MGB GT?

[320Touring]

Possibly going to see one of these turds on thursday-

A chrome bumpered one

Any pointers?

Its got MOT til Feb, but has a gear selection problem -possibly clutch... are there any common faluts to look out for?

I know bodywork is a big problem- sills etc are big issues,

anything else I should be wary of?

Cheers

[pacerpete]

GT = Grim Turd ! A Scottish chrome bumper MG, that should be quite a sight !

Rust, rust , did I mention rust ? and 40 years of bodging by tight4rse bearded types are your biggest enemy.

Be sure to post some pics , you are an ill man, so I am certain you will buy it !

[TheHeap]

Pacernegativepete strikes again

Is there any car that makes you when thinking of or looking at it.

MGB gt is a car i would love to own and if you want a non rot hassle free 40 yr old car you better sell your house and your kids. Just buy the best you can afford and start working on it THE SAME WAY ZONERS DO TO THEIR E30s

Good luck with it dude

[320Touring]

GT = Grim Turd ! A Scottish chrome bumper MG, that should be quite a sight !

Rust, rust , did I mention rust ? and 40 years of bodging by tight4rse bearded types are your biggest enemy.

Be sure to post some pics , you are an ill man, so I am certain you will buy it !

I've heard that I need to check everythign, 40 times

as for me buying it.. I aspire to your level's of "Back Passage" action..

any idea what would stop the b series lump/g box from shifting gear- an I looking at buggered friction plate, or a cable or selector failure?

[Zetecvan]

Have you ever driven one? My mate had one and it must be the most unsportiest sports car I've ever driven!

That said, good luck with it.

[hammoj28]

If you open the door and it doesnt fall off its a "goodun".

[Zetecvan]

If you open the door and it doesnt fall off its a "goodun".

If you open both doors and it doesn't break in half it's a "goodun"

[320Touring]

Lol.. feelin the love here!

I know it wont be sporty, but it could be a fun smoker.. I'll be walking away if its rotten though- got enough scrap on my hands the now

any ideas re the gear shift issue?

[Zetecvan]

any ideas re the gear shift issue?

Check the slave cylinder is operating first. Might be something simple like that.

Has it not been used for a while? Has the clutch plate seized to the flywheel?

[320Touring]

any ideas re the gear shift issue?

Check the slave cylinder is operating first. Might be something simple like that.

Has it not been used for a while? Has the clutch plate seized to the flywheel?

So its a hydraulic clutch? cool.

Car is MOT'd and taxed and has apparently been used fairly regularly

[cecotto479]

I've had a few MGBs over the years.

Mechanically cheap and bulletproof.

Rust. Sills, inner sills, castle sections and jacking points. Rear quarter needs cut to do the sill properly. Look for a seam running vertically on the sill between the door and wheel arch. If it's there, well and good. If it's not, it's had overfills fitted. I once removed three skins. Original sills and two pop-on oversills.

Wings rust and rear arches too. Spring hanger rails at the rear are prone to rot.

In behind the front wheel, there's a splash panel bolted to the shell and sealed against the wing. This rots - or gets forgotten about at wing/sill replacement. Water gets in from road wheels and rots out the sills.

Doors rust. Tailgate rusts.

That's about it.

Ignore the haters. Good fun to drive. Cheap and simple to maintain. No classic car has better parts availability.

Feel free to give me a buzz to chat. If it's not far away, I'll pop along if you want.

I reckon I could just about still do a wing/sill replacement from memory.

[320Touring]

I've had a few MGBs over the years.

Mechanically cheap and bulletproof.

Rust. Sills, inner sills, castle sections and jacking points. Rear quarter needs cut to do the sill properly. Look for a seam running vertically on the sill between the door and wheel arch. If it's there, well and good. If it's not, it's had overfills fitted. I once removed three skins. Original sills and two pop-on oversills.

Wings rust and rear arches too. Spring hanger rails at the rear are prone to rot.

In behind the front wheel, there's a splash panel bolted to the shell and sealed against the wing. This rots - or gets forgotten about at wing/sill replacement. Water gets in from road wheels and rots out the sills.

Doors rust. Tailgate rusts.

That's about it.

Ignore the haters. Good fun to drive. Cheap and simple to maintain. No classic car has better parts availability.

Feel free to give me a buzz to chat. If it's not far away, I'll pop along if you want.

I reckon I could just about still do a wing/sill replacement from memory.

Thanks for the offer and Info Boyd, the car is in Edinburgh.

Are the castle sections where the sills/floors meet?

[cecotto479]

Castle sections are flat, vertical reinforcing panels between the sill and inner sill. Can't really see them without stripping out. If the jacking point is good enough to jack the car up, using the OE jack, and the door opens and closes OK whilst jacked up on the jacking points using the OE jack, it should be structurally sound.

If the owner won't let you try that or it's a scissor or hydraulic jack and not the OE jack (E36 style where pin goes into circular hole and raises the car) or there's no jacking point in the centre below the sill, budget for a wing/sill repair - £450 per side or so.

Floors butt to inner sills and can rot at the join.

[e21Jason]

Neil I used to have one and they need a lot of tlc and you will need an new imperial socket set. When you going to look at it

Jason

[gaszman]

do not buy its a old anticuanted truck of shit wich is why the mx5 is britians best selling roadster cos they had the chance to make a goodin but fucked it all up

[cecotto479]

Check that it IS a chrome bumper car. '73 M will be chrome. '74N could be either and 75 P will be rubber. Many, many later cars have been converted, but proper ones will always hold a premium. Many of the converted ones still ride too high as well and I've seen converted cars with private plates to make them look older.

Rubber bumper cars take a V8 with consumate ease though.

[daimlerman]

I've had a few MGBs over the years.

Mechanically cheap and bulletproof.

Rust. Sills, inner sills, castle sections and jacking points. Rear quarter needs cut to do the sill properly. Look for a seam running vertically on the sill between the door and wheel arch. If it's there, well and good. If it's not, it's had overfills fitted. I once removed three skins. Original sills and two pop-on oversills.

Wings rust and rear arches too. Spring hanger rails at the rear are prone to rot.

In behind the front wheel, there's a splash panel bolted to the shell and sealed against the wing. This rots - or gets forgotten about at wing/sill replacement. Water gets in from road wheels and rots out the sills.

Doors rust. Tailgate rusts.

That's about it.

Ignore the haters. Good fun to drive. Cheap and simple to maintain. No classic car has better parts availability.

Feel free to give me a buzz to chat. If it's not far away, I'll pop along if you want.

I reckon I could just about still do a wing/sill replacement from memory.

This is sound,practical advice.

Me mother ran an MGB back in the '70's,I was only allowed to maintain it,but not to drive it!By the standards of the day,they were a solid,reasonably quick car.By today's standard,they are slow,poor brakes and poor ride quality.

Parts back up is good,but most is re-manufactured stuff built to a price,not to a quality.Do not expect BMW standards of fit,anywhere!

[320Touring]

Check that it IS a chrome bumper car. '73 M will be chrome. '74N could be either and 75 P will be rubber. Many, many later cars have been converted, but proper ones will always hold a premium. Many of the converted ones still ride too high as well and I've seen converted cars with private plates to make them look older.

Rubber bumper cars take a V8 with consumate ease though.

Its on an M plate..

Malcolm, I'm all to aware of the "quaintness" of BL scrap- I grew up with a Maxi 1750 HL

Thats a great trick re the Jacking point- I'll give it a bash and see whats said..

TBH I dont have great hopes of it being strucurally sound, as per pacer's post.. but, its just cheap eough for a swatch

[daimlerman]

Maxi is 'high tech' compared to an MGB!

There's just about enough room in the 'bay for a Daimler V8,not the piddly 2.5,the full fat four and a half litre jobbie.Go on,you know you want to...

[320Touring]

Maxi is 'high tech' compared to an MGB!

There's just about enough room in the 'bay for a Daimler V8,not the piddly 2.5,the full fat four and a half litre jobbie.Go on,you know you want to...

If I was doing that it'd be an m30 with a MGC bonnet for clearance

[daimlerman]

Hummm,240BHP against 214BHP,lighter wieght for the V8 plus it's shorter so it will mount behind the front axle line.....


I guess it depends on weather you want to go through that Scottish hedge forwards or backwards....
Either way,collecting haggis scalps will be far more fun.

[320Touring]

Hummm,240BHP against 214BHP,lighter wieght for the V8 plus it's shorter so it will mount behind the front axle line.....


I guess it depends on weather you want to go through that Scottish hedge forwards or backwards....
Either way,collecting haggis scalps will be far more fun.

more the "I have two m30 manuals in stock"

so more cash for Haggis Scalps

[Felix79]

If you have ever watched the "car is born" "A chooper is born" series they do on discovery , they did one where the guy does a full restro on a MG-B. I think it was a 12 part seires with each show being 30 mins long , could be worth downloading and mulling over if your seriously thinking about getting into ownership of one.

[rrs]

A friend had a midget a while back and ended up replacing the clutch release bearing twice in 6 months same symptoms wouldn't go in to gear. Also had to replace the hose to the slave as it liked to bulge while he was driving it!

[Andyboy]

M reg will be the last full year of the chrome bumper ones. It'll have the black mesh type grille, Rostyle wheels plus all the Mark 2 bits such as the 5 bearing crank etc etc.

A nice one that's in original condition and in a funky seventies colour like Black Tulip or Harvest gold and with the correct grille/wheels/trim is okay but they badly need a telescopic damper conversion. The 1800 B Series is very grunty. A lot of 'knackered' oil burning examples just need the breather system clearing out.

The rubber bumpered ones really were utterly grim however.

[B7]

do not buy its a old anticuanted truck of shit wich is why the mx5 is britians best selling roadster cos they had the chance to make a goodin but ****** it all up

THIS^^^^^

Believe me, Unless you are a stuck in the 70's, beard wearing, warm ale drinking hippy, an orginal MG is a pile of out of date shite that you could replace 10 times over with a nice usable MX5. F*cking hate them with a vengeance and I've been involved with a few over the years.

I can remember a mate having his trousers pulled down, trading his hearing aid beige 71 BGT 1800 on a Teal 74 chrome GT V8 in 1985 for £4995 when I told him it was a wrongun. 2 hours later it dumped the entire contents of it's sump all over his parents drive. 2 years later, he was nigh on bankrupt. But then come to think of it, he had a penchant for renaults as well so should have expected it really.

[cecotto479]

I bought my Tundra (yes, that WAS an MG colour) 1973 M BGTV8 in 1985 too. I used, enjoyed, drove, maintained, and then restored it over 11 years. The longest I've ever owned one car. The only previous owner - a 72 yr old(!) sold it to fund a round the world trip on his R80.

It was no more expensive really than any equivalent and was a reasonable performer. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have nothing but good memories. Except the time it dumped its diff oil all over the M6 at 110 mph after a 1500 mile tour of Ireland that had already cost a set of springs and shocks. The exchange rear axle was £400 in 1988.

[Andyboy]

An Oselli Engineering 1900 B Series is one of the best engines I've encountered. Just mountains of torque, and it was a nice smooth revver too.
I'd suffer either an early pull handle Roadster, or a late sixties GT in Island blue with the drilled steels and chrome dome hubcaps.

To own an MX5 you need to be a either a 42 year old mobile hairdresser or a balding middle aged bloke in a flying jacket. I'll stick with an MG thanks and give the mid life crisis a swerve.

[cecotto479]

I had a 1950 Aldon with a single Weber 45 in a sprint spec GT in about '86. Pretty quick - not V8 quick and a superb noise. More induction than exhaust.

I'd have any proper MG over an MX5 too.

62/63 Pull handle roadsters are MGA FHC money. I'd go with the A.

Never had a C. Drove a couple. Much better than they're given
credit for too.

[B7]

We had a Tundra Mini 1000 brand new in 1975 (N). God that was a hideous colour.

I guess it's horses for courses really. If you want an acncient classic with excellent spares supply then buy an old brit. However, a standard MG needs a lot of work to make it a good car that can compare. After the weldathon you then have suspension, brakes and as Andy implies, a truck like B series needs serious breathing on to make it a sports car engine with any kudos.

For me, the handling on the mx5 is just surblime and the sheer reliability of them far outways any gayness they have. Such a pretty car, in my book, the japs got it spot on. I'd have another Mk1 tomorrow. They are "out of the box" fun.

[daimlerman]

I guess it's horses for courses really. If you want an acncient classic with excellent spares supply then buy an old brit. However, a standard MG needs a lot of work to make it a good car that can compare. After the weldathon you then have suspension, brakes and as Andy implies, a truck like B series needs serious breathing on to make it a sports car engine with any kudos.

Pretty much sums up my feelings as well.I was considering re-shelling an MG-B roadster when I decided that I wanted another open car before I was too old to enjoy one properly,but felt that the £15k+ that I would need to invest would still leave me with a '60's car with a live rear axle,small boot and a hood that takes 20 minutes to stow or erect.

Hence my final choice of E30 cabbie at about a quarter of the cost,and far more user friendly.Just on the roof issue alone,my wife is easily able to stow and erect the hood on the E30,she would find this impossible on the 'B' without breaking nails or damaging the car/hood.

[320Touring]

Based on what I've heard here, and from some more sane folks I know.. It looks like I need this car like aI need a hole in the head!

Reckon I'd be better off just putting the cash I'd have used to buy it into the e30/34/golf gti..

Damn, I'm getting sensible in my old age!

[m8782538]

MG BGT, only thing to do is a total strip, sandblast, and rebuild. There will be more rust than all the remaining E30's on the road put together. Notorious for major rust and bodges repairs.

[daimlerman]

Based on what I've heard here, and from some more sane folks I know.. It looks like I need this car like aI need a hole in the head!

Reckon I'd be better off just putting the cash I'd have used to buy it into the e30/34/golf gti..

Damn, I'm getting sensible in my old age!

MG's are a bit like Alfa's,every petrolhead needs one in his life at some point.

My MG 'fix' was 1972-75,an MG Midget bought brand new from a dealer just up the road from the Ace Cafe,gave me a £100 discount....

My Alfa 'fix' came a little later,laid under Mum's 1750 spyder swapping the clutch....

I will now settle for cars with good parts availability that FIT when they arrive!

[cecotto479]

MG BGT, only thing to do is a total strip, sandblast, and rebuild. There will be more rust than all the remaining E30's on the road put together. Notorious for major rust and bodges repairs.

Nonsense.