When I was 17-18 years old my Dad acquired a 1958 MGA 1600. Now that car was a BLAST! I drove it everywhere. Oh, I forgot, I am 80 years old now. How does time fly.
In 1965, at 19, I bought my very first car, a 1957 MGA, (black w/red leather), for $500! The 8 year old car was in beautiful shape, but I later found that it had an expensive 'rod' problem that needed fixing! It was a great six months, owning it, but since I had no more money, to fix it, I sold it to a "Foreign Car Junkyard", for $100. who immediately started disassembling it for parts, right before my eyes! I still 'pine' for that MGA, 57 years later!
Thanks, Steve. I gratefully appreciate your videos, particularly being aware of the effort you put in to present them. May 2023 be kind to you and yours.
I'm being flooded with memories! Had a 1960 MGA (affectionately named Maggie). Went overseas and couldn't bear the problems of storage, so she was sold.
Thanks for sharing Steve. I recall as a boy(1950's) we had a split window Morris Oxford. I remember my Dad taking out the sparkplugs on a cold winter day, bringing them in the house, heating them on the stove and then re-installing them to get the car to start. I recalled this when I saw you heat the plugs. Great video.
Yet another brilliant diagnosis. You make it look so easy and while these cars are indeed very simple in terms of both mechanicals and electrics I am sure I would be there until my dying day trying to fix something like this. Happy 2023 Steve.
I used to own a '57 MGA.in the '70s. The 3 bearing crankshaft was rather weak (I had to overhaul it twice) and the batteries were an issue, but you could purchase new ones back then. When I bought the car the plywood floor boards needed replacing, as did the body work below the doors. It was amazing how parts were available for this car back then. Dad was a body repair mechanic and so we repainted it British racing green. I had many of the chrome parts renewed, but as I was buffing out the front grille, I ended up taking all the old chrome off down to the brass, and like it so much I left it that way (I had to polish it now and then). I also added a jaunty chrome luggage rack onto the rear boot. The hood, boot, and doors were all made of aluminum.
I have a 1958 MGA, also with B engine, and a few other "upgrades". What a great, modern-feeling car to drive!! The process you went through is perfect and something that everyone should know! thank you!
I so enjoy following the trail step by step. Great job. I did not know that about the coil. So such a weak spark wouldn't get the old girl running very impressed. Thanks. I own a 69 TR6 and maybe now know more than I'd like to.
I had the same issue with my MGA when it was in storage, turns out the steering gaiter was split and the oil from the rack was leaked. New steering gaiter and a fill up with 200mls of oil before putting on the gaiter clip and it was fine again. These are simple cars and very reliable.
Great video . I am in the process of restoring a 1958 MGA which still h s the 1500 engine . I was fortunate that although the car needs a lot of work , it did run when I purchased it .
Your canister leak brought back memories. I had bought a TR4 while in flight school and decided to service the car so I took it to the post auto shop. After changing the oil and filter I started it. The car promptly puked out about a cup of oil onto the floor. The sergeant in charge of the shop went ballistic about the mess. Never forgot to check the seals and tightness after that. Totally love your videos. I’m going to have to check my MGB since I converted to negative ground.
An MGA is likely our next car. My wife adores the stying and I adore the everything else. It'll be a weird upgrade? side step? From the Midget for sure. Our local car club has a list of them for sale, and we're starting to comb through the local cars.
Yes Steve, I would like to see the steps you would take from here and any improvements you would make along the way to assure this MGA is a safe and reasonably reliable weekend driver. I really appreciate the straightforward approach you take in your video production. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to produce these gems.Hope yours is a happy & healthy 2023.
Thanks Steve! Isn’t it amazing how sometimes is the small, fiddly details that keep a car from running. (But it worked once the ignition was sorted out!)
My late father had an MGA when he met my mother in the 1960s - it was also white and they nick named it the ‘white witch’. Being a car guy, I always wanted one. Especially since Dad had one. 😊
I have just finished bringing my 85 year old mothers'1965 MG Midget back to life after standing for 10 years and it now runs beautifully. Busy with my fathers 1958 MG Magnette ZB 1500 which has also been standing for the same amount of time. They had an MGA as well but sadly they sold it a good few years back. Thanks for the vids. Subscribed.
Great to see someone making a calm general approach to getting the car started, and not tearing into the machine. Nice idea with cleaning the spark plugs. I'll have to try it.
I had a Blue 57 - Had to roll start it - loved it - Two things - It is positive to Ground, and Brake/Clutch Oil cannot be USA but from GB or seals will leak .
Happy new year Steve! In Australia on the east coast it is 1.20pm New Years day already. I would most definitely want to see more videos on this MG. They are a beautiful vehicle.
I'm an Aussie on the east coast and like you have always thought highly of the MGA and have wanted one since I was a kid. Now it's too late ... they are a bit too hard to get in and out! 😃
@@kenem1946 LOL. I am too. I am rectifying that now, though I fear the old bones & joints are past it regardless of how much weight I loose! I do have a fetish for an XJ6 Jag, that would be the newest one though. Older would be great. I am a British vehicle tragic. I own a LR3 right now.
That took me back a fews years. Those SU's can be a pig if left to sit too long. Unscrewing the 2 black damper rod / oil caps and lifting the slides can sometimes help free up the varnish like fuel residue on the main needles. Also checking the oil level in the dampers . If empty the slides and needles tent to jump about which gives inconsistent fueling. Wonder if there are still rebuild kits around? Would love to see a video on that Cheers
My first car back in 1968 was a 56 MGA that wasn't nearly as nice as this one. Fast forward to this year and my recently acquired 77 MGB which is in very good condition but just needs some things sorted out and freshened up. Hopefully I can get the overdrive working like it should. I enjoy your videos and like your taste in cars. I was born in Iowa and spent many summers at my Grandma's when I was a kid . My parents would pick me up towards the end of the summer and drive us back to Wichita. They had an Austin Healey 3000 back then and I was still small enough to hang out in the jump seats in the rear. I've been in Colorado since 1968 and recently retired. I'm planning a trip back to Clarinda, IA next spring/summer for a long overdue visit. I would like to visit your site and see all your treasures and get some good advice on maintaining my MG if that would be possible. Keep those videos coming and have a Very Happy New Year!
just lucked into finding your channel, glad I did Im working on a 59 MGA just now trying to put it all together and look forward to learning from you as I try to get it back to life
I search for this car on TH-cam just about every day.. I was stoked to see a channel I was already subscribed to.... Excited to see more of this car :)
I just bought a 59 MGA last week. I think it has a1800 V MGB motor. It was going to be delivered yesterday and the fuel pump didn't kick in. I'm thinking fuse or bad ground, it ran the day before for the dealer. I had a 59 back in the 70ties and seeing your video brought me some memories of all the little quirks MGA have. I had to constantly tinker with it, fabricate parts I couldn't find. Electrolux brushes to rebuild wiper motor. I'm saving this and looking forward to the next.
@@ThisWeekWithCars The dealer put a new battery & and he's ordering a new pump. I think it's an 1800 v MGB motor. I didn't see the car yet to get numbers.
Congrats on another great find! Today I picked up the tips on torching the plugs, tightening the screw on the filter and checking polarity on the coil! Great!
Interesting MG here it now has 'blood type AB+" This one should be a dandy Roadster to see back on the roads. Thanks for this, and Yes, I'd like to see more of this one.
Steve I can not thank you enough for how much your videos have helped me, I bought a Morris minor about 18 months ago as a first car and got it back on the road after it had sat for 12 years. I learned to drive in it. I love your process of troubleshooting to find the problem, and then how to go about fixing it. Happy new year, and greetings from New Zealand.
Happy New Year Steve, you make these 'Will It Start?' video's look simple, but it takes a thorough understanding of these old systems and a Whitworth tool kit to get the job done!
Very nice machine, in decent conditions. It's nice to see something that doesn't require extensive archaeology before you can even identify the components, let alone test them. Maybe that reversed polarity on the coil gave disappointing performance, causing the car to be parked? It wouldn't explain the 2 fouled plugs of 4, though, would it?
I have the same colour MGA (OEW with red upholstery) only mine's a Mk2 Deluxe with the Twin cam running gear. Putting the MGB engine in is a good swap, although I'd keep the original engine with it in case you ever decide to sell.
Happy new year! While it is too late now, I'm curious why you didn't choose to just relocate the ground cable instead of rebuilding the positive cable.
I'm going to have to check the polarity on the coil of my B-GT. I changed the polarity about 13 years ago and I can't remember if I did what you said. It has run and start easily all that time so maybe....
Hi Steve, love your videos and would like your advice on what tires to put on my 1600 1960 A ? It has been off the road for several years due to time constraints and the pandemic but it is now up and running and I took my first drive in it last week. The tires are 20 years old so a new set is in order. I am in Ca so no freezing weather and it is unlikely I would ever drive in the rain. Thanks for your experience and suggestions. Dermot
i think i would have chosen to put the new battery in the other ( right hand battery box) box and move the ground cable attachment to someplace on the right hand side of the frame. that way i could use the original cable to connect to the starter/solenoid. and the short ground cable would not present a problem getting to the frame or motor mount. that's pretty much the way i did it on my '61 mga, BITD.
@@ThisWeekWithCars i don't claim much in the way of an advantage in the way that i did it. :) BTW, i would have NEVER figured out that the coil was hooked up backwards, in that i would never have imagined that the coil would be affected by the polarity of the system. i looked it up and according to what i could find there is about a 20% decrease in output from the coil. i assume they are referring to voltage, which would mean a weak spark, i guess. it would interest me as to the why and how of it from a physics POV. **headscratch**
I don't believe the tach and speedo are original MGA items, either. They look more like MGB gauges to me. Probably came from the same donor car the engine came from.
Never seen plugs cleaned with a torch before. Learn something new every day.
Seems to work like everything else he does. Encyclopaedic knowledge!
Plugs are cheap, toss em and fit new ones.
Older cars = Basic "old school" diagnostics
Great work!
When I was 17-18 years old my Dad acquired a 1958 MGA 1600. Now that car was a BLAST! I drove it everywhere. Oh, I forgot, I am 80 years old now. How does time fly.
In 1965, at 19, I bought my very first car, a 1957 MGA, (black w/red leather), for $500! The 8 year old car was
in beautiful shape, but I later found that it had an expensive 'rod' problem that needed fixing! It was a great six
months, owning it, but since I had no more money, to fix it, I sold it to a "Foreign Car Junkyard", for $100. who
immediately started disassembling it for parts, right before my eyes! I still 'pine' for that MGA, 57 years later!
Wrong owner. Good that you sold it.
A shame it was dismantled.
Bravo on the coil polarity.
Thanks, Steve. I gratefully appreciate your videos, particularly being aware of the effort you put in to present them. May 2023 be kind to you and yours.
I'm being flooded with memories! Had a 1960 MGA (affectionately named Maggie). Went overseas and couldn't bear the problems of storage, so she was sold.
Thanks for sharing Steve. I recall as a boy(1950's) we had a split window Morris Oxford. I remember my Dad taking out the sparkplugs on a cold winter day, bringing them in the house, heating them on the stove and then re-installing them to get the car to start. I recalled this when I saw you heat the plugs. Great video.
Well, that seemed to be a few easy fixes! Nice work. Thanks for sharing with us!
Yet another brilliant diagnosis. You make it look so easy and while these cars are indeed very simple in terms of both mechanicals and electrics I am sure I would be there until my dying day trying to fix something like this. Happy 2023 Steve.
I used to own a '57 MGA.in the '70s. The 3 bearing crankshaft was rather weak (I had to overhaul it twice) and the batteries were an issue, but you could purchase new ones back then. When I bought the car the plywood floor boards needed replacing, as did the body work below the doors. It was amazing how parts were available for this car back then. Dad was a body repair mechanic and so we repainted it British racing green. I had many of the chrome parts renewed, but as I was buffing out the front grille, I ended up taking all the old chrome off down to the brass, and like it so much I left it that way (I had to polish it now and then). I also added a jaunty chrome luggage rack onto the rear boot. The hood, boot, and doors were all made of aluminum.
I have a 1958 MGA, also with B engine, and a few other "upgrades". What a great, modern-feeling car to drive!! The process you went through is perfect and something that everyone should know! thank you!
I so enjoy following the trail step by step. Great job. I did not know that about the coil. So such a weak spark wouldn't get the old girl running very impressed.
Thanks. I own a 69 TR6 and maybe now know more than I'd like to.
What a Beauty! I have a 1974 MGB GT! They are great Cars! Everything is so easy to work and they make every part for these cars still.
Thanks for the videos all year, enjoyed every one.
I had the same issue with my MGA when it was in storage, turns out the steering gaiter was split and the oil from the rack was leaked. New steering gaiter and a fill up with 200mls of oil before putting on the gaiter clip and it was fine again. These are simple cars and very reliable.
Great video . I am in the process of restoring a 1958 MGA which still h s the 1500 engine . I was fortunate that although the car needs a lot of work , it did run when I purchased it .
Your canister leak brought back memories. I had bought a TR4 while in flight school and decided to service the car so I took it to the post auto shop. After changing the oil and filter I started it. The car promptly puked out about a cup of oil onto the floor. The sergeant in charge of the shop went ballistic about the mess. Never forgot to check the seals and tightness after that. Totally love your videos. I’m going to have to check my MGB since I converted to negative ground.
An MGA is likely our next car. My wife adores the stying and I adore the everything else. It'll be a weird upgrade? side step? From the Midget for sure. Our local car club has a list of them for sale, and we're starting to comb through the local cars.
I'm diving into a 56 that's been in a basement since 73. Came w a 71 for 12v conversion and a boatload of extra parts. Whole spare driveline
Sure these aren't the world's most complicated machines, but good, methodical troubleshooting is nice to see even so. Thanks.
Thanks Steve, great year of vids
Beautiful little car
Nick Australia
Good one. I'd like to see more MGA videos.
Yes Steve, I would like to see the steps you would take from here and any improvements you would make along the way to assure this MGA is a safe and reasonably reliable weekend driver. I really appreciate the straightforward approach you take in your video production. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to produce these gems.Hope yours is a happy & healthy 2023.
I wouldn't have thought of that. Cool.
Always nice how you get the engine running again step by step.
Excellent vid Steve, thanks! Would love to see that B engined A out for a drive once the snows gone!
Thanks Steve! Isn’t it amazing how sometimes is the small, fiddly details that keep a car from running. (But it worked once the ignition was sorted out!)
My late father had an MGA when he met my mother in the 1960s - it was also white and they nick named it the ‘white witch’. Being a car guy, I always wanted one. Especially since Dad had one. 😊
Nice car, you lucked out with it. Happy New Year, I look forward to further videos.
Take 'er out for a spin! :)
I have just finished bringing my 85 year old mothers'1965 MG Midget back to life after standing for 10 years and it now runs beautifully. Busy with my fathers 1958 MG Magnette ZB 1500 which has also been standing for the same amount of time. They had an MGA as well but sadly they sold it a good few years back. Thanks for the vids. Subscribed.
Another old jewel succumbs to Steve's logic and methodology. Nice one, Steve,
Awesome video!
Great to see someone making a calm general approach to getting the car started, and not tearing into the machine. Nice idea with cleaning the spark plugs. I'll have to try it.
Another fine video. Let's see you drive this MGA. HappyNew Year.
Would love to see more on the 57 MG MGA
Very nice, looking forward to a new year of content! Thanx !
Thanks for another great video. I learn heaps as you take us through the process of assessing and fault finding and correction.
I had a Blue 57 - Had to roll start it - loved it - Two things - It is positive to Ground, and Brake/Clutch Oil cannot be USA but from GB or seals will leak .
Always good to watch you fixing cars. This one like me, nearly 70 with issues.
Thanks for the video on this MG. Yes, please show us more like this one!
Good job on diagnostics!
Happy new year Steve! In Australia on the east coast it is 1.20pm New Years day already. I would most definitely want to see more videos on this MG. They are a beautiful vehicle.
I'm an Aussie on the east coast and like you have always thought highly of the MGA and have wanted one since I was a kid. Now it's too late ... they are a bit too hard to get in and out! 😃
@@kenem1946 LOL. I am too. I am rectifying that now, though I fear the old bones & joints are past it regardless of how much weight I loose! I do have a fetish for an XJ6 Jag, that would be the newest one though. Older would be great. I am a British vehicle tragic. I own a LR3 right now.
That took me back a fews years. Those SU's can be a pig if left to sit too long. Unscrewing the 2 black damper rod / oil caps and lifting the slides can sometimes help free up the varnish like fuel residue on the main needles. Also checking the oil level in the dampers . If empty the slides and needles tent to jump about which gives inconsistent fueling. Wonder if there are still rebuild kits around? Would love to see a video on that Cheers
I love your cars and collection. Your videos are great as well because you feature unique cars. Thank you again for the great cars and content!
My first car back in 1968 was a 56 MGA that wasn't nearly as nice as this one. Fast forward to this year and my recently acquired 77 MGB which is in very good condition but just needs some things sorted out and freshened up. Hopefully I can get the overdrive working like it should. I enjoy your videos and like your taste in cars. I was born in Iowa and spent many summers at my Grandma's when I was a kid . My parents would pick me up towards the end of the summer and drive us back to Wichita. They had an Austin Healey 3000 back then and I was still small enough to hang out in the jump seats in the rear. I've been in Colorado since 1968 and recently retired. I'm planning a trip back to Clarinda, IA next spring/summer for a long overdue visit. I would like to visit your site and see all your treasures and get some good advice on maintaining my MG if that would be possible. Keep those videos coming and have a Very Happy New Year!
Stop by I’ll show you around.
Great video Steve, very informative. I learn something new every time I watch your videos.
Lovely car Steve. Happy New Year.
Wow! Is this the condition that it came out of storage in? It's a beauty! Yes please, more videos about this one. Thanks! 👍👍👏👏
just lucked into finding your channel, glad I did Im working on a 59 MGA just now trying to put it all together and look forward to learning from you as I try to get it back to life
You can check out all of my MG videos in this playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLRMQ-ShmnWOYTEA1Cdv-5PfVQneIjKUwJ.html
Thanks Steve. The 1957 MG A caught my eye as the first sports car I ever drove was a 1957 MG A, great little cars.
I search for this car on TH-cam just about every day.. I was stoked to see a channel I was already subscribed to.... Excited to see more of this car :)
I had one in 1964. It was a nightmare, but I loved it. Lucas Electrics and a warped head. Damn. But it was very, very pretty.
Wrong owner.
I just bought a 59 MGA last week. I think it has a1800 V MGB motor. It was going to be delivered yesterday and the fuel pump didn't kick in. I'm thinking fuse or bad ground, it ran the day before for the dealer. I had a 59 back in the 70ties and seeing your video brought me some memories of all the little quirks MGA have. I had to constantly tinker with it, fabricate parts I couldn't find. Electrolux brushes to rebuild wiper motor. I'm saving this and looking forward to the next.
Turn ignition on and tap the fuel pump with a hammer. It works 80% of the time.
@@ThisWeekWithCars The dealer put a new battery & and he's ordering a new pump. I think it's an 1800 v MGB motor. I didn't see the car yet to get numbers.
More mga stuff it’s helping me with building mine 😂
Great job Steve! Happy New Years to you and yours. See you in the next installment.
Looking forward to more mg magic
Another great Vid. Thanks Steve
Enjoyed learning more about changing from positive to negitive ground. Another well done video.
Great episode. Happy Nee Year. 🎉
Thanks for another excellent, very detailed video. Thanks & Happy New Year to you!
Congrats on another great find! Today I picked up the tips on torching the plugs, tightening the screw on the filter and checking polarity on the coil! Great!
Another very enjoyable episode.
Nicely done, I would not have caught that.
Interesting MG here it now has 'blood type AB+"
This one should be a dandy Roadster to see back on the roads.
Thanks for this, and Yes, I'd like to see more of this one.
Great work.
Great job on this one. I love those cars!
Steve I can not thank you enough for how much your videos have helped me, I bought a Morris minor about 18 months ago as a first car and got it back on the road after it had sat for 12 years. I learned to drive in it. I love your process of troubleshooting to find the problem, and then how to go about fixing it. Happy new year, and greetings from New Zealand.
As always great stuff Steve thanks. Happy New Year to you and yours from me and mine. I look forward to another year of great content
Happy New Year Steve, you make these 'Will It Start?' video's look simple, but it takes a thorough understanding of these old systems and a Whitworth tool kit to get the job done!
Happy New Year Steve. May we get many more cool videos like this showcasing your amazing diagnostic skills!
A Happy New Year Steve. Thanks for all the interesting videos in 2022. Hopefully we will see a many more in 2023.
Nice My Uncle had a white MGA twin cam. That beauty started my love of sports cars. Happy New Year!
The worst of the MGA line. The best was the Deluxe.
Happy new year and thanks for all the great videos
Not a problem for you Steve . Top man ! Happy New Year to you and your family.
Yes, thanks
More on the MGA, please!
Very nice machine, in decent conditions. It's nice to see something that doesn't require extensive archaeology before you can even identify the components, let alone test them.
Maybe that reversed polarity on the coil gave disappointing performance, causing the car to be parked? It wouldn't explain the 2 fouled plugs of 4, though, would it?
I have the same colour MGA (OEW with red upholstery) only mine's a Mk2 Deluxe with the Twin cam running gear. Putting the MGB engine in is a good swap, although I'd keep the original engine with it in case you ever decide to sell.
More videos please on the mga thanks helping me a lot with my mga
Yes those are cool cars
About time you do a dodgy ol Norton Triumph or BSA!
A video is in the works!
@@ThisWeekWithCars Cant wait! The wonderful world of isolastic engine mounts!
Happy new year! While it is too late now, I'm curious why you didn't choose to just relocate the ground cable instead of rebuilding the positive cable.
And put the battery on the passenger side (near the positive cable) to balance some of the weight of the driver.
I knew a guy in Alice Springs. in the middle of Australia who had an MGA twin cam. Rare as rocking horse shit.
Rare for good reason, bad engine.
nice lil car@@jeffhildreth9244
lol where you located,,hope ohio !!!! and this mg is gorgeous
More MGA, please.
I'm going to have to check the polarity on the coil of my B-GT. I changed the polarity about 13 years ago and I can't remember if I did what you said. It has run and start easily all that time so maybe....
i learnt something today re testing coil operation
Me too!
I'm diving into a 56 that's been in a basement since 73
Nice. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to put the single 12V battery on the right? Then all you’d have to do is relocate the grounding point.
Good job…
Great work
But you could have used the other battery holder
😎👍
Hi Steve, love your videos and would like your advice on what tires to put on my 1600 1960 A ? It has been off the road for several years due to time constraints and the pandemic but it is now up and running and I took my first drive in it last week. The tires are 20 years old so a new set is in order. I am in Ca so no freezing weather and it is unlikely I would ever drive in the rain. Thanks for your experience and suggestions.
Dermot
This is my preferred tire on a MGA: www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-579821
@@ThisWeekWithCars In Germany these are cheap tires, Get something better for the same money.
Leaking oil nothing out of the ordinary for a British car
My favorite MG model. Is that motor swap for that from an MGB a common mod? What’s the original motor supposed to be?
Originally a 1489 cc giving 68 bhp, later uprated to give 72 bhp. Later there was a Twin-Cam 1588 cc giving 108 bhp.
Pretty common upgrade as it bolts right in and is more robust than the original engine.
@@ThisWeekWithCars An MGB "V" motor is NOT in any way a "bolts right in" project.
What "bolts right in " is the 3 main 62-64 motors. No mods required.
i think i would have chosen to put the new battery in the other ( right hand battery box) box and move the ground cable attachment to someplace on the right hand side of the frame. that way i could use the original cable to connect to the starter/solenoid. and the short ground cable would not present a problem getting to the frame or motor mount. that's pretty much the way i did it on my '61 mga, BITD.
Doing it this way keeps it out of the way and gives good access for the fuel pump.
@@ThisWeekWithCars i don't claim much in the way of an advantage in the way that i did it. :)
BTW, i would have NEVER figured out that the coil was hooked up backwards, in that i would never have imagined that the coil would be affected by the polarity of the system. i looked it up and according to what i could find there is about a 20% decrease in output from the coil. i assume they are referring to voltage, which would mean a weak spark, i guess.
it would interest me as to the why and how of it from a physics POV. **headscratch**
I don't believe the tach and speedo are original MGA items, either. They look more like MGB gauges to me. Probably came from the same donor car the engine came from.
Was the car positive earth?