Discussion
I have trundled round in one for a bit. If you don't need a back seat it's a very practical car, the boot is pretty massive really. The important thing is to keep on top of the bodywork.
I'm sure I'll upset someone with the next statement...
The mechanicals are all pretty much directly lifted from the Morris J4 van, so they're very sturdy.
I'm sure I'll upset someone with the next statement...
The mechanicals are all pretty much directly lifted from the Morris J4 van, so they're very sturdy.
I ran one for my DD years ago, hated it although mine was a rubber bumper version. I had a ratty Triumph Vitesse at the same time and got in that time probably 90% of the time when the choice of either car was in front of me.
if you want a classic DD, drive a few different models makes etc and work from which floats your boat the best...
if you want a classic DD, drive a few different models makes etc and work from which floats your boat the best...
as I've used classics as dailies for 20 years including a BGT my advice comes with experience, (low) hundreds of thousands of miles and (not so low) tens of thousands of £
biggest problems with most classics are the present and previous owners not driving them enough and/or fully and properly servicing, maintaining and repairing them
get the owners Handbook(s) (not Haynes or Workshop Manuals to start off with) before looking at cars to see what's involved
my usual advice:-
Hi, welcome,
as there’s quite a lot to note here it’s probably best to keep a copy of this information to read and refer to now and later in your ownership-
My advice to new or potential B owners –
Buy an owners Handbook before even looking for the car and read it thoroughly as it tells you so much you need to know to own, drive, service and maintain your car and it’s very useful to have as a paper copy even if you get electronic copies later - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
it’s workshop manuals for repairs but owners Handbooks for prevention
Look at and test drive as many good examples as you can including some well out of your buying budget to see how good the cars should be and that you may need to increase your budget – it usually works out less expensive to buy a good but higher priced example than a poor lower priced example
Allow in your purchase budget at least a £200 for servicing, maintenance and repairs in the first year, £500 would be better if you can afford as if you don’t use it all it can go forward to the next year – you have to budget for insurance, possibly road tax, certainly petrol so why not budget for servicing, maintenance and repairs which will decrease in cost the more you do of them
If you buy one then;
always have the battery(ies) and connections in good condition as this will obviously help with starting the car and running the electrical items but also it will help with problem solving many items whereas a battery and/or connections in poor condition will create problems or not help with other problems
Also have all battery leads and connections, other earth leads and all connections - clean, secure and protected - as this will help with starting of the engine and all electric circuits, same applies to all electrical wiring and connections too
As soon as possible after purchase do a full and proper 36,000-mile service only missing out items that you know for certain have already been done very recently – this service and the following work can be done in stages and in between driving, enjoying and learning your car
check brakes and tyres(see below)
consider using engine flushing oil on first engine oil change
change g/box and back axle oils
change brake and clutch fluids
change coolant
change radiator/expansion tank pressure cap
change fan belt
change dissy cap, rotor arm and leads (buy good quality ones) - http://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html
Don’t assume the parts and components fitted to the car are necessarily the original or correct type
For a coolant change first clean with something like Bars Flush Cooling System Cleaner then drain the whole system - engine block, rad and heater matrix, if you can get any of these out to give them a good shake at the same time as flushing and back flushing then all the better - the sequence is use cleaner as per its instructions then flush, back flush and flush and continue this until water runs clear, refill with the correct coolant mixture but bear in mind in tap water isn’t always the best water to use
Follow the refill instructions from the owners Handbook to avoid get air locks or ‘hotspots’ that could cause overheating of the engine
If you clean the whole of the coolant system and also renew the seals and foam around the heater matrix you will find the heaters can get very hot
As new rubber cooling hoses tend to be poor quality now this is also a good chance to change them to silicone and rounded-edge clips - http://www.classicsiliconehoses.com/
Be aware that brand new parts can sometimes be faulty, especially electrical bits (see just above) so don’t discount them when problem solving just because they are new, buy good quality parts
Check the age of your tyres if they are 6 years old or more replace ASAP regardless of tread depth, this will improve the braking, steering, ride, handling and possibly noise and safety of the car greatly
Also change very old brake pads as soon as practical as they may well hard gone off with age, as can the hydraulic seals if the car has been standing still for many years and the clutch may be stuck on, tyres squared, bushes stiff, if facts lots of potential problems with a car that hasn’t been used much or at all for many years
Use the car regularly - to get used to it, sort out any wrinkles and prevent the problems that occur with lack of use, and to enjoy it
Every few weeks check your horn, wipers and all switches work and heater valve turns on and off (all no problem if you use the car regularly)
Follow regular checks, servicing and maintenance as per owners Handbook
Drive in all weathers the car was designed to, if working correctly the heater is adequate
Do not do any cosmetic or improvement work for at least 12 months of regular use, unless you need to replace parts or components, as you may need to use the money elsewhere on the car
Also very useful, you can get suppliers catalogues for free to get you started to see where things go but in my personal opinion they’re not as good as a paper copy like - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
You can also get an excellent DVD that includes original Parts Catalogues, Parts Fiches, Workshop Manuals and owners Handbooks to have in electronic format, not as convenient as paper copies but a lot more information – http://www.motoringclassics.co.uk/heritage-range/c...
John Twist gives great, clear advice on serving and repairs in his videos – http://www.youtube.com/user/Universitymotorsltd#g/...
Cheers, enjoy your car
biggest problems with most classics are the present and previous owners not driving them enough and/or fully and properly servicing, maintaining and repairing them
get the owners Handbook(s) (not Haynes or Workshop Manuals to start off with) before looking at cars to see what's involved
my usual advice:-
Hi, welcome,
as there’s quite a lot to note here it’s probably best to keep a copy of this information to read and refer to now and later in your ownership-
My advice to new or potential B owners –
Buy an owners Handbook before even looking for the car and read it thoroughly as it tells you so much you need to know to own, drive, service and maintain your car and it’s very useful to have as a paper copy even if you get electronic copies later - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
it’s workshop manuals for repairs but owners Handbooks for prevention
Look at and test drive as many good examples as you can including some well out of your buying budget to see how good the cars should be and that you may need to increase your budget – it usually works out less expensive to buy a good but higher priced example than a poor lower priced example
Allow in your purchase budget at least a £200 for servicing, maintenance and repairs in the first year, £500 would be better if you can afford as if you don’t use it all it can go forward to the next year – you have to budget for insurance, possibly road tax, certainly petrol so why not budget for servicing, maintenance and repairs which will decrease in cost the more you do of them
If you buy one then;
always have the battery(ies) and connections in good condition as this will obviously help with starting the car and running the electrical items but also it will help with problem solving many items whereas a battery and/or connections in poor condition will create problems or not help with other problems
Also have all battery leads and connections, other earth leads and all connections - clean, secure and protected - as this will help with starting of the engine and all electric circuits, same applies to all electrical wiring and connections too
As soon as possible after purchase do a full and proper 36,000-mile service only missing out items that you know for certain have already been done very recently – this service and the following work can be done in stages and in between driving, enjoying and learning your car
check brakes and tyres(see below)
consider using engine flushing oil on first engine oil change
change g/box and back axle oils
change brake and clutch fluids
change coolant
change radiator/expansion tank pressure cap
change fan belt
change dissy cap, rotor arm and leads (buy good quality ones) - http://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html
Don’t assume the parts and components fitted to the car are necessarily the original or correct type
For a coolant change first clean with something like Bars Flush Cooling System Cleaner then drain the whole system - engine block, rad and heater matrix, if you can get any of these out to give them a good shake at the same time as flushing and back flushing then all the better - the sequence is use cleaner as per its instructions then flush, back flush and flush and continue this until water runs clear, refill with the correct coolant mixture but bear in mind in tap water isn’t always the best water to use
Follow the refill instructions from the owners Handbook to avoid get air locks or ‘hotspots’ that could cause overheating of the engine
If you clean the whole of the coolant system and also renew the seals and foam around the heater matrix you will find the heaters can get very hot
As new rubber cooling hoses tend to be poor quality now this is also a good chance to change them to silicone and rounded-edge clips - http://www.classicsiliconehoses.com/
Be aware that brand new parts can sometimes be faulty, especially electrical bits (see just above) so don’t discount them when problem solving just because they are new, buy good quality parts
Check the age of your tyres if they are 6 years old or more replace ASAP regardless of tread depth, this will improve the braking, steering, ride, handling and possibly noise and safety of the car greatly
Also change very old brake pads as soon as practical as they may well hard gone off with age, as can the hydraulic seals if the car has been standing still for many years and the clutch may be stuck on, tyres squared, bushes stiff, if facts lots of potential problems with a car that hasn’t been used much or at all for many years
Use the car regularly - to get used to it, sort out any wrinkles and prevent the problems that occur with lack of use, and to enjoy it
Every few weeks check your horn, wipers and all switches work and heater valve turns on and off (all no problem if you use the car regularly)
Follow regular checks, servicing and maintenance as per owners Handbook
Drive in all weathers the car was designed to, if working correctly the heater is adequate
Do not do any cosmetic or improvement work for at least 12 months of regular use, unless you need to replace parts or components, as you may need to use the money elsewhere on the car
Also very useful, you can get suppliers catalogues for free to get you started to see where things go but in my personal opinion they’re not as good as a paper copy like - http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
You can also get an excellent DVD that includes original Parts Catalogues, Parts Fiches, Workshop Manuals and owners Handbooks to have in electronic format, not as convenient as paper copies but a lot more information – http://www.motoringclassics.co.uk/heritage-range/c...
John Twist gives great, clear advice on serving and repairs in his videos – http://www.youtube.com/user/Universitymotorsltd#g/...
Cheers, enjoy your car
Edited by na on Friday 7th October 17:27
Notes:
GT boots - leaves your stuff on display, in the sun and heat of a sometimes completely sealed cabin
poor demisting could be, but might not be any or combination of;
poor heater matrix and its sealing
poor heater motor and motor
water leaks/damp cabin/carpet/insulation
the BGT has 6 windows for summer use and possibly you’ll need to use one to help demist faster in winter, it’s not a modern car
draughts from missing, worn and ill-fitting seals on doors, windows and fresh-air flap make things a lot worse than they need be, again down to current and previous owners
I can think of one common cause of “water ingress” that a lot of owners don’t know about because they don’t use their car enough or have never researched it or bought any helpful books
GT boots - leaves your stuff on display, in the sun and heat of a sometimes completely sealed cabin
poor demisting could be, but might not be any or combination of;
poor heater matrix and its sealing
poor heater motor and motor
water leaks/damp cabin/carpet/insulation
the BGT has 6 windows for summer use and possibly you’ll need to use one to help demist faster in winter, it’s not a modern car
draughts from missing, worn and ill-fitting seals on doors, windows and fresh-air flap make things a lot worse than they need be, again down to current and previous owners
I can think of one common cause of “water ingress” that a lot of owners don’t know about because they don’t use their car enough or have never researched it or bought any helpful books
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