niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Aug 31, 2018 15:21:45 GMT
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Soooo I haven’t posted on here in two years. Hello again! A few years ago I took the decision to get away from cars for a while as I was studying music at Uni and old motors had become an expensive distraction. Since then I’ve graduated, busked around Germany and Poland in the back of a Renault Scenic (hence my absence at RRG17) and have started freelancing as a vocalist, theatrical performer and event organiser, getting closer to earning a proper income. After a weekend at RRG18 I’ve convinced myself that now is the time to start playing with old tin again. Probably a bad call but, hey, lets see how it goes.  Nearly 5 years ago my Uncle was “trying” to sell his ’78 MGB GT. Eventually he decided that he would rather gift it to someone who was going to love and look after it than sell it for not much to someone who would inevitably part it out. Wisely, he decided that I was just the sort of person that would maintain, polish and drive the Muggie. I very much intended to do just that, so he pointed out a few things that needed attention (one hole in a floorpan, a little bubbling at the back of the sill and new tyres) gave me the keys and watched as his pride and joy was trailered to Birmingham. I was over the moon with my new acquisition and made plans to get the basic work done, MOT it and drive around with a big smug smile.  So, lets have a look at some of that rot. It shouldn’t be too difficult to learn basic MIG welding, make a few small patches and get it on the……..Oh.   There’s a lot, more. I’ll go through it all in another post, once I’m up to date with the story, but basically it was going to require a hell of a lot more than a few small patch repairs to make it remotely safe to drive regularly. After several comfort beers I decided that, while it may take a bit longer to do and be a much more involved project, I’d still get it done. Then I accidentally acquired a Honda Acty which required very little work, so played with that instead. Then I went to uni, and played with music. The MG sat and waited. Nearly five long years later and, save for stripping the interior, bolting on a solid boot and acquiring a few parts and panels, its in the exact same state I left it in. Its not as if I hadn’t intended to work on it, however, the picture in my head of a solid, reasonably shiny, comfortable and reliable BGT required far more monetary resources than I could reasonably afford, and as I’d moved to Leicester and it was still in Birmingham it was difficult to find any time for it. RRG18. After many beers I realised that maybe this image in my head was unrealistic, and that instead of focusing on getting it ‘right’, I should just get it on the road…for RRG19? Hmmmm. Focus on the absolute essentials, i.e. a solid structure, working brakes and tyres that aren’t 20 years old. (And lowering it. Obviously) Tidy bodywork? Nah. Paint? Paint’s for posers. Interior? Seats, nothing more. Originality? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha And here’s where we pick up the story. You may be able to guess my first bit of progress in these pictures, but this is how I left it today.     It just might be doable. Maybe. TBC |
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Last Edit: Oct 4, 2019 16:37:32 GMT by niwid
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stevietuck
Posted a lot
Never argue with idiots,they drag you down to their level then beat you with their expertise!
Posts: 1,350
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Aug 31, 2018 15:30:32 GMT
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Good to have you back mate, nice car  |
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Aug 31, 2018 15:45:57 GMT
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Good to have you back mate, nice car Cheers mate, although you might take back the 'nice car' comment when I upload the rust images later! Glad to see you've still got the Smurf too, even if it is a bit rotten. Looks like we've both got a bit of welding to do haha |
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Last Edit: Aug 31, 2018 15:48:07 GMT by niwid
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Aug 31, 2018 19:52:59 GMT
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So, how bad is it? Well, here’s some up to date photos to illustrate. The first obvious issue is the sills.       Classic MGB rot spot, however I’ve seen a few people patch up worse ones. Plus, no rusty castle rails! Oh wait, that’s because there are NO CASTLE RAILS!  Yep, that’s flat sheet welded in where the castle rails once were. Both sides. A structural member replaced with a bendy bit of metal. Clever. Realistically this means it has to be a proper sill job, with replacement panels. Spend all the monies! Next on the list, floorpans.  I’m not too worried about these, it should be pretty simple. Plus I’ve got one complete floorpan in the attic, which I will probably end up cutting up and making patch panels for both sides. This will have to wait until I’ve done the sills though. Boot floor is rusty, but not holed, so I’ll just brush it back and throw some sort of paint on to protect it. I may drill a sneaky drain hole in it too, as the boot area leaks quite a lot and under the ethos of ‘get it on the road’, leaks are unimportant. I’ll sort them once its legal.  Another classic rust spot on MGs in the under the front wings, where dirt collects above the inner wing. I took a deep breath and whipped the wings off to have a look. No photos I’m afraid, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it solid on both sides! They have been repaired in the past, but to a half decent standard, and they’ve stood the test of time. That’s genuine good news! Up front we’ve got a big old mess on the nearside main member, right above where the anti-roll bar mounts to the body. What amazes me is that the MOT expired not long before I got it.   Can this be patched? I’m thinking a bit of 1.5mm steel formed to shape and a couple of captive nuts in the right spot should sort it. Thoughts? It’s a similar story on the offside rear. Right where the arb mounts.  Again, maybe patch it up with some 1.5 and captive nuts? As far as I’m aware that’s all the structural bits covered. There are a couple of other bits of rot that I’ll probably tackle while I’m at it. A nice hole under the GT badge on the nearside C pillar and some crustiness on the rear valance. There is a little bubbling on the corners of the windscreen surround, but I’m probably going to ignore it for time being. Other jobs to do before its roadworthy are tyres, brakes, exhaust, headlights (rusty bowls), fit a passenger door (I’ve got a good one in the garage) and get it running. It ran well a couple of years ago, so I’m hoping I can just check fluids, chuck a battery on it and turn the key without too much fuss. We’ll see though. I’m going to throw a lowering job in there too. Rubber bumper ride height is just wrong, and a set of 550lb springs and lowering blocks isn’t expensive. I’m sure I’ll find more things that need doing along the way too. So with all my new found enthusiasm, I decided to tackle the rotten rear arch. A few years back I got a job lot of panels super cheap from Ebay. A full castle rail, floorpan, sill membrane, jack support, half rear wing and inner arch patch, all for £80ish. Lucky find! The wing panel was for the wrong side, but luckily the arch profile is identical side to side, so I just chopped the bit I needed off. It leaves me with a panel for the offside rear dogleg too. I’ve got no before pictures but have some post-op shots  Its about the right shape. There is a little heat distortion towards the rear where I blew through and had to build up the weld, and in the middle it sits about 1mm further back than the original panel, but its good enough for me! And that’s it for now really. I’ll be working on it when I have time and money. I REALLY want to get it to RRG19 but it all depends on how the freelancing goes. Advice and support is more than welcome. Wish me luck! |
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b3n
Part of things
Posts: 11 
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Aug 31, 2018 20:20:48 GMT
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I’ll be watching this with interest. I’m restoring a rubber bumpered GT at the moment too. It had rust in all the same places as yours too. Good luck.
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Aug 31, 2018 20:36:45 GMT
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Good enough is good enough. Or youll be forever chasing perfection! Keep ploughing on man youll get there
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Aug 31, 2018 20:37:20 GMT
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I’ll be watching this with interest. I’m restoring a rubber bumpered GT at the moment too. It had rust in all the same places as yours too. Good luck. If there's one good thing about rusty MGBs, its that at least you know where its going to be rusty. Predictable little rotters. I'd love to see what you are doing with yours too, its always good to know someone else is struggling with the same thing haha Good enough is good enough. Or youll be forever chasing perfection! Keep ploughing on man youll get there Exactly. If I'm ever going to do a proper resto, be it on this or something else, I could do with a little experience. If I wanted it to be perfect, guaranteed it would still be rotting on a driveway 10 years from now. |
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Last Edit: Aug 31, 2018 20:40:34 GMT by niwid
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JoshO
Part of things
Posts: 337
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Aug 31, 2018 20:38:01 GMT
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As much as these things love to rot, I still lust after one every time I see one haha, see you at rrg19  |
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Good to see you back. Is the Acty still tucked away somewhere?
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Sept 1, 2018 14:31:05 GMT
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As much as these things love to rot, I still lust after one every time I see one haha, see you at rrg19 The GT really is a superbly good looking car, rotten or otherwise. Even prettier in person when you realise how small they are Good to see you back. Is the Acty still tucked away somewhere? Good to be back! I wish. The Acty was sold just over a year ago to a bloke in Scotland who restores vintage busses and lorries. Its now been treated to a full restoration, which means its much more boring, but should last another few decades until someone else digs it out. It would have been lovely to keep it, but once the brakes died after RRG15 it sat for a while and neither Jason or I had the time or money for it. I have little doubt that I will never find anything like that every again though. |
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Sept 1, 2018 20:34:53 GMT
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Looking forward to following this thread
Please keep the updates coming
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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Sept 1, 2018 21:53:10 GMT
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Nice to see someone with a B as rusty as mine! Rust1Rust2I've got big plans, but til I get round to it I'll have to live vicariously through you  |
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Sept 1, 2018 22:08:59 GMT
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I love an honest motor. will keep eyes peeled for updates! My uncle has what was a mint chrome bumper B. It was mint, but has covered probably 600 miles in a decade, total waste. Better to Drive a non mint car with character :-)
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Last Edit: Sept 30, 2018 8:14:24 GMT by s1105117
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As much as these things love to rot, I still lust after one every time I see one haha, see you at rrg19 The GT really is a superbly good looking car, rotten or otherwise. Even prettier in person when you realise how small they are Good to see you back. Is the Acty still tucked away somewhere? Good to be back! I wish. The Acty was sold just over a year ago to a bloke in Scotland who restores vintage busses and lorries. Its now been treated to a full restoration, which means its much more boring, but should last another few decades until someone else digs it out. It would have been lovely to keep it, but once the brakes died after RRG15 it sat for a while and neither Jason or I had the time or money for it. I have little doubt that I will never find anything like that every again though. That’s bittersweet about the Acty. Shame that’s lost it’s character but good news that it is going to last longer rather than being ruined by a car guy like me. Hopefully I’ll see it resurface one day. At least you found that one and have the story to tell from it. |
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b3n
Part of things
Posts: 11
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Sept 29, 2018 21:33:51 GMT
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Any updates on this or has it rusted into the ground?
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Any updates on this or has it rusted into the ground? None yet. It's in Birmingham, I live in Leicester. Heading over for a few days this month, will hopefully get it running again and attack some more rust |
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And a very good morning to you Tim. Welcome back. I have been a bit missing too, and work has me in a death grip currently so I am not reading as much as usually do. That is one helluva project you have there. I think that if you follow the advice I was given, about doing one piece at a time on this sort of project, you will get 5there. I am currently looking at buying another distraction too....... needs a small amount of work (that could be an outright lie) In the mean time, here is a quote from 2013..... Could you post a link to your Retro Ride song in here for me please? I suppose I could do that  Maybe we should team up. I'll do an acoustic gig at the Gathering this year, usiung the back of your pickup as the stage. That just to remind you of the way we were. Good luck on this one. |
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Had a Gt for the last 40 years, so have a softspot for them. Done maybe a dozen shell-rehabs so pretty familiar with just about every single spot weld on these cars. What you show is a big project. As far as the sills I will refer you to a post I made for another MGB restorer on this board. It will get you started on sill replacement. Not a huge fan of aftermarket panels as they tend to create more work if you know what you are doing and frustrate you if you are learning. forum.retro-rides.org/thread/183293/vanessa-1979-mgb-dat-rust?page=3Have a look and ask if you have any questions. Up front my advice for doing sills is: Lift car by the suspension. Leave drivetrain in car Do not remove doors Work on a level surface or make the tops of your stands level so you don't twist the tub when the sill is off Work on one side at a time. Edit: Just saw that you were aware of that last thread , so just being repetitious! Carry on.... |
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Last Edit: Oct 5, 2018 18:55:40 GMT by bjornagn
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Oct 20, 2018 11:54:44 GMT
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That is one helluva project you have there. I think that if you follow the advice I was given, about doing one piece at a time on this sort of project, you will get 5there. I am currently looking at buying another distraction too....... needs a small amount of work (that could be an outright lie) Hey Rian! It certainly is. One piece at a time is definitely going to be the way forward, even the small 1hour jobs add up. Is that the Blazer I've seen on fb? |
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niwid
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,754
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Oct 20, 2018 12:01:06 GMT
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Had a Gt for the last 40 years, so have a softspot for them. Done maybe a dozen shell-rehabs so pretty familiar with just about every single spot weld on these cars. What you show is a big project. As far as the sills I will refer you to a post I made for another MGB restorer on this board. It will get you started on sill replacement. Not a huge fan of aftermarket panels as they tend to create more work if you know what you are doing and frustrate you if you are learning. forum.retro-rides.org/thread/183293/vanessa-1979-mgb-dat-rust?page=3Have a look and ask if you have any questions. Up front my advice for doing sills is: Lift car by the suspension. Leave drivetrain in car Do not remove doors Work on a level surface or make the tops of your stands level so you don't twist the tub when the sill is off Work on one side at a time. Edit: Just saw that you were aware of that last thread , so just being repetitious! Carry on.... Hey there! I'm very aware that its a big project, not to be taken lightly. I'm just going to do what I can and see what happens. Your 'how to' on the sills has been great for getting the process in my head. I already feel a little more confident for when I eventually get round to attacking them, but I will be printing it all out when the days comes. Its a really well put together write up |
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