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Newest little project MGB


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No rust except the pinholes in the left front fender. 

 

a buddy of mine called me one day and said he had a customer that offered him a 52 Chevy pickup, and would I be interested in it.

 

I went and looked, bought it.

 

The guy showed me the B and said he wanted to get rid of it also, so I bought it a few weeks later. 

It was dark in the barn, but I checked it out best I could with a flashlight. It's in way better shape than I thought. 

 

Put new front brake hoses on it, filled it with gas, greased the front end, checked all the fluid levels and started it up.

 

Bled the clutch hydraulics, balanced the dual carbs and went for a ride. 

 

It's not like my Alfa Romeo by any stretch, but it's a nice driving car. I thought I could hear one valve tick, so I adjusted the valves yesterday. 

 

New valve cover gasket will be here today or tomorrow so I can button it up. 

 

I'm keeping a tab on things it needs. What little it needs is a short and inexpensive list. A guy or gal could buy this and start enjoying it right away. 3 year old tires still have the tits on them. 

 

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MGB's have a big following and you'll have no problem finding a buyer.   '66 to '69 are probably the most popular years., especially with wire wheels.

 

I had a '68 MGC/GT (6 cylinder) up to about 5 years ago.   Same colour as yours.   It was a Florida car but I think the original owner parked on the beach every night.  More rust than I would have liked to deal with.  Yours is in nice shape … mine, not so much but there was a line up when I decided to sell it.  :))    

 

 

 

 

 

MGC GT - SB 7.jpg

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That's in good shape and appears to be unmolested which is a big selling feature.   The earliest models ('62-'65) were nice but the '66-'69 models were the best in my opinion.  '76+ with the raised suspension and rubber bumpers are popular but most people's last choice.   I've owned 7 or 8 MGB's and always loved the GT's but you have the one a lot of people want.

 

Re MGC's being "neat cars" … you're right.   Great for long distance high speed driving but not nearly as much fun to drive as an MGB.   Midgets are even more fun.  Neither are as much fun as a Jeep though!   lol    

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  • 1 month later...

Almost a twin to mine. 72 MGB. i put the electric overdrive in it. need to rebuild the carbs as the primaries leak like a sieve when cranking over. thinking ill just put a weber downdraft on it. I'm also chasing an electrical issue. no wipers, radio or blower fan.

 

MG.jpg

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7 hours ago, cruiser54 said:

Nice.

 

If you aren't familiar with those carbs, it's a bear dealing with them, although they are super simple in reality. 

 

You have SUs or Strombergs? 

Ive got Su's. the more i think about it, i think I'm just going to drop a Downdraft on it. 

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Most of the problems with SU carbs can be attributed to worn throttle shafts where they pass through the carb body.    The brass shaft (1 per carb) rotates through the aluminum carb body.   Both the shaft and the body wear over time and air is sucked in through the sides of the carb body.   That basically makes them impossible to balance.    

 

If you're doing a rebuild (gaskets, needle & seats, floats etc.) it's best to replace the shafts and install aftermarket bushings at the same time.  Any of the British car retailers like Moss Motors will have them.   If you have the carbs apart look at the shafts and bodies and it's pretty easy to see how they wear out.   Sometimes you can grab the shafts without taking the carbs apart and wiggle them (vs. rotating them) and it will become obvious how air is getting sucked in from where it shouldn't be.  I've seen some that are almost comical.  You could literally poke a small screw driver through the side of the carb.   :laugh:  Replacing the shafts and installing bushings will require a line reamer.  It can be done by hand (no machine work) but you need a line reamer to match the O.D. of the bushings.    

 

Those look like the original SU's btw.   I think they're H4's ... but I'm trying hard to forget everything I can about them.   lol   

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On 11/22/2018 at 6:55 AM, cruiser54 said:

Probably not a bad idea. The learning curve on SUs is rather steep and not worth it. 

I learned how to adjust them in my early 20s from a seasoned old Brirish car mechanic and then had them on 3 or 4 different cars of my own. 

 

it took me a bit to get them balanced, but then i moved up 4,000 ft in elevation and had to do it again, and an idle screw is fused to the welded nut on the front carb,

On 11/22/2018 at 1:28 PM, PCO6 said:

Most of the problems with SU carbs can be attributed to worn throttle shafts where they pass through the carb body.    The brass shaft (1 per carb) rotates through the aluminum carb body.   Both the shaft and the body wear over time and air is sucked in through the sides of the carb body.   That basically makes them impossible to balance.    

 

If you're doing a rebuild (gaskets, needle & seats, floats etc.) it's best to replace the shafts and install aftermarket bushings at the same time.  Any of the British car retailers like Moss Motors will have them.   If you have the carbs apart look at the shafts and bodies and it's pretty easy to see how they wear out.   Sometimes you can grab the shafts without taking the carbs apart and wiggle them (vs. rotating them) and it will become obvious how air is getting sucked in from where it shouldn't be.  I've seen some that are almost comical.  You could literally poke a small screw driver through the side of the carb.   :laugh:  Replacing the shafts and installing bushings will require a line reamer.  It can be done by hand (no machine work) but you need a line reamer to match the O.D. of the bushings.    

 

Those look like the original SU's btw.   I think they're H4's ... but I'm trying hard to forget everything I can about them.   lol   

Agreed. i replaced the shafts probably 15 years ago, but i think it time to just go Weber. I used to use Brittek but they went out of business. Moss Motors is about the only other MG parts place i have found. 

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11 hours ago, WyoCherokee said:

 

it took me a bit to get them balanced, but then i moved up 4,000 ft in elevation and had to do it again, and an idle screw is fused to the welded nut on the front carb,

Agreed. i replaced the shafts probably 15 years ago, but i think it time to just go Weber. I used to use Brittek but they went out of business. Moss Motors is about the only other MG parts place i have found. 

Pierce Manifolds in Gilroy, California.

 

https://www.piercemanifolds.com/category_s/85.htm

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