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MG MGB Technical - MGB Restoration Sequence

I have recently purchased a 1976 MGB which I plan to restore. Does anyone know of a web site or other reference which provide an outline (sequence) for the restoration project, i.e., which part is removed first and how?

Also I would appreciate any additional references which I may use to assist me in this effort.

Regards
Gene Ware

Some of this will depend on how invovled your restoration is goingto be. The best source is what is/was called Lindsay Porter's Do It Yourself Guide to Purchase and Restoration. There are currently two of these on auction on Ebay if youyr interested.
william fox

You will eventually find that the sequence doesn't matter. At least it didn't matter in my case. I started small and ended up with a shell.

I have some pics some of the various areas that could be in need of repair.

Do as William has suggested and get yourself some good references.

-mike

http://www.mzaff.com/1977repairs.htm
Mike Zaffarano

Beware, it is like home renovation: ".. while I'm doing this, I might as well do that" and so on and so on. It seems that one thing leads to another. All in a good way of course. I started with a "B" and then had to get a BGT. You know, why work on one car when I can work on two. I have twin girls, so perhaps I thought I needed 2 alike cars. Also, they keep each other company.
Kirk Knutsen

Gene - Some basic questions need to be answered: will you be doing a ground up restoration (everything off the car) or just a 'freshening up'? Does the engine/tranny need rebuilding? How about suspension?How much of the bodywork will you be doing (if any)? Will you be replacing the interior? Couple of suggestions I can make from my previous restorations - as you take parts off the car, clean and paint them, clean/replace the hardware and put them in a plastic bag. Tie them up with a large manilla tag and make notes and sketches on them. This makes reassembly much easier. Build yourself a good MGB library which should include the DIY Guide by Porter, an MGB Haynes Manual and a Factory Shop Manual. One more piece of advice is to work on one 'system' at a time - i.e. suspension, brakes, cooling, steering, engine, tranny, electrical, etc. This makes the restoration seem not so daunting. Best of luck.
Mike D

Gene -

I documented my restoration on my web site:

http://64mgb.home.mchsi.com/

I don't think sequence matters a lot if you're taking it all the way down to a bare shell like I did. However, you need to pay attention during re-assembly...some things can't go on after some other things are installed. For instance...it's much easier to install the windshield before the dash is installed. My site doesn't spell out a "do this then this then this" sequence, but if you follow the progress on the pages, you can see the order I did things. Not that the order I used is necessarily the "right" order, but it worked!

Good luck!

Rich
Rich F.

You've GOT to get the manuals. The factory is best, I think, but it can be a bit arcane sometimes. Haynes is a good backup. Chiltons' is, in my experience, complete junk.
Mike's right, thinking in terms of "systems" can be helpful, so you're not jumping from rear suspension to interior to electrical.

It really doesn't matter too much what you do first. Do what the car tells you it needs.

Put things back together thinking (hoping) "This will be the last time in years I'll touch this bolt". Does it look and operate as it should? Doing things two and three times is stupid.

And DON'T START ANY PROJECT UNLESS YOU'RE CONFIDENT YOU CAN DO IT. The classifieds are full of project cars that may never get back together again.
Baxter

Gene;
The first thing you want to do before picking up a wrench is take alot of detailed pictures so you can refer to them during reassembly. Take pictures like you are going to place them side by side for a panoramic shot. This will show you how the brackets were placed, wiring, hoses routed etc. It is even more helpful if you are doing a complete restoration, as it will be most likely be over a year before you are going back together, and you just won't remember some little details.

Pete H 76MGB
Pete Haburt

Gene-
1) Lindsay Porter's book has been expanded and re-released under the title of "mgb restoration Manual". You can get it at http://www.amazon.com
2) I would recommend that you purchase a reprint of the original factory service manual that the MG dealers had for their mechanics to consult. To my knowledge there is nothing that can compare with it for completeness. Its actual title is "The Complete Official MGB", although it's often called "The Bentley Manual" as it is printed by Bentley Publishers. They have a website at http://www.bentleypublisher.com/ where you can order it direct.
3) Another good book to have is Anders Ditlev Clausager's "Original MGB With MGC and MGB GT V8". This is the MGB restorer's bible for authenticity. You can get it from http://www.amazon.com

As for the order in which you do it, it all depends upon the condition of the car and whether or not you're doing it as a "Rolling Restoration". If you intend to do it while keeping it in service, do the brakes first, then the suspension, then the steering. Next do the body, then the electrical system, then the differential and driveshaft. Do the interior next, then the driveshaft. Finally, do the engine and transmission last as the crown jewels. I know that others might take a different course, but that's how I'd do it, presuming that everything on the car holds together while in the course of the project.

If you're taking the car off of the road for the course of the restoration, take it down to an empty bodyshell first, then get all the rust off of the bodyshell and paint it. Once the paint is cured, install the electrical system, then the suspension and brakes, the differential, driveshaft, the steering, the interior, then the driveshaft, and finally the transmission and engine.
Steve S.

This thread was discussed between 17/10/2002 and 20/10/2002

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