MGB & GT Forum

I don't know what you paid for that 42 year old MGB; but:

1) If the sheet metal body does not have rust in areas where the car is no longer safe, everything can be taken care of.

2) If you bring that MGB back to "like-new-condition" or better, it will be worth $8,000 to $12,000 or more.

3) Talk to you local restoration and/or body shops, and auto machine shops to determine if the restoration is within these numbers.

"I have a 1977 MGB purchased in 1983", with almost no rust.

I have already driven it to work and back and to British car events until 2014. The car suffered a $4000 deer hit, and my State Farm insurance did not blink.

This is and will continue to be a daily driver, not just a show car. I stripped the car's body down to bare metal.

I cleaned up the almost insignificant rust.

I stripped outer body paint down to bare metal. Then I repaired all the rust, and holes.

I removed all the rust, and repaired a few minor holes.

Then I picked a spray primer acceptable for the later to be sprayed urethane color and clear coat paint.

Then I went over the deep end, and applied a thin layer of body filler, 10 inches wide, on each side of the various gaps in the discrete body panels.

Hood to Front Fenders

Front Fenders to Doors

Doors to Rear Fenders

Trunk Lid to Back of Body.

Then I used a pneumatic long board sander across the panel gaps, and the end result is a body that perfectly smooth as you carefully look across and around the body.

This is not expensive, if you can do your own preparation.

I asked the body shop which primer to apply to the body for the urethane color and clear coat, and applied it.

Then I sent the MGB out to the local body shop and they applied the modern urethane.

Yes, the result is an MGB body that you can look across fenders to the hood and trunk lid and down both sides of the car . . . front fender to door to rear fender. This would be very expensive to pay someone to do this; but, the materials and your time are insignificant.

I you pay for someone to do this, you very well may end up with a cost that is more than the restoration, including all the other restoration parts: new top,new carpet, new seat cushions, and a complete "in-house-manufactured" interior parts from Moss, that look as nice as my Mercedes.

I brush painted every metal part of the car (floors, top and bottom; wheel wells, engine compartment, and inside of the hood, the trunk floor and all interior parts, as well the inside of the trunk lid.)

I brush primed all these "inside parts of the body" with Rust-Oleum 769402 Primer.

I brush top-coated all these areas with Rust-Oleum Semi-Gloss black enamel.

I have a brand new Moss in-house manufacture interior that is as nice as my Mercedes. I have a brand new Robbins brown fabric top, to match the gold metallic urethane color and clear coat paint.

After 79,000 miles and 30+ years, I have a complete restored MGB for the second time, so my adult daughter and her my grandsons can try to wear it out over the next 30 or 40 years. We live one half mile from the cool Pacific Ocean (65 Deg F). Rain doesn't happen very often.

The next step will be a modern driveline, with a V6 (160 hp) with fuel injection and a T5 transmission with the fifth gear being overdrive.

My personal opinion. This MGB is currently worth $8000 to $12,000. No, it is not for sale.

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Roger N. Tanner
Professional Engineer, Retired