I’ve been lusting pretty hard after mgb gt’s. Wifey wants the ‘vert. I’m used to Japanese cars and “normal people” (not car enthusiasts) have given me bad images about old British cars. I would contemplate a 4age swap. Ye? Nay?
looks rather Aston Martin ish eh?
Really, old British cars get a bad rap from people that don't like working on cars. They are more maintenance intensive for sure, especially when compared to Japanese cars. But generally they are very simple cars to work on (at least MGs and Triumphs, maybe not so much Jaguars). MGB GTs are a nice looking chassis looking for a better power plant. I'd say go for it. Except I'd do a Miata engine and trans. Whatever floats your boat.
JoeTR6 said:Really, old British cars get a bad rap from people that don't like working on cars. They are more maintenance intensive for sure, especially when compared to Japanese cars. But generally they are very simple cars to work on (at least MGs and Triumphs, maybe not so much Jaguars). MGB GTs are a nice looking chassis looking for a better power plant. I'd say go for it. Except I'd do a Miata engine and trans. Whatever floats your boat.
MotorsportsGordon said:JoeTR6 said:Really, old British cars get a bad rap from people that don't like working on cars. They are more maintenance intensive for sure, especially when compared to Japanese cars. But generally they are very simple cars to work on (at least MGs and Triumphs, maybe not so much Jaguars). MGB GTs are a nice looking chassis looking for a better power plant. I'd say go for it. Except I'd do a Miata engine and trans. Whatever floats your boat.
OK, so I once bought a brand new Lucas flasher unit that failed to work. The $2 flasher from Trak Auto that came with the car continued to work fine when I reinstalled it. My point was that it takes some work to keep the Lucas demons at bay, but there's nothing wrong with the chassis, so long as it's not rusty. Oh, wait...
https://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/d/1978-mgb-custom-302/6459867675.html
this kind of already has what I was thinking. A ford 302 and A/T
JoeTR6 said:MotorsportsGordon said:JoeTR6 said:Really, old British cars get a bad rap from people that don't like working on cars. They are more maintenance intensive for sure, especially when compared to Japanese cars. But generally they are very simple cars to work on (at least MGs and Triumphs, maybe not so much Jaguars). MGB GTs are a nice looking chassis looking for a better power plant. I'd say go for it. Except I'd do a Miata engine and trans. Whatever floats your boat.
OK, so I once bought a brand new Lucas flasher unit that failed to work. The $2 flasher from Trak Auto that came with the car continued to work fine when I reinstalled it. My point was that it takes some work to keep the Lucas demons at bay, but there's nothing wrong with the chassis, so long as it's not rusty. Oh, wait...
You mean to say you didn't get some of this, with your new flasher?
Of note, I am quite good at automotive electrical wiring. It’s my profession. So the Lucas bit doesn’t scare me. It’s the hour one: “on my way home with the car, con rod slams through the block.” Hour two through 48: “scour Craig’s for non existent old parts.”
Which is why I would just swap it from the get go. But a much easier swap than the 1uz was.
MGB-GTs look really good and there are widebody kits from Spridgetech and you can stuff big tires on them.
Trackmouse said:Of note, I am quite good at automotive electrical wiring. It’s my profession. So the Lucas bit doesn’t scare me. It’s the hour one: “on my way home with the car, con rod slams through the block.” Hour two through 48: “scour Craig’s for non existent old parts.”
Which is why I would just swap it from the get go. But a much easier swap than the 1uz was.
Do some actual research and you’ll see that the drivetrain is actually pretty robust unless completely ignored/abused.
the only engine’s I’ve seen consistently blow rods through the block are Japanese or American in origin, but that’s just my experience.
The electrical, if properly managed and not hacked by a complete numpty, isn’t any worse than the Italians, Germans or Americans at the time. Modernizing it to get rid of the undersized alternator/generator, moving to electronic ignition and making sure all of the connections are clean and secure goes a long way to making it work.
My Dad daily drive a MGB-GT for years when he was a radio engineer and would drive up to the towers with it in the winter with some studded snow tires. It never left him stranded.
In reply to loosecannon :
I did not need to see that. I know where a pair of GTs are, that have been sitting for ~20 years. One is complete, unknown running condition, rusty. The other is a bare, rust-free, primered rolling shell. I could probably get them for cheap.
Stefan said:Trackmouse said:Of note, I am quite good at automotive electrical wiring. It’s my profession. So the Lucas bit doesn’t scare me. It’s the hour one: “on my way home with the car, con rod slams through the block.” Hour two through 48: “scour Craig’s for non existent old parts.”
Which is why I would just swap it from the get go. But a much easier swap than the 1uz was.
Do some actual research and you’ll see that the drivetrain is actually pretty robust unless completely ignored/abused.
the only engine’s I’ve seen consistently blow rods through the block are Japanese or American in origin, but that’s just my experience.
The electrical, if properly managed and not hacked by a complete numpty, isn’t any worse than the Italians, Germans or Americans at the time. Modernizing it to get rid of the undersized alternator/generator, moving to electronic ignition and making sure all of the connections are clean and secure goes a long way to making it work.
My Dad daily drive a MGB-GT for years when he was a radio engineer and would drive up to the towers with it in the winter with some studded snow tires. It never left him stranded.
Yeah, pretty much all of this. Especially the leccy part. Usually, it's bad grounds that cause most problems. A little corrosion can make life challenging.
In reply to RealMiniParker :
They look pretty good, right? The engine bay is big enough for most 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engines and the interiors look pretty good, too. GRM did a Miata engine swap in one and that's a great idea from a reliability standpoint. I think a 1JZ turbo swap would be so cool and sound amazing but that's me, I love power and sound.
In reply to Stefan :
The problem is that 50years have gone by with dubious owners along the way. Hacking there way to pipe dream greatness. 50% of these on Craigslist have engine parts in the trunk... I know your in PNW, Check it out.
I don’t disagree, but many are likely trying to make enough power to keep up with today’s cars or even just Miatas.
Plus you’ve got hoarders of the “I’ll get round to it” variety who finally have to clean E36 M3 out, or worse their unlucky next of kin who have to clean out the shop/garage, etc.
There’s a number of people who buy non-running Porsche 924s and then get in way over their heads with dreams of engine swaps or carb swaps, etc. The issue is generally not doing their research and understanding what does and doesn’t work. Generally, cleaning out the fuel system, sealing up the vacuum leaks and fixing the bad grounds will get then running again. Yet people give them a bad rap because they don’t bother to learn about their peculiarities.
if you were to post this question to the Classic Motorsports forum, you’d get much different answers and likely a crash course in the good and bad about the cars. Engine swaps for example are quite well documented over the many decades they’ve existed, some easier than others.
Stefan said:Trackmouse said:Of note, I am quite good at automotive electrical wiring. It’s my profession. So the Lucas bit doesn’t scare me. It’s the hour one: “on my way home with the car, con rod slams through the block.” Hour two through 48: “scour Craig’s for non existent old parts.”
Which is why I would just swap it from the get go. But a much easier swap than the 1uz was.
Do some actual research and you’ll see that the drivetrain is actually pretty robust unless completely ignored/abused.
the only engine’s I’ve seen consistently blow rods through the block are Japanese or American in origin, but that’s just my experience.
The electrical, if properly managed and not hacked by a complete numpty, isn’t any worse than the Italians, Germans or Americans at the time. Modernizing it to get rid of the undersized alternator/generator, moving to electronic ignition and making sure all of the connections are clean and secure goes a long way to making it work.
My Dad daily drive a MGB-GT for years when he was a radio engineer and would drive up to the towers with it in the winter with some studded snow tires. It never left him stranded.
Amen! My MGTD has been a paragon of virtue in that regard. The dreaded fuel pump? Nonsense all you need to do is regular maintenance. Which once you know how, adds less than three minutes to your oil change and will ensure it runs reliably more than six decades after its built. Don’t beat it with a stick just polish the points.
The engine too can be extremely reliable. Just learn what it needs and do it on a regular basis. Maybe not Toyota sort of reliability but it’s not a transportation appliance.
That Toyota/ Honda etc is invisible. You have to tie a balloon to it to find it in a parking lot. Not so an MG. Heads willl turn. Thumbs will be turned up ( that’s a very nice compliment )! Knowing nods of the head will follow you.
Life will be better.
I think they're handsome enough that dealing with the rest is worth it. Of course I've never owned one so my opinion isn't terribly valuable, but I WANT to own one which must count for something.]
If you're used to Japanese cars, then British cars will be a real treat. Driving a car with character and soul, not a bland appliance is a real treat. The closes the Japanese came to a car with character was the Japanese MG, the Miata.
mazdeuce - Seth said:I think they're handsome enough that dealing with the rest is worth it. Of course I've never owned one so my opinion isn't terribly valuable, but I WANT to own one which must count for something.]
Knowledge is power! English cars teach you how to work on cars the easiest most gentle way possible. These cars were made in a factory using real people not a robot.
Yes when new issues appeared because of those real people. Little things like the ground wire not properly tightened which caused a lot of the reputation they have. Really how hard is it to retighten a screw? Someone had weak wrists and the black wire didn’t get properly tightened. Some cowboy not knowing that replaced a part, when it still didn’t work ( because of the loose ground wire) he bad mouthed “dem junk imported cars”.
Or the fact that the fuel pump quit working when maintenance was neglected? Yes you should polish the points once in a while. It really only takes a minute. Instead people hit them with a stick and replaced them when all they needed was a little polish. ( remove the plastic thumb screw, slide a really fine (1 inch long)piece of wet or dry 600 grit sand paper folded in half to get both points through the points. Replace cap. 40 years later I still have that piece of sandpaper in the tool kit.
Adjust valves? You get a hand crank! Nice thing is not only can you do a lot of maintenance with it. When you leave your headlights on and the battery is dead, that’s how you get the car started. Ignition on? Insert hand crank and give it a half turn. My 12 year old daughter used to love starting it that way.
In reply to loosecannon :
That wide body BGT makes my pants tight 
I've always had a soft spot for these, probably my favorite attainable British sports car. There was a very nice looking project car on Craigslist here about a month ago, which was tempting, but not a project I'd prioritize at the moment. I think something rev happy but not insanely overpowered, like the 4age, would make a great swap.
The first car I restored was a '71 MGB. Would have loved a GT but good examples were harder to come by. I was dirt poor and in college and ended up using a Nissan A14 w/ a 5 speed transmission and a whole bunch of used parts. Even did all the major mechanical work and bodywork in an apartment parking garage.
I didn't know much about cars at the time but I found it very easy to work on. All the electrical naysaying is overblown; the system is so incredibly simple and easy to fix, and I never had any problems with switches, relays, etc. As far as classic cars go, parts are very available and are cheap. The community is super helpful as well.
The best part is that MGBs are really inexpensive and quite fun to drive. This was a stark contrast to a lot of other classic cars I've been around.
DrBoost said:If you're used to Japanese cars, then British cars will be a real treat. Driving a car with character and soul, not a bland appliance is a real treat. The closes the Japanese came to a car with character was the Japanese MG, the Miata.
I dunno, booth my 240z and 510 were rife with character, curves, and that old school charm (manual choke lever, lap belts only, su carbs, etc)
plus they drove better than anything I’ve ever drove. Even better than the new GTR.
for more inspiration..........
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/lets-talk-mgb-gts/127305/page1/
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