• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

MGB Winter MGB Up-date

Share this page

R6MGS

R6MGS

Yoda
Offline
Winter MGB Update

As alot of you know instead of buying another modern vehicle for our third winter vehicle we decided stumbled upon a very nice North Carolina MGB for a really god price and spent a few weeks going through it making sure it was up to the challenge.
It has been on the road for a little over 3 weeks now, and has seen about 400 miles. The first day on the road the coil wire came loose and it stalled out in an intersection, but that was qucikly fixed and it has been trouble free since. The sidedraft weber with a manual choke and electronic ignition has made for easy starts on mornings when the temperature is well below freezing. The rebuilt heater is working great also.
On the road it keeps up with traffic on the freeway with ease(actually I am starting to think that it might have some internal engine modifications, because it seems alot faster than most B's....all that I can see however is an electronic ignition, sidedraft weber, and headers). Today was the first time it saw any deep snow(2-3inches) and it performed great...On newish all seasons it got good traction, doesn't fishtail too easily either....It is much better than our 2wd Sonoma in the snow! The only problem is how low it sits, when passing, or being passed in snowy or slushy conditions the spray from other vehicles can completely cover all the B's windows making for very poor visibility.
Overall I am very impressed with this, originally we weren't sure about the idea, but now I am confident it will last us awhile, before it gets to join the other LBC's as garage queens. We do our best to proect it, regular washings, and a specialize oil spray(known as 'rust cure') everywhere. I also shoot WD-40 along the side moldings and in many seems after every wash to keep the water from sitting in there.

If anyone has any tips on how to better protect it(unfortunately it has to park outside) or any other comments I'd love to hear them.

Also, when it rains really hard the top leaks around the front corners, near the side vents..Looking at the fit of the top in this area it seems like it would be a common problem? Anyone have a solution to this?

Heres some pics from this morning...It's on a shovled area in the pics, but we got about 2-3 inches overnight....We gave it a bath after these pics, it doesn't really look it in the pics, but it was pretty mucky.

n705415777_1624502_5004.jpg


n705415777_1624503_5792.jpg
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Well, mine stays outside also. They ALL leak and probably did so on day one. I keep the top up and tarp it with a plastic shield from Walmart, topped with a cover.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

clyderedmond said:
Well, mine stays outside also. They ALL leak and probably did so on day one. I keep the top up and tarp it with a plastic shield from Walmart, topped with a cover.

Cheers,

Mike
Click to expand...
Mike, make sure air can flow under the car - don't bring the tarp all the way to the ground so that moisture seeping up from the ground or through the concrete is captured under the car inside the tarp.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

When rain is in the forecast I've been throwing an old pickup bed cover(vinyl) over the center of the car to keep water from leaking in the cockpit. But I was thinking about stuffing some rubber padding or something between the top header and the windsheild frame at the corners to help keep the leaks at bay while driving.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

R6MGS said:
When rain is in the forecast I've been throwing an old pickup bed cover(vinyl) over the center of the car to keep water from leaking in the cockpit. But I was thinking about stuffing some rubber padding or something between the top header and the windsheild frame at the corners to help keep the leaks at bay while driving.
Click to expand...
Big beach ball!
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

I still say there has to be a better option than driving one of these things in the snow. I also hate to see a car that could be a good restoration project get treated like a beater.
My opinion of course. And yes, I want to hear how this thing performs when he has to go through any kind've accumulation.
It sits low, and is rear view drive with a stick shift. still waiting for him to hit that first snow drift. Seee Yaaa. Whats the number to the nearest Towing Co.

Just trying to save the MG's.

Newkie
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

When i lived in Canada many years ago i ran a mg midget one year and a old style mini. All is well as long as you stay on the plowed part of the road. If you ever get the belly pan hung up on a snow bank you will need assistance getting out. Get a 195 thermostat in there and have fun! There are enough of these cars out there and if you have fun using one up then thats great. Most people around here do not drive their cars much.Who are they saving them for? If you can not have fun and use the car why think a young person should when we are gone. I for one plan to use up my MGB's. Our 63 went over 2000 miles to Mass. this fall and the 67 BGT just went 1200 miles to Maryland last week for lunch! The 72 was called to duty at CMP at Hap's track event. Guess what...I'm having fun. Rant over...Bob
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Bob said:
Get a 195 thermostat in there and have fun! There are enough of these cars out there and if you have fun using one up then thats great. Most people around here do not drive their cars much.Who are they saving them for? If you can not have fun and use the car why think a young person should when we are gone.
Click to expand...


How true. Run 'em 'til th' wheels fall off... then patch 'em up and start AGAIN!!!

Nobody else is gonna do it.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

bob67bgt said:
When i lived in Canada many years ago i ran a mg midget one year and a old style mini. All is well as long as you stay on the plowed part of the road. If you ever get the belly pan hung up on a snow bank you will need assistance getting out. Get a 195 thermostat in there and have fun! There are enough of these cars out there and if you have fun using one up then thats great. Most people around here do not drive their cars much.Who are they saving them for? If you can not have fun and use the car why think a young person should when we are gone. I for one plan to use up my MGB's. Our 63 went over 2000 miles to Mass. this fall and the 67 BGT just went 1200 miles to Maryland last week for lunch! The 72 was called to duty at CMP at Hap's track event. Guess what...I'm having fun. Rant over...Bob
Click to expand...

Well said, I've already got two low mileage(under 20k) 78's that hardly see any use...So why not have some fun with this one? Plus if it gets rough, when I am done the TC resto we'll restore this one too.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Sweet to see this;the sun recently hit my white 77 B in just the right way for me to see that it had sported those stripes at one time. Nice to see how they were originally.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Looks like the water leak is solved(at least as best as possible on an MG) Water was coming in at the bottom of the windsheild between the glass and the frame, that foamy seal must have dried out and was allowing water past....a little RTV over it and we're leak free!.....I know that sounds bad, but the windsheild will be replace in the spring anyway because it's gone foggy in spots....so this is only temporary.
I also added some extra rubber strips to the top of the windsheild frame at the corners, and rubbed the header seal down with alotta vaseline.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

I helped a fellow in London,Ontario,Canada get a 79 MGB from here in NC. It was a original paint ...heck..all original car from the original owner! I heard he woke it up and got it road ready. Its been a few years ago. Last summer i heard he wanted to sell it from the friend that put the two of us together on the deal. If anyone has a interest i will make contact and see if its still around. I would think $4500 +/- would be a starting point?? .. Great car as a keeper or use it up! bob
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Well, it's been another month or so....No problems at all, this thing starts up first crank everytime nomatter how cold or how burried in snow it is. The only problem we're having is when it's really cold out the door handle buttom doesn't always spring back out, causing the door not to latch. This usually means you've gotta hold a BBQ lighter to it for 30 seconds or so before you can get it to release....Sometimes it takes alot longer than that too. Anyone else ever have this problem? Is there something I can do to prevent it??
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

i have the same problem occasionally though i never thought to put a lighter to it. the last time it happened to my pass side door, i could not get it to shut. later that night we had an ice storm that froze it. been to cold to move ever sense. with winter tires i am impressed with how they handle in snow. cold drive but have yet to be stuck. :thumbsup:
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

I've always driven my LBCs in winter in New England. A TR3, a Spitfire, a Bug Eye and a B. For several years they were my daily driver. You do things like rinse up under the frame often at the coin op car wash, stuff like that.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

:lol:

My kinda guy!!!

Welcome to th' forums!

Winter don't stop no LBC!
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

BTW: Floorpans in a B can be replaced with GLUE and some POP-RIVETS!!!

Specifically SEM epoxy panel adhesive and "cleco" or pop rivets ahead of it.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

spray around the edges of the button with lock deicer. Worked great for me after washing the car and having both door buttons freeze up solid. Nothing like standing out in the cold looking at your unlocked car and not being able to get in.
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Hrumpf... all my MGBs were "pull-handle" ones. :devilgrin:
 
Re: Winter MGB Update

Mine have never been so stuck that thumping the rest of the door handle with a knuckle a few times wont fix the problem. I've really only had problems with them being difficult to push in.
 
Back
Top