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MGB Our First MGB

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M

Mauricio

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Hello everyone,

My wife and I just bought our first MGB ever :cheers: it is a 1977 MGB with 24,135 original miles! The previous owner even had the original purchase order, service records, owners manual (mint condition), all the keys, and much more. The car belonged to her sister who passed away 5 years ago and wanted to sell it to someone who was going to take care of it :smile:

We have a few questions and I figure I would post them here and see what kind of feedback we would get:
1. Chrome Bumpers: would this affect the value or anything like that if I did the Chrome bumper conversion?

2. I am going to replace the valve cover gasket since it has a leak, should I use the Payton brand?

3. Is there a good shop manual that I can buy for this car?

Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions that you guys might have for first time MGB owners.

thanks,

Moe
 
Hiya Moe! Welcome to the fray.

As for the questions, welll....

1) Chrome bumper conversion is really a personal choice, but the rubber ones weigh a TON more, so if nothing else you'd be "building in lightness". And I think value would be enhanced ~slightly~.

2)VC gasket: Payen. RTV it to the VC and weight it gasket-down on a bench overnight to allow the RTV to set. Then use Permatex Hylomar on the head-to-gasket face to install.

3) The Bentley Press one can be sourced on E-Bay from time-to-time, it's the best as it parrots the factory books. Haynes and Clymers, Chilton's have some erroneous info but are "good enough" to use as guides.

HTH!

And again, Welcome!!
 
Welcome Moe! Nice find, may it bring you many happy miles.

I've got nothing to add to Doc's list, other than to say live with the bumpers for a while before you dive in to replacing them. They do provide a bit more protection in day-to-day driving, though they are heavy suckers.

I'll admit that I prefer the chrome bumpers, but the rubber ones really don't look too bad on a B.

Speaking of looks, we need pictures. :smile:
 
"1. Chrome Bumpers: would this affect the value or anything like that if I did the Chrome bumper conversion?"

Keep everything so you can at least go back or if ever sold the new owner has the option.

There a lot of people who are very firm on originality.
 
OMG,
Welcome to the LBC Garden Spot on Planet Earth.

I agree with Bruce and Dr. Entropy.
This forum is a great place to gain insight and knowledge about LBC's.
You will now watch the center of your steering wheel, look at the MG emblem,
your eyes are getting sleepy, when I count to 3 you will fall into a deep sleep.
1,2,3.
Ok, now you will start relating to Little British Cars as LBC's.
You will find yourself driving with the top down, even when everybody else thinks it is freaking cold outside.
You will find yourself on occasion comenting "Cheers" to your fellow LBC'ers
YOU WILL call Moss Motors and request their latest Catalog.
You will be smiling from ear to ear, just to pick the occasional bug from your teeth.
Ok now, when you hear me snap my fingers, you will awaken refreshed and not remember anything we have discussed, Oh, one more thing, you will start looking for another LBC to add so that you can start your collection and multiply.

SNAP%

Well, that was nice, How do you feel? What's that, you want a new Moss Catalog?
Oh just call the number and discuss it with them.
AND Don't mind me, I'm just addicted to the LBC's, no problem here.
Welcome
 
one thing to consider if painting your bumpers the colour of the car - looks very good. and, welcome to the madness!
 
"These are not the 'droids you are looking for."


NICE, DAVE!!!! :thumbsup:
 
Welcome and congrats.
Living in MD, you gotta check out "MG's on the Rocks" on Sept 24th. A really nice show. Google it and you can get all the info.
Now my $.02.....an original w/ 23K miles (assume it's a #'s matching) why would you mess with a conversion. Enjoy the car and it's original design and keep it original, so few examples exist.
Also check out the British Motor Heritage Trust for the car's birth certificate.
Just my ramblings..........
 
For some reason I feel like I should order a new Moss Catalog....oh no wait I did that already SWEET :banana:

So my wife and I have decided to leave the car as ORIGINAL as possible...YAY..

CZ_Dave this was a great post and I had to show it to my wife, which by the ay I found out that I am only allowed to own one of these cars at any given time (lotto excluded) hehehe.
 
Thanks to everyone here I have convinced my wife to keep the car as close as possible to it's original origens.

This is going to be the first weekend that I get to work on it and I am excited. Not going to do anything crazy with it, just going to make sure that everything is as it should be.

I will try to post some pictures later if the sun is still out so you guys can check it out. I am so freaking happy with this car purchase and I have to admit you guys are great and again thank you for such a great warm welcome.


Moe & Megan
 
:lol:

My first MGB (1966) was bought in 1969 when I was in college...

my (future) wife and I named her Megan!!! :laugh:

That car went for over 250K miles in the next decade, many fond memories.
 
Yeah, right,
thats what I said.
I'm still driving the MGB that
I dated my bride in,
and that was 25 years ago.
After a while,
she decided the wanted her own LBC.
Now there are 11 out in the driveway.
Everytime I walk out there, something seems
kind of strange, kind like they keep multiplying.
AND I swear, I think they keep moving around by themselves!
 
Another one to support the fact that people love originality.

I would not personally buy a car where the bumpers were changed. I would however, consider purchasing a 24,000 mile original rubber bumper MGB. That's just TOO COOL!

As a car with 24,000 original miles, that's one worth keeping in original style shape. :smile:

You've got yourself a pretty sweet B there, enjoy it!


There's just a few things I'd do to a late B, particularly relating to safety, and one relating to reliability:

-De-Smog it properly (John Twist of University Motors offers a nice guide on how to do so)

-Also remove the unsafe rollover fuel shutoff valve. This valve is next to the heater box near the brake and clutch cylinders. They didn't work from the factory and they haven't gotten better after 30 years. It is EXTREMELY unsafe.

-Remove the original electronic ignition in favor of an earlier 25D points distributor (Jeff Schlemmer of Advanced Distributors can prepare one for you with the proper advance curves and vacuum advance for a good price). The original electronic distributors on these cars are notorious for having a mind of their own. They are VERY unreliable and WILL leave you stranded eventually. The ones that came on 1980 cars were better but many were not retrofitted with those. Points are the best and most reliable option.

Other than that, regular maintenance, a repair manual, and a basic mechanical aptitude will allow you to enjoy this B for tens of thousands of miles to come :smile:
Cheers!
 
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