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Part of my top frame broke, options?

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tweety

tweety

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Part of my top broke over the weekend. As far as I can tell I can't buy just this part (even though I think I can cut out the rivets and reinstall a new piece.)

As far as I see it, I can try to weld it, but there is not too much metal left to weld to. Or I have to replace the whole top frame. That's a pia

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

broken side:
https://picasaweb.google.com/audiokook/MGTop#5276008073164271346


Good side:
https://picasaweb.google.com/audiokook/MGTop#5276008079458256818
 
Can you have that piece made if you can't buy one? It appears to be flat with a couple of bends and some holes. Fairly simple for a shop to make one?
 
Take a photo of how it attaches to the body of the car so I can compare it to some I have in a shed.
 
That can be welded. No problem.
 
Silverghost said:
Can you have that piece made if you can't buy one? It appears to be flat with a couple of bends and some holes. Fairly simple for a shop to make one?
Click to expand...


It's actually kind of a big part. It's a bar that runs across the top between driver and passenger side of the car. I would imagine fabricating would be more costly than just getting a new top frame.
 
Drill out the involved rivet, weld the break nice, fat and sloppy(ONLY way I can weld), grind back to flat and redrill hole. New rivet. I guess someone could weld it nice and neat so it didn't need grinding and re-drilling, but not me!

Glen
 
Better yet, what year is the Spridget. One of these folks on this list has one of those as a spare in the back of the garage.
 
it's a '79 My Moss and VB show the same top frame for '67 thru 80.

I'm leaning towards welding also. Thick and sloppy is my technique also
 
OK who around there has a top frame they want to get rid of. Yes you can weld but getting the angles correct might be more problematical than you think.
 
I've made this repair on a couple of tops and covered it in a photo guide on my Snapfish albums. https://www2.snapfish.co.uk/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=237240424/a=132619650_132619650/t_=132619650
The repair is much like Glen described, except that you can grind off the end of the rivet and punch it out and then reuse it, welding over the previously ground end. If you're half way creative with that weld the repair is almost undetectable.
You may have to log into the snapfish site, but it's free and I didn't seem to receive any extra spam from doing so.
I also covered it with descriptive text on Yahoo Flicker https://www.flickr.com/photos/28194759@N08/sets/72157605953004040/
 
I have a couple of top frames from MK III Midgets if you want one or part of one.
 
I also have a frame off a '69 that you could have all or part of! Just PM!
 
Update: I'm on my way to a fix. My neighbor (who teaches welding part time, who is teaching me welding) helped me out with his professional rig (and professional experience) He welded the break beautifully. I ground it down and drilled it out. The rivet fits in pretty well. I didn't get a chance to weld the rivet back in as I ran out of daylight.

Thanks for all your help, especially your offers of sacrificial top frames.
 
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