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1973 MGB-GT  One Man's Junk...  A rust-free low-mileage, one-owner British sports car with 68K original miles gets discovered on a trip to the salvage yard! SOLD 09/08/07

SOLD September 8, 2007 - It didn't take long for the car to sell - considering all the upgrades I've done and a pretty nice package of new parts to go with it,  the price was very low.  Still, I made my money back on the car.  It was tempting to keep the Webasto roof, but I went ahead and made a clean break.  The buyer came all the way from Raleigh NC - a very nice lady who has had 6 other MGBs, all roadsters.  She looked everything over, gave the car a test drive, then handed me the cash.  She then hopped in the car and drove it back home to Raleigh - 180 or so miles in a 34 year-old car that hasn't been on a road trip in ages.  But she emailed to let me know the car did fine and she arrived home safe and sound.  I was confident the car would make it, but it's always a bit nerve wracking when someone else has to rely on my handiwork.  I'm sorry to see the car go, but it frees up time, money, and space for the 1939 Packard, which has been neglected far too long.

September 1, 2007 - Well, as often happens with me, I am going to send one of my cars off so I can focus on something else.  In this case, the MGB-GT needs to either get the cosmetic attention I've been planning for two years, or get set aside while I attack the 1939 Packard that has been sitting for 4 years!  It's a somewhat painful decision, as I have a terrific MGB, and gathered the parts to make it truly spectacular - the NOS Webasto roof has been teasing me for a long time with thoughts of convertible-type motoring in a GT.    But I need to get on the Packard, and if I let the MGB-GT sit another couple of years, it probably won't be rust-free any more.  So I have decided to send her on to someone else who wants to fix her up NOW!  I have pictures taken tonight of the car - and below the pictures is  a list of new parts that go with it.  There are a bunch of used parts as well.

June 1, 2006 - Hard to believe it has been more than a year and a half since my last update!  Sadly, not much has happened with the car. The rebuilt brake master cylinder went bad, so I ordered a new one from Proper MG back in April - and found out today it hasn't even shipped yet!  I cancelled the order and will reorder from someplace else.  The car still starts right up and everything works.  The paint job has been on hold waiting for Mike's schedule to open up.  However, I wanted to do SOMETHING on the car, so tonight I installed a new Mountey wood steering wheel I got on eBay.  Even got the horn button working!  And as an even bigger, better, and scarier option, I  have an NOS Webasto Sunroof from Belgium to install when I get ready for the paint job!  Can I make that great big hole...?

April 21, 2004 - Finally got the front shock conversion kit installed tonight.  Actually a very simple job requiring only a few tools.  The kit, which I bought on eBay, retains the original lever-action shocks upper A-arms and adds tube-type shocks using heavy brackets.  The only modification required is a slight bend to the brake hose mounting tab - about a half-inch is enough - to clear the shock tube body.  The difference is tremendous!  Tools required were a hydraulic jack, jack stands, 9/16 and 1/2 wrenches and sockets, a hammer, and a medium Phillips screwdriver.

1. Raise front end and support with jack stands. 2. Remove road wheels. 3. Use hammer to bend brake hose mount back about a 1/2 inch. 4. Remove outer lever shock mounting bolts. 5. Position top shock conversion mount over lever shock mounting holes and secure with long bolts provided. 6. Jack up lower A-arm to relieve tension. 7. Remove two 1/2-inch bolts that secure bottom spring plate to rear A-arm one at a time, replacing with longer bolts provided.  Use Phillips screwdriver to center holes as required. 8. Position bottom shock conversion bracket on lower A-arm and secure with bolts. 9.  Install road wheels and lower car.  You're done!

April 12, 2004 - Got the brake master cylinder installed - took a bit of maneuvering.  Whoever did the clutch master was terribly sloppy - only one bolt held the master in, and one bolt held the brake cover on.  Naturally the brake light switch broke, but I had another one in the garage.  Also got the new grille guard cleaned up and mounted - looks quite nice!

January 3, 2004 - The weather wasn't as bad as expected, and I drove the car in to work on December 31 after all.  She ran fine with the exception of cold starting - the choke linkage was not advancing the throttle.  Also the exhaust was buzzing against a cross-member.  I ended up driving the car every day as primary transportation every day since.  I have been fixing a lot of the little things - put on the new rear bumper guard rubber caps, replaced the bad C-pillar upholstery panel, removed the old, rusty driving light.  And today, I gave her a really good bath and waxed her - made quite a difference.  Performance has picked up a lot - the car runs and drives great now.

The front shocks are probably shot - I will try adding fluid.  Overall, however, the car is a great driver!  Mike (the car paint man) is going to show me the tricks on stripping the paint off chemically, and even offered to let me leave the car in his shop while I do it.  She will go back to the original color (Harvest Gold?).   Maybe in a few months, she'll have new paint!

December 23, 2003 - OK - so I -didn't- get her to the office.  In fact, the car wouldn't start at all.  The alternator has apparently been shirking its duty, and the battery was nearly dead.   I had to roll her out into the street, as I had rather optimistically put her in the back of the driveway.  Amazingly, Advance Auto had a lifetime warranty alternator on the shelf for $65!  I cleaned and painted the pulley  and fan, and did some other adjustments.  It is going to rain tomorrow, and the next few days will be spent at my parent's or traveling to my sister's, so she won't get tested until Saturday.  But as always, I am hopeful!

December 16, 2003 - The gas tank turned out to be badly rusted and full of dirt and varnish on the inside.  Cleaning and lining the old one costs $150 and takes a week or more.  A new tank is a better deal at about $200, but it also takes a week or more.  With the Packard due in two days now, I have to come up with another solution.  Like the gas tank I put up in the rafters a good ten years ago.  Funny how desperation can jog your memory.  Amazingly enough, it is the exact tank I need for the 1973!  The inside is clean and dry, and after sandblasting and paint, it's as good as new!

I got it back in, added gas, and the beast started up with only a little fuss.  No more dieing or gasping, and after getting her off the jack and outside, I took her for the first real drive - the 4-mile trek to best friend and fellow MG-oholic's Chip Woolford's home.  But the Woolford family was asleep at 9:30 - all the lights were out.   The good news here was that the car drove very well - strong brakes, tight suspension and steering, lots of clutch and a tight transmission.  The gas gauge is working, as are all the other electrics.  The car still stumbles a bit, but this is the first time she's really been driven in ten years.  Plus, this is the first time out for the combination of Weber, header, fuel tank, fuel pump, and water pump.  It will take some tuning to get it all working together properly.  But she's drivable now, and everything looks great!

December 15, 2003 - Had to work part of the weekend, but I still managed to get the GT mostly ready.  The front carpet is in, and everything is up and running - except for the engine.  Fuel supply issues - I replaced the fuel pump, but the problem remained.  A glance at the fuel sending unit at right will clue you in on the problem.  The car sat for 10 years in storage, and the old gas left a mess.  I pulled the tank out rather easily - so far, not one connection or fastener on the car has been corroded or stuck!  Believe it or not, the sending unit cleaned up fine, and when I took it apart, there was no corrosion on the inside.  Looks like it will work fine - a new one is only $24, but it takes a week to get.  I have to get the GT back together before Thursday, when her big older sister (1939 Packard Coupe) comes home after a year and a half of paint and body work!

December 10, 2003 - Lots of work done on the car - got the parts in from Moss Motors and the Weber back from Chip.  I installed the water pump and Weber, plus new hoses and general cleaning all around.  Naturally, the new choke cable is the problem - what should be the easiest job is nearly impossible thanks to big hands and tight spaces.  I got the new carpet kit in from Too Intense Restoration - if it fits as good as it looks, I have a real winner!  Work and other projects are dragging out things, but I am trying to get a lot of little stuff worked out.  Replaced the shifter bushing, interior light, and other small stuff.  She's drivable as is, but I plan to get the carpet set in and the choke cable on before she leaves the garage.

November 26, 2003 - OK, I was a little optimistic.  After replacing the coil, I got the car running on Saturday.  Barely.  The carbs were gunked up inside and the exhaust down pipe was shot, but I was able to drive the car around the block.  The brakes came up on their own after I added fluid to the master cylinder.  I sandblasted and painted a set of Roistyles and had new tires mounted Wednesday - I put them on tonight, and have new emblems drying on the center caps.  I had a nice ANSA exhaust header which I sandblasted and painted tonight.  The carbs got a light overhaul last night, and look good.  So far, except for the tires, I have everything the car needs already in the garage!

November 17, 2003 - Another accidental discovery ends up in my driveway.  My best friend Chip was the one who spotted this 1973 MGB-GT in the 'for sale' area as we were leaving U-Wrench-It salvage yard this past Sunday.  Now, finding any MG in a junkyard these days is odd - but after careful examination of every nook and cranny, we discovered that this was something never before seen by human eyes - a RUST FREE MGB!

Once we got over the shock, we also noticed that the car was undented, and every body panel was as straight as the day it left Abingdon. After checking the interior for signs of Big Foot and the gas tank for the Loch Ness Monster, we went inside to see if this mythological creature really existed.  Only to find out that it had just come in and a price wouldn't be assigned until Tuesday.  I was given instructions to call after 10 a.m.  Chip already has a GT, and is also a responsible father and husband - i.e., his wife would kill him if he brought home another car.  So by default, I had clear shot.

But only with Chip.  Evil, in the form of other interested parties, had already been lurking around my MG, and I had no doubts others would be lusting after the little GT. I called on Tuesday at 10, and again at 10:30 when the boss turned out to be in a meeting.  The price was $750.  I offered $650, and we agreed on $700.  EXCEPT - money talks - the car would not be mine until I was there with the cash.  My original plan was to leave early from work and get over to the yard about  4 p.m.  However, I had a gut feeling that was a mistake, and packed up at 11:30 for a quick trip home to grab the truck and tow bar and stop by the Credit Union.

I walked in the front door of U-Wrench-It at about 12:30, just as a man was walking out towards the MG saying "Yeah, I was here Sunday, but I couldn't get the hood open."  The yard owner explained that the guy was going out for a final look.  And since he had come before me, he had dibs.  A filthy, disgusting usurper had come to claim MY car!  I had to stand there, money in hand, waiting for the guy to make a thorough inspection.  I very carefully avoided the area so he wouldn't know there was a vulture circling.  When he finally came back in, I braced myself for disappointment.  Only to see him walk right by the counter and off into the yard without saying yeah or nay.  The boss shrugged, and said "Sold for $700."  The car was mine.  The would-be MG thief (at least in my eyes - he probably views me the same way)  had gone out to look at another MGB in the yard, probably figuring he could barter if he played it cool.  I was hooking up the tow bar when he came back to negotiate. Why so excited about a 31 year-old car from a junkyard?  Well, the GT is my favorite body style, and this one hasd a near-perfect body and glass, decent interior, and nice chrome!  Plus, I had a feeling about the car - it was in awfully nice shape throughout, and the fluids were up to the level and clean..

I called the previous owner that night, using the name on the title.  Turns out he bought the car new, and the 68K miles on the odometer are original.  He drove it as a fun car in good weather only, logging just 64,000 miles by 1994, when he had the upper end rebuilt.  Shortly afterwards (68K miles), he decided to put it in storage.  He lost his storage recently, and decided that he wasn't interested in working on the car any more.  So he went for the tax write-off and called the Kidney Foundation.  Other than problems due to the long storage (BAD gas, dirt, fading, etc.) the car had no problems he was aware of! As you can see from the photos above, a wash did wonders for the car.  The clutch hydraulics are still full up, and the carbs freed up with one tug.  They even had oil in the pots!  I drained the old gas out tonight despite moderate rain, and will buy a battery tomorrow.  I'll flush the lines and add fresh gas, then see what happens.  Odds are good that I'll be driving the car this weekend!

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