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Tater

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Just purchased my first ever MG. 1978 MGB Roadster. Paid $200 for it. Body is in real good shape but there has been an underhood fire. From my first inspection looks like it probably was electrical in origin. Wind screen washer and brake resevoirs (hope you guys don't grade on spelling)are melted but no damage to the carb or distributo. Engine turns over by hand and other wise the car is complete. I paid 200 dollars for this baby. My quaestion is are these underhood fires a common thing and what is generally the cause? I read somewhere that the catalytic converter can easily overheat. Looking forward to wading into this project. Tater /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Fires are not common in a car which is in good order. Any old, neglected vehicle can develope frayed wiring which can short and cause a fire. I would recommend a thorough inspection of the wiring and electrical components. Also check all fuel hoses and fittings. As my car is an early model I can't comment on the cat issue but there are many late model owners here. One of them will surely chime in with a recommendation.
 
Welcome Tater. I think Steve has said it all. If you look after vehicle you should have no problems. But as Steve has said check the wiring and if in doubt rewiring is no to expensive. Good luck with your B keep us up to date with progress. Regards John. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
 
Hello Tater and welcome to the Forum - we don't grade people on anything here, we're happy to have you on board. Don't be afraid to post, and remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question, I should know, I've asked enough of them over the years and I haven't been laughed off the Forum! Yet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

RG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif
 
Tater,
you'll be well taken care of here.
The ultimate in 'Help to self-help' !
Hope to hear from you often and a pic or two is always fun.
Enjoy.
 
Lets see, you need a new wiring harness. Try British Wiring at https://www.britishwiring.com/ You need new brakes and other parts. The single carb models were not the best performers. You might consider replacing the carb and exhaust manifold with a weber or twin SU’s. Moss or Brit-Tek would be good places to look for parts. Be sure to check out the price new at Moss before buying anything on E-Bay. Sometimes the E-Bay price is more than cost new at a good supplier.
https://www.mossmotors.com/
https://www.brittek.com/

Sell your TV, now that you have a MGB you will not have any free time, WELCOME!
 
Welcome, Tater, good to have you here. Don't hesitate to ask any question you might have. We will be glad to help.
Bob
 
'78 had the Zenith Stromberg carb with the "button" under the fuel bowl - it was a constant leak point so they changed top a solid fuel bowl (no "button")....leaky fuel bowl directly over catalytic converter spells trouble - especially if the cat was stopped up or the heat shield asbestos lining was gone...however, from your description, that's not your problem

....underhood fire is usually not electrical - underdash is....look under your dash to see if the fire originated there & entered the engine compartment through the large rubber grommet behind the master cylinders
 
To your original question on the catalytic..........they do get very hot during a drive....."catalytic" converter. Check underneath and make sure it is not in direct touching contact with anything flammable. There are lot of aftermarket ones available but guys install them without considering the heat shield. Mine on my 77 is hung loose at least an inch below everything and I found a fairly new receipt on the work when I got it. "B"s are such leaky things that flammable stuff leaking could have been the fuel. Electrical tends to be more of a smoldering thing and the lousy insulation shows the signs of an electrical fire.
 
Another note... the old metal fuel filters do rust and can leak if really bad. I almost had an underhood fire once because of one.
 
My 1953 MGTD arrived today so I signed up to this forum which popped up on a "Google" search. The car was bought from a very well known MG collector/authority and had a full restoration this year. The car is finished in a factory silver with proper tan hood. I have a lot of learning to do. My last MG was an "A" some forty years ago !
 
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