This section covers the front outer body panels of the MGA, the front wings, wing repair sections for localised rust areas, splash plates that protect the engine bay from road spray behind the wings, and the wing-fitting hardware kit. The MGA front wing is a steel pressing running from the nose of the car past the front road wheel to meet the door and sill, one of the most visible panels and one of the most rust-prone due to road water, salt spray, and stone chipping.
Complete Front Wings
Complete front wings are handed pairs, left hand and right hand being separate pressings. For cars where the original wing is beyond economic repair through multiple rust areas, accident damage, or poor previous repair, a complete new wing is the practical route, installation requiring removal of the headlamp, sidelamp, grille surround, inner wing trim, and bumper, cutting out the damaged wing at the factory seams, and welding in the new wing with careful attention to panel gaps against the door and scuttle.
Variant Considerations
Front wings differ between the 1500 and later cars because of the production change at the 1600 introduction in summer 1959. The 1500 features small sidelamps mounted on the front wings just above the bumper line, while the 1600 introduced larger sidelamp and indicator units, with part-amber lenses on UK cars and all-white on North American exports, and new front wings designed to accommodate them.
Replacement wings should match the car's variant, as a 1600-specification wing fitted to a 1500 will leave an incorrect lamp cut-out shape. Twin Cam and 1600 Mk I De Luxe cars have unique louvred access panels in the front inner wings, handed left and right, that are not present on standard pushrod cars or on the 1600 Mk II, and these should be confirmed when ordering wing-related parts for those variants.
Wing Repair Sections
For cars where the wing is sound in its upper and middle sections but has localised damage, two grades of repair section are available. Standard wing repair sections cover the middle-to-upper rust areas, typically the wheel arch lip and the area ahead of the door, while wing front lower repair sections cover the lowest rust-prone area where road water drains collect and stone chipping is most aggressive, this being the most commonly needed partial-wing repair on long-used MGAs. Both grades are handed and are welded-in repair panels, a significantly cheaper alternative to full wing replacement for localised rather than widespread damage.
Fitting Kit, Fasteners & Splash Plate
The MGA wing fitting kit provides the complete set of correct-specification fasteners for mounting the front wing to the inner wing and scuttle. Individual UNF fasteners are also available separately, including hex-head screws in the primary wing-mounting sizes, plain and large washers, locking spring washers, MGA-specific shaped wing fixing washers, and Delrin acetal washers used between the metal wing and adjacent structure to isolate against vibration-induced chafing and prevent galvanic corrosion where dissimilar metals meet. The front splash plate is the inner splash shield that mounts behind the front wing, forming a barrier between the road wheel and the engine bay and protecting the engine, wiring, and exhaust manifold from road water, stones, and mud, and commonly corrodes at its lower edges, so it should be inspected during any wing removal. The decision between a complete wing and repair sections depends on the extent of damage, and the car's variant should be confirmed before ordering wings to ensure the correct sidelamp cut-out, with all fasteners being Imperial UNF.