Teach me about MGBs

so this fella tells me he has a 1972 MGB that's he's done all the body work on and "just needs" reassembled. He's asking $1800.00. Run or jump? I wouldn't keep it. I would reassemble and flip it. I know these aren't worth a lot, even pristine, but values seem to be coming up. I don't know a thing about MGB's though. How is parts availability?

Parts availability is pretty solid with some gaps. The cars were made for a long time so some versions are better supported than others. Check the Moss Motors catalog as a start, and you'll want a pretty good list of what comes with the car.

I don't think you'll make much per hour, though. Figure roughly $10k for a selling price, how much will it cost you to do paint alone never mind refreshing the rest of the cosmetics?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-mg-mgb-41/

Now, if you wanted to do something interesting like slide a complete NA Miata drivetrain and suspension under there, you've got a great starting point :D

MGB's were lame when they were new.  British car reliability coupled with a healthy dose of slow.  I won't lie, however.  I myself have given them a second look whenever they come up for sale on the list of Craigs.  Funny how nostalgia works.

Even more surprising to me was learning that, among a certain contingent of collector car buffs at least, that the MG product is considered vastly superior to the Triumph product, which I'm pretty sure I don't understand, since I always thought Triumphs were cool.  Is the MG that much better as an antique?

If your time is worth anything to you and unless you can do paint work , you'll be lucky to break even.  I just finished a $20K MGA that cost me at least $25K and that's paying myself $0/hour.

We have a magazine that talks a bit about the MGB: Classic Motorsports. 

1988RedT2 said:

MGB's were lame when they were new.  British car reliability coupled with a healthy dose of slow.  I won't lie, however.  I myself have given them a second look whenever they come up for sale on the list of Craigs.  Funny how nostalgia works.

Even more surprising to me was learning that, among a certain contingent of collector car buffs at least, that the MG product is considered vastly superior to the Triumph product, which I'm pretty sure I don't understand, since I always thought Triumphs were cool.  Is the MB that much better as an antique?

I think that's the British "Ford vs Chevy".

Building it to flip it won't be worth your time IMNSHO.

That would be a good start on a nice, slow, easy to drive vintage race car. You don't really need an interior for that.

I wouldn't think you could make money on that. More likely it would be a money dump.

I built a rubber bumper B from a bare shell many years ago. If you're not too fussy about the details, it can go together pretty quickly! (i.e. aaah, I only drive this thing in the summer, what do I need defroster ducts for? I pretty much built a street legal stripped out racecar, only with the performance of a normal MGB.) 

I guess I'm one of those guys who thinks that MGs are vastly superior to Triumphs. The MGB has a pretty rigid unibody, the Triumphs are all body on frame  (with the exception of the TR7/8) and live up to the old joke about "a collection of parts flying in close formation."  Many of the Triumphs have beefier engine options and are better straight-line cars though.  And it's hard not to think a TR-6 is a pretty fine looking motor.  

Well keith that was another plan also. I figured I could sell some of the parts off to fund buying a roller na Miata. 
 

But then we are talking about quite a bit of fabrication to make the two bodies work

In reply to Defined motorsports :

I can show you how to deal with the front end at least, mine's got Miata front suspension :) The rear is a little more difficult as you'll have to mount the IRS subframe, or you just leave it with leaf springs.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Some show and tell Would be more than welcome

The disappointment of british 60s engineering you will observe during assembly will be minor compared to what you feel about the finished product after the first drive.

1 - Triumph build quality was inferior to MG's.  Unfinished welds on seams, an axle (on the non IRS cars) that runs on top of the frame - when it hits the frame there goes any traction you had.  Gutsy engines, mind you. I have owned multiple cars of each brand and have no hesitation in saying the above.

2 - I am really an MGA person - they are better looking and have basically the same power train as the MGB, though slightly lower displacement and power, but the MGB is a solid car with pretty good handling and reasonable power.  Pass on the late rubber bumper cars - they are a gutless travesty with greatly reduced power and increased weight -  the Factory met US safety requirements by simply jacking up the suspension to get the correct ride height they needed and compromised handling.  I have also been a long term MGC owner - basically a straight 6 engine in an MGB chassis (modified to suit).  Like them a lot despite some design shortcomings (which can all be addressed in a restoration).

The enemy is rust so inspect carefully, but of all the British sports cars, the MGB has the best parts support, although crappy parts manufactured overseas can be a pain.

In reply to Defined motorsports :

Start here and I'm happy to answer questions. Ignore the engine of choice, check out the new front end fabrication. If you're happy with MG suspension, read Carl Heideman's series here on GRM on Miata-swapped MGs. 

A B with a 1.6 Miata drivetrain would solve a lot of what's not great about the original. 

Ow well was the body done?

How complete is the parts stash?

Overdrive?

The best MGB on the planet might be worth 20k unless it has some special provenance. Can u build it for less and sell for more than u spend?

That car needs 200 to 300 hours of reassembly time assuming u have all the parts.

In reply to NOHOME :

All questions I plan to seek as soon as I head there to meet. 

I don't think it's a great flip for money candidate. Great for a personal passion project to do it right and do it your way though. 

The ideal flip is the same as retail sales; you want it sold for a markup before you even have to pay for it. Other than marketing and presentation, you should not have to add value to the item. That MGB  would only qualify if you can move it on with a profit to someone that wants an MGB project or if you can part it out. People pay a lot of money to have their MGB shells derustified that could be where you make some profit.

I would say that flipping wasn't an option unless you value your time at zero. Most cars cannot be restored for less money than they bring once restored, even valuing labour at zero.

In reply to wspohn :

I don't really value my time on stuff like this, as I usually look at it as fun instead of work, but I do fun things with the money made. That said, the body wasn't exactly what I was told and I'm skipping this project. 

You are not going to make any money messing with MGBs, unless somebody else is paying you to do it.  That being said, I picked up another one last week, but..... it was abandoned property.  I got it for what was owed on the rent.  Think storage locker kind of situation, except storage facility was sold, and nobody knows where the car came from or who owned it.  That includes the RMV and State Police.  The car is about as pristine as you can imagine a low mileage storage facility find could be.  Needs battery.  Need to get it running.  A couple of scratches and one smashed side marker lens.  The rest of car is immaculate.  I will definitely be able to make some money on it once I clear all the paper work legal hurdles, but its so nice, I may just keep it.  Would make a nice change of pace to all the Triumph TR8s I have, plus the wife always preferred the MGB and TVRs I had years ago over the TR8s.

Buying a car in a box is a bad start , 

how many parts feel out of the "box" thru the years , 

plus unless you know MGBs. You will spend 2x-3x as much time putting it back together and finding that missing part,

Find a complete car that is together but has not run for years......

Good luck

californiamilleghia said:

Buying a car in a box is a bad start ....

This.

I learned a lot about Porsche Boxsters by taking one or two apart and scrapping them. After doing that I had the knowledge,  experience, and parts to put a few others together. 

A disassembled car is a good parts kit to fix another one. Not a starting point to build one without experience.

So what was wrong with the body-shell? Only slight clue I see is thick undercoating in the front wheel well. Most people who restore a shell paint the underside body color to show off the work knowing that it will never see bad weather after the restoration.