The tale of MGs (mainly MGBs!)
Discussion
To bring you up to the present day I figured that I best start off with with ex-readers rides of mine).
Well over 10 years ago this was my first car as a birthday present and possible my road to condemnation!:
A 1979 MGB, in Brown. How I did not get mocked. Much! Anyway as with anything I always saw the glass as half empty rather than half full! In this case I saw that the car had some good restoration work done at some point in many areass, a quite and smooth gearbox in addition to a 10,000 mile Ivor Searle engine with new ancillaries. As a result it actually shifted quite well for an MGB! However, whilst people were busy telling me that something had to be done about the colour I was thinking that someone needed to be done to the bodywork. Whilst I would do that (and hence why my forum name came about!) I figured that I would be sensible for once...
The bodywork for the best part was actually quite sound bar some bubbling on the front wings below the swage line. But more serious issues lay ahead.
These were in the form of a steering rack with alot of play in addition to an overdrive which allowed the gears to slip very badly upon the clutch being disengaged. If the overdrive was engaged (or if you were patient enough for things to re-engage) all of the issues went! Cleary the overdrive had seen better days! So a recon unit was sourced and at the same time the exhaust was changed for a stainless item.
The rack caused more of an issue. The inital price of £80 fitted went to over £300 due to the rack being 'one the of the worst steering racks he had taken off (the mountings had to be sawn off!) At the time I thought he was lying and cheated me out of cash but in hindsight it was a sign of things to come.
At the same time I converted the rear of the car to Spax dampers. This also involved some angle grinder surgery on bolts (a pattern is becoming familiar all of a sudden!). After many hours of struggling the job was done. God how they transformed the handling of the 'B from being a boat to vaguely taught! Why the MGB folk despise this conversion is beyond me!
Once the mechanicals were done it was time to take it to a bodyshop. Many quotes were obtained until a friend's friend (who owned a bodyshop in a rather iffy part of Coventry (Woodend)!) told me to visit his place. A price was agreed and so the car went to him. It was all painted up and that was that.
Of course there is more to the story and the above scenario would have been too easy. But for now, those of you who are interested shall have to wait as I succumb to sleep, unlike a certain Al Pacino in Insomnia!
Well over 10 years ago this was my first car as a birthday present and possible my road to condemnation!:
A 1979 MGB, in Brown. How I did not get mocked. Much! Anyway as with anything I always saw the glass as half empty rather than half full! In this case I saw that the car had some good restoration work done at some point in many areass, a quite and smooth gearbox in addition to a 10,000 mile Ivor Searle engine with new ancillaries. As a result it actually shifted quite well for an MGB! However, whilst people were busy telling me that something had to be done about the colour I was thinking that someone needed to be done to the bodywork. Whilst I would do that (and hence why my forum name came about!) I figured that I would be sensible for once...
The bodywork for the best part was actually quite sound bar some bubbling on the front wings below the swage line. But more serious issues lay ahead.
These were in the form of a steering rack with alot of play in addition to an overdrive which allowed the gears to slip very badly upon the clutch being disengaged. If the overdrive was engaged (or if you were patient enough for things to re-engage) all of the issues went! Cleary the overdrive had seen better days! So a recon unit was sourced and at the same time the exhaust was changed for a stainless item.
The rack caused more of an issue. The inital price of £80 fitted went to over £300 due to the rack being 'one the of the worst steering racks he had taken off (the mountings had to be sawn off!) At the time I thought he was lying and cheated me out of cash but in hindsight it was a sign of things to come.
At the same time I converted the rear of the car to Spax dampers. This also involved some angle grinder surgery on bolts (a pattern is becoming familiar all of a sudden!). After many hours of struggling the job was done. God how they transformed the handling of the 'B from being a boat to vaguely taught! Why the MGB folk despise this conversion is beyond me!
Once the mechanicals were done it was time to take it to a bodyshop. Many quotes were obtained until a friend's friend (who owned a bodyshop in a rather iffy part of Coventry (Woodend)!) told me to visit his place. A price was agreed and so the car went to him. It was all painted up and that was that.
Of course there is more to the story and the above scenario would have been too easy. But for now, those of you who are interested shall have to wait as I succumb to sleep, unlike a certain Al Pacino in Insomnia!
I guess this is a tale of how I went from A to B whilst going via C and Z in order to do so. I guess in hindsight that I would change things but then now I would be lacking the knowledge that I gained as a result.
Where was I? I decided that it would go to a friend's garage, where my father knew the friend quite well.
Initially the price seemed great, and we decided to get it resprayed. A time of a month was given. At the same time I noticed that an employee bought a very sheddy MGB with all sorts of wrong bits fitted as if it had been bodged up on the cheap, with filler showing its head in a bad way. Maybe I should have been worried.
A few weeks went by and some news came back. The wings were apparently rotten at the front (despite the inside of them as well as the outside of them looking fine before they went in) and the car required rear arches (this I guess was to be expected). Some Heritage rear wings were scored at a bargain price and some rubber bumper wings were also sourced At around this point I put more time towards my studies with my father offering to take over the project (after all, he had a share of cash in the car as well). He was told stories for many months about how the car was in primer and how they were sourcing various bits. I knew that a few other parts of the car required attention so a tailgate and door were also sourced.
3 years went on. In that time I had purchased many bits for it including a Spax front damper conversion, carpets, bits of trim in addition to other bits. When I started taking more of a focus towards it I was surprised that my dad had not seen the car for quite some time (he trusted the garage quite alot despite not having seen the car). After a firm discussion discussion I decided that we should go and see it. It turned out that the owners of the garage had done a runner. Furthermore, the car was not even at the garage! It was instead at a bodyshop not far away. Upon going to see it I was in for quite a surprise. For a car that was meant to be in paint this was what greeted me:
To say this was a low point was an understatement. The bodyshop wanted quite a sum of cash to restore the car from this state (more than I could have bought even a mint rubber bumper car for!). Many thoughts went through my head, including breaking the car for spares. However, leaving the car at the bodyshop (as simply spares) may not have been a bad idea!
Unfortunately, sentimentality got in the way. It was brought back home but it had to be put into a garage due to the sheer amount of work it needed. Eventually I gave it to another bodyshop, who decided to take the project on (and where the car was originally going to go);
At around this point (in 2005) I decided to take a different approach with the car. The rubber bumpers were never the best thing around, and so I decided to ditch them. But to replace them with Chrome bumpers? No. My plans were somewhat more ambitious! A few months later this is what the car looked like:
More shall be told later.
Where was I? I decided that it would go to a friend's garage, where my father knew the friend quite well.
Initially the price seemed great, and we decided to get it resprayed. A time of a month was given. At the same time I noticed that an employee bought a very sheddy MGB with all sorts of wrong bits fitted as if it had been bodged up on the cheap, with filler showing its head in a bad way. Maybe I should have been worried.
A few weeks went by and some news came back. The wings were apparently rotten at the front (despite the inside of them as well as the outside of them looking fine before they went in) and the car required rear arches (this I guess was to be expected). Some Heritage rear wings were scored at a bargain price and some rubber bumper wings were also sourced At around this point I put more time towards my studies with my father offering to take over the project (after all, he had a share of cash in the car as well). He was told stories for many months about how the car was in primer and how they were sourcing various bits. I knew that a few other parts of the car required attention so a tailgate and door were also sourced.
3 years went on. In that time I had purchased many bits for it including a Spax front damper conversion, carpets, bits of trim in addition to other bits. When I started taking more of a focus towards it I was surprised that my dad had not seen the car for quite some time (he trusted the garage quite alot despite not having seen the car). After a firm discussion discussion I decided that we should go and see it. It turned out that the owners of the garage had done a runner. Furthermore, the car was not even at the garage! It was instead at a bodyshop not far away. Upon going to see it I was in for quite a surprise. For a car that was meant to be in paint this was what greeted me:
To say this was a low point was an understatement. The bodyshop wanted quite a sum of cash to restore the car from this state (more than I could have bought even a mint rubber bumper car for!). Many thoughts went through my head, including breaking the car for spares. However, leaving the car at the bodyshop (as simply spares) may not have been a bad idea!
Unfortunately, sentimentality got in the way. It was brought back home but it had to be put into a garage due to the sheer amount of work it needed. Eventually I gave it to another bodyshop, who decided to take the project on (and where the car was originally going to go);
At around this point (in 2005) I decided to take a different approach with the car. The rubber bumpers were never the best thing around, and so I decided to ditch them. But to replace them with Chrome bumpers? No. My plans were somewhat more ambitious! A few months later this is what the car looked like:
More shall be told later.
Fear not it is not. However, a man has to enjoy some supper 
.
So I had the car back from the first bodyshop with many things going through my mind as how to go about it. Previously solid box sections ( I checked them well) were now trashed with an over exhuberant sandblaster. But the car was not going to fix it self. I had to crack out the welder.
Initially, my welding was not the best if I am honest!
But I would redo quite a bit of work later and at the end of the day it was a learning curve. Sure I was out of my depth, but this was the road I was on and short of ditching the car I was never going to see it on the road again, which was a shame as it drove so well before it came off the road.
Once my welding skills had improved and I had a few more crucial areas of the car welded up it went to the new bodyshop. The ironic thing? It was going to go to this bodyshop initially! However the proprieter was having heart issues thus making me wait over 4 months. In hindsight I should have waited. But we had stripped the interior of the car by that time and were rearing to get the car done. Sometimes patience can speed things up dramatically.
And so it went into the original bodyshop. With the car being in such a state I realised that I had a blank canvas with the car. I was free to do as I pleased. At this point I think it is fair to say that too many car magazine stories had clouded my judgement! When it went to the first bodyshop years ago I planned to simply enhance the rubber bumper look (with an LE splitter up front) and to improve the handling, thus having a very usable daily. That plan was long gone.
I should have gone with the Chrome Bumper look! However, it was a look many rubber bumper cars had taken. Upon seeing a Sebring MGC GTS the look was decided. I had to have it!
At this point a Sebring bodykit was sourced from a well known West Midlands fibreglass panelmaker. At this point I did not realise what I was letting myself in for. "Just put the arches on, bolt 'em up, and job done. The rears can be a pain and the arch has to be extented" That was what I was told by everyone. As I would come to find this was quite far from the truth.
The fitment of the front wings was quite frankly laughable. The shut line was wavy and did not match with the door at all. Despite the bodyshop's attempt he tried his best and admitted defeat. Sure I could have fitted them on but they would have looked terrible close up, despite people saying that they look 'fine'. Another plan was needed.
As a result some Chrome Bumper wings were sourced. At the same time I had a bit of cash and required another project for some stupid reason, possibly to procrastinate from the size of the MGB project. This came in the form of:
An MG Midget 1500. It was a typical cheap eBay Purchase; A few weekends and it would be as good as new:
That photo was taken after some work was done on it including a new bumper, soft top and other issues resolved.
The Midget was a typical sub £500 purchase. It was apparantly a non runner due to a broken ignition switch. After saving myself from having battery acid over my face from where the PO had placed a spanner between the starter's positive terminal to Earth, changing the ignition barrel as well as a starter motor, I found out why it was not a runner. The engine had an iffy head gasket ; there was a reason why the oil was so fresh. That was before I got to the bodywork. It had seen a number of bodges with the boot floor.
After a new engine (a low mileage Ivor Searle engine with mint ancillaries bought for £50 (it was bought with the MGB wings for an equally low price)), boot floor corners, rectified clutch hydraulics, refreshing the steering system (almost all of it was semi seized) in addition to setting the engine up, and smartening it up. I decided that I really should get back to the task in hand, the MGB. Amazingly I never expected the Midget to continue working today. It was amazing it went through MOTs back then if I am honest with the previous owner, unless Stevie Wonder was testing the car...
In hindsight I had removed many bodges from the Midget and probably made it run better than had done for many years. They say a photo speaks a 1,000 words, and so here are a few shots showing before and after some of the work. Damn, did I really do those 'protective' measures back then? How little I knew!:
And after derusting the front:
A tatty interior:
To a Smarter one, albeit with tired seats. What was I thinking?:
Out of all of the classics I owned I honestly thought that I wasted my efforts on this car. However it is good to see that it is somehow still on the road almost a decade after I sold it
.
I guess it didn't look *that* terrible after I had finished with it. It didn't look that great either!
Whilst I regret buying that car in some cases it did teach me alot about what to look for on a car in aditon to 'reading' what sellers were actually saying, and telling apart good intentions with restoration against true bodges (this car in some areas had 'good' resto work, but not to a great standard).
Now, where was I? Ah yes, the MGB, and the issues the bodykit was causing me...
.So I had the car back from the first bodyshop with many things going through my mind as how to go about it. Previously solid box sections ( I checked them well) were now trashed with an over exhuberant sandblaster. But the car was not going to fix it self. I had to crack out the welder.
Initially, my welding was not the best if I am honest!
But I would redo quite a bit of work later and at the end of the day it was a learning curve. Sure I was out of my depth, but this was the road I was on and short of ditching the car I was never going to see it on the road again, which was a shame as it drove so well before it came off the road.
Once my welding skills had improved and I had a few more crucial areas of the car welded up it went to the new bodyshop. The ironic thing? It was going to go to this bodyshop initially! However the proprieter was having heart issues thus making me wait over 4 months. In hindsight I should have waited. But we had stripped the interior of the car by that time and were rearing to get the car done. Sometimes patience can speed things up dramatically.
And so it went into the original bodyshop. With the car being in such a state I realised that I had a blank canvas with the car. I was free to do as I pleased. At this point I think it is fair to say that too many car magazine stories had clouded my judgement! When it went to the first bodyshop years ago I planned to simply enhance the rubber bumper look (with an LE splitter up front) and to improve the handling, thus having a very usable daily. That plan was long gone.
I should have gone with the Chrome Bumper look! However, it was a look many rubber bumper cars had taken. Upon seeing a Sebring MGC GTS the look was decided. I had to have it!
At this point a Sebring bodykit was sourced from a well known West Midlands fibreglass panelmaker. At this point I did not realise what I was letting myself in for. "Just put the arches on, bolt 'em up, and job done. The rears can be a pain and the arch has to be extented" That was what I was told by everyone. As I would come to find this was quite far from the truth.
The fitment of the front wings was quite frankly laughable. The shut line was wavy and did not match with the door at all. Despite the bodyshop's attempt he tried his best and admitted defeat. Sure I could have fitted them on but they would have looked terrible close up, despite people saying that they look 'fine'. Another plan was needed.
As a result some Chrome Bumper wings were sourced. At the same time I had a bit of cash and required another project for some stupid reason, possibly to procrastinate from the size of the MGB project. This came in the form of:
An MG Midget 1500. It was a typical cheap eBay Purchase; A few weekends and it would be as good as new:
That photo was taken after some work was done on it including a new bumper, soft top and other issues resolved.
The Midget was a typical sub £500 purchase. It was apparantly a non runner due to a broken ignition switch. After saving myself from having battery acid over my face from where the PO had placed a spanner between the starter's positive terminal to Earth, changing the ignition barrel as well as a starter motor, I found out why it was not a runner. The engine had an iffy head gasket ; there was a reason why the oil was so fresh. That was before I got to the bodywork. It had seen a number of bodges with the boot floor.
After a new engine (a low mileage Ivor Searle engine with mint ancillaries bought for £50 (it was bought with the MGB wings for an equally low price)), boot floor corners, rectified clutch hydraulics, refreshing the steering system (almost all of it was semi seized) in addition to setting the engine up, and smartening it up. I decided that I really should get back to the task in hand, the MGB. Amazingly I never expected the Midget to continue working today. It was amazing it went through MOTs back then if I am honest with the previous owner, unless Stevie Wonder was testing the car...
In hindsight I had removed many bodges from the Midget and probably made it run better than had done for many years. They say a photo speaks a 1,000 words, and so here are a few shots showing before and after some of the work. Damn, did I really do those 'protective' measures back then? How little I knew!:
And after derusting the front:
A tatty interior:
To a Smarter one, albeit with tired seats. What was I thinking?:
Out of all of the classics I owned I honestly thought that I wasted my efforts on this car. However it is good to see that it is somehow still on the road almost a decade after I sold it
.I guess it didn't look *that* terrible after I had finished with it. It didn't look that great either!
Whilst I regret buying that car in some cases it did teach me alot about what to look for on a car in aditon to 'reading' what sellers were actually saying, and telling apart good intentions with restoration against true bodges (this car in some areas had 'good' resto work, but not to a great standard).
Now, where was I? Ah yes, the MGB, and the issues the bodykit was causing me...
Edited by SebringMan on Monday 3rd November 20:44
The MGB's bodywork issues were giving me a few headaches. Thoughts of whether the kit would actually fit and look good cropped into my mind as well as the extra expense than planned required for the project.
Ah well, I guess I best carry on with throwing cash at the problem! After all, that solves issues right? However, the wheels did look awesome! I should have turned them into coffee tables in hindsight!:
The MGB was not too horrific underneath prior to the Sebring conversion:
But it was time that the bodyshop and I got stuck in:
Yup. For the first time in years we were making true progress at an importantly tangible and realistic rate.
The fronts posed a problem as did trying to make fibreglass panels work with metal! In hindsight I would have probably got some custom arches (or Escort items) put onto the car for a better result, especially with the crap fit of the Sebring kit! More filler was required to smoothen out that rather shonky fibreglass but it was progress:
This was what was done with the remains of the fibreglass wings. In all honesty the bin was the best place for them!
So, I was with a painter whom I could trust, the car was taking more cash than required but the progress was going well. Surely this car is not miles away from being complete is it?
We shall see.
Ah well, I guess I best carry on with throwing cash at the problem! After all, that solves issues right? However, the wheels did look awesome! I should have turned them into coffee tables in hindsight!:
The MGB was not too horrific underneath prior to the Sebring conversion:
But it was time that the bodyshop and I got stuck in:
Yup. For the first time in years we were making true progress at an importantly tangible and realistic rate.
The fronts posed a problem as did trying to make fibreglass panels work with metal! In hindsight I would have probably got some custom arches (or Escort items) put onto the car for a better result, especially with the crap fit of the Sebring kit! More filler was required to smoothen out that rather shonky fibreglass but it was progress:
This was what was done with the remains of the fibreglass wings. In all honesty the bin was the best place for them!
So, I was with a painter whom I could trust, the car was taking more cash than required but the progress was going well. Surely this car is not miles away from being complete is it?
We shall see.
Edited by SebringMan on Monday 3rd November 21:37
Edited by SebringMan on Monday 3rd November 21:38
I guess since I am in the flow of things I best push on before I head to sleep. However, this story is nothing too exciting I can assure you. But IMO it does end for the better and with me becoming a more alert, experienced and rounded classic car owner at the end of it.
Things seemed to finally be peachy with the MGB. But then came a problem. A phonecall. The news was not good. News had arrived to me that my now well known painter had passed away as a result of a heart attack. This was quite a personal moment for me considering he was quite a genuine guy in addition to the fact that the pair of us had been to a few shows and so on since I took the car to him. However, he is still talked about with fond memories from those of us who knew him.
It seemed that the MGB's future was under threat once more. For the first time in 8 years it sat on my drive once more:
At around the same time a friend of mine was keen to try some of his newly taught painting techniques. I obliged and so we cracked on.
Due to 2 pack being damned nasty stuff in addition to primer having that nasty trait of being porous we rattle canned the car with the hope of me one day fully repainting the car correctly. The car had been off the road for far too long by this point. Also I could decide on a colour by the end of it:
And so bit by bit, the car was repainted (albeit a little poorly) so as to keep the car safe from the elements:
At the same time I started to convert the front of the car to accept a Chrome bumper grille. This involved chopping back the Chassis legs as per the original Chrome Bumper (CB) cars. Whilst my welding could have been tidier it was at least solid:
At some point the car began to resemble being almost complete again:
At this point I began to hit a stumbling block with some of the secondhand bits I had purchased. Proof that the cheapest way is not always the best way.
I had bought a reskinned door from an MGOC owner. Whilst the door was rot free it refused to fit correctly despite me trying many things. It would not even close correctly. People were convinced that the issue was with the car, but evidence of the door being poorly reskinned previously had me think otherwise.
At this point (in around 2008) I decided that the car required to have another bundle of cash throwing at it. Seeing how much secondhand doors were going for (over £100 each) along with other bits I looked into getting a donor car. This turned up in the form of this car:
Despite the very shabby appearances of this car (and the low purchase price) the '73 was actually a very solid car underneath. Whilst the wings and rear arches were shot the rest of the car was very good. It was still on its original and unwelded floors, it had new sills fitted but they required refinishing and the engine and drivetrain pulled very well. If I am honest I had underestimated just how good the car was. It came with every single MOT from '75 in addition to reams of service history, as well as only having 6 previous owners (in 2009!).
This left me with a problem being the sort of sentinemental us folk are in this game. Break the car for spares (and possibly be in profit with the calibre of goods in this car (everything worked and the drivetrain was very sound). Soon the problem was solved.
The 380,000 mile Mondeo I was given decided that it would blow its diff to pieces for the second time in the car's life;
Seeing what a 'bargain' the white MGB was I decided to push that into daily service. It seemed that what a wise chap said was true, something along the lines of:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
And here I was, fixing up a tired MG once more.
To be fair, it really did not require alot to get it through an MOT. Nothing more than a pair of track rod ends (which it passed and failed on with the last MOT.. Surprise, surprise!), rehanging the exhaust in addition to fitting in a new castle section:
With a few other cosmetic changes the car actually scrubbed up quite well from what it was with minimal effort if I do not say so myself!:
To my knowledge the buyer of this car restored it a little further and is still enjoying it today. It was no surprise seeing how sturdy it was.
Anyway, back to the Sebring. With some funds on me finally, another door was sourced, proving that my hunch about the first door was correct:
7 years of the MGB being idle did not do it many favours. It had rotted out in a few more places. By this point I was in full time employment and required someone's expertise. Truth be told he did a superb job.
Before:
And after:
Besides some of the rust issues bolts and so forth began to really become a struggle on this case. A good case in point was the front damper bolt where it passes through the kingpin. Despite all sorts of bashing it refused to come out of the damper:
Eventually, a balljoint extractor and some sockets removed this. It was almost as if the pin was too big.
At this point I found that I was having issues with new parts in this area as well, with the bushes simply being too large, as well as the kingpin bolt stripping well before the tightening torque figure:
Some poly bushes and bolts from Moss solved the latter issue. The damper conversion was also being done:
In addition to the car being treated to braided brake lines:
If I am honest, I have my friends here to thank for pushing me on with the project. Anyway, at least the car was getting closer to being roadworthy once more.
Things seemed to finally be peachy with the MGB. But then came a problem. A phonecall. The news was not good. News had arrived to me that my now well known painter had passed away as a result of a heart attack. This was quite a personal moment for me considering he was quite a genuine guy in addition to the fact that the pair of us had been to a few shows and so on since I took the car to him. However, he is still talked about with fond memories from those of us who knew him.
It seemed that the MGB's future was under threat once more. For the first time in 8 years it sat on my drive once more:
At around the same time a friend of mine was keen to try some of his newly taught painting techniques. I obliged and so we cracked on
.
Due to 2 pack being damned nasty stuff in addition to primer having that nasty trait of being porous we rattle canned the car with the hope of me one day fully repainting the car correctly. The car had been off the road for far too long by this point. Also I could decide on a colour by the end of it:
And so bit by bit, the car was repainted (albeit a little poorly) so as to keep the car safe from the elements:
At the same time I started to convert the front of the car to accept a Chrome bumper grille. This involved chopping back the Chassis legs as per the original Chrome Bumper (CB) cars. Whilst my welding could have been tidier it was at least solid
:
At some point the car began to resemble being almost complete again:
At this point I began to hit a stumbling block with some of the secondhand bits I had purchased. Proof that the cheapest way is not always the best way.
I had bought a reskinned door from an MGOC owner. Whilst the door was rot free it refused to fit correctly despite me trying many things. It would not even close correctly. People were convinced that the issue was with the car, but evidence of the door being poorly reskinned previously had me think otherwise.
At this point (in around 2008) I decided that the car required to have another bundle of cash throwing at it. Seeing how much secondhand doors were going for (over £100 each) along with other bits I looked into getting a donor car. This turned up in the form of this car:
Despite the very shabby appearances of this car (and the low purchase price) the '73 was actually a very solid car underneath. Whilst the wings and rear arches were shot the rest of the car was very good. It was still on its original and unwelded floors, it had new sills fitted but they required refinishing and the engine and drivetrain pulled very well. If I am honest I had underestimated just how good the car was. It came with every single MOT from '75 in addition to reams of service history, as well as only having 6 previous owners (in 2009!).
This left me with a problem being the sort of sentinemental us folk are in this game. Break the car for spares (and possibly be in profit with the calibre of goods in this car (everything worked and the drivetrain was very sound). Soon the problem was solved.
The 380,000 mile Mondeo I was given decided that it would blow its diff to pieces for the second time in the car's life;
Seeing what a 'bargain' the white MGB was I decided to push that into daily service. It seemed that what a wise chap said was true, something along the lines of:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
And here I was, fixing up a tired MG once more.
To be fair, it really did not require alot to get it through an MOT. Nothing more than a pair of track rod ends (which it passed and failed on with the last MOT.. Surprise, surprise!), rehanging the exhaust in addition to fitting in a new castle section:
With a few other cosmetic changes the car actually scrubbed up quite well from what it was with minimal effort if I do not say so myself!:
To my knowledge the buyer of this car restored it a little further and is still enjoying it today. It was no surprise seeing how sturdy it was.
Anyway, back to the Sebring. With some funds on me finally, another door was sourced, proving that my hunch about the first door was correct:
7 years of the MGB being idle did not do it many favours. It had rotted out in a few more places. By this point I was in full time employment and required someone's expertise. Truth be told he did a superb job.
Before:
And after:
Besides some of the rust issues bolts and so forth began to really become a struggle on this case. A good case in point was the front damper bolt where it passes through the kingpin. Despite all sorts of bashing it refused to come out of the damper:
Eventually, a balljoint extractor and some sockets removed this. It was almost as if the pin was too big.
At this point I found that I was having issues with new parts in this area as well, with the bushes simply being too large, as well as the kingpin bolt stripping well before the tightening torque figure:
Some poly bushes and bolts from Moss solved the latter issue. The damper conversion was also being done:
In addition to the car being treated to braided brake lines:
If I am honest, I have my friends here to thank for pushing me on with the project. Anyway, at least the car was getting closer to being roadworthy once more.
You should. In sorted form they are not too horrific a drive. However, cheap parts can make life a nightmare, not only in fitting them again but the overall driving experience.
Anyway, I guess this story should be told further. When the car came back to mine I also refreshed the front suspension. This included rebushing the new front lower arms with the stock bushes but this time in V8 flavour (this IMO really sharpens up the handling with the bushes going in more like a modern item, although I would be tempted to go with Superflex items the next time around), lower springs were fitted in addition to the Spax conversion. One of the issues I came across were the brake hoses catching the damper as shown in this not so obvious picture:
Using the supplied braided hoses would sort this issue but cause another which I shall come back to in due course.
At this point in time I felt that the car needed a pick me up, or rather some mojo on my end being renewed. What better way to do that than buying things that one does not require?
The rubber bumper 'Bs came with rather hideous steering wheels if I am honest with you. The wheel clearly had to go! Moto-Litas were lovely but slightly overdone and rather pricey. Mountneys IMO simply felt cheap and I was not a fan of their construction methods (rivets holding on the rim to the wheel anyone? I kid you not, but below is a shot of what can happen with a Mountney wheel:
After a bit of searching this wheel turned up ; A Moto-Lita wheel. It required some polishing up (one spoke I did prior to taking this shot!) but it did suit the car very well I have to say:
However, the car would still require some work before it would pass an MOT. After all, an 8 year slumber does bring about new problems. These included running problems, and electrical problems, where the indicators and lights worked by telepathy, the engine overheated almost due to the fan no engaging when it should in addition to other minor faults. One by one I eventually got the car to a Stage where it could go to the MOT station or so I thought.
The car rewarded me by randomly throwing out blue smoke. Brilliant! Was it a HG failure, or something more sinister? We would see later. The brake fluid level did seem a little low though.
As the MGB went for its first MOT in years I did quite literally hold my breath! But would it pass?
Anyway, I guess this story should be told further. When the car came back to mine I also refreshed the front suspension. This included rebushing the new front lower arms with the stock bushes but this time in V8 flavour (this IMO really sharpens up the handling with the bushes going in more like a modern item, although I would be tempted to go with Superflex items the next time around), lower springs were fitted in addition to the Spax conversion. One of the issues I came across were the brake hoses catching the damper as shown in this not so obvious picture:
Using the supplied braided hoses would sort this issue but cause another which I shall come back to in due course.
At this point in time I felt that the car needed a pick me up, or rather some mojo on my end being renewed. What better way to do that than buying things that one does not require?
The rubber bumper 'Bs came with rather hideous steering wheels if I am honest with you. The wheel clearly had to go! Moto-Litas were lovely but slightly overdone and rather pricey. Mountneys IMO simply felt cheap and I was not a fan of their construction methods (rivets holding on the rim to the wheel anyone? I kid you not, but below is a shot of what can happen with a Mountney wheel:
After a bit of searching this wheel turned up ; A Moto-Lita wheel. It required some polishing up (one spoke I did prior to taking this shot!) but it did suit the car very well I have to say:
However, the car would still require some work before it would pass an MOT. After all, an 8 year slumber does bring about new problems. These included running problems, and electrical problems, where the indicators and lights worked by telepathy, the engine overheated almost due to the fan no engaging when it should in addition to other minor faults. One by one I eventually got the car to a Stage where it could go to the MOT station or so I thought.
The car rewarded me by randomly throwing out blue smoke. Brilliant! Was it a HG failure, or something more sinister? We would see later. The brake fluid level did seem a little low though.
As the MGB went for its first MOT in years I did quite literally hold my breath! But would it pass?
AndyCardiff said:
Do you get on with your neighbours?
For the best part, yes surprisingly :/ . It does help when there were (and still is) one or two other classic fans (and owners) present.I should add that for many many years the car had zero progress made on it (the brown 'B only really came back to mine 2 years before I sold it on because I had ran out of practically every other avenue (besides getting rid of the car with the odd job still having it sent off to the odd person here or there. The White 'B I entrusted a local garage to the work, and the Midget went to a banger racer outfit to have the engine refitted!). For a very long time, the 'B was in a garage (where I tried quietly to forget about it until I was given quite an amount of motivation (read a kick up the bum) from my friends (where they were wondering why I did not attempt it myself :/). That and I guess at the time I was prepared to let con merchants or cowboy restorers get the better of the car or me. It is all a learning curve I guess, and quite a familiar story to many.
Anyway, back to the car.
I eventually got the car an MOT, but as we all know, that is not how things are with an older car which has been dormant for quite some time.
Firstly, one of the carbs decided that the float chambers would stick. Some time later I dealt with this issue (having fuel pour out of the overflow pipes is never promising!).
The other issue was the random blue smoke. This had me and the MOT tester perplexed. It would either not smoke at all or throw out a massive plume without warning generally without warning. The brake pedal was not the best in hindsight but certainly not the worst by a long shot! Upon divulging deeper into the car, things became more apparent.
With a new item fitted things really did improve alot!
However, the rear of the car still had far too much rake! Not bad for a Yank tank, but a little silly for a Brit sports car!
Many people here tend to go down the route of lowering blocks. For one reason or another I was not a fan (it has been said that people with even 1.3 Escorts can suffer from axle tramp with lowering blocks!). This rear end was going to be dealt with correctly. Maybe not to its best potentially but certainly on the route for that.
After chatting to a few peeps in the know I decided to settle on some decambered and flipped rear lowered leaf springs (I can say that three times faster!) in addition to splashing out on some pricey SuperFlex bushes. The bushes were not the easiest to fit and the extra length of the springs due to the decambering made me think (not much more admittedly!). After a few days the suspension parts were fitted:
And the result? Nothing short of a transformation. To this day (despite the large wheels!) I have yet to drive a 'B like the one I did. All of my worries about Poly bushes being harsh were dispelled. The Superflex items if I am honest were far superior than the old items in terms of keeping the axle more in line in addition to aiding the ride comfort, even compared to a stock 'B! The combination of Spax rear dampers, SuperFlex bushes and decambered springs really did work very very well indeed, with even speed bumps being quite compliant!
However, one problem still remained with the car. The looks.
Here I really did have a choice to make. Whilst the car did drive superbly two things were letting the side down:
1) the B-Series engine. Despite it being a reconditioned unit with new ancillaries it was never going to win any races! A transplant would have had to have been in the pipeline. RV8 conversions are not quite as cheap as they used to be, and even Zetec power would required quite a bit of thought.
2) The bodywork. Although the panel alignment was not too horrific (it took a damned long time to ensure it did not end up like every other Sebring out there with poor fitment) it was never going to be a cheap and easy task to get it looking its best.
With that in mind, I decided to let it go on elsewhere and move on in the world. This time to something German. And Porsche
.I knew I forgot something! What it looks like now.
By the time I sold the car, it had alot of cash thrown at it (more than any 'B should have!) and my enthusiasm had generally gone for the car.
However, in the right hands I think you will agree that it came out for the better, by quite a way!
By the time I sold the car, it had alot of cash thrown at it (more than any 'B should have!) and my enthusiasm had generally gone for the car.
However, in the right hands I think you will agree that it came out for the better, by quite a way!
Edited by SebringMan on Sunday 4th January 23:28
Ooo very nice.
Looks like you have moved onto a run of 944's.
I always loved British cars and thought I would obviously own an MGB at some point. It hasn't happened though and I feel guilt for my run of German machines including a Porsche 944.
Looks like you have moved onto a run of 944's.
I always loved British cars and thought I would obviously own an MGB at some point. It hasn't happened though and I feel guilt for my run of German machines including a Porsche 944.
Edited by parmley on Sunday 4th January 23:19
Many thanks for the kind comments . I guess I had gone on a little further (but thrown even more time and cash at the car!) I may well have got it looking great. It does look like a thing of beauty now though, that is for sure.
However, a 944 is a different kettle of fish I reckon, but I shall report on more of that in another thread.
. I guess I had gone on a little further (but thrown even more time and cash at the car!) I may well have got it looking great. It does look like a thing of beauty now though, that is for sure.parmley said:
Ooo very nice.
Looks like you have moved onto a run of 944's.
I always loved British cars and thought I would obviously own an MGB at some point. It hasn't happened though and I feel guilt for my run of German machines including a Porsche 944.
IMO most people should own a 'B. Of course quite a bit is not great about them, but alot of them is especially in fettled form. The biggest issue IMO is that there are many tired and tarted up cars running around. The white car I owned drove better than many of them according to the new owner who bought it.Looks like you have moved onto a run of 944's.
I always loved British cars and thought I would obviously own an MGB at some point. It hasn't happened though and I feel guilt for my run of German machines including a Porsche 944.
Edited by parmley on Sunday 4th January 23:19
However, a 944 is a different kettle of fish I reckon, but I shall report on more of that in another thread
.SebringMan, I know of two other people doing the same BGT project as yours and their frustration knows no bounds; it's just bloody hard work. I'm completing a 4.0 TVR conversion to my roadster so understand the absolute number of man hours, and cash, that's required to do these projects correctly...as you mentioned above, the majority are quite poor.
Here's the link for some good reading http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Good luck with the 944, they're superb pieces of automotive history.
Here's the link for some good reading http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Good luck with the 944, they're superb pieces of automotive history.
v8250 said:
SebringMan, I know of two other people doing the same BGT project as yours and their frustration knows no bounds; it's just bloody hard work. I'm completing a 4.0 TVR conversion to my roadster so understand the absolute number of man hours, and cash, that's required to do these projects correctly...as you mentioned above, the majority are quite poor.
Here's the link for some good reading http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Good luck with the 944, they're superb pieces of automotive history.
Wow, you have gone to town on that car! It is another thread for me to look at for sure!Here's the link for some good reading http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Good luck with the 944, they're superb pieces of automotive history.
Thanks for the wishes for the 944, but I sold my last one almost 2 years ago. I still miss but I do like trying out different cars. The 944 Turbo was probably one the cars I would have been happy to keep for some time.
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