This is supplemental information for installing the MGA spare tire cover. The drawing below is taken from the Service Parts List. The standard spare tire cover was originally in three pieces, numbers 19, 20, 21 in the drawing. For all roadsters and the 1500 Coupe (not 1600 Coupe) items 19 and 21 were standard equipment, while item 20 could be an optional part. Cover item 19 is made of carpet material and extends forward of the rear bulkhead into the cockpit (above the battery cover). Item 20 is (originally) made of a felt backed heavy vinyl material and covers the tire behind the bulkhead. Both cover pieces have a wide flange at the edge that fits around the bulkhead opening on the rear side of the bulkhead panel. The rear cover is flanged along the top edge only and has binding all around the bottom edges.

Item 21 is a heavy paperboard reinforcing ring that fits aft of the flanges on the cover parts. It is (originally) secured with (12) pieces of AFH5452 "Rivets for cover frame" (item 22) through the cover flanges and through the steel bulkhead. This is a 3/16-inch diameter pop rivet. The rivet head end is seated with a flat washer (not shown in the parts listings) against the paperboard ring in back, and mechanically flared against the front side of the bulkhead panel (no washer in front). See pictures below.

Tire cover flange rear view. - - Tire cover flange front view.
Pictures above show the standard front cover only.

On 13 September 2014, Mike Moore in Cheshire, UK wrote:
"I took apart my old spare wheel carpet cover into it's three separate pieces and found there was a slight peculiarity in the dimensions. The top and bottom half moon pieces were not identical in size which, at first, I thought strange. I took a picture of these pieces after I had cut them from new carpet. You can see that the top piece is a bit smaller than the bottom one and I believe the reason is that the plane of the spare wheel is not at 90 deg. to the bulkhead panel. The consequence is that the top of the wheel that's protruding into the cockpit is less in length than the bottom part hence the non-symmetry of the carpet piece.

For non-concours use I have used #10 screws from the front (make pretty) with flat washer, spring washer, and hex nut in back (form follows function). Not to say you can't put them the other way around if you prefer screw heads visible in the boot. Having removed and replaced these parts a few times, the screws seem handy enough. More on the next page.

On Sep 20, 2016, Jim Cheatham in Amelia, VA, USA wrote:
"I have attached pictures of my original spare tire carpet and the remnants of the fiber board piece. Based on my original, it looks like the factory put a staple between each rivet. The staples were probably used first to hold the fiber board to the assembly. The vinyl was probably trimmed after everything was installed. Note that there are rivet backers (washers) under each rivet".