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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fiber Glass Wings?

I know there have been several posts about using fiber glass wings, but the convos move to a complete front end replacement, opposed to just the wings.

basically, i am needing to replace one of my front wings, and just wanted to know how easy fiber glass wings are to fit, how strong they are and if there are any MoT issues with them :)

i cant afford £400 for a new steel one, and i now have trust issues with buying second hand parts. at £80 for a new FG wing, its not too bad

thanks
Rich K

'glass wings vary in quality - thickness, fit and finish.

There are not part of the chassis, so aren't an MOT issue.

You should mention it/them to your insurance company.

A one-piece front is great for access to engine etc (assume hinged at front); plus allows easy access to the inner wing and sill top to help avoid rust... and lighter, too.

A
Anthony Cutler

ah ok then, so they are a direct replacement to the old wings? I was planning on buying them from mgocspares? would hope the quality would be ok from them?

A one piece would be great, but my pot of money for my mg is shrinking and shrinking :(
Rich K

I've had a couple of sets from Honeybourne Mouldings in the past and they've been very good.

Not sure how they compar on price with MGOC though
l snowdon

Not sure where the Mgoc buy their wings from but I would think Honeybourne would be better and possibly cheaper. Mgoc may even buy theirs from honeybourne.

However I think it is far better to change the whole front of the car. There are a good number of second hand fronts on the market that work out far cheaper than buying 2 new wings.

The flip front does give slightly better access to the engine when tilted forward but the best comes when you remove the front to do major work or engine removal. I only have to remove 2 pivot bolts and a few snal electrical connectors and mine is completely off.
Bob Turbo Midget England

I have fibre glass wings, I don't know where they came from as I got them 2nd hand but they fit well.

The one thing I noticed is they are easily damaged by stones flicking up and hitting the inside, this can cause crazing on the outside. I had this and I had to remove part of the gel coat to remove the crazed area and re-gel it. I then did a repair to the inside with carbon fibre to make it a bit thicker and stronger. Of course you need the facilities to do all this which my old place of work did!

Steve
Steve H K-ser

i had a look at Honeybourne, and the wings they sell look good (and are about £10 cheaper than mgocspares), i do like the flip front end (and its quite reasonable at £200)

its interesting about the stone chips, would a think layer of underseal (the think rubbery stuff) help prevent that?
Rich K

Rich - if you want secondhand steel wings - and can get them to you (which might be possible if I speak real nicely to my parents, but that wouldn't be 'til late June), then I've got a fantastic pair that I would sell you.

Fibreglass is great - so long as you don't touch it! You'd need the proper FB stonechip stuff, which is ok, but, if one hits at a angle hard, then it will make it craze.
rachmacb

aw cheers rach :) will let you know (still have a few jobs to do before i need to touch the wings - like sorting the stupidly high suspension)
Rich K

Rich,

I've just looked at your car profile. Mine was a 1500 too, thats why I changed my wings for 1275 fibre glass ones. I'm doing without bumpers too, its the rear that requires a lot of work.

Beware of the wings Rach tries to sell you! Lol ;)

Steve
Steve H K-ser

yeah, im still converting to chrome, and was planning on welding up the indicator hole, but the wing isnt in the best shape, especially the wheel arch part (quite crumbily). hence i'm not going to weld it anymore and instead replace it
Rich K

LOL - where did I say they were your old ones Steve ...?!?!?!!!!
rachmacb

Rach, where did I say they were?! Lol
Steve H K-ser

LOL true enough ...!

Going to the practise Autotest on the 10th?
rachmacb

Rich,
once you have your rubber bumper assemblies removed, can you weigh them and let me know how much?

I have been curious about how much they weigh (I estimate somewhere between 70 and 90 lbs for the car set, based on the overall vehicle weight published by BL).

Norm "curious" Kerr
Norm Kerr

Rach,

I won't be there, other commitments :(

Steve
Steve H K-ser

This thread was discussed on 28/03/2011

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