fender splash plates

What is the correct color for fender splash plates on MGA 1600 1960. The rear fender back splash is now painted somewhere between black and body color overspray. thanks for all the help.

Splash plates were only body colour from the factory. I say "only" because it was never really enough to protect them from corrosion. Some cars had (black) underbody protection sprayed on all exposed surfaces by the dealers. Most of the rest have been painted by, on on behalf of, their owners over the years, often with black underseal.

Neil

Yes they are the color the car was painted. Moss gives a list of the body parts and what color they were in the moss order catalog.

Another question on this topic - my front fender splash plates have a rubber trim riveted on, but the rear ones have no trim, and no holes for the rivets - what gives?

I also don't have the forward splash plates in the rear wheel arches - thinking they might be a good idea and wondering if I am good enough to make them myself since they're kind of expensive for what they are. Has anyone done this themselves?

On the topic - mine were ugly and are now painted in black hammerite, but I plan to overpaint with rusty metal primer or undercoating and then body color.

Jim in NH

The rear splash guards are not a complicated part to replicate and the material is a piece of steel gage #14, you can make a pattern with a cardboard and cut the steel sheet at the proper size and configuration.

Front splash guards are a little more complicated, I just bought a used pair in Ebay, not more expensive than the shipping.

The originals had the riveted seals, front and rear. A lower cost replacement is to use flat panels with push on edge seals. Both can provide the same function. As Raul says they can be made quite easily (especially if you use the push on seals.) The splash guard at the back of the rear wheel arch is the more complicated to make (and was not fitted to early cars!)

I thought all of those pieces were 18 gauge steel and the frame was the only thing that was 14 gauge? Is my assumption correct (was looking on Barney's site), because I'm getting ready to buy some steel and do some fabrication, or at least try to.

I just removed a rear one from my restoration and they are definitely not 14 ga. Closer to 18, maybe even less. My front ones were missing and the fenders were loaded up with sand and rocks. And one tennis ball.

20 min later - I just braved the elements to go out to my shop and mic the one rear splash panel I have removed. Some rust, but I measured a painted flange edge and it is close to 16 ga thickness. I dont think the paint would have pushed it over 18 ga that much. The gusset bracket is closer to 14 ga. I have an actual sheet metal gauge (and about 2000# of samples) at work, so I can verify if need be. So far, Raul was better at remembering than me.

John L.

Neil said:

Apologies, you are absolutely correct, Chuck!

It's odd that my rear panels don't have the holes for the rivets - ? I will try today to make up some templates for the front of the rear wheel arch. I don't plan to weld in captive nuts as original on the later cars - I will just drill holes and bolt as on the rearward one.

I have posted new pics of the progress on the photobucket site: http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac261/JimNH57MGA/

Passenger side is all done - two more coats of paint before moving onto the driver's side today.

JIM in NH

My Bad. I took my rear splash guard into work to put a sheet metal gauge to it. I should know better as my fabricators dont trust their eyes on this stuff either, and they are far more experienced than I am.

Anyway, the guard measured 18 gauge thickness throughout, including gusset.

The gusset had a layer of rust build-up which made it appear thicker than it really was.

Sorry, Raul, we were both wrong.

Agree and apologies, yesterday I did some measurements on the fender´s area, splash and fender are closer to 60 mil of inch, (incluiding the dust) wherever gauge is (16 -18).

Use stainless and dont paint.