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 .

~~~~~~~ Phil Black & Tan 2000 SVT Contour #2137 of 2150 35,000 miles & counting !