Another New Project thread

[Bonnyboy]

Back when I took delivery of my Pagoda in the fall of 2011 I had a good discussion with myself as to which of my cars I restore first - my MGB I had since I was 18 or the Pagoda I just acquired.  I went for the Pagoda as she was in much worse condition than the MGB and she had just endured 23 years of neglect providing the tin worm with lots of food. I figured that if I did the MGB first I may never get to the Mercedes. 

After seeing Rick007's beautiful MGA something inside me ignited.   I figured it was time to get my MGB onto the road.  It only has 50,000 miles.  The floors are rotten, the dog legs are rotten and there are a few bumps but otherwise very good condition structurally.  The tranny is shot but I have 2 spares. The big issue is that the paint has to come off - minor surface rust under the paint everywhere.  I was told that the primer from the repaint probably reacted with the original paint but now that I am stripping the paint I don't know.   It looks like the car had been prepped with spot putty and then allowed to get wet and was then painted locking the moisture in.  When I brought it down to a moist climate in 1988 the moisture wanted out but couldn't so it rusted the metal enough to form bubbles over the entire car and its life on the show circuit was over.  1 best overall trophy is goodenough I guess.     I parked it in 1991 in favour of a Honda Accord my wife could also drive.

The car probably isn't worth what I'm going to put into it but the way I look at it, it is free.   The purchase price in 1987 is long ago paid off and there is a sentimental aspect to the car.  It was the last car my Dad and I worked on together before I left home. 

[Peter van Es]

Oh my, a lot of your tools seem to be axes... that does not bode well for the MGB 

[Rick007]

Good to see that you don't let this car go to waist and spend its time in storage ... I think everybody who has started a project comes in time at a point that it will take a lot enthusiasm and endurance to proceed ... after the dirty work is done ( rust removal , welding , sanding .. ) and the new coat of paint is on your shining car, it takes al lot of persistence and love for that car / model .. But , and I speak for myself now , its very rewarding, during and at the end .

As for me ... I'm always curious how some car manufacturers solved the same problem in a car .  For instance the simple way of solving things in a Volvo ,,, or the over engineered things of doing things in a Mercedes ... Or the never solve a oil drip in a British car ... and the " form over function way" in a Italian car ... ( never touched a American car so cannot judge )....     

A good and early MGB is a fun car to tinker with and drives very well , and hold their value over time ... I think .  Its basic and very sturdy , but most of all every little thing you need is available .... Take a look at the Moss site and you know what I mean .  Wish the parts supply of my project at the moment was that good . 


So keep it up and post the progress once in a while ...

 

 

[Pinder]

You should definitely restore that beautiful piece of British History. That wold be a very fun car to drive. If you can do the paint yourself you will be able to do it at a reasonable price (i order stuff off the internet and my estimate is that it would take around $500 to $1000 to do the paint and removal of minor dings etc) this assumes you do all the work yourself. Im in the process of painting two Pagodas right now. Paint is the process I enjoy most as it takes what looks like a turd on a stick to something of value.

 The MG is a small car and wouldn't take too much to get it painted up. For paint striping I hate using chemical strippers. If you have a harbor freight close to your place you can order the stripping discs that look like a hard sponge. I stripped the roof and trunk on my 71 Buick riviera (a very large car) I was able to do the roof in a few hours and its quick going. It eats through paint and rust in seconds. I wear a full face resperator when I do this as stuff flies everywhere but do it outside. Dont let this gem go to waste.

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Looks like everything fits like a glove right now in your one side of the garage that will change once you start restoring that nice part of British history. I've been to London UK several times and seen quite a few of them MGB's they are nice.

Good luck with the restoration, have fun most of all and keep us informed of your progress.

Dieter

[Bonnyboy]

thanks all for the words of encouragement.   This car is a bit of a love hate relationship.  I had an older MGB which i blew the motor and even crashed and rebuilt a few times -  that car had the stage II tuning, overdrive tranny and a trick rear end but the body was toast.  I sold it and kept this one - 1975 with rubber bumpers, single Stromberg carb, no sway bars and a trashed tranny and rear end.   

My Dad had this professionally painted in 1986 to go to car shows (I won a first overall just before the rust started popping through the paint) but the preparation didn't work and surface rust popped out everywhere.   Not good enough to qualify for collector plates I parked it in my garage when I got married waiting until I had time to restore it.

I now have time and the will.   I think I will put chrome bumpers on it and drop it down.  It will match the wires and knockoffs I put on it.

This car was modified with a 350chev - before we got it and it was a poor job but the body was straight and it only had 25,000 miles on it.   After it was all restored I bought this off my dad in 1988 when he moved up to the Pagoda.    Its a sweet car though and I will do all the regular mods - I have a new tranny, couple su carbs, suspension kit, new exhaust and new floor panel and dog legs.  Leather seats may even happen.