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MG MGB Technical - Where to start

My 1970 MGB is being repainted today so shortly I will begin putting her back together. I’ve asked that the doors, hood, trunk, front wings be left off until I can get critical parts back in. My question has to do with a rational order. I was thinking of starting with the wiring harness, the master cylinder, brake, fuel lines, heater, instrument panel, gauges before the engine goes back in. This is a feeble plan to start somewhere because looking at all the stored parts my memory and documentation of everything feels very inadequate right now.
Danny Jacob

Danny, your list looks to be in pretty good order. Install everything you can under the hood before the engine goes in. Do the same for the interior leaving the dashboard and steering wheel for last. As you stated, put the wiring harness in first. In the interior start with the insulation and carpeting, much easier with noting else in the way. You may want to hang the doors before installing the windshield to check for alignment between the door vent windows and the windshield.
John H

You touched a place in my heart. I drove a 1970 MGB from when it was a year old to 1987. It was dark blue and ran like a scalded dog for many years. I miss it, but kept pieces of it including the original engine. I found a 1971 engine for a spare so that I could overhaul the '71 and drop it in over a weekend and that's what was in it when I sold it. Let me know if I can help. My current car is an 80 LE and it came from North Carolina.
Rick Penland

If you have the heater out. Put this in prior to installing the dash and engine. I also recommend putting the windshiled wiper system in pror to putting the dash in.

OH yes, install the windshiled washer nossle prior to putting in the dash. That is a back killer to do once the dash is in.

Brake pedal system is also something I recommend putting in prior to putting in the dash.

Lower kick panels in the foot compartments are also a bit easier to put in if installed prior to putting the dash in.
Bruce Cunha

Does anyone have an original factory processing guide? Logically, the way they built the car the first time would guide the way it would go together best subsequently.

I know many thousands have restored MGBs, but I don't recall any mention of a document that described the order in which the original car went together. Perhaps Ken Smith (aka Marcham Rhoade) has an insight?
John Z

Not necessarily. The bodies were manufactured, painted and trimmed in one plant typically Coventry, Cowley or Swindon and only then shipped to Abingdon - roadsters with the hood erected! - for final assembly e.g. running gear. Obviously it *can* be done that way, but it isn't necessarily the best way.
Paul Hunt 2

Well - I knew that *final* assembly was at Abingdon, and at the end very little was actually installed at that plant. But parts and processes tend to be inter-related, and it was all screwed together somewhere. Was it Pressed Steel who did most of the body assembly? If tubes, brackets and other parts of the puzzle was either designed to be put in at a certain point in the sequence - or if the process was sequenced due to the characteristics of the part it might yield some information of value to restorers like Mr. Jacob.

On the other hand - as so many people have done this already, there's probably not that much more to learn!
John Z

Did the factory put the engine in from the top or put the whole engine and transmission in from underneith and then put the transmission crossmember and front end assembly in?
Bruce Cunha

Bruce. I believe that I have seen photos of the engine and transmission being put in from the front of the car. Considering the structural cross member which would prevent the unit from coming in otherwise, I suspect this is correct. However, I am open to other options which will not require me to go through for shelves of books to find the photo I remember (always in the last book you look in).

Les
Les Bengtson

In David Knowles book "MGB Including MGC & MGB GTV8" Page 104 shows a photo of a 75 US Roadster on the assembly line with the engine being installed through the engine bay. It's suspended on a hoist at almost a 45 degree angle. The other photo on that page shows the engine installed but the radiator and mounting diaphragm are not installed. The caption mentions the bonnet has been carefully marked and stored separately for subsequent re-fitting.

On page 52, after the body arrived at Abingdon. "The first job was the fixture to the windscreen of a unique build card, which would identify to each operator the precise specification of the car". It appears there was a build card used at Abingdon. On page 54, "Engine installation-a black art of careful manoeuvring which strikes fear into the hearts of the average neophyte MGB restorer-was carried out in a matter of three minutes or so." The book continues to give a general assembly procedure.

Clifton.
Clifton Gordon

I took these pictures of production in 1980: http://mg.stinch.com/factory.html
Rich Stinchcomb

I have peripheral experience, having (re-) assembled a '71 midget about 14 years after I took it apart! Everybody is saying the right things, especially about completing all engine compartment installations before installing the engine, and most passenger compartment installations before the dash. My particular nightmare came in the door assembly. There were, I believe, about 4 steps that should have been accomplished in sequence (1,2,3,4). I performed them in the following order: 4 (curse); -4,3,4 (curse); -4,-3,2,3,4 (curse!); -4,-3,-2,1,2,3,4 (start on door number 2!). I took about 40 hours for door number one, and about 2 hours for door number two. Don't be like me! I don't recall the ending assembly sequence, but I'll bet the other people here know.

Good luck.

Phil
Phil Jones

But Phil

Taking it off, putting it on wrong, taking it off, putting it on without a doodad that was supposed to be on first, and taking it off and finally getting it correct, is one of the best ways to really learn.

When I first restored my MGTD back in 1974, I did not know anything about it. I believe an average of three times was required prior to getting a part correctly on.
Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 25/01/2006 and 30/01/2006

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