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MG MGB Technical - Want to buy a rolling restoration

I want to buy a rolling restoration MGB. I want a chrome bumper car. I like the steel dash cars. Maybe a '66 or '67. Or are the early '70's chrome bmper cars better? I'm looking for some advice. I'm a newbie. Does positive ground on the early cars pose any additional problems?
Mike

Where do you live Mike? Interested in a '67 MGB-GT?

Paul
Paul S Canup

All cars ( well those with more than 3 wheels ) are rolling restorations, depends on how much you want to spend?
Tatty

Mike,

To repeat Paul's question where are you.

I have a rust free but tatty 1974 mgb roadster and I don't have the time to work on it. So I would consider parting with it to a good home.

David
David Witham

Our local (Blackpool ) paper had an ad this week for a Heritage roadster shell with 73 roadster for £ 3250.

This would appear to be a bargain, pity I've just finished a heritage restoration.

Mike
Michael barnfather

I live in Ontario, Canada. Only interested in a roadster at this time. Not interested in a parts or project car.
Mike

OK Mike: Are you ready to travel? Try www.collectorcartraderonline.com. Enter the particulars of your search. For example I tried this: Model Year: to 1974 (Chrome bumper)
Make: select Mg
Model: MGB
Price range: (blank)
State: Arizona
Results: 1971 MGB Roadster, ww, new top, paint stripped, etc. Tucson $1050.00 Ad placed yesterday.

You could have it shipped to Ontario for about $1000 US I'd guess. I had my 69B shipped from the same area to Cleveland, Ohio in March for $750, but it was able to be driven on and off the truck.
Anyway, I recommend finding a car from the most arid area of our great continent to minimize rust. My car still has the original paint on the bottom of the floor pans and frame members. good luck! Andy
Andrew Blackley

I wasn't posting a want ad. I want advice on a mid '60's or early '70's B. Which is better? Personally, I like the look of the earlier B with the steel dash and missing side marker lights. Thanks for your input.
Mike

Here's my take:

Find a '68. It has the uglier dash, but it still has the earlier cars' disk wheels (rather than rostyles), leather seats, steering wheel, and grill. It doesn't have the side markers or reflectors (which started in '69), and it does have negative ground and the 4 synchromesh tranny. The pollution gear hear in the US was minimal in '68 and easily removed (basically just the air pump). '69 is almost as good, though you do have small reflectors on the sides. It's really '70 on that the big changes started. The '62 - '67s come with the potential negatives of of higher prices, positive ground, 3-synchro trannys, and, in the earliest cars, a less robust engine due to a 3-bearing crank (the later cars have 5). Once you've found a '68, swap the dash for one from a '72 - '76 to get a glove box and center console; you'll be much happier. My 2 cents.
Brian

Well, when you decide what you want the Trader Online is a additional resource for your search, not forgetting the Classifieds on this BBS.
Which model is the source of many friendly disagreements, and boils down to personal preferences. In general the later the model the more MG softened it to meet US legislation and changing consumer tastes.
The earliest Bs have a vintage feel akin to their MGA predecessors.
Many like the 66 to 67 B for their clean lines and 5 main bearing engine. These usaully command the highest prices.
I personally like the 68-69 model years, in de-smogged form. They still retain the chrome grille and simple "gothic" taillamps, while also incorporating many improvements (all syncro box, collapsable steering column, alternators, etc.).
Andrew Blackley

Your biggest problem in Ontario is finding a car that is fit to buy. The worst buy is the mid range driveable B which has been tinned and bondoed back together and is questionable in many areas. Many are structurally unsafe to be driven and worn out. You are really better to either go high or go low. It costs as much to restore a beat/shiny patched up B properly as it does one which has been sitting in a barn or field for years. As I'm sure you'll hear, the body integrity is everything and it is -mechanicals and trim and paint can be easily done. There are better buys right now in cars that have been properly restored, at least to a degree. The other option is a dry Southern US car but then you add the high American dollar, shipping and unless you are prepared to go to inspect the car personally and know to some degree what to look for you can still be in trouble. The downside of the US cars is that all trim/chrome etc. is usually sunbaked, still easier and cheaper to fix than rust, but the costs creep up. Any chrome bumper B is a nice car. 62-67s are nice, but pricier and often more rotten due to an extra ten years of age than the early 70s. Early 70s Bs are ergonomically more comfortable to drive than the earlier cars and perhaps a touch more reliable when properly desmogged, but I wouldn't turn down the earlier B if you can find a nice one. I have examples of early and late chrome bumper cars and like all of them. Email me offline if you want to talk further about Ontario Bs. I'm in eastern Ontario. chenderson58@cogeco.ca
Anthony Henderson

Anthony: My car spent nearly 33 years in Arizona. The chrome and the aluminum windshield frame are virtually spotless and readily clean up to brillance. Nuts and bolts are not frozen by rust. The wire wheels are tight and clean. All of which I ascribe to the dry environment in which it dwelt. The rubber parts are indeed dried out, and the windshield glass has many pits, but realy not much worse than any other 30+ year old car.
You make an excellent point about mid-price range driveable cars, and the situation is the same here on the south shores of Lake Erie.
If you can be sure that the car was sold and kept in the south it will almost certainly have a body better than almost any northern car. Assume that the mechanicals will have to put right, get lots of pictures, and you wont be disappointed by a long range purchase. My $0.02US
Cheers, Andy
Andrew Blackley

Andy: Iagree that most southwestern cars are amazingly rust free/for example even the posidrive headlamp bowl screws will come out, but anything I have seen and bought as a project car must have had the misfortune to sit in the sun. I have replaced southern chrome that was beautiful on the lower surfaces and sunburned on the top faces and have had padded dashes in 70s vintage crumble from sun burning. Maybe the ideal is a southern body and a northern damp garage kept car to donate trim and mechanicals... I haven't had an Arizona B, but several from inner Carolinas Georgia and Calfornia as well as Colorado. Interestingly care plays a part. I guess any convertible which gets soaked inside and left wet repeatedly may well rust from the inside out. My other fear on long range purchases is poorly repaired structural collision damage. There seems to be the odd one of those around. I've seen a couple with the front frame rail notched so the steering shaft doesn't rub.. Nice chatting Anthony
Anthony Henderson

This thread was discussed between 06/05/2002 and 10/05/2002

MG MGB Technical index

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