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MG MG Y Type - MG YT Running boards

Forgive my ignorance on this subject but I am just starting my research on YTs and as a new owner I have a lot of questions.

I am aware that the running boards bolt to the rear of the front fenders and attach in similar fashion to the rear fender. But can anyone here tell me if the running boards are supposed to be bolted or welded along the their length onto the side of the main body tub?

Thank you i advance
Phil
PNW Williams

Hi Philip

As you suspected they should be bolted on. Probably what happened was the captive nuts broke loose or the bolts seized and broke when they were being removed. I had similar problems with the running boards on my YT but solved it by using something called RIVET NUTS from Hanson Rivet. I used 5/8 inch rivet nuts to replace the lost captives (also did one under the rear mudguard) and can provide details on this if you need.

There are a bunch of things that if it were mine would immediately hit the resell pile like the grab handles on the dash that were never fitted to YTs, but I am sure we can work through all of these as we progress through. You are absolutely right though, at least it has been saved even if there are issues!

Best wishes and keep in touch, and please call me Paul.

Paul
Paul Barrow

Thank you for your response to my question. Repairing the running boards will complicate things a bit but certainly it will be possible to repair. They are currently welded to the body tub and "frenched" in to create a smooth transition between the two separate parts. While this does not look bad it is clearly not correct.

I plan to take a closer look at the running gear over the next few days to try and evaluate just where the car is in terms of condition. I am advised that it was a "rolling restoration" and was actually drivable in 1994 when it was stored.

Fortunately some friends of the owner oiled the engine and placed the car on stands when the owner passed away. the engine does turn freely, but unfortunately they did not drain the fuel system which in now filled with gunk. Both carb sliders are stuck, and most certainly they will have to be rebuilt as will the rest of the fuel delivery system. I had all these same issues with my TC so there is nothing new to the problems of long term storage.

It will take sue the but I thin this car is a good candidate for restoration as I have seen cars in far worse condition recovered.

I would like to find out if there are ANY factory records on these cars that could provide information relative to the original build colors when shipped or other original shipment data. Unfortunately it appears that they are like the rest of the MGs of that era that seem to be without birth records. Frankly there is a little too much red on this car for our tastes, and I would be thrilled to find out that the car was originally green or white so I could justify change the color.

Regards
Phil
PNW Williams

Hi Phil

Congratulations on your new acquisition.

I am afraid that apart from a very small number of YTs that were exported to Australia there are no surviving records that confirms the original colour of your car. There were combinations of interior and exterior colours and if you know the original upholstery colour then you can reduce the options on the paint colour. If you had red upholstery then the exterior could have been Black, Red or Ivory. If the interior was beige then the exterior could have been Black, Red, Almond Green or Clipper Blue. If the interior was Green then the two body colours were either Black or Ivory.

If the car has been re-sprayed then it is sometimes possible to find parts of the original paintwork colour behind the Guarantee Plate or Body Plate if they were not removed. Another option is the Battery Box Lid which is usually just ‘rubbed down’ and depending how thorough the respray was sometimes the area around the battery box can be a give away.

I know that this is another ‘shameless plug’ but if you don’t have a copy of Dave Lawrence’s book “Let There Be Y’s” then the CD is available from YZ Publications http://www.mgcars.org.uk/imgytr/stores/yzpublications.shtml and contains a wealth of information that you will find useful during your restoration.

Good Luck.
David Pelham

Mr. Pelham,

Thank you for your comments. I do i n fact have the electronic copy of the Lawrence book. I also have a large pile of research materials that came with the car that kind of forms a time capsule from the late 1980's and early 1990's of materials spanning the previous decades.

I am afraid that this car was rather thoroughly repainted by the previous owner. I am aware that there may yet be someplace on the car that might reveal the previous color, and I am reaching out to an owner from the early 1970's to see what he might know. Unfortunately I am already aware that the upholstery had been "dyed" black prior to the previous owners possession of the car and he subsequently opted for red seats with black carpet when he started his work. The rest of the car is now a rather obvious red color.

If I can substantiate that the car was originally red, then I will keep it so. But if I can establish that it was a different color, I will restore that color. The major difference being the level of work required.

In any case I have corrected some of the information that was provided to your registry relative to the car. In my view it was rather presumptuous of someone to go to look at a car for sale, decide not to buy it and subsequently enter data on the car in a public registry without consideration for the desires of actual buyers. In my view this complicates the work you are attempting while inappropriately violating the rights of the actual owner by forcing that individual into a public release of information in which they may not wish to participate.

While I would have provided this information myself, and I do support your purpose and goal, I am modestly irritated by having my rights and privileges as the new owner violated by a third party (not you). I do not blame you for this, but I do have a recommendation in this regard.

While It may slow your information gathering some, I would recommend you not accept data from people who do not actually own the car, or from people who are brokering a sale. In my view the owner of the car also owns that data, and the right to provide or not provide it to public data collectors. Just my $.02 worth.

Regards
Phil
PNW Williams

This thread was discussed on 14/11/2011

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