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1978
MGB-GT

'Home Style'
Right-Hand Drive
Webasto Sunroof
Overdrive
Chrome Bumper Conversion
Engine 18V847 H020743
August 21, 2010 -  Rodney got to reunite with an old friend today - Donna, the lady who brought him here from England.  She was also the one who listed the GT on eBay when Darrell outbid me.  I got to meet her then when I drove the car before the auction was over.  She is just a nice now, as are her very cute pups.  We had a quick chat, and then she presented Rodney with a new car cover she'd gotten for him but forgotten to include when he was picked up.  She checks the website every now and then as well, so "Hi, Donna!"
August 18, 2010 -  The CarQuest starter arrived on time, and to my amazement, was not only a rebuilt Lucas unit, but the correct and fairly rare later style that came out of the car!  As you can tell by the photo, it had been raining all afternoon, but stopped long enough for me to install it.  The starter dropped in easily and worked perfectly.  Not only was it substantially cheaper, it comes with a lifetime warranty!  Rodney is ready and rarin' to go again.  Good timing, too.  I just got the contact information for Donna Kelley, the previous owner, and Bernard, the MG specialist who maintained it in England.  I'm hoping to take the car by Donna's for a visit this weekend.
August 16, 2010 -  The starter (on right) came out easily, but when I compared it to the planned replacement (on left), everything came to a halt.   Although the nose (gear) end looks the same, the main body and solenoids were vastly different.    Some research turned up the explanation - Lucas switched to the smaller starter for 78-80 cars.  The larger starter is much more common, and even with the early solenoid can be used if you swap over some of the contacts.  However, rather than try rigging something up, I was able to order a new starter from the local Car Quest Parts store, and will have it in a couple of days. 
August 1, 2010 -  Rodney has a rather curious starter sound - like a turbine winding down before it catches and starts.  I am guessing it is a gear reduction starter, something I have heard of but never had.  The wind-down is apparently a sign of a bad connection or possibly a failing starter.  I mentioned it to friend Richard, who took me out to his garage and led me directly to a rebuilt MGB starter he has had since about 1985!  He handed it to me and told me to get my old starter fixed and put it in inventory.  I am planning to check out the starter one night this week and either get it working better or replaced.  The local MG club is having a tour this weekend that I am planning to take the TC on, but if the weather looks iffy, Rodney gets to go.
July 25, 2010 -  The GT has been sitting for a couple of weeks, so I gave him a good run today out to my parent's in 105 degree heat.  Happily, he doesn't seem bothered, with the temp gauge sitting right in the middle even at 65-70 mph.  The vibration is back - not sure if it's tires or something loose in the front end.  Could be kingpins, though I recall they were redone in England.  Not bad, just annoying.  Oh, in case you noticed the sudden gender change, the GT is now Rodney - I had to come up with a pen name for the article I wrote about our Tour a couple of weeks ago.  So the GT is now a he, and I will try to remember that.
July 10, 2010 -  My first real trip in the GT turned out very well.  She ran cool and steady the whole time, and with the sunroof and side windows opened up, even I stayed pretty cool despite hot and humid weather.  I did get the oil changed last night (Castrol 20/50) and checked everything else.  Brake and clutch master cylinders were all the way to the full mark, as was the radiator reservoir.  She did get pretty dirty - one of the attraction on the tour had a long and very dusty road.  Nothing a good bath won't fix.  I really do love the GTs - all the handling of the roadster and plenty of room for coolers, tools, and other stuff in the back.  Plus, I think they look better.  Anyway, a really nice day and a great first long run for the GT!
July 8, 2010 -  The GT's great-Granny got all the attention the past few weeks, but I am planning on taking the GT on a tour of the Eastern Shore on Saturday with the Tidewater MG Classics Club, and it was time to get busy.  I  finally tried swapping out the front tires with two of the tires that came on the 78.  Sure enough, the vibration was gone.  However, it turned out not to be the balance.  Neither I nor Wal-Mart had checked the pressure in the tires from the 73, and they were all low.  I thought I had checked them when I got the 73 home, but obviously not.  With 34 psi all around, the car rolled at 70...  um...  55, yeah, 55, with no vibration.  The spare was flat, so I swapped it out, and made sure the jack and handle were in place.  I'll try to get the oil changed tomorrow night, only because I haven't done it on this car yet and I don't know how old the oil is.  About the only item not working now is the fancy AM/FM/CD radio - it comes on, but the sound flickers in and out - mostly out.  Might be something as simple as a loose wire.  I'll try pulling it and checking the connections and grounding.
June 13, 2010 -  Some minor tinkering the past couple of days:  the GT's horn button activated one very weak high note that did little to attract attention when and if needed.  A pair of near-exact replacements for the factory horns were hanging from the rack at Advance Auto Parts, bolting in with no modifications and a much healthier 'honk.'   I had to pull the grille out to get to the horns, and noted some serious rust on the center piece.  I have three battered grilles in the garage, and one had a much better center piece.  So I swapped that out before I put the 78's grille back in.  I have some vibration at highway speeds that I think is the tires, despite having them balanced.  Gonna swap out to her old wheels/tires and see if the vibration goes away.
June 9, 2010 -  I adjusted the choke idle speed, carbs, and valves tonight, which greatly improved her start and idle, and also got rid of an annoying 'tick'.  Also installed new spark plugs and wires.  The alloy valve cover that was on the car was corroded, so I polished up a spare that came with the 73 and installed it along with chrome holdown nuts and oil cap, plus new seals from Moss.  I did some work over the weekend as well, getting the exhaust system tightened back up and adding a center brace, and also replacing the wiper blades.  I've put about 200 miles on the current tank of gas - curious to see what the mileage is.
June 1, 2010 -  The GT made her debut tonight at the Tidewater MG Classics monthly meeting.  She got a few double-takes when people saw the right-hand drive, and then again when I mentioned she was a late model.  A few folks remembered the car from the previous owner, and at least a couple had turned wrenches on it at a tech session.  I lost a windshield wiper blade coming home in the rain - I'd painted the wiper arms and put them a bit too close together.  It appears that one is an incorrect size. In any case, I stopped before any damage was done and removed the bladeless arm.   I'll replace both tomorrow.  Also, the Ansa exhaust slipped  a bit and is rattling slightly.  Another tweak for tomorrow night.
May 29, 2010 -  The wheels are all finished up - it was very tedious work repainting the black inserts with an artist's brush.  I outlined each opening first, then filled in the middle.  Even the two I had done before had to be repainted, as neither the plastic paint mask or using masking tape really did a decent job.  Given what I was starting with (lower left image in the wheel pictures), I am very pleased with the results.  Another 'quick' job that turned out to be not so easy was swapping over the Ansa exhaust from the 73.  The 78 has had the rear suspension converted to tube shocks - great for the ride, but the conversion cuts into the area that the exhaust system usually goes.  It took a good bit of refitting and twisting to finally get the Ansa setup in place, but it sounds great and looks good.  Still have some vibration at speeds over 60 - I suspect the tie rod ends may have some play.  Something to check out, anyway. Oh, took her over to my parent's tonight - the car drove great and the new seats were very comfortable.
May 28, 2010 -  Got the last two wheels stripped and painted silver - tomorrow I will take all four over to WalMart and get them rebalanced.  Turns out the best way to do the black inserts in the wheels is to hand paint them - I'll finish up the last two wheels after I get the wheels balanced..  I also pulled the Ansa exhaust system off the 73 and cleaned and painted it. 
May 27, 2010 - Major changes! - The original cloth seats were pretty decent, but the driver's side had holes and the fabric was still a bit dingy.  So tonight I decided to try the new seats that came with the 73.   Swapping seats was pretty simple, and I can get in and out easier with the smooth surface than with the fabric.  I think the new seats have better back support - the test will come with actual driving.  They make a drastic change to the interior appearance.  I also got spare keys made today - the locksmith even had MG key fobs!  Took her into work again - running smooth and cool, even in 90+ degrees and traffic
May 25, 2010 - Re-tired - The GT passed inspection recently, so the tires were safe to drive on.  However, they had uneven wear and were mismatched.  The 73 had nearly-new tires that I put on it when I had it, and since she isn't going anywhere soon I figured I'd pull a swap.  The wheels were a bit rough looking, so I media blasted the front two (with the tires on - I LOVE that big cabinet) and then painted them with Eastwood silver wheel paint I'd planned to use on the TC's wheels.  I put masking tape around the edge and then made a cone using some oversized paper sheets.  The plastic paint mask for the wheel did OK, but I had to paint the black inserts by hand.  I think I'll try masking off the next one instead.  Oh, also used black vinyl paint to cover the inward-facing whitewalls.
May 24, 2010 - Making her mine - I added bumper guards and a badge bar/grille guard to the GT tonight.  It changes the look of the car quite a bit.  The original silver and gray cloth seats are in remarkable shake to be 32 years old, and the engine compartment has both of the original Lucas cooling fans AND the cardboard air deflector between the radiator and the oil pan.  I am very pleased with the car - it has just enough different about it to be a little unique, yet it is no harder to get parts for than any other GT.
May 23, 2010 - The GT had some idle issues and had to have the choke in just the right position to run well.   I took a look at the carbs this weekend and got her adjusted so that she now runs smooth and steady with no choke needed once she starts up.  The adjustment screws had no lock nuts and the back carb was mostly off at idle.  First trip?  To Richard's of course - she rolled out to Chesapeake with nary a hiccup, and received Richard's nod of approval.  I dug up some nice front bumper guards and the over rider bar in the parts from the 73 and plan to add them, along with a transfer of the 73's tires and Ansa exhaust.  The 78 has a stock stainless steel system which I am going to put on the 73 instead - that car will get restored to original while the 78 will get the 'fun' stuff.  I got the seats cleaned up, and the paint is responding well to polishing compound.
May 20, 2010 - I took care of the title and tags today at lunch - the prior owner gave me a letter relinquishing the '78MGBGT' tag number, as well as the tags and registration.  I was able to turn the plates in and get the number re-issued on Antique Tags.  After due consideration, I realized that a license plate that started with 'SHT" would provide too much opportunity for coarse humor.  Hey, it's the first thing that came to MY mind.  Anyway, I got the temp tags on and drove the car to my car club meeting tonight.  She is one of the peppier MGBs I have driven, and the overdrive works great.  I should have time to do some work on the car this weekend, though the majority of effort will be spent trying to sort out and store all the parts that came with the 73 GT.
May 19, 2010 - About four years ago I saw a really neat-looking MGB-GT listed on eBay.  It was a late model Home Market (originally sold in the UK) with the professional chrome-bumper conversion, Webasto full sunroof, and overdrive.  Better yet, the car was located nearby, and I was able to give the car a test drive.  The lady selling it had brought the car back from England (photo at right is the car when she had it in England) - she was very nice, and really hated to have to sell the GT.   It had been repainted red, and had the original fabric seats in good shape, with 70+K original miles.  The overdrive was smooth and the car drove nicely.  It had the beginnings of dogleg rust, a common issue with MGBs, but nothing terrible.  I liked the car a lot, but by the time the auction ended my $4300 top bid didn't come close to winning.  I chalked the car up to the 'loss' column and pretty much forgot about it.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when some idle Internet browsing turned up a familiar-looking car for sale in Lynchburg VA.  The GT's buyer was relocating to Northern Virginia and had no place to keep the car, so was reluctantly parting with it.  I was rather overwhelmed with work trying to get the TC ready for the Grand National show in New Bern, so there was no way to make the 200+ mile trip to look at the car until this week.  Unfortunately, the owner was running out of time, as he had to get things settled in Lynchburg and then spend the weekend getting settled enough in Northern VA to start his new job Monday.  He basically had Monday, Tuesday and today - so I scrambled at work and took the day off today, made a stop at the Credit Union, snagged the Model A Club's tow dolly, and rolled to Richmond early this morning.  He had the car out front when I pulled up.  The years showed some in the form of faded paint and progression of rust which now was starting to appear in both lower front fenders and doglegs, but again, this is pretty normal for MGBs.  The structural stuff was all good, and he had extra wheels, new rear springs, and other parts to go with it.
I took the car for a drive around the area, not too long, but enough to check out the overdrive, brakes, and drivetrain.  She had 50 psi oil pressure at hot idle, the transmission and clutch were great, and the overdrive worked perfectly.  Event the clock worked.  When I got back (after getting lost for a short time), I did another walk-around and did a very small amount of haggling - we both knew I was going to buy the car, and I ended up getting it for my original $4300 eBay bid from 4 years ago.  We drove her up on the tow dolly and I dropped the driveshaft at the rear axle to avoid damage to the overdrive.  The trusty Mazda pulled her 230 miles with nary a complaint, and I simply rebolted the driveshaft up when we got home.  She is now in the garage - I plan to hit DMV tomorrow.  The owner gave me a letter relinquishing the 78MGBGT plates - but I am also considering the car's UK registration number, which is etched in the glass and lenses: SHT51S. I could put at least one of the UK plates back on her.  We'll see what happens at DMV.  In any case, I am delighted to have the car and am looking forward to playing with her.

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