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The History and Restoration of my 1959 MGA 1500 Roadster.

Maggie in 1974
Maggie 2017

MGA Restoration

Hello, my name is Bill Jeffries and welcome to my MGA Restoration site.

I’ve set up this site in the hope that other MGA restorers and enthusiasts might benefit from the photographic record of my amateur home restoration, maybe find something of help, or get some inspiration when the restoration going gets tough!

I know there were many occasions when I was hungry for any kind of information on specific aspects of the MGA and in particular photographic images, so I add mine to all that currently exists.

Click on the ‘Restoration’ pages index to the right, for details of each stage, or carry on reading. Also, if on mobile version, click on the small oblong bar top right of this page, to open the full menu.

I bought my 1959 MGA 1500 Roadster in 1974

For the princely sum of £275.00, it being an original right-hand drive production car, delivered to the MG dealer in Dawlish, England, in April 1959.

It was originally in Ash Green, but was resprayed in Midnight Blue, around 1967, by Shapters Garage, Dawlish, who had taken it in as a direct swap by it’s second owner David Silver, for a Morris 1000 Traveller. It appears that the garage owners John & Moyra Shapter kept the car for a while, but disliked the green and repainted it blue, as that was the paint they had available. This is not an original MGA colour, but as it has always been that way for the 50 years of my ownership so it had to be the restoration colour.

Photograph of the front of a blue MGA Roadster
Photograph of a blue 1959 1500 MGA Roadster
1974
Photograph of a blue MGA 1959 1500 Roadster

I bought my 1959 MGA 1500 Roadster in 1974,

I was fortunate to get my first company car in 1977 (a Mk 3 Ford Cortina 1300 L) and took the ‘A’ off the road and into storage. It was partially dismantled at this time – removal of screen, doors, right side front wing and various fittings.

MGA partially dismantled in 1977
1977, Maggie on her way into storage. Still got the car – wish I still had the hair!

The car was poorly stored in a number of lock-up garages for 33 years, only benefitting from regular soakings in penetrating oil. This staved off the worst ravages, but as you will see from the photographs, it suffered badly.

Photograph of the steerling wheel of a 1959 1500 MGA Roadster

I have to thank my wife for encouraging me to keep the car over the many years, when it sometimes became a burden and we could have used the sale money – we met in 1975, when she was only 17 and me 21. She loved the car then and knew one day we’d regret getting rid of it.

All five of my children have grown up knowing the car only as a static wreck and hoping that one day a miracle might happen … and it did.

June 2017: Finished and first road trip!

The restoration commenced when I took early retirement in 2009, but as with all projects, it stalled until january 2012 when progress on the right side structure was completed. Work continued until the summer of 2017.

Please find the menus at the top of this page, the Restoration section containing it’s own menu with a sequential record of the various elements of the job.

IMG_3356

First Show: Storrington and District Car Show, July 2017

Feel free to get in touch, I’d be delighted to hear from you!

Bill Jeffries: billncjeffries@gmail.com