Status of the Great MG Project

Well, as of this moment it is the middle of summer. Needless to say, I am worried that fall will be here very soon, and it it will be some serious temperature changes. It gets too cold here much too quickly, and the garage isn't heated. But that is the way it goes!

Last fall we finished painting the "tub" of the MG Midget in Volkswagen Tornado Red. The paint went on extremely well. We used the Crossfire brand from NAPA. Readers of Practical Classics Magazine will recall a test of HVLP spray systems. The best of the test was an Apollo Spraymate. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an Apollo unit in the US. But, as it turns out there is an identical piece that is offered by Harbor Freight!

I purchased the Harbor Freight system, and except for the stencils it appears to be identical to the Apollo model. Best of all, it worked fine for my needs.

The body was stripped to bare metal. Then it was painted with Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. Two coats of gray primer, also from the NAPA collection, were sprayed on. That was followed by two or three coats of red base coat. It was finished with three coats of clear.

After the paint cured we put the rear axle back in and attached the front suspension. The paint still needs to be buffed out, but there isn't enough time in the day to do that and everything else that must be done. So it will get finished when it gets finished, and that is about the size of it.

Over the summer the engine was rebuilt and it is just about ready to go back into the car. Yee, ha!

Are you interested in more photos of the project? Be sure to check our Gallery.

Right now we are preparing to paint the doors and trunk lid. Stay tuned for more information.