1971 MGB GT - Even more ICE - that's it, I'm done - see page 38

[Peter C]

@MrBig

Thanks mate, we're on the same page.

My Sapphire's install is more discreet but just as naughty.

[Peter C]

Dry and bright autumn morning, day off, MGB with a proper sound system in the garage, all good reasons for a little drive and a couple of photo opportunities.

 

Time for a cuppa and a Twix, with BBC Radio 5 on in the background. 

What’s not to like!

[Dj_efk]

Nice - Somewhere around Marlow I'm guessing? The scenery looks familiar.

[Peter C]

12 minutes ago, Dj_efk said:

Somewhere around Marlow I'm guessing?

We have a winner!

Exact spot is between Bourne End and Little Marlow.

[vtec-e]

The GT is very photogenic. I hope the sounds were bangin' !

It is a easy number plate to recall and look out for. Will it be out and about again this autumn ?

[Peter C]

4 hours ago, vtec-e said:

The GT is very photogenic. I hope the sounds were bangin' !

It is a easy number plate to recall and look out for. Will it be out and about again this autumn ?

Sound system has been properly tested and it passed with flying colours.

The B will, most likely, be used at some point in the next four weeks.

I’m having an operation on my shoulder on the 28th November and I won’t be able to drive for a good couple of weeks.

[grogee]

15 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Sound system has been properly tested and it passed with flying colours.

The B will, most likely, be used at some point in the next four weeks.

I’m having an operation on my shoulder on the 28th November and I won’t be able to drive for a good couple of weeks.

Good luck with the op. 

I love your B, I think I'm a convert. 

[Peter C]

1 minute ago, grogee said:

Good luck with the op. 

I love your B, I think I'm a convert. 

Thanks mate.

I’m ok about the op, it’s the aftermath that bothers me. I won’t have use of my right arm for at least two weeks. 

I love the B too. It has many shortcomings but even more charm. The new sound system has made it even more fun to drive. Best of all, it’s just so pretty and I love the patina.

[loserone]

I'm sure as an MG owner, your wife will help out as needed.

[loserone]

Driving you about I mean.

[Peter C]

24 minutes ago, loserone said:

Driving you about I mean.

My wife has never driven the B and having a go when I’m sore and grumpy won’t be a good idea!

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

I’m having an operation on my shoulder on the 28th November and I won’t be able to drive for a good couple of weeks.

I don't know what they're doing, but 2 weeks seems a tad optimistic to me M9. Hope it goes OK and you have plenty planned to keep you entertained whilst recouperating

[Peter C]

Just now, High Jetter said:

I don't know what they're doing, but 2 weeks seems a tad optimistic to me M9. Hope it goes OK and you have plenty planned to keep you entertained whilst recouperating

I’m having a torn tendon reattached to the shoulder ball. Sounds properly fucked up. Two weeks is optimistic, I know. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to function after spending two weeks watching tv but full on car tinkering will be off the menu until well into next year.

[Wibble]

3 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I’m having a torn tendon reattached to the shoulder ball. Sounds properly fucked up. Two weeks is optimistic, I know. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to function after spending two weeks watching tv but full on car tinkering will be off the menu until well into next year.

What’s this, op number 2? At least you got plenty done this week mate. Hope all goes well.

[Peter C]

6 minutes ago, Wibble said:

What’s this, op number 2? At least you got plenty done this week mate. Hope all goes well.

Yeah, the op that I had last August didn’t do the trick. This is the big one, should hopefully work this time.

[Wibble]

19 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Yeah, the op that I had last August didn’t do the trick. This is the big one, should hopefully work this time.

Fingers crossed for you mate.

[Peter C]

12 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Fingers crossed for you mate.

😘

[High Jetter]

57 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Yeah, the op that I had last August didn’t do the trick. This is the big one, should hopefully work this time.

Double ouch. Mobility is important, do as yer told and leave the fleet until January, is my recommendation.

[Peter C]

37 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Double ouch. Mobility is important, do as yer told and leave the fleet until January, is my recommendation.

Any volunteers to keep it going?

[Wibble]

49 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Any volunteers to keep it going?

Yes, I’ll visit if needed.

[chadders]

15 hours ago, Peter C said:

My wife has never driven the B and having a go when I’m sore and grumpy won’t be a good idea!

Mine won't drive mine so it went a few months without being run when I injured my back. The brakes were fine, I left the handbrake off, but the clutch occasionally stuck until I got my eldest just to depress it a few times every 2 or 3 weeks.

When I did start it it took a bit longer than normal due to the fuel lines being dry but that was the only side effect.

I've left it for months at a time due to various reasons without any harm, something I'm sure that wouldn't have been the case if I'd bought an Elan Sprint instead. The latter would be worth a fair bit more now if it'd manage to survive the crashes I had in the MG.

[vtec-e]

On 31/10/2025 at 21:16, Peter C said:

Any volunteers to keep it going?

I'm nearby too, just a few minutes down the M40.

 

[Peter C]

The new ICE sounds great but was missing a bit of fizz up front. 

The 4" speakers fitted in the doors are of basic dual cone design and they could sound clearer. I bought them to fit in the Sierra's front doors because they most resembled the original Ford speakers but I soon realised they weren't that great and fitted a pair of tweeters.

I decided to do the same in the MGB.

I bought a cheap pair of tweeters from Amazon and decided to fit them along the bottom of the windscreen posts, making use of existing mounting holes.

Fitting was easy and I connected the wires along the bottom of the A-posts, where the door speaker cables pass through.

Job done, they look relatively discreet.

They provide some much needed tssst tssst up front.

Job done.

 

 

[Peter C]

This piece of interior trim came with the MGB and it's taken me over a year to get round to fitting it.

It belongs along the top rear section of the roof.

The panel had become distorted and all but one of the fixing clips were missing and most of the holes where the clips fix into were stretched. I ended up fitting the panel with one clip, two screws that originally secured the luggage area light fitting to the roof and I tucked the panel in under the top side panels. It fitted better than I thought it would. Win.

I use this stuff for cleaning surfaces that will not clean up with any other substance known to man.

The white vinyl luggage area side trims were dirty. In the past, wet wipes hardly made an impression. 

Within five minutes, both panels looked like new.

Annoying stain on the headlining.

No moar.

Next, I loaded up the B's boot with cardboard that needed taking to the tip.

It was a tight fit!

And the last few bits had to ride shotgun.

Nice the see the B earning its keep.

After lunch, the sun came out and I fancied taking the B for a longer drive.

First stop, my local Esso.

I took the B down the A404 into Maidenhead, then back home via Taplow and past Cliveden, about 20ish miles. It performed perfectly. This is the best that the B has been running since I got it back on the road, approx a year ago. I've been constantly adjusting the mixture screws on the carburettors to get it to run better and I think I've finally got it right. It still idles too high but as I rarely spend time queueing in traffic, that doesn't bother me.

The 7 speaker sound system sounds great. Whilst I have made a rule in life to avoid paedophiles, I must admit Michael Jackson's Thriller always sounds good on a decent sound system. Faithless tracks sound even better. The exposed subwoofer doesn't belong in a 54 year old MGB but it makes such a difference to the sound quality. I love it.

Finally, I've dropped a period copy of an Autocar Handbook into the map pocket.

I will take every opportunity to drive the B within the next 20 days, before my operation, as I won't be able to manage the B's heavy steering until well into 2026.

 

 

 

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

try chemical brothers- galvanize to give the sub a treat

[stuboy]

try katy b ... on a mission

[Marina door handles]

How about banging on some classic Timmy Mallet or some Cheeky girls and testing your sanity??

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, Marina door handles said:

How about banging on some classic Timmy Mallet or some Cheeky girls and testing your sanity??

How about not?

[jim89]

13 minutes ago, Peter C said:

How about not?

 Now come on! "Be the rainbow in someone else's day for once " (or some such do goody touchy feely murketing BS that's apparently lodging in my brain grrrrrr)

[Noel Tidybeard]

this as well 👌