When I bought my GT, the interior looked absolutely fine, but the reality didn’t really stand up to close scrutiny.
The radio was mounted, oddly enough, in the radio slot in the middle of the dashboard and, just to give that period feel, only has one speaker (note I said “radio”, not stereo?) and as it’s a LW/MW unit, just about the only useful task it performs (other than to fill the hole in the dashboard) is to receive Radio 4, which is quite cheerfully does on long wave. It’s just like listening to the radio in the 1960’s…
The centre console, where the speaker grille would normally be, was a bit of a nightmare. The central portion had been replaced with a piece of hand-painted wood, complete with brush strokes, and into this was mounted a map light, which was useful, a non-functioning switch for the windscreen washers, which was of no use whatsoever, an ammeter, a clock that didn’t work and another piece of hand painted wood upon which was stuck the original MG badge from the radio aperture cover. In a totally different shade of black.
I’d planned to rectify this for some time, but the price of the speaker grille is a shocker, so I thought I’d do something a little more creative.
I’d already sourced an aperture cover from a trader at the restoration show at Stoneleigh, and I’d also ordered half a metre of vinyl. A trip to B&Q on Friday evening completed the ingredient list with a piece of 3mm MDF.
The resolution was simply a case of cutting a suitable piece of MDF, using the old wood as a template, popping some wadding on from Mrs. Browne’s sewing cupboard for a luxuriant 1970’s padded feel, and cutting a few holes in the MDF for good measure, then mounting the bits I wanted to keep - a new window washer switch, the map light, and the radio (same one, still 1960’s sounding).
I also had a problem screwing into the MDF from behind to hold it in place, so I compromised by bolting it in from the front, but sprayed the bolt heads black - They blend in more than the picture shows.
In a nod to the modern world, I’ve also popped a ram mount under the gearstick surround so I can pop a phone mount in when I need some sort of sat-nag for long journeys.
All achieved with enough weekend spare for me to spend a couple of hours warming up indoors in front of the telly playing Forza Horizon 4 on my x-Box, mainly because I’ve found out how to “paint” my current favourite drive, a Mk1 MGB GT, in the same colour as my own car. I’m sure Mrs. Browne must despair.
. Your radio is just like mine and even receives the same radio station 