Yeah I know, it's the worst picture ever...
Oh Lord, what have I done?
Yeah I know, it's the worst picture ever...
Oh Lord, what have I done?
Actually, it's in my back yard.
JamesMcD said:
Oh Lord, what have I done?
Bought a cool old car! Congrats!
Welcome to the club. Have had mine for 40 years.
Is it rust free? What are the plans going forward?
The MG is about as simple as a car can be and pretty reliable once you get on top of the deferred maintenance. Cabin heat in the GT is about the only negative I can think of. All these years and I still think the GT style is a work of art.
Pete
JamesMcD said:
Yeah I know, it's the worst picture ever...
Oh Lord, what have I done?
I think it's a cool picture, with the way the chrome pops, and I think it's a very, very cool car! Congrats!
Yep! I love mine, even if it's just been sitting in my garage waiting on an engine swap for like a decade.
Better pics :
NOHOME said:Welcome to the club. Have had mine for 40 years.
Is it rust free? What are the plans going forward?
The MG is about as simple as a car can be and pretty reliable once you get on top of the deferred maintenance. Cabin heat in the GT is about the only negative I can think of. All these years and I still think the GT style is a work of art.
Pete
Here's the run-down:
The guy who sold it to the previous owner had "a shop" fix "all the rust." This seems to be true. I've poked around it quite a bit and can't find any rust beyond your typical surface rust that all cars have. The rear quarters were replaced with metal and you can see the welds from the inside. The doors shut really nice without any sagging. So the car seems to be quite solid. Whoever did the work put the car in primer and painted it flat black to protect the primer, but there is some sanding work that would need to be done prior to a proper paint job.
It has new suspension bushings in the rear and came with a set for the front (which I think it needs). I was told that it recently had a new clutch, carbs sync'd, and some general tune-up work done. It runs really nice and basically everything about the drivetrain seems great - no noises from the rear end. I know the brakes are manual but they do seem like they could be freshened up. It has a 5th minilite-style wheel as a spare.
The interior is a bit shabby but usable. Speedometer needle wiggles and the gauges are really dim at night.
It came with some spare parts including most of an AC kit which used to be on the car. I only have two of the missing side trim pieces.
Prices for these things seem to be all over the place (when looking at ads I often can't tell the difference between a $7,500 car and a $14,000 car), and I'm not in this scene at all, so I'm not sure how well I did, but I'll divulge that I paid $3,750.
Had Had a '71 in college. IIRC, all I did to it was install a rear seal & clutch (since the oil took it out) and a fuel pump. It was a lot of fun. looking forward to seeing your progress.
PS - what year is yours? Grill looks late but rear bumpers look earlier... since it's been 40 years since I sold mine, who knows.
Seems to me like you got a good deal. I've always thought those were the best MG made.
Congrats! Those things are so cool, and this one sounds like a nice package to start with, and the large bonus of running well from the off!
CJ said:Had Had a '71 in college. IIRC, all I did to it was install a rear seal & clutch (since the oil took it out) and a fuel pump. It was a lot of fun. looking forward to seeing your progress.
PS - what year is yours? Grill looks late but rear bumpers look earlier... since it's been 40 years since I sold mine, who knows.
I jumped into this blind and don't know anything about what is correct to be on the car, but it is a '71.
James you did way good.....mine is a '73 the I've owned since '75 painted in the same blue as yours was originally. Sorry to say mine is one of those 'barn finds' (tucked in the back corner under boxes etc.)everyone reads about (but I know exactly where mine is) and no it's not for sale I'm gonna restore it ...
Nohome is your best bet for guidance on these....enjoy
Love that body style, and those are the wheels I'd pick out of every available option for that car. Can't go wrong for that price.
EDIT: Please move it back to the driveway. "The back yard" is where project cars go to die.
That's one that I would love to own at some point. Congratulations!
I am more of a Fiat guy, but I do think the BGT was one of the tidiest designs to graft a roof and 2+2 seating onto a roadster I have ever seen. I may even like the BGT's styling over the XKE coupe's
In regard to the new front rubber bushes you haven't fitted yet, if they are all rubber, do yourself a big favour and toss them in the garbage. It has been years since we've seen durable all rubber bushes - all of the current Asian crap last a few months and then you are under the car again fixing it.
The MGB GT V8s used a reinforced bush with a bonded inner steel sleeve - Metelastic - and these hold up quite well - you can find them pretty easily. One thing though - fit the bushes and without tightening the nuts lower the car on the ground and bounce it a couple of times, then crawl under and tighten up the nuts on the inner A arm pivots. If you don't do it that way, the bushes will be preloaded and will fail much more quickly. Do it right and you can forget about them for the next decade or three.
Is it an overdrive car? What year?
Funny, I've owned them all - every version of MGA, early MGB and MGC, but I've never had an MGB GT in the collection. I've always admired the styling, which has held up very well. Good choice - lots of parts support out there. If you haven't been to MGB Expericne, get over there and follow along - lots of useful info and help.
wspohn said:In regard to the new front rubber bushes you haven't fitted yet, if they are all rubber, do yourself a big favour and toss them in the garbage. It has been years since we've seen durable all rubber bushes - all of the current Asian crap last a few months and then you are under the car again fixing it.
The MGB GT V8s used a reinforced bush with a bonded inner steel sleeve - Metelastic - and these hold up quite well - you can find them pretty easily. One thing though - fit the bushes and without tightening the nuts lower the car on the ground and bounce it a couple of times, then crawl under and tighten up the nuts on the inner A arm pivots. If you don't do it that way, the bushes will be preloaded and will fail much more quickly. Do it right and you can forget about them for the next decade or three.
Is it an overdrive car? What year?
Funny, I've owned them all - every version of MGA, early MGB and MGC, but I've never had an MGB GT in the collection. I've always admired the styling, which has held up very well. Good choice - lots of parts support out there. If you haven't been to MGB Expericne, get over there and follow along - lots of useful info and help.
The front bushings I have are the Energy Suspension poly stuff. I'm not sure if I'm going to use them or not, but I need to do something because there is definitely some worn stuff up front. It's kinda weird because the steering is very sharp, but when I go over bumps there is a pronounced bump-steer effect that sends the car in a slightly different direction.
Also, it's very bouncy, so any advice about dampers would be welcome. I saw that that university motors guy isn't a fan of the front tube shock conversion kits...
Unfortunately, it's not an overdrive car. I keep reaching for a 5th gear that isn't there, lol.
I adjusted the valve lash today. The motor already ran good but doing this made a very noticeable improvement in how clattery it is (or isn't).
Do any of you guys who've had these cars know about the SU HS4 carbs? That's what I've got and I have some questions...
I definitely want a BGT at some point in my life. I better hurry up.
Nice score! It looks like a great deal.
JamesMcD said:I adjusted the valve lash today. The motor already ran good but doing this made a very noticeable improvement in how clattery it is (or isn't).
Do any of you guys who've had these cars know about the SU HS4 carbs? That's what I've got and I have some questions...
I know two things about su carbs.
1. Fix the ignition. It's not the carbs.
2. If it is the carbs, watch the John twist videos (University motors).
In reply to Robbie :
I know that the throttle shafts are always worn out and that the factory method of setting the floats does not always work.
other than that they are dead simple.
Do a piston drop test to make sure the bells are good.
Pete
NOHOME said:In reply to Robbie :
I know that the throttle shafts are always worn out and that the factory method of setting the floats does not always work.
other than that they are dead simple.
Do a piston drop test to make sure the bells are good.
Pete
Here's my issue. My throttle linkage looks like what's in the bottom of this picture:
I believe the "bellcrank" or "thingy the cable attaches to" is supposed to be clamped in those two brackets such that the pointy end rests against the choke shaft when at idle:
but on my car, it's clocked about 30-45 degrees off, so that the pointy cant ever touch the choke shaft, and actually hits against the carburetor heat shield prior to full throttle. I know it's probably hard to make sense of what Im saying without a picture:
So basically the linkage-end of the bellcrank is supposed to travel from 7 o'clock to 11. But mine is starting at 9 and can't get to full throttle both because it would be over-center and because the pointy end hits the shield first.
Anyhow, I want to know if this is as easy to fix as it looks. Can I simply loosen those clamps on the "throttle plate actuators" and re-clock the throttle-bellcrank-shaft thing, or is there some hidden complication I'm not seeing?
Yes, just loosen the two nuts and rotate the shaft. Make sure the fingers on each end engage the slots in the carb throttle shafts at the same time. Also make sure the throttle plates fully open and close. It also looks like the idle set screw is in pretty far; the spring looks fully compressed.
Man I wish I fit in those. Congrats on the acquisition.
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