MGB The Big Score! - MGB restoration kickstarted!

[Howard_The_Duck]

hey guys

well this is more of an update on my stalled out BGT restoration. Last update, I had found incredible amounts of rot and crash damage, and was wavering on what i should do. I didnt want to put $$$ into something i'd never make structurally sound enough to drive, but i wasnt really ready to give up on building my own MG.

well, i must say Tony has come through for me HUGE. He was kind enough to contact me after I displayed those horrific photos of what mangled mess I had on my hands, and let me know he had a decent bodyshell for sale. so I went ahead and took him up on it.

problem being he lives 12 hours from here, i had a couple of planned trips to go get it fall through, but this weekend I was able to go get the car with the assistance of my wonderful dad. We got into huntsville on friday night, loaded up saturday morning, and made it home late late sat. night.

I haver to say that this bodyshell is much more amazing than I had envisioned. I have to say I was a little worried since tony didnt have any pictures of it, but when we got there, even dad, who isnt an LBC guy, was highly impressed with the deal tony struck me.

the car has been completely taken down to bare metal, and blasted, etched and primed. the inner fender on the passenger side needs to be reattached, as does the front radiator support sheetmetal, but outside of that, the car is straight as an arrow, and tony was kind enough to throw in everything but the hatch, which I told him to keep.

ive mentioned it elsewhere, but I really once again want to thank tony for what he has done for me. im including a few pictures so y'all can get a peek at it. tony even threw in the rotesserie!

tony - thanks alot, and i cant wait till i get to drive the car back to your house and show you the finished version!

so let me be the first to present to you - Basil v1.5!

 

[Howard_The_Duck]

heres another picture

 

[rulle7]

Way to go Zack! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hammer.gif
Way to go Tony! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[vping]

Nice to see this in the MG community.

 

[Steve]

Yes, way to go Tony!!

 

[tony barnhill]

Sometimes you've just gotta give the next generation a bit of a hand...I didn't do anything special that any of us wouldn't do (& definitely nothing like what Ryan did to help Keenan).....if you guys could see some of the cars Zack's dad has built, you wouldn't worry about this one getting finished...

....& Zack has promised to "pay it forward"

 

[Howard_The_Duck]

That lending hand is much appreciated indeed.

Tony - also I wanted to thank you for sending Mr. Maples in my direction. He was quite the gentleman, and helped me out greatly. Whats your take on my idea for the sebring flares? He said that I'd need to have to get the sebring valance, but Im not sure I want to do that. Have you seen other ways to mod the existing rear valance?

I was hoping to leave the rear alone, add the flares, and put the ST front air dam in front. What do you think

 

[tony barnhill]

Zack - I don't know if the rear bumper wil fit around those Sebring flares....Tom Rynne may have a rear valance with recessed license plate that'll work - like the one on my V8 car...but I don't know if it'll fit around those flares without modifying

& I think a 'smoothed' front & 'original' rear might look a bit out of place

 

[Howard_The_Duck]

oh, i didnt want the sebring valance up front. I was going to use the Special Tuning airscoop front valance.

also, im worried about cutting off the rear quarters at the beltline. im sure i could get it done, but the shell is so pretty I hate to be chopping on it.

 

[tony barnhill]

I'm so happy you made that last statement!

I don't think the ST valance & bumpers will fit around the Sebring front bumpers either....the fenders & valances were all part of the package

How about Tom Rynne's small flares that graft onto your fenders?

 

[Howard_The_Duck]

Thats what I was thinking originally. Have you seen these on an installation? I think that I'd like to go that route, but the pix on the morspeed site only showed a roadster with them installed prior to painting. I knew that the sebring fender/valance kit was built especially for BGTs so I was hoping the fender extensions werent just for roadsters.

Also tony, I located a paint store here in town that can provide me an aerosol form of that Electric Blue metallic so I can prime one of my old fenders, and spray it and see how it comes out. they make the aerosol out of the original dupont chroma base paint

 

[jlaird]

Sorry to bump right in here.

Tony,

Who did the meda blasting on that body and did they primer it as well, or do you know?

 

[tony barnhill]

Yes, the same place did the blasting & primer but I don't know who it was...bodyshell was that way when I got it

 

[jlaird]

Ahh, understand, makes sense. A blaster must I would think have to have some way to protect its product. Not everyone can pick up the same day, etc etc.

 

[kennypinkerton]

Way to go. I can't wait to see the finished product. I love GT's

 

[Tom Rynne]

Zack, Tony clued me into the discussion here. My flares should work with the rear bumper and they will fit both GT and Roadster.
I am working on another design which will be the "not so flared" flares. These will cetainly work and give a somewhat sbtler look if that's what you are after. Any other questions, drop me an email.
metalrep@comcast.net