tome30
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,001
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I know a little bit about these but not bucket loads. At that price they will probably all be rubber bumper models. Some people can be a bit snobby about that.
They will probably all need a bit of welding to get them through a legit MOT. Remembering back to the one I welded, the rear quarters had already been done, but there was rust in the inner rear arch that was close to the chassis, and that would have been an MOT fail. There was also rust in the boot floor. At the front, there was rot where the inner wing attached to the front cross member, a structural part, so that needed doing too. It took me about a day to do those little bits and it wasn't too fiddly.
Typical day-to-day running stuff on these are that they have tiny alternators. It's adequate at best, which is why on my Anglia I have put a bigger one on and it seems to cope much better. The SU carbs get worn and benefit from either a rebuild or a replace. Both the MGB that the guy downstairs from me had and the Midget my mate has seem to be difficult to start and I'd say it's fuelling related. Ford carbs have a throttle squirt so you can prime the engine with a few presses of the accelerator before turning the key, while SUs don't have that option. I think this why they can be harder to start if you haven't got the hang of the choke.
What else? Back windows on the soft-tops go white when you get detergent on them, according to my dad. I doubt spares are an issue.
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Rust is a major issue - especially at that price - but the occasional scruffy-but-solid car will come along.
Spares supply is brilliant - probably third to the Mini and VW Aircooled.
Getting them to start properly - assuming that the engine isn't borked - is a case of proper setup: most people don't know how to set-up an engine with a dizzy and twin carbs. My Dad's starts first time, every time.
Finally, most of these won't be in regular use. As with any car that hasn't seen regular use you will probably have teething troubles - clutch and brake hydraulics, oil seals, dirty electrical connections, and poorly set-up engines are favourites. It'll probably take 6+ months to get it to the stage where you're properly confident in it's reliability.
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I've had 3 GT's. Obviously at the age of even the youngest there can be numerous problems of which rust is the worse aspect. As others say parts cheap and easy to work on. My experience was they are quite thirsty - around 20 mpg average not uncommon with high teens when cold and mid 20's on a run.
Paul H
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,537
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I agree with all the above. We bought one as a sensible winter car to see us through the winter when I was engine swapping the Herald. Most likely places that will be nasty if prodded on a cheap GT are the scuttle corners of the windscreen and the rear wing to body joins along the side windows.
They should start fine even with points etc though everyone will tell you to go straight out and fit some electronic ignition kit or other. Reliability will depend on reasonable maintenance of the right things, so it'll help if you manage to find one that is in reasonably regular use and shows signs of some care.
Only down side of our one (as a winter car) was a pretty poor heater. The only bad heater I've had in nearly twenty years of running old cars actually. The owners club mag was continually full of info on improving the heaters so I guess its a problem across the range. Oh, we joined the owners club because the discount it gave our insurance was the same as the membership fee.
But as Jonny indicates, check out any 'bargain' to see how much rusty it might be hiding. Mechancal parts are pretty much ten a penny.
Editied after compo's post - You ought to get better MPG than that. I used to easily get over 30mpg, 34 even, on a run with a standard MGB engine in my (heavier) Oxford.
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Last Edit: May 8, 2012 16:29:06 GMT by Seth
Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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As with any BL car from the 70s your main enemy is going to be the dreaded tin worm. Look for it anywhere where its liable to get wet or muddy. Once repaired as long as you keep on top of the anticorrosion protection the body should be ok for daily use on salty roads. Best thing of course is keep it all nice and clean so you don't trap mud and water.
Parts supply is excellent so engine and running gear shouldn't be a huge issue and the B series is a respectable and pretty tough lump. Just be sure to service regularly and use good quality petrol. I think I would put lead additive in them but that can often be a contentous issue. My view on it is better safe than sorry and these engines did suffer valve seat recession even when 4 star was readily available.
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,998
Club RR Member Number: 35
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MGB's as Dailys ???craig1010cc
@craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member 35
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This is a question I have pondered too, the wife loves BGT's
I hired her a roadster for her birthday a few years back, she loved driving it, but it was thirsty, I reckon'd about mid 20's for A/B road cruising on normal unleaded (which we were told to run it on).
1 of my work mates used his as his daily (and only) for about 8 months, he loved it and it stood up to his 500 miles a week pretty well (although he did have a bike as well he used to use at the same time, so it didn't do all the mile). But it was thirsty.
At the end of the day, they were built for daily use, so one properly maintained should stand it. The question is can you find 1 for a grand............
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. I think I would put lead additive in them This is a good point. Unless it has been converted the B series will need an additive. No two ways about it, especially if it's doing long or fast motorway work. Castrol Valvemaster's not too pricey from the MGOC. Interestingly my Dad reckons he gets ~30mpg out of his on his ~60 mile round-trip commute - and got the same out of the '63 that he had years ago. TBF, he does get quite good fuel consumption out of any car, but again it all comes down to correct engine set up.
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PHUQ
Part of things
Posts: 861
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I've got a B series in the Marina- basically a detuned MGB lump- and it does not give a damn. It burns gallons of oil, the valve clearances are miles out (needs new rockers/ shaft), and will still start without any fuss so long as the timing is vaguely right, there's some fuel in the vicinity and there's enough electrickery getting to the right places. With it set up well it runs really nicely. I do have an electronic dizzy on mine, but only because I thought the original was duff when in fact it wasn't, it was an intermittent break in the feed to the coil. It was still going fine with the never touched, nearly completely burnt out points up 'till then.
The elecktrickery is my main problem at the moment, it keeps getting lost in all the wrong places. New loom on the shopping list... Don't know if MGBs suffer the same affliction of wiring breaking down, but it's a big pain on my car.
She's finally starting to get the TLC she deserves now though, after a couple of years of getting by on diddly squat. B series lumps rock!
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Last Edit: May 8, 2012 18:08:11 GMT by PHUQ
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tome30
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,001
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Thanks.
From the feedback given, I feel you've answered MY question....
Do I have the skills, time, and patience to own and run an MGB as a daily?......NO.
Do I still want one?.....YES, but maybe another day as a summer/second car.
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I don't own one, but a very good friend of mine does. He regularly drove from Camberley to Portsmouth and back (about an hour and a half up the motorway) for Uni. I can only remember one instance of it breaking down on him (overheated whilst stuck in traffic and his fan didn't cut in properly) and it's only really needed servicing. His has an Oselli engine in it as well. Really nice cars, we're thinking about building a Sebring rep when we both have some cash.
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I recommend it, my triumph is my daily and it does a lot of miles. It's 1968 so its getting on abit too. As long as they are maintained and not thrashed I can't see why they can't be a daily, its what they were built for remember!
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BGT was my first car 5 years ago and I loved it! I think I piad about £800. Insurance was dirt cheap for an 18 y/o and id easily get 35mpg. B series engine is lovely to work on as its so basic and as long as its maintained properly its fine.
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,537
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Thanks. From the feedback given, I feel you've answered MY question.... Do I have the skills, time, and patience to own and run an MGB as a daily?......NO. Do I still want one?.....YES, Where do your problems lie? They're not rocket science, and as has been mentioned B series engines are really quite forgiving for a start. In fact with the ease of parts supply its hard to think of any other old car that would be as easy as a B to live with.
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Thanks. From the feedback given, I feel you've answered MY question.... Do I have the skills, time, and patience to own and run an MGB as a daily?......NO. I don't think any more time and skills are required to keep an MG on the road compared to any other car of that era to be honest, probably less in a lot of cases just because parts availablity is so much easier. Starting has never been an issue when we had them, MPG is mid to late 20's depending on how it is driven and the use of overdrive.
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We had a BGT, the other half used it daily and got on fine. From London we regularly did trips to Cornwall and Yorkshire to see fambly etc, plus daily London commuter stuff.
Didn't take much of anything to maintain. parts very available and cheap, can't be many cars with a better supply. Rust is the main thing. About as easy to maintain as any old car otherwise.
Call it snobby if you like but the rubber ones look odd imho, fat-lipped and too high. But if chromey ones are too much £s, it's no biggie. Not fast but very enoyable to drive, and very comfy for me at 6'-2". She found the steering heavy at first, at low speeds, but soon got used to that.
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'66 Amazon <-> '94 LS400 <-> '86 Suzuki 1135 EFE
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tome30
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,001
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Thanks. From the feedback given, I feel you've answered MY question.... Do I have the skills, time, and patience to own and run an MGB as a daily?......NO. I don't think any more time and skills are required to keep an MG on the road compared to any other car of that era to be honest, probably less in a lot of cases just because parts availablity is so much easier. Starting has never been an issue when we had them, MPG is mid to late 20's depending on how it is driven and the use of overdrive. Thanks for the encouragement ^^^ No more time or skills than any other car of that era, but maybe more time and skills than my current car asks of me. Ideally I'd like to be able to just jump in and start with daily use, and only have to 'maintain' rather than repair. But then for under a grand, I doubt that is acheivable. Almost fancy picking up a sub £500 bucket just to use over summer.
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At £500 it will be in a bucket! Unless you get exceptionally lucky you're not going to get anything with an MOT thats going to keep going at that money without spending a lot of time and effort on it
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mclellanmac
Posted a lot
Hand me the hammer and the WD40
Posts: 1,178
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May 10, 2012 12:46:19 GMT
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I bought an MGB for £700, it was MOT'ed but was rather tatty, I ran it every day over a 30odd mile commute, had no issues apart from a knack aired alternator, there old and British, so rust is the thing as everyone has said, so get one that's sound with test, again as said they ain't rocket science, it's a good car to learn on, and you get mucho love on the road, just get one, there peanuts to buy, fix and insure, give it a go you won't regret it!
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Mercedes 190e, Lovely
MK4 Golf GTi 20v Turbo, Dull, but always works!
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Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,303
Club RR Member Number: 160
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MGB's as Dailys ???Rich
@foxmcintyre
Club Retro Rides Member 160
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May 10, 2012 20:10:11 GMT
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At £500 it will be in a bucket! Unless you get exceptionally lucky you're not going to get anything with an MOT thats going to keep going at that money without spending a lot of time and effort on it Me and mrs Rich bought a 73 Chrome bumper for £550 out of a woman's garage where it had sat for 4 years and it needed, after an oil change, points setup, new brake pads and a whack on the fuel pump, little more for the MoT than tightening a loose wheel, and aligning the headlamps. It even had an LE front spoiler and wire wheels, brand new overdrive, fuel tank, distributor and speedo. It looked a little rough as the paint was a bit manky but its solid and pretty reliable. Its always got us home, even when the coil was breaking down. You can get lucky, you just gotta look, not all £500 cars are gonna be rotters, but there are a more choddy ones than nice ones sadly. Other than that, nothing to add from what people have said.
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