. Having the lid on now, I can more easily see some of the bad scratches that remain, and some of the bad edges that still have some orange peel, but I think I can get those polished to at least and acceptable level.

Thanks Martin. I'll probably go for some shows first before and see how it does, if I think the car is good enough, then drive it more after that. Should be a lot of fun on the back roads, if there are any left where I live by the time I complete it.

Your next award: 2023-Zenith-program.pdf (aaca.org)

Better be careful or you may end up with a Zenith Award.

Installed the front and rear trunk and hood latch releases yesterday. I had originally broken the two bolts holding on the rear latch when I took the car apart, the bolts on the other side were impossible to get off and both broke. Of course, when I dug the pieces out of the storage back yesterday, the nuts came off the broken bolts very easily when placed in my vice, so who knows what happened there. Anyway, going to a junkyard tomorrow and hope to find two other original bolts that I can use. If not, then I'll have to try the hardware store junk. Can't finish fine tuning the mechanism and can't install the trunk weatherstripping until I get new bolts. Also, can't continue with the rest of the trunk, as I'll need to set up some string or something thru the rear cowl spare tire aperture so if my adjustments aren't right with the latching mechanism, I have another way to get the trunk lid open/access to the mechanism. Really bad design having no trunk latch and key and making the only way to open the trunk via the pull rod behind the front seat. Any shlub can just gain access to the car at any time, since there is no lock, and pull the trunk rod and gain access. Today, I broke out the trunk lid and wet sanded and polished it. Got slightly better results than with the body, but still have a few scratches I can't easily get out. I also found that there are quite a few small fisheyes in the clear. These were reduced in size and improved after sanding and polishing, but still annoying. So small, not really noticeable except in certain lighting conditions. I'll probably do a little more cleanup of the lid, probably around the edges where it's much harder to sand and get clean cutting, but still looks okay overall (Photo 1). After further cleanup, I have the "MG" letters, Octagon, and "!600" emblems ready to go on.

I believe it is a Rayfield. It is mentioned a few times in the Google searches I just did for "1913 American Underslung Engine." I found a reference to a Rayfield, then did a search "1913 American Underslung Rayfield Carburetor," and found more references to it. The "Type "644" and "642" referenced above are for 1913 Americans.

Got a lot accomplished over the last 4 days or so. Although not all of these tasks from here on out were easy, they were at least something that could be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. Since my last update: 1) Installed the fuel tank- This was very difficult, as not everything lined up, plus I didn't know that I needed to have the rubber gasket and the metal retainer ring in place before putting in the tank. It's also doubly difficult doing it with one person with the rubber gasket involved, fighting the fuel filler neck. Had to install it twice and make numerous adjustments to the strap positions so they would line up with the retaining bolts (Photos 1 & 2). Also installed the fuel filler neck extension with rubber attaching sleeve and fasteners and the fuel line and fuel sending unit wiring. 2) Set up the rear wiring- I had installed this on the chassis a couple years ago. I was able to feed the wiring to the correct locations as well as install the license plate light wiring grommet and wiring thru the grommet. 3) Installed the rear bumper brackets- Had to do these twice as well, since the threads had rust underneath the thin layer of paint I applied after I wire-wheeled them a few years ago. Chased the threads with a tap and went in with no problem. Will have to wait to install the rear bumper assembly until the rear fenders are on. 4) Installed the roadster top mounting hardware on the body- The roadster top has two larger metal hold-downs in the rear and 12 snaps around the rear deck to secure the top when it's up (Photo 3). I lost one snap somewhere, so had to use a repro. I'm sure the original will turn up somewhere, since I never throw out any parts of any kind until the restoration is fully complete. 5) Installed the rear fender supper brackets- These brackets help secure the rear fenders as well as keep dirt and grime out of the front with a rubber gasket (Photo 4). 6) Painted the rest of the hood and trunk latch mechanism- I had forgotten to paint these pieces body color, so just painted and cleared them in the driveway (Photo 5). Once these dry for at least 24 hours, I should be able to install them and get them lined up for hood and trunk installation. 7) Continued polishing the paint- Tried to clean up more scratched areas in the paint. Definitely better each time I work on it, plus it seems I have a pretty good amount of clear to work with at these fine polishing grits. Very happy with the Griot's products I bought, they work very well. - Next steps will be to install the spare tire cover assembly (this must be riveted into the spare tire bulkhead at the rear cowl), install the rest of the hood and trunk latch mechanisms, place the spare tire, spare tire cover hold-downs, and place all tools/tool kits in the trunk. I think after that, I'll break out the trunk lid and start wet sanding and polishing that.

Thanks Jeff. I think with a little more minor work it will be even better, but going to leave it alone for now, it's f8ne until I can get it in the sunlight and do a better inspection. Moving on... Going to start working from the rear of the car and work my way forward installing parts. Going to take a break from wet sanding and polishing. Installed the gas tank...but soon discovered that I can't get the metal gasket retainer around the filler neck in the trunk, so had to take it out again. A lot of work for nothing!...but it will go in much faster next time.

Thanks, well, I'm super critical of my own paint job, but I know I can't achieve perfection, so it's probably more than good enough at this point. I still have all the other panels to do in the future, but I think it may go better now that I have the experience of doing the main body. Interesting about the Monte Carlos. We were a Monte family growing up, my grandparents had a '73 and '79, and my parents had a '76 and an '80. You may have helped build some of them. I remember the '76 started rusting at strange places after only 3 years and the '80 had dieseling problems so bad that it would just keep running, sometimes for up to 5 minutes after you turned the ignition off. Needless to say, my folks have been Nissan customers now for 39 years, to my chagrin as a Chevy guy. I have 3 Chevys, regardless of my parents' experience.

Got my Griot's order today, so immediately broke open the box and got to work. I used the most aggressive polish they have with the most aggressive pad. This definitely helped a lot, but I still have a few small scratches that are visible under certain LED lighting conditions. They must be a few 1200 or 1000 grit scratches that I just never fully go out as I sanded up. All the contaminates I got in the original paint job were removed, but I did end up with 3 very small fisheyes that may be the result of some grit getting in the paint right around where the windshield will go. The fisheyes are maybe .25 mm, so really only noticeable with perfect lighting conditions. I will take a look under a magnifying glass to see what's going on and see if I can somehow fill them with a little clear and see if I can polish them out, or, I will just forget about them and live with it, they are quite minor. I did the best I could with it and repeated polishing with all the finer polish grits as well, and I must say, it turned out very nice, regardless of the scratches. I think what I will do is get the car on in the sunlight the next sunny day and take another look. Without LED lights at certain angles, the paint looks incredible, so I'll take a look and see if I want to do any more work on it or see if it's good enough. Overall, it does look quite good, so I can probably live with it. I probably have a little more to polish around the edges, which I may do by hand if they are too close to edges or other features.

Thanks Jeff. I have the LED lights set up and can easily see the scratches with those lights. I have a rotary buffer with a long throw, but it does not appear to be random. I think I'll stay away from wool pads for now. The Griot's system has various pads at various "hardness" levels along with various abrasive levels of polish. You match the polishes to the pads. For now, I'm just paused until I get the slightly more aggressive pad and polish. I'm hoping that with a slightly more aggressive polish and pad I can get those scratches out, but we'll see. I did try another test area the other day on the MG with sanding and polishing, and it did improve, but it seems no matter what I did, I still had some scratches remaining. I'm going to see if the new pad/polish can remove these scratches without having to do more sanding. I didn't clear coat my test fender, I just painted, so that's of no use.

1984-1994 Buick Century.

Most likely aftermarket, but yes, applied on trucks or even school buses, maybe 1930's into mid-1950's.

I finished sanding the body, all the way out to 5000 grit. The 5000 grit made a difference that you could see in the paint, definitely a step in the right direction. I also got my order from Griot's Garage today, so I got started on polishing. I've never used a buffer like this one before and don't know much about the various polishes, so I started out on the slowest speed with a mid-level pad. This didn't do much. I soon switched to a more aggressive pad with the more aggressive polish. I went to a "3" speed and slowed my technique down a little, and I started to get some much better results. Unfortunately, those results quickly revealed that my sanding job was not good enough, as a few deeper scratches remained in the paint. I decided to pick a 2' x 2'-ish area and focus on that. I took a magnifying glass out to see the scratches in the paint so I had an idea of the scratches in a very small level. I ended up sanding back down to 2000 grit, then up the chain back to 5000 grit, then tried the polishing again with a "4" speed (out of 6). I got it to where 90% of the scratches are out, but that's not nearly good enough, you could still clearly see scratches in the shine, still looked like crap in my opinion. So, I ordered the most aggressive polish and a more aggressive pad from Griot's, and I will try with that on another section and see how it does, once it comes in, then I'll switch back to my more finished section and see if it corrects those scratches. The whole time, I am sweating bullets, as I'm not sure if I'm going to break thru the clear at this point. I may be okay, as this level of sanding and polishing isn't very aggressive and I did apply three coats of clear, or maybe even more on most sections. I'll see if the polish is aggressive enough to clean up those scratches, or I may have to more or less start over with 2000 grit wet sanding. Looks like this is going to take a very long time, but it should go much faster as I go and learn from my mistakes I made.

Thanks, Steve, it's been a lot of work and still more to go (but easier work now) Pre-War, I ended up going with some 3M 5000 grit pads to finish off the wet sanding, then I bought a Griot's garage mid-level long-throw random orbital sander with two grades of polish and 3 grades or pads, which I think should do the job. The Griot's package is in the mail, so I think I'll have it by next week. I completed the wet sanding of the body up to 3000 grit. I made a few minor mistakes and had to re-sand a little. I also ended up breaking thru on some edges in three areas, but I can simply touch up a little with a brush, lightly re-sand to blend, and these areas will be covered up by various trim piping and trim gaskets, so it won't matter, but good lesson learned about how fragile the corners on panels are and to avoid any real sanding/polishing as not to ruin the paint.

Thanks Steve. Starting to come together now.

Thanks again, Jeff. Great advice, which I will follow. I'm working on putting together some orders, but it's quite complicated, as there are so many pads, polishes, and levels from which to choose. Don't want to over or under do it.

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate it. Thanks for the advice about the DeWalt, I will look into it. Also, thanks for the wet sanding and glaze advice, that will come in handy as I go along. So just two levels for the Meguiar's system, M110 and M210 and that's it? Also, how long before I can throw a coat of wax on the paint (when the sanding/polishing is finished)? I know I'm supposed to wait for a while...