Just how much pain could a cheap MGB GT Be?

[320touring]

Ever since hiring the burd an MGB roadster for her birthday a couple of years ago, I've had an unhealthy attraction to the Sherpa Sportback..

 

Assuming I can find one with Sills rather than pizza boxes* and some decent MOT on it, how much trouble am I likely to experience?

 

Mechanically they seem fairly simple, and parts/spares are easy enough to come by (certainly no Lancia)

 

 

Also, does anyone know of any for sale ate shiterspec pricing?

[Felly Magic]

It's one of those buy with caution jobs tbh, but rubber bumper ones are generally cheaper. There are a few on ebay sub a grand at the mo, but I personally would be very wary. Replacing the sills on them is a major job when they go as well.

 

This one here must be one of the very last off the line on a X 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-MG-B-GT-YELLOW-/271397704925?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f309054dd 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

So long as you find one with decent bodywork, what could go wrong? They are less complicated than the average toaster.

 

Sadly the prices crept up a bit while I wasn't paying attention. I was previously content that whatever happened, five minutes strumming almost recognisable bars of Let It Be in the town centre would earn me enough loose change to buy an OrangeRed rubber bumper with baggy orange upholstery. 

 

But they're still pretty cheap, look, this one's got a year's MOT and is up for £1750 offers invited. 

 

 

Their owners tend to be the older gentleman, that's why they came with a catheter bag already hooked up behind the carbs:

 

 

Here's TWO for £850, one of which even has the BEST upholstery:

 

 

 

[SambaS]

I really like them, up to the point where there's more than one or two in the same place at the same time.

[Guest Breadvan72]

I confess to an unfair and irrational hatred for the MGB GT, probably started by having borrowed one from a  friend years ago and found it to be Dan dire.  It was probably just a shaggered one.   Then my first ever classic car was a Triumph Vitesse ("the two seater beater") and so I went all Spurs vs Arsenal about Triumph vs MG.  More recently, I tend to get wound up by seeing MGBs permanently installed in the inside lane of motorways, never going above 55 mph, and by the propensity of the well paid but unimaginative youngish City solicitor to satisfy his girlfriend's request for a pretty old sports car by buying a red MG with chrome bits and wire wheels, thus causing them to be hugely over priced.  Also an MG garage almost killed a rather special Lotus that I was fond of when I very stupidly gave it to them to work on.   They also called the Lotus (a press car that Chapman may possibly have sat in or touched)  a "kit car".  

 

Each of these reasons is, as I confess, irrational and unfair and in fact MGBs are pretty good really as BL saloons in drag go.    I lerve me a Midget, me, but realise that that is a different bag of spanners altogether.

 

Go for it!   If it keeps you out of the hands of Lancias and Princesses it can only be a good thing.  GLWTP!

[michael1703]

Obviously the rubber bumper is cheapest but if you don't like its black bits you can chrome bumper convert it

 

£850 is the cheapest you will get an mot'd and taxed hard top, a roadster will be twice as much.

 

I've had one for years which my other half used to commute 350 miles a week in and it was fairly reliable.

 

Electrics are worse on the later models,later carbs (HIF) are harder to keep in tune than the earlier hs4s, once you've put leccy ignition on and schooled your other half on the proper use of a choke, it should be fine,they need a good strong 069 battery to get em spinning over fast enough to catch as the battery lead has a lot of voltage drop over its distance.

 

They rot obviously,first to go are the seams,one on the rear wing top is the hardest to fix,any major bubbling here means trouble,if you open the tailgate and feel behind this seam you might find a big lump of sponge which the manufacturer thought would make good sound deadening but is actually a moisture trap which rots the panel from the inside out.

 

Tailgate leaks and rots the boot out, be careful opening the tailgate as the springs are nasty and if not working it will guillotine shut on you

 

Front wing seam is easier to replace but if rotten it may have spread to the windscreen surround lower corners

 

The sill rot is normally the castle rail first followed by everything else and then chassis rail and outriggers follow, check the bulkhead around the brake/clutch master cylinder as they also rot there

 

They leak water and aren't very windproof due to that big heater duct in the middle of the car, there's a rubber elbow which gets blocked called a "parsons nose" which causes a wet floorpan

 

Otherwise,go for it, the engine/box/clutch/axles are bulletproof

 

Brakes are cheap, pair of rear wheel cylinders are a tenner, you can buy brand new front calipers for £65

[michael1703]

Here's a rough snotter I tidied up,lost a few quid on this as the customer was a complete cunt

 

It shows the outer sill, the bit that's raised is the castle rail and you can see chassis rail and jacking point etc

 

http://s1007.photobucket.com/user/mpaclassics/media/74%20teal%20blue%20MGB/101110790.jpg.html?sort=2&o=52

[Station]

I like the rubber bumper variant, but doubt I'll ever own one as I know what it would be like (slow, bad of fuel, unreliable, etc).

[saucedoctor]

This must be pretty impressive:

[mercrocker]

Buy a Farina Coupe by all means.   I would like an early GT on steelies but I already have enough oxidised BMC steel.   However, what you  must never do is buy a baseball cap with the octagonal badge nor ever a fleecy gilet with likewise.....

[Partridge]

I really don't like them, weezy, cramped, slow, ugly, rusty, leaky and underpowered. So god knows why I want one.

[Sigmund Fraud]

I had a late chrome bumper one a few years back... Bodywork is the main issue as they can hide rust remarkably well. Also, because they're so mainstream, most of them have been restored* multiple times by specialists* using copious amounts of chicken wire and filler.

 

Every single panel is available off the shelf, but they can be very, very pricey (if you want to be put off, price up a pair of front wings !). Also keep in mind that the car is a monocoque that relies on a rather complex sill structure for most of its strength. Keeping things aligned properly if DIY restoring can be a pain.

 

Running gear is 1950s family saloon, hence everything is simple and reliable. Parts are widely available, far eastern reproductions are ridiculously cheap but can be very poor quality, new old stock bits are sought after hence can get expensive (and, as one would expect from BL, can also be poor quality !).

 

The driving experience of the 'chrome' cars is grossly overrated, never driven a 'rubber' car but they can't be better.

 

Verdict : From a shitter's perspective, there are far better ways to spend £2K ! But if you're reaching retirement age and are looking for a way to relive your youth, things can't get much better than putting on your bomber jacket on a drizzly Sunday morning and driving your MGB at 20MPH to your local car show, to meet like-minded enthusiasts*.

[Asimo]

Check under the bonnet. If the engine doesn't look like this, walk away.

[oman5]

 The ford mondeo of the classic car world. meh.

[TagoraSX]

Slightly more trouble than an expensive one.

[Guest Breadvan72]

OK, I was pulling my punches and being polite above, but now that I have some braver people to hide behind I will get all keyboarrd tough and say, yeah, MGBs are toss.

 

Still, if "this car is a pile of old wank" was a disincentive for purchase, there would be no Autoshite and the World would be an inferior place.  

[mercrocker]

I might be in the minority, I usually am...BUT for my money a rubber bumper car drives better than an early one.   I definitely prefer the looks of the early pre-black grille cars with their proper interiors.   However, none of the ones I have driven approached the rubber bumper cars for good ride/handling compromise if that is what you are looking for.    So, while I would rather have an early car the later one is the better buy.   Its not easy being me, BTW....

[nacho man]

In my younger days I used to have a hatred of MGBs, my mum and dad had one and used to take me to school in it in the 90's and I always thought they were for people who wanted a classic but didn't know anything about classics.

 

Then I was on eBay spotted a cheap one,bought it. Got no pics of it when I got it but it was pogweasled and out of tax and test.

 

 

Drove it back from Bristol to Nottingham. Polished it, serviced it. Got a man to fix the rust around the windscreen as I just cannot do bodywork.

 

I had it three years and sold it for mega profits. The only car this has ever happened on. Normally I am down £28656.98 when I sell a car.

 

I wouldn't have another though.

[face]

I really like them ever since a chap I used to work with let me drive his. It was a 1980 rubber-bumper that had been treated to a stage-2 upgrade.

 

It went really well and I have wanted one ever since.

 

There used to be a racing-type replica around Saffron Walden. Orange it was will perspex sealed headlights, roll-cage etc. That was bloody smart.

[320touring]

It's one of those buy with caution jobs tbh, but rubber bumper ones are generally cheaper. There are a few on ebay sub a grand at the mo, but I personally would be very wary. Replacing the sills on them is a major job when they go as well.

 

This one here must be one of the very last off the line on a X 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1981-MG-B-GT-YELLOW-/271397704925?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3f309054dd 

yeah it seems the sills are the kicker- body condition seems to be key as mechanicals are simple

 

I really like them, up to the point where there's more than one or two in the same place at the same time.

Luckily there isnt another in my street;-)

 

I confess to an unfair and irrational hatred for the MGB GT, probably started by having borrowed one from a  friend years ago and found it to be Dan dire.  It was probably just a shaggered one.   Then my first ever classic car was a Triumph Vitesse ("the two seater beater") and so I went all Spurs vs Arsenal about Triumph vs MG.  More recently, I tend to get wound up by seeing MGBs permanently installed in the inside lane of motorways, never going above 55 mph, and by the propensity of the well paid but unimaginative youngish City solicitor to satisfy his girlfriend's request for a pretty old sports car by buying a red MG with chrome bits and wire wheels, thus causing them to be hugely over priced.  Also an MG garage almost killed a rather special Lotus that I was fond of when I very stupidly gave it to them to work on.   They also called the Lotus (a press car that Chapman may possibly have sat in or touched)  a "kit car".  

 

Each of these reasons is, as I confess, irrational and unfair and in fact MGBs are pretty good really as BL saloons in drag go.    I lerve me a Midget, me, but realise that that is a different bag of spanners altogether.

 

Go for it!   If it keeps you out of the hands of Lancias and Princesses it can only be a good thing.  GLWTP!

 

A vittesse would be nice, as would a spitfire/gt6, the benefit of the BGT is that it has Burd approval

Obviously the rubber bumper is cheapest but if you don't like its black bits you can chrome bumper convert it

 

£850 is the cheapest you will get an mot'd and taxed hard top, a roadster will be twice as much.

 

I've had one for years which my other half used to commute 350 miles a week in and it was fairly reliable.

 

Electrics are worse on the later models,later carbs (HIF) are harder to keep in tune than the earlier hs4s, once you've put leccy ignition on and schooled your other half on the proper use of a choke, it should be fine,they need a good strong 069 battery to get em spinning over fast enough to catch as the battery lead has a lot of voltage drop over its distance.

 

They rot obviously,first to go are the seams,one on the rear wing top is the hardest to fix,any major bubbling here means trouble,if you open the tailgate and feel behind this seam you might find a big lump of sponge which the manufacturer thought would make good sound deadening but is actually a moisture trap which rots the panel from the inside out.

 

Tailgate leaks and rots the boot out, be careful opening the tailgate as the springs are nasty and if not working it will guillotine shut on you

 

Front wing seam is easier to replace but if rotten it may have spread to the windscreen surround lower corners

 

The sill rot is normally the castle rail first followed by everything else and then chassis rail and outriggers follow, check the bulkhead around the brake/clutch master cylinder as they also rot there

 

They leak water and aren't very windproof due to that big heater duct in the middle of the car, there's a rubber elbow which gets blocked called a "parsons nose" which causes a wet floorpan

 

Otherwise,go for it, the engine/box/clutch/axles are bulletproof

 

Brakes are cheap, pair of rear wheel cylinders are a tenner, you can buy brand new front calipers for £65

Seriously good advice-thanks a lot for that.

 

i wouldnt like a roadster due to the fact that the GT's leak enough a it is

 

Here's a rough snotter I tidied up,lost a few quid on this as the customer was a complete cunt

 

It shows the outer sill, the bit that's raised is the castle rail and you can see chassis rail and jacking point etc

 

http://s1007.photobucket.com/user/mpaclassics/media/74%20teal%20blue%20MGB/101110790.jpg.html?sort=2&o=52

helluva lot of work- warning duly noted!

 

I had a late chrome bumper one a few years back... Bodywork is the main issue as they can hide rust remarkably well. Also, because they're so mainstream, most of them have been restored* multiple times by specialists* using copious amounts of chicken wire and filler.

 

Every single panel is available off the shelf, but they can be very, very pricey (if you want to be put off, price up a pair of front wings !). Also keep in mind that the car is a monocoque that relies on a rather complex sill structure for most of its strength. Keeping things aligned properly if DIY restoring can be a pain.

 

Running gear is 1950s family saloon, hence everything is simple and reliable. Parts are widely available, far eastern reproductions are ridiculously cheap but can be very poor quality, new old stock bits are sought after hence can get expensive (and, as one would expect from BL, can also be poor quality !).

 

The driving experience of the 'chrome' cars is grossly overrated, never driven a 'rubber' car but they can't be better.

 

Verdict : From a shitter's perspective, there are far better ways to spend £2K ! But if you're reaching retirement age and are looking for a way to relive your youth, things can't get much better than putting on your bomber jacket on a drizzly Sunday morning and driving your MGB at 20MPH to your local car show, to meet like-minded enthusiasts*.

Good knowledge, cheers!

 

Check under the bonnet. If the engine doesn't look like this, walk away.

v8.jpg

 

TBH I'd rather fit a straight 6- just need the balls as the engine is in stock...

 The ford mondeo of the classic car world. meh.

 

That'd be the Mondeo that followed on from the Sierra and the Cortina? surely its time will come?

Slightly more trouble than an expensive one.

 

Touche, and indeed all too accurate likely

OK, I was pulling my punches and being polite above, but now that I have some braver people to hide behind I will get all keyboarrd tough and say, yeah, MGBs are toss.

 

Still, if "this car is a pile of old wank" was a disincentive for purchase, there would be no Autoshite and the World would be an inferior place.  

Breathe man, Breathe!

[Guest Breadvan72]

Get a GT6!  Waaaaaaay better, waaaaaaay rarer, waaaaaaaaaay cooler.   OK, hard to find one that is not knacked fer cheap, but have a look?  

[Vince70]

I had a 1970 one for 4 years it was troublesome but nothing too bad just silly things like a duff fuel pump wishbone bushes and a recurring fuel evaporation problem..

 

As for rust the thing that went on mine was the rear arches but new half wings are cheap but a word of advice don't let a mate called Steve try and cut the old ones off as you will find that you can't fit the new ones as he has cut too much metal away lol.

[cort16]

I'd have one but would want it with an mx-5 motor and proper front suspension. Ooh me trunions.

I actually think the coupes looks nice but if you buy an MGB for something different and turn up to a classic car show you'll be dissapointed. An internet fact* I read recently said that there's more MGB's taxed and on the road than Sierras.

[Fat_Pirate]

Stop this madness, just get a Mk1 MX5 for God's sake.

[320touring]

Get a GT6!  Waaaaaaay better, waaaaaaay rarer, waaaaaaaaaay cooler.   OK, hard to find one that is not knacked fer cheap, but have a look?

dey is all cheeps and rotten:(

 

I had a 1970 one for 4 years it was troublesome but nothing too bad just silly things like a duff fuel pump wishbone bushes and a recurring fuel evaporation problem..

 

As for rust the thing that went on mine was the rear arches but new half wings are cheap but a word of advice don't let a mate called Steve try and cut the old ones off as you will find that you can't fit the new ones as he has cut too much metal away lol.

I'll keep my grinder happy mates away from it:)

 

I'd have one but would want it with an mx-5 motor and proper front suspension. Ooh me trunions.

I actually think the coupes looks nice but if you buy an MGB for something different and turn up to a classic car show you'll be dissapointed. An internet fact* I read recently said that there's more MGB's taxed and on the road than Sierras.

The mx4 motor aint all that re performance/fuel economy vs the original- much better lumps out there, but I'd be happy with a decent original lump

 

suspension could benefit from some refinement, i agree

 

Stop this madness, just get a Mk1 MX5 for God's sake.

I would except

 

They rust just as badly

 

And I cant put it in 5th and remove me foot from the clutch- My leg gets stuck between lever and clutch

[Pillock]

They're not bad. What lets them down is the bulk of the owners being crashing bores about how it's the best car ever, they built theirs up from a drawing of a bolt they found in the attic, and if they still made cars like that MG would have taken over the world.

 

So for every owner that gushes over their MG B like a pre-pubescent teenage girl gushes over Justin Beiber, I balance it out by thinking they're a little bit more shit than they probably are. Got an engine and some wheels so they must be OK in some respects, right? However if cornered by someone with more octagons on their clothing than years left in their life I will continue to maintain that they're a shit Sherpa-based mid-life-crisis-mobile.

 

I'd quite like to drive one at some point, a nice one. But either I'll feel guilty for liking it a little bit, OR I'll be proven right about the tediousness of it all and then winding up giffers won't be as much fun since I'll know I'm right and since when has a safe argument been enjoyable? 

[HillmanImp]

Who bought a blue one on here for £800 a couple of years back. 

 

Personally I think these are MEGA value and pretty cool in most peoples eyes. Okay, they are an easy target but seem GR8VFM

[michael1703]

I might know of one for sale for about £800ish in suffolk,Daytona yellow colour about a 78 with Sebring valences on it

[scruff]

I really don't like them, weezy, cramped, slow, ugly, rusty, leaky and underpowered. So god knows why I want one.

 

Sounds brilliant, added bonus that they are so hated.

 

I think they are great, driven a few owned by friends and they are loads of fun. So what if there are bores in "the scene", no different from Land Rovers, Moggies even VWs and 2CVs. No one forces you to go to a MG show/join a MG club do they? 

[320touring]

I might know of one for sale for about £800ish in suffolk,Daytona yellow colour about a 78 with Sebring valences on it

Feel free to pm me details and pics if possible:)