This section covers MGA body panels, the steel outer panels, aluminium-skinned bonnet and boot lid, roadster and coupé doors, inner structural panels, and welded-in repair sections used to rebuild corroded areas of the body. The MGA body is all-steel except for the doors, bonnet and boot lid, which are aluminium-skinned over X-braced steel frames. The steel panels, front wings, rear wings, valances, sill outer panels, scuttle, and inner structural members, are pressed steel, originally built at Morris Motors Bodies Branch at Coventry. After more than sixty years of service, most MGAs require some body-panel work as part of any serious restoration.
The range available covers the full spectrum from localised repair sections through to complete wings and bonnet assemblies.
Panels common to all MGAs vs variant-specific panels
The fundamental MGA body shape remained largely unchanged from 1955 to 1962, so the majority of body panels fit across all variants (1500, Twin Cam, 1600, 1600 Mk II, De Luxe) without modification. However, several panels have important variant differences. The grille and surround panel differ: 1500, Twin Cam and 1600 share one grille design (vertical stainless steel bars with chrome-plated brass surround); the 1600 Mk II has a substantially modified grille with the bars pushed back at the bottom toward vertical and an inner surround panel added, requiring a different grille surround panel for that variant. Coupé and roadster bodies differ significantly.
The coupé scuttle is modified to accept the lower windscreen channel and the curved windscreen glass; the coupé doors are completely different (swivelling quarterlights, wind-down windows, chrome channel surrounds, external door handles) rather than the roadster's simpler door construction with no external handles. Coupé-specific panels and roadster-specific panels are not interchangeable on these areas. De Luxe cars use the pushrod body shell with Twin Cam chassis and running gear; body panels are the same as the equivalent pushrod car (1600 or 1600 Mk II depending on model year).
Ordering by sub-category
The Panels section is divided into four sub-categories. Front Outer Panels & Bonnet covers the front wings, front valance, grille surround panel, bonnet assembly (aluminium skin and steel X-brace frame), bonnet prop stay, and front shroud repair panels. Rear Outer Panels, Door & Bootlid covers the rear wings, rear valance, boot lid assembly (aluminium-skinned), and the roadster and coupé door assemblies and their skins. Inner Panels covers the structural inner panels behind the outer skin, inner wings, inner sill sections, F-sections (door pillar structural members), and the scuttle inner panels.
These are the panels that carry the car's structural loads even though they're hidden from view once the body is assembled; rust damage to these panels is a major restoration issue. Repair Panels covers localised welded-in repair sections, sill repair panels, wheel arch repair sections, floor repair sections, and similar localised items used where a full panel replacement is unnecessary but a specific damaged area needs cutting out and replacing.
Aluminium vs steel panel considerations
The aluminium-skinned panels (bonnet, boot lid, doors) require different repair techniques from the steel panels. Aluminium cannot be welded with standard MIG equipment, it requires TIG welding with argon shielding and specific filler rod, and panel-beating an aluminium skin requires softer hammers and different dolly techniques to avoid cracking. Steel panel work on the wings and valances is within the scope of a well-equipped home workshop; aluminium skin repair is best left to a specialist panel-beater experienced with 1950s aluminium coachwork.
Panel fitment and shell condition
Replacement panel fitment depends significantly on the condition of adjacent structure. A new front wing will only fit correctly if the inner wing and scuttle side are to factory dimension; a new rear wing needs a correctly-aligned inner wing and boot aperture.
For cars with extensive rust damage, outer panels should be fitted after the inner structure has been repaired to correct shape, not before, otherwise the outer panels will drive the final geometry rather than being fitted to a correct underlying structure.
Ordering considerations
For the best fitment, order body panels through the course of the restoration rather than all at once, this allows the restorer to check each panel against the shell being built, and to address any geometry issues before committing to the next panel. Confirm the car's variant (model year, chassis number, roadster or coupé) before ordering variant-specific items.