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MGB About to start 1971 MGB Restoration.. Any Tips?

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Re: About to start 1971 MGB Restoration.. Any Tips

Luke

Good luck on your rebuild. I'm currently rebuilding a 74 chrome bumper B. Talk about rust, being from the northeast the rust on this car very possibly outweighed the steel. It needed rockers, floor pans, inner wheel arches, etc, etc, etc. It's a wonder the car was still in one piece. The original owner actually pop riveted galvanized steel pieces to the rocker panels to replace the rusted parts.
I've learned one thing about the restoration business though. Take lots of pictures. Not just to show progress, but to detail every piece of the car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
On a total rebuild like yours I like to use a home seal a meal unit and all the little parts are sealed in their bags by where they go. Most of the time you can find a used machine at a garage sale. The other item I always look for are bread pans. You can wash small parts in them and use them on a shelf for storage.
 
I keep old cantainers for everything from coffee cans to pill bottles to put parts in as I take them off...then label the container by component and side (leaf spring-right) and put them on a shelf...sometimes a light spraying of WD40 to clean them up helps too.

I can look closely at them after diassembly and decide what I need to replace before I start to put it all back together, then grab the container and take all the parts with me to the sight of the work.

Craftsman has a neat little one foot square pad that is magnetic which is great for dumping hardware onto without it rolling away too.

Bruce
 
Re: About to start 1971 MGB Restoration.. Any Tips

All proper advise! I've found it useful to clean/paint the bits as they come off, as well. That way you can list what is too bad to restore and have your "shopping list" to the ready. Added value is that on reass'y everything is shiny-new.
 
Re: About to start 1971 MGB Restoration.. Any Tips

First, get ready to dig deep into your pockets if you need to replace any parts. Second, as many if not all of the bolts and screws will be pretty rusty. You can replace a lot of them with new ones. Moss and Victoria Limited has quite a few and they don't cost that much. The new bolts and screws will make everything look a lot nicer. If you need some chrome parts rechromed and you don't have to have the exact part that was on the car when it was manufactured, then buy replacements as replating has skyrocketed to the point that it is almost out of reach for the average person.
 
Re: About to start 1971 MGB Restoration.. Any Tips

Not to be contrary here, but: parts are not that expensive for these cars, and redily available. I own two mid sixties Lotus Elans... THOSE bits are more dear. I did go for a rear MGB bumper replacement, but rechromed the front one after seeing the ~cheezy~ Tiawanese counterfeit rear. It's begun to show rusty PITS and the car isn't FINISHED yet!

As to screw/bolt replacement, I've chosen to opt for a little more expensive but oh-so much more practical solution: stainless wherever possible. The door panel screws are now #6 stainless machine screws wound into "nutsert" inserts in the doors. No more rusty, stripped out trim screws! Ever! Same with the grille attachment screws, pop rivets on the receiver tabs for the top and about anyplace else I thought would need to be serviced or accessed in the next decade. Used closed cell foam as the underlay padding on all interior panels, them made from sheet fibreglas to avoid the rotting pressboard syndrome. Outwardly it all looks just like it should. IMHO it's a bit of bother worth every bit of extra expense and time, to make life easier down the road...so to speak.
 
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