MG-2013 is only 56 days away! · Corvallis, OR · July 17–21, 2013 · Visit MG-2013.com or the MG-2013 Forum for more info

MGB & GT Forum

Welcome! Sign In Register
Please Sign In or Register to Search

bought 2 mgb's, first full on car project, where to start?

Posted by beeryboats 
Jay Beery
Brownsburg, In, USA   usa
I just bought two mgb's to build one car. A '71 and '74. The early model is from CA and looks worse than it really is. No rust, but not the best chrome or truck lid. That's what the other car is for. But I'm undecided where to start. I do not want a show car, but I want a good looking daily driver. I know, mgb and dependable should not be in the same sentence, but I'm gonna try! They've both been sitting indoors for years. I don't know if I want to jump right into an engine rebuild, cost?, or just overhaul the carbs and accessaries. Brake overhaul is a must, and I've already bought some parts. The whold car is just such an unknown. An overdrive transmission?!?!?! Even sounds expensive. I've always had old american iron, a '56 chevy step side and a '45 Ford GPW (WWII jeep).
Thanks,
Jay



1971 MGB: restoration car
1974 MGB: parts car
1945 Ford GPW "jeep"
1956 Chevy step side pick up
2009 BMW R1200GS "scooter"

. You can hide this ad & support this site by upgrading to a Gold Membership ~ click here for more info.
1977mg-mgb Avatar
Maxx M
City, USA   usa
1977 MG MGB "Little Green Sprout"
any spare parts you have give back to the community, list them in that trader form!
gooser Avatar
Drake Myers
Danville Va, USA   usa
well let's hope you have an early 74 so more parts will interchange. you're on the right track with fixing the brakes first. do either or both engines run?

. You can hide this ad & support this site by upgrading to a Gold Membership ~ click here for more info.
Wilkiewheels Avatar
Jeff Wilkins
Hornell, NY, USA   usa
1970 MG MGB MkII "Tango"
1971 MG MGB MkII "Tiger"
1974 MG MGB "Gray Poupon"
1977 MG MGB MkIII "Green B"
1980 MG MGB Limited Edition (LE) "Pepper"
Jay - welcome to the forum. This is a great forum for information when things get difficult. I bought a car completely in pieces and then bought a second car for parts. I have since owned three others to drive and enjoy while working on the original. So keep all the mechanical spares. You just don't know what you will need. For starters I would get the car so it is drivable and with safe breaks and handling. You need to get these cars out on the road and drive them. It's what motivates us to do the work they require. Enjoy.



"Without hops the world stops"
OldBloke Avatar
Jim Legg
Napa, California, USA   usa
Welcome aboard, folks here should be able to answer any question you may have. Two "B"s isn't a bad thing...!eye rolling smiley



"Not all who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

. You can hide this ad & support this site by upgrading to a Gold Membership ~ click here for more info.
The old NZMGBs Avatar
Paul WIERINGA
Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand   nzl
In reply to # 2038526 by beeryboats I just bought two mgb's to build one car. A '71 and '74. The early model is from CA and looks worse than it really is. No rust, but not the best chrome or truck lid. That's what the other car is for. But I'm undecided where to start. I do not want a show car, but I want a good looking daily driver. I know, mgb and dependable should not be in the same sentence, but I'm gonna try! They've both been sitting indoors for years. I don't know if I want to jump right into an engine rebuild, cost?, or just overhaul the carbs and accessaries. Brake overhaul is a must, and I've already bought some parts. The whold car is just such an unknown. An overdrive transmission?!?!?! Even sounds expensive. I've always had old american iron, a '56 chevy step side and a '45 Ford GPW (WWII jeep).
Thanks,
Jay



You bought the ’74 JUST for the chrome and boot lid?!angry smiley
You’re going to part out / wreck a car just for those bits?!
SELL the ’74 and buy the bits as you need them.

Paul
saanich2006 Avatar
Robert Browning
Atlanta, Georgia, USA   usa
doesn't exist and isn't real without some images!! smiling bouncing smiley



"He had delusions of adequacy."

Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.




NOHOME Avatar
Peter Plouf
London, Canada   can
1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil"
1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"
I would start by doing a basic assesment of the major systems.

Is the body rust free enough that you dont need to weld?
Is the paint good enough to leave alone?

If these two are good enough, leave good enough alone

Move to the engine

How is the compression?
How is the oil pressure?

I would rebuild the carbs and distributor as amatter of course. See how the rad shakes out.

Seats OK?
Dash OK?

Everything else is trivial

Suspension...

Are the kingpins good to go?
Shocks?

I like to stop, and brakes are one area where I just toss the catalog at the car rather than just move the weak link
Jay Beery
Brownsburg, In, USA   usa
Thanks for the welcome. The build car needs body work and paint. Carbs are off, former owner said they were rebuilt and left off the car. Looks like the truth. So it won't run, needs paint, and needs a carpet kit for sure. And a total brake job. I learned my lesson on my old jeep.

The '74 is my dream street legal race car. It will need lot's of work.

My heart says "tear it all down and rebuild and paint under the hood". My head and my pocket book says "see what you've got under the hood and ask your self if it really needs to come out". If it was an old Chevy 350 I would know the answer after an afternoon under the hood. I don't know squat about the engine in the MG's, so that's why I'm asking questions. The odometer says about 50K miles if that's any help.

Thanks,
Jay



1971 MGB: restoration car
1974 MGB: parts car
1945 Ford GPW "jeep"
1956 Chevy step side pick up
2009 BMW R1200GS "scooter"

MG Unlimited Avatar
Lou Medeiros
Londonderry, NH, USA   usa
1980 MG MGB Limited Edition (LE) "Black Betty"
Hey Jay, welcome. If you're used to American Iron, i would venture to say most parts for MGs are less expensive believe it or not. Take a cruise through the Moss or Victoria British or Brittek websites and check the prices for springs, interior/exterior parts. The prices might surprise you...i know i was surprised. You can basically rebuild a front or rear suspension at Brittek for around 250 each end.
Have fun. Working on these cars is more like therapy then a chore.
nlneilson Avatar
Neil Neilson
Mojave & Oxnard CA, USA   usa
1962 Jaguar E-Type Convertible "Chevy SB"
1974 MG MGB "MG"
1979 Porsche 928
1995 Dodge Ram 3500 "Diesel Dually"
In reply to # 2038566 by Wilkiewheels For starters I would get the car so it is drivable and with safe breaks and handling. You need to get these cars out on the road and drive them. It's what motivates us to do the work they require. Enjoy.

Get the engine running first!

Then the brakes. Often times just adding fluid and bleeding will be good to check operation. Then replace the seals.

Tearing every thing apart will lead to loss of motivation.

Jay Beery
Brownsburg, In, USA   usa
Ah, you have a 12 valve 5.9 as well. Very wise. I have a '97 dually as well. I work at a diesel shop here in Indy and we do lots of Cummins "stuff".



1971 MGB: restoration car
1974 MGB: parts car
1945 Ford GPW "jeep"
1956 Chevy step side pick up
2009 BMW R1200GS "scooter"
nlneilson Avatar
Neil Neilson
Mojave & Oxnard CA, USA   usa
1962 Jaguar E-Type Convertible "Chevy SB"
1974 MG MGB "MG"
1979 Porsche 928
1995 Dodge Ram 3500 "Diesel Dually"
I got the Ram Cummins Diesel about 6 months ago. I have had a big International Rig with the 855 c.i. Cummins for about 25 years, the sound and feel is about the same. Tough dependable engines.

Add your reply here, or post your own questions!

Members Sign In if you've already registered, or
Register a New Account
Registration is free and takes less than a minute

Having trouble posting or changing forum settings?
Check the Forum Help File (FAQ) or contact the webmaster.
View the archived version of this thread.
Built using Phorum Open Source Software


Join Our Club

Sign In to post questions or share your photos!

MGExp Menu

Welcome

Forums ->

MGB & GT

MG Midget

Buy, Sell & Trade

Vendor & Group Buy

MG Engine Swaps

Original MG

MGA

MGC

MG Magnette

1100 & 1300

T-Series & Prewar

Modern MGs

MG Motorsports

MG-2013 Event

Member Meetup

Other Vehicles

Off Topic

Clubs

Forum Search

Latest Posts

Journals

Calendar

Membership

Tech Library

Car Registry

Cars For Sale

Model Info

Motorsport

Directory

Member Map

MGExp Store

Search

Advertising Info

Smartphone quick link
mgexp.mobi

Adjust Text Size

Larger Smaller
Reset Save