This MGA 1500 was well on its way through disassambly when we arived on the scene. All of the outer body panels, the seats and most of the engine peripherals had already been removed, and we were here to pull the engine and remove the body. As there is nothing special about this particular MGA 1500, it had been long since decided that the body is not worth salvaging, being composed largely of rust and air. Perhaps a two foot wide section of the nose will be reused, but that's about it. Otherwise another body shell in somewhat better condition awaits in the wings.

Fred Flintstone would have been proud of this one. Very simple with nothing it didn't need to run down the road (as long as your feet were in good condition). Floorboards are gone (nothing unusual for an old MGA), but a substantial portion of the frame rails is, shall we say "somewhat exposed". But fret not, there is also another frame in better condition awaiting recycling. We can give this one some credit though. The transmission tunnel seems to be in particularly good condition, and it does have an original tube-type AM radio (although that is the ugliest radio faceplate I have ever seen).

The work day went about as expected. The engine came out in a flash, the dash was removed and the instruments salvaged, steering column, master cylinder and pedal assembly, wiper drive parts, heater assembly, wiring harness, and everything off the bulkhead pretty much without incident. On the windscreen three out of the four main mounting bolts were previously broken off by someone else, so that went even quicker than expected. Body removal was typical fare for a "moderately" rusted old car. We removed most of the bolts, broke off a few, cut a couple more, and we had lift off with "relative" ease. In the end two major parts of the body shell were propped against the wall, and a fair part of it remained on the floor to be swept up later.

Now the rest of us need to get on with the more important part of the job. We all need to continue ragging on Terry Gaskin to keep the project moving in the right direction so that one day we may have another nice MGA back on the road. In the end this is supposed to be a sort of body and frame transplant around the engine and most of the original suspension parts. Reminds me of George Washington's original vintage hatchet. "It has been maintained very well. The head has been changed twice and the handle three times, but it is still George's original hatchet." Keep the faith.