1959 MG MGA RESTORATION

Part 1: Standing at the Bottom of a High Mountain

Looking at these photos, it’s hard to believe this is the same car. When we took delivery, it was rife with rust and in dozens of pieces. We knew we had a challenge on our hands as the owner wanted this MGA restored to concours quality. The bar was set high, as in getting this car into better-than-new condition. So, we did what we always did...rolled up our sleeves and dove in.

Part 2: Taking the First Steps on a Long Hike

We started in by fully stripping the body down to bare metal, and then began the bodywork process so we could eventually achieve a perfect paint finish. Once the body was off, the frame was completely stripped and powder coated in a semi-gloss black. We did the same for the rest of the suspension components. We chose to go with powder coating because it’s so durable, and will prevent any corrosion or rust in the future.

We fully stripped the engine and sent if off to the machine shop for inspection and machining. When all was said and done, we had completely rebuilt the engine using the most modern engine equipment available. We also made the necessary customizations to configure the engine to work with modern fuels.

Part 3: We Can See the Summit

At this point, things were coming along nicely and the car was already pretty much unrecognizable from the cluttered mess that was first brought through our doors. We had assembled the chassis and prepared it for the body. Everything had been stripped, powder coated, and re-plated. The chassis was now in better condition than ever, including the day it left the factory. We completely rebuilt the transmission in addition to the engine.

Part 4: Reaching the Summit

We put the finishing touches on the car and suddenly were standing in front of a ground-up, nut-and-bolt, concours-quality restoration. Given the meticulous work we put in, this ended up being one of the most rewarding restorations we’ve ever accomplished. This car is now in better condition than it was when it was brand new.

As with every project, we were committed to doing a first-class job on this car and it was shaping up to be a pretty amazing final product. We still had a long way to go, but things were definitely starting to take shape. We soldiered on, paying close attention to every detail. A ton of hard work went into this project in order to meet and hopefully even exceed our customer’s expectations.

We have to say a big thank you to Jonathan Beller for doing amazing job on the body work, and Ken’s Body Shop for laying out a gorgeous paint job. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Moss Motors for providing all the quality parts needed to correctly restore this car. Restoring a car from the ground up is a huge task, but we sure are happy with how it came out. And believe it or not, it drives even better than it looks! Our customer had a green 1959 MGA just like this as his first car, and is extremely happy to once again have a green 1959 MGA back in his possession.