Doc made me do it....

[tdskip]

So Tom... where's th' thread here inna MG forum of YOUR "new" car?

Hmm?

Nobody here will bite ya for that TRactor ownership thingie. :smirk:

OK, OK. If you insist Doc (cross-post warning. I have very active 3 yr old in my lap right now so please forgive the cut and paste);

Boy, a car really settles into the ground when left alone for 25 years.

Here are some (awful) seat pictures;

Due to how the car was parked I didn't have a choice but to use the jacking points and they both held. Both rear drums were initially seized by after whacking them with a lead hammer they broke loose and we got the drums off.

The driver side rear tire was flat and just expired to a point where it wouldn't hold air so we gambled that the spare was both in the truck and would in fact be usable, but we didn't have a key for the trunk lock. So that got drilled out.

 

[tdskip]

Well, I got the trailer.

These are low res pictures, and believe me she looks better this way. LOL

I rather like this one, taken as the sun was setting. If you squint your eyes you can almost she her getting ready to run a again.... Maybe.

 

[tdskip]

So I freely admit that I've been spoiled by California cars but I was still pretty shocked when the seat to floor bolts came undone without the need for any colorful language.

<span style="font-weight: bold">So being a SoCal car obviously doesn't make up for being outside without a solid top and cover for 25 years, so I've got some rust issues to deal with here. And yes, I'd rather have needed to fight with the seat bolts than this floor.</span>

And I still don't know if the engine is free. I'm letting some oil soak in the bores until I give it a try tomorrow.

 

[Steve]

I'm glad that Doc made you do it...... Considering how long the car has been sitting there it really isn't looking too bad. Interesting project, I'll follow the ipdates with interest.

 

[DrEntropy]

Takin' yer time here is crucial, td... Allow th' soaker to work. Floors are largely intact, chassis same. You have a sound base!

:thumbsup:

 

[tony barnhill]

Before you worry about the engine - MGC floors are different than MGB floors & I think there might be 1 company in England making them....more importantly (& more expensive) are the torsion rods underneath....if they or the mount points are bad, you've got a parts car unless you can find those parts where you need them.

MGC brakes are different but they're available.....its the rust in the floors that may require fabricating new floors & makes me worry about the undercarriage being in similar shape & I have no clue how to fabricate torsion bars.

Engine parts, while not readily available, are not unobtainable yet.

 

[tdskip]

Thanks for the info guys - lot to learn here if I'm going to be able to save her. Here are the underside pics;

OK - here are the initial pictures of her underside. I need to get a scraper and screw driver on a couple of these spots. Lower fender bottoms and dog legs need attention. Probably easier to replace the passenger door than fix the current bubbling.

 

[AngliaGT]

Well,were the neighbors impressed with your new car?

- Doug

 

[tdskip]

Hi Doug - I did have a lot of people stop by today to chat actually. A couple walked away shaking their heads, but most thought she was pretty cool.

 

[DrEntropy]

MGC floors are different than MGB floors & I think there might be 1 company in England making them....more importantly (& more expensive) are the torsion rods underneath....if they or the mount points are bad, you've got a parts car

Where th' bars attach at th' suspension an' chassis are what th'Colonel is on about. Chassis especially.

 

[AngliaGT]

Tom,

I guess you have cooler neighbors than I do.Most of mine
think I'm an idiot.And most of them are buddies with each
other,so I'm really considered an "odd" person.
"Guilty until proven innocent" = "High school" mentality.

- Doug

 

[bob67bgt]

Nice project. Expensive to rebuild but still a good one! Looks like the underside is a.o.k. Bob

 

[tdskip]

Tom,

I guess you have cooler neighbors than I do.Most of mine
think I'm an idiot.And most of them are buddies with each
other,so I'm really considered an "odd" person.
"Guilty until proven innocent" = "High school" mentality.

- Doug

Oh don't get me wrong Doug, they all think I am a bit odd / nuts. Which is fair enough in my case I guess - LOL.

One thing I have tried to do is whenever there is a care on a trailer and people are curious, or even if I'm just out in one of the cars, I try to tell the stories behind them. I've found that helps.

Sorry to hear your neighbors are sticks-in-the-mud.

 

[tdskip]

Nice project. Expensive to rebuild but still a good one! Looks like the underside is a.o.k. Bob

Yeah, a wise person recently told me take your standard MGB budget and <span style="font-weight: bold">multiply by 4</span>. Yikes.

Your recent work has been an inspiration Bob, watching you power through the DHC has been great!

 

[14dna]

Tom;

Nice find, good luck with it.
If that car was in southern Ontario, it would be gone to about halfway up the doors in 25 years.
You guys on the left coast are SOOO LUCKYYY!!!!

Congrats

Dave

 

[tony barnhill]

Tom underside looks good - but take us some photos of the torsion bar hookups - where the run from the suspension back to the unibody (under that raised portion of the MGC's floor......how do those points look?

If you can't find MGC floors, buy MGB floors & cut the front off & make the raised MGC portion out of metal.....before I worried about anything, I'd make sure the MGC-unique items are good or rebuildable.

Having done 1 MGC roadster myself & still have an MGC GT to go, I'm well aware of the problems you can find under the front end of the car.

 

[tony barnhill]

Could we see a photo of the engine compartment?

 

[tdskip]

Here you go Tony - thanks for the help!

Sorry for posting pictures of the expired guest, but that was how it was when we opened the hood up

I have the fan shroud.

 

[tony barnhill]

I saw the air cleaner cover in the trunk.....now, how's the body where the torsion bars attach?

 

[tdskip]

Hi Tony. It's pouring rain here today and she's under a car cover and two tarps. Should get a break in the weather tomorrow and I'll take a lot of pictures.