MGB experiences
I bought a new 1965 MGB in July of that year.
Tartan red with black top & interior. Kept it 8
years, and sold it because it was rusting rather
badly (northern OH). Never had any significant
problems, however I really kept up with maintenance
(topping off the SUs,cleaning plugs, filing &
adjustihg points, adjusting valves, etc.)And I must
not forget topping off the 2 positive ground 6V
batteries mounted behind the driver/passenger
seats. My only real complaint about the car was
it's rather ravenous appetite for exhaust systems,
I believe I went through 4 systems in 8 years. I'm
glad to see "new" MGBs being made with the Heritage
shells, although I'm not sure I'd be willing to
pay the $20,000, that a good one costs. I guess
I'll keep my '85 911 for the moment--but I have
very fond memories of the "B"
Tartan red with black top & interior. Kept it 8
years, and sold it because it was rusting rather
badly (northern OH). Never had any significant
problems, however I really kept up with maintenance
(topping off the SUs,cleaning plugs, filing &
adjustihg points, adjusting valves, etc.)And I must
not forget topping off the 2 positive ground 6V
batteries mounted behind the driver/passenger
seats. My only real complaint about the car was
it's rather ravenous appetite for exhaust systems,
I believe I went through 4 systems in 8 years. I'm
glad to see "new" MGBs being made with the Heritage
shells, although I'm not sure I'd be willing to
pay the $20,000, that a good one costs. I guess
I'll keep my '85 911 for the moment--but I have
very fond memories of the "B"
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They have some tolerable weaknesses, but simple fixes are available. A single twelve volt battery replaces the two silly 6-volts, and new battery cables and fuse box takes car of 95% of any electrical problems. The engine is bullet-proof, the SU carbs as simple as a wood stove (3 moving parts!). Also the body is incredibly strong and well-built. If you need to take a hard shot in an old sports car, an MGB is what you want to be in.
On the negative side, the heater controls are a pain in the neck, the top is a bit of a struggle (Alfa is a breeze)and unless you get the overdrive, the car is a little noisy at 70 mph.
But a great handler, fast enough, economical and good-looking.
None of this applies to the rubber-bumpered 1975 on up models, which are a hodgepodge of desperate, last-ditch engineering and styling, in my estimation. To be avoided.
World first modern hatchback, by the way--stuff that in someone's pocket when they start bad-rapping this great car (out of ignorance, so forgive them):
Here's a song about the MGBGT:
http://www17.pair.com/sandauer/mgbgt.htm
Today it would be an inconvinence for me to get in and out of a little two seater all the time, that's the only reason, though, why the miata wasn't bought last year.
Yes, they were fun. The fun, however stops in a hurry when on a rainy night, the headlights go out for no apparant reason or the wipers quit.
Once, in a friends MG, the thing decided to quit right in the middle of a dark, ONE WAY tunnel!
The damm spring on the points decided to snap!
If you don't think an old MG is heavy, try pushing one while dodging oncoming army trucks!
You never know what an MG is going to do to you!
Still...They do have an appeal to me.
Like I said, getting rid of the two 6 volt batteries, getting new battery cables and fuses put in, and switching to an alternator (toss Lucas generator over the fence), and for a few hundred bucks you've improved the car 1000%.
One fact i've learned over the years is that a large rock is much heavier than it looks. Same holds true for an MGB. As iselhondas sez, they are whole bunch harder to push than you would think. Many owners of these know....
I dunno about the British back then...tradition-bound, I guess. I mean, look at the Rolls Royce from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. What a pile of beautiful, expensive and unworkable parts assembled with a wild eccentricity and lack of functionality that borders on madness.
I'l rather walk!!
But in brake master cylinders???..?
They also smogged the engine down with smpg pumps, convertors etc... Thye ran like hell after that!
Ah, progress...
By the way, that rubber bumper car I mentioned above is in Emeryville, CA (just over the Bay Bridge from S.F..
I picked up my $1,949.00 US specification '64 in London to drive around Europe for a month before shipping it back to NY as a used car. What fun driving a stick for the first time and being on the left side of the UK roads with a left-hand drive car while trying to pass those wide lorries on narrow roads.
Drove to the Abbingdon plant where they replaced my Hardy-Spicer rear end while I waited, because it was whiney. Traded that one for a '66 because of the "new" fifth main bearing and synchro down into first gear. What engineering advances!
I clocked a record time of 1 minute 45 seconds for getting the erector set of a top out of the two bags in the trunk (boot) and snuggly snapped in place before the rains hit.
Great cars until I graduated to the much more refined FIAT 124 Spyder in 1969. (One-handed top)
Must have been a Lucas design...?
I parked my cars in the garage under my apartment house where there was an angle change when you came up or down the ramp to or from the street. I remember that my '64 had no problems with that. However when I got my '66 it came with those newfangled "radial" tires (tyres). The radials had a lower profile which lowered the car enough so that my muffler scraped the concrete at the apex of the ramp. I took to carrying a pine 2x4 about 18" long, in the rear "seat". Whenever I went in or out of the garage I stopped near the entrance, got the 2x4, placed it in front of one of the rear tires, rode in or out on it and retreived the 2x4 before closing the garage door. That was just enough altitude to prevent my muffler from premature failure.
My reply began with and explanation of the MG's and Austin-Healys.. You know, it's hard to get out of the habit of hearing that muffler or tailpipe crunch....
How much of a MG fan am I? My sons' initials are MG and TC.......
You can all complain about the bad times, but sit and try to remember all the fun you had driving yours.
If anybody knows of a rebuilder near New Mexico, let me know. I'm looking to perform a complete ground up restoration.
With a little effort and the right parts and modifications, you can turn an MGB into a totally reliable everyday car, at least in three seasons. They don't like winter very much and they aren't great fun in torrential rainstorms.
Nice part about them is that they are so simple to fix...there are a few hard jobs, but nothing you'd have to do on a regular basis...all the electrical, carb, ignition, brake, exhaust, front end...all that stuff is pretty easy and straightforward. A re-incarnated mechanic from the 1920s could fix an MGB.
Anyway, it's always better to buy a finished car when talking about an MGB, because they aren't worth all that much fixed up. You could buy a knock-out of a car for $8,000, and a very decent clean daily driver for $4,000-5,000.
Of course, if you just want a hobby it doesn't matter what you start with, but certainly if you buy a shabby car for $1,000 and restore it you will lose money on the deal.
When I was in Italy I learned three things that Italian car-lovers might find interesting:
1. There are no old cars on Italian roads. I did see one exotic from perhaps the early sixties, but no old beater sedans--no Italian equivalents to an '87 Taurus. Everyone drove a shiny new Fiat.
2. Italians drive at roughly the same speed in town or on the highway. They'll improvise a two-lane city street into three or four lanes, driving like madmen but without accidents. Italian drivers are "good in space", as they say in football. After I saw this road racing, I figured I'd get my doors vacuumed off on the autostrada, but I did the vacuuming. Maybe their Fiats aren't happy doing more than 45.
3. Exasperation at Fiats transcends language barriers. After pushing our Fiat around a town square fifteen or twenty times, trying to push-start it, I muttered, "Catch, you b*stard". One of our Italian helpers, who didn't speak English, laughed. I think he understood exactly what I was saying.
OK, back to MGBs.
As for nostaglia, the Europeans have a lot more to choose from, when it comes to old things, and they are a lot more particular than Americans. Being a new country, we might cherish a 1950s 4-door sedan, but the Italians would just as soon junk it and save adoration for old race cars or open cars and coupes with beauty and grace. I tend more to agree with them on that one.
No doubt growing up with 2500 years of history gives Italians a discerning eye, and a great sense of style. On the other hand, perhaps one of the reasons we appreciate '50s cars is that they represent a golden era for us, while Europeans don't remember that time with much affection.
4-door Alfas....nah, generally ugly and troublesome, at least the ones we see over here. A very late 164LS would be nice (I should know), but you have to be the type of owner who is attentive and knowledgable. No worse than a Saab really.