Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests got a shot at a MG- is it worth it?

From my limited understanding, they have a Rover V8 conversion for those cars. I've seen one. I think it's lighter than the stock motor because it's aluminum.

I think that was the MGB GT right? That was a hauler IIRC.

I was actually looking at buying an 80 MGB. I loved that car, but went with the truck instead. Practicality over fun....

Allright guys, I have the model and year: 1977 MGB, thats all taht my mom knew, if you need more info i could call my dad as he would definitly know more. He has been researching them and basically the only reason it isn't in our garage yet is becuase he hasn't gone for a test drive. I think he should get it IF it checks out with what you guys say to look for. For $1500, drop I'm guessing $2000 in it over the next few years?? I think we have spent at keast 3k on the '53 Chevy for the 4 years we've had it. Anyway, it would be awesome if you guys could get back to me on that. thanks!

EDIT: btw, my dad is a kind of guy that wants to keep everything completley stock unless is a needed mechanical upgrade (ex.-6 volt generator to 12v alternator on the '53 that we did). So there will be no performance mods in the name of hp, maybe for efficency but he will keep it as stock as he can I'm pretty sure. (he wouldn't even slightly upgrade the exhaust on the '53 when it was the same cost for the stock OEM) So keep that in mind too.

if it's a 77, it has the single Zenith-Stromberg Carb, 1-piece intake header, and 1-piece exhaust header like my 1979 had. my first suggestion is to trash everything that sucks air into the engine or spits it out. The 1975+ Z-S setup was lousy. Poor throttle response, poor quality, less power, and the manifolds were more prone to cracking.

i would highly suggest a dual-SU carb conversion or single Webber downdraft carb.

once you've updated the carb, upgrade the electricals a bit. you're running 12v in that car. increase the capacity by upping the alternator to at least 65 Amps. i think the factory unit was only good for 35-40 Amps. then upgrade the ignition, get new wires and plugs, clean the distributor and points, and check the timing.

once you have all that, you'll have a decent running ~80rwhp car that will be able to get out of its own way.

as for rust: the sills, doglegs, and upper front fenders are very prone. Check these areas thoroughly. The sills are especially important since they hold the car together on the convertible. these elements and the transmission tunnel are all that keep the engine from finding its way into the trunk! you'll have an MGB sandwich if you're not careful. And sill replacement is NOT as easy as it sounds. it is daunting because it has to look good and be strong.

finally, engine cooling: with a 77, i think you have a single electric fan for cooling. my 79 had 2 fans. my 74 had one mechanically operated by the crank pulley. whatever you have, get a bigger one and think about upgrading to a larger radiator core. MGB engines run hot. a big unit up front will keep the temps normal.

i'd try to pick the car up for $1200-$1300 considering you don't know the extent of the rust on MGBs until you look under the rug. And budget $3000 to fix it in case you need to replace the top and/or do any rust repair. the good thing is that well sorted MGBs are moving up in price. i've seen #3 cars on eBay sell for $5k-$6k depending on fit and finish.

and lastly, i have a box of spare MGB parts from my 79 that i am willing to send you for $10+shipping. PM me if interested. lots of extra nuts, bolts, hoses, brackets, etc...

Looks like Brian was paying attention to what I told him . I'll address a couple things .

Stay away from the Weber downdraft carb - I'll say it again - stay away from the Weber downdraft carb ! They don't work very well on MGBs no matter what you do . Spend your money doing the dual carb (back-date) conversion . You'll be glad you did . Add a back-dated cam swap & you'll be even more glad .

Aftermarket headers are a waste of $$$ also , unless they are a 3-2-1 design . The stock early-style cast iron manifold is BETTER than an aftermarket 4-into-1 header ... MUCH better (stock manifold is a 3-2-1 design , BTW) . It's been documented & dyno-proven many , many times through the years .

The '77 will have 2 electric fans up front , none on the engine . All rubber-bumper MGBs had the 2 fans w/the rad moved front , except for some early '75 cars , which retained the single fan on the engine . On the electric fan cars , we'll sometimes wire in a switch to allow the owner to turn the fans on at any time , just in case (relayed , of course) .

Upgrading the alternator is a good idea , but not what I'd call "necessary" . Installing a new/rebuilt one is always a good idea . At this point in it's life , the car's probably had the stock electronic ignition replaced (most likely with a pirrahna (sp?) ignition) . It will fail also , with no warning . A "Pertronics" ignition is a good replacement electronic ignition . New plugs , cap , rotor & wires is a no-brainer .

Go over ALL flexible fuel hoses ! Replace them with new , as they're probably old & cracked , even under the braiding . Replace the electric fuel pump if it hasn't had one VERY recently . That's a common failure item . Replace it with an O.E. replacement S.U. fuel pump , NOT some kind of generic "box-type" fuel pump . It will cause more trouble than it's worth , TRUST ME !!

Look the car over VERY CLOSELY for rust !!!!!!! Get down on your knees & look under the car . If it's a rusty car , walk away ! Like Brian said , it's VERY hard to replace the sills/rockers safely & correctly . We have a specially-made frame jig to keep the cars to spec while replacing those bits . The rockers are made up of 4 layers of pieces to make the car strong , as needed for a UNIBODY design to be safe . It cannot be fixed easily in your driveway . A quick check ... are there 2 seams/side under the doors ?? There should be one seam where the fender overlaps the rocker under the front of the door edge , and one seam under the rear edge of the door . If there's no seam , or only one ... someone's been covering up rust (= bad news) !!

Go over the braking system with a fine-toothed comb . If anything is suspect ... REPLACE IT . It's your safety ! Brake rotors come new at minimum thickness , so if they're pitted/warped , give it new ones . Brake hoses are cheap - replace 'em if they're not near-new . Check the rear metal brake pipes closely . They're often smashed shut by towtruck drivers that throw the hooks up over the rear axle to hook it down on the flatbed . If I've seen it once , I've seen it a million times .

Mechanicals are one thing , a rusty car is another . Haveing a solid car is THE most important thing !!!! Tell your dad NOT to worry about keeping it bone stock . Rubber bumper MGBs aren't worth enough to worry about that (sad , but true) . With a couple low-buck mods , it can be a VERY fun driver .

Please PM me with any/all concerns you or your dad have about the car . I'm always glad to help .

to echo what Allen said on the carbs, i've heard the dual SUs are the best option for Z-S conversions from other sources as well.

Also, to clarify, 1977 cars did not have a 3-2-1 header as earlier cars did. It was a 4-1 POS. Same with the intake manifold. I've heard VERY mixed results on aftermarket headers, shoot for an OEM design as Allen mentioned.

incidentally, the only reason i sold my 74 B GT was because of rust, the mechanical bits didn't scare me!

Allright guys, sounds good. I will probally forward this via email to my dad so he can read it for himself and make a decision. The rust scares me becuase in MN, everything rusts up there so I can hope it was stored for the winter. I have quite a bit of expirience with rust damage, but if its that hard to do, I agree that it is not worth buying the car. as for the carb and breathing mods, I think I could talk him into them, especially if he sees how slow it is when he first drives it. And I will get back to you on those parts Brian if we get the car. thanks alot guys, this is a huge help. I'll let ya know what happens with it.