Recently aquired MG. What do ya think?

[MickeyMouseMG]

It's a 1974 MGB Roadster. I got it free from a friend who needed to get it off his property before he sold it, so how could I say no? Looks like it hasn't ran since 1993 (last time it was registered, heck it doesn't even have a DMV file anymore). Apparently it ran strong last time it ran, but the starter went bad and has been neglected ever since. Somtime in the last 11 years or so, a rat had taken residence under the hood (if you look closely at the pictures you can see the nest in the right corner of the engine bay and nuts and acorns stored on top of the engine). I don't know much about MG's/british cars except the stereotypical bad electrics/run like crap. I've had a good amount of experience hopping up my 2001 Acura integra, so working on such a car in this condition is all new to me. Any comments/advice is much appreciated!
Thanks

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[ 03-02-2004: Message edited by: MickeyMouseMG ]

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[Steve]

Welcome to the forum!

You will find that getting the MG in correct running order will be a lot easier than if it were your Integra. It is, by comparison, mechanically simple, and the poor electrice and running are really old wives tales, propogated by owners who did not take proper care of them. I have had many Little British Cars, and they have all behaved well, and ran superbly. Just don't expect the same level of performance that you get from the Acura. If you keep the contacts etc clean and will will avoid most problems.

Good luck with the rebuild, and I know that you will find any information you might need on here. Starting with how to set a trap for nesting rodents, I would imagine.

 

[TypeRboy]

Hey good find.. Free is always a good price. You'll love not having to second guess an ECU for a change.

Integra's are great cars, we love ours, but nothing has a soul like an old british roadster. With the teg we get no waves or recognition at all when we are driving, but the Lotus gets waves, yells and honks every where..

You'll find the same..

 

[Frazier]

There are many posts in the archive here about bringing MG's back from hibernation. In my opinion the best can be found here:

https://www.theautoist.com/awakening_a_sleeping_b.htm
Good luck!

 

[8NFord]

There are lots of good links available on the internet. Try a google search for just MGB and you will see. eBay has a "B" like yours out at Chula Vista for ~$4,000.00, so it might be worth your effort to fix yours up.
A bit of basic engine knowledge, fire, fuel, compression is all you need. Drain the old fuel and put in some fresh; Change engine oil & filter; Put in a new set of points and a fresh battery, you should be good to go!
How much more fun do you want?

 

[MGTF1250Dave]

Welcome to the Forum. Great car for the price. There may be times you wonder why you started bringing the car to life, but persevere there is lots of sources for help and parts available here.
These car are very straight forward and their simplicity makes them great car to work on, enjoy.

Safety Fast,
Dave

 

[Orange1974MGB]

Hey man thats cool. I just got my dads Orange 1974 MGB on friday. Is yours running?? MIne currently a piece of ****. Blown head gasket, rear lights dont work, Dead Battery and many other minor things.

 

[MickeyMouseMG]

Alright, finally got the pictures working. It's not running right now.
Frazier-Thanks for the link. That'll definatly help me get started. I'm really looking foward to getting it on the road. My goal is by mid to late summer. I want to at least be able to crusie in a convertible at least for a few weekends during the summer. BTW,I myself just realized that the car had been repainted. Looks like the original color was orange. Makes for an interesting color combo(good thing I'm a big SF Giants fan.

 

[MGTF1250Dave]

I found this site that seems to have a wealth of information regarding one person restoration of an MGB. Has many links to sites (including Tony's, The Autoist).

https://www.mgbexperience.com/

Safety Fast,
Dave

 

[tony barnhill]

yep - most of us frequent Skye's MGB Experience site frequently!