1971 MGB GT - Test drive achieved!!!! - see page 14

[Peter C]

Whilst out and about at the Beaulieu Autojumble today, I was on a lookout for parts for my Sierra when I stumbled on this:

A 1971 MGB GT, running and driving, in need of light restoration.

93k miles but who knows, may be more. 

The mileage reading in 2006, when the car was last MoTd, was just under 93k.

There's no history whatsoever, the seller thinks he has the logbook but isn't sure. The seller is Andy Jennings of MG Spares. He's been around for 45 years and was a complete gent and an absolute delight to do business with. After the crap I had with my Sierra's paperwork, I really don't care about old receipts and service records. 

I've been looking at chrome bumper MGB GTs and prices for proper running cars generally start at around £5kish although the adverts usually make some reference to rust and various defects. I recall that @SiC sold a decent chrome bumper MGB GT for around £5k recently. 

I got this one for £1,950 and that includes delivery to my gaff. A fair price for what looks like a solid car. It's obviously been standing for a long time but must have been dry stored as there is no water related degradation inside or out. Dare I call it a barn find?

I had a look at the floors, inner sills, boot floor, inner wings in the engine bay, all looked sound. I laid on the grass to have a look underneath and I didn't find any horrors. There is some cosmetic rust here and there but nothing major. The paint needs cutting and polishing and should be ok. There is no evidence of any major bodging or overspray on rubbers and chrome. The engine started at the second attempt and sounded healthy, although the carbs need fettling. The clutch works well, all gears go in and the seller is confident that the overdrive works ok. The brake pedal is soft when first depressed, then it's solid when pressed again. Hopefully just air in the system. I only drove the MG a foot forward and back again but that was enough to fall in love with it.

The interior needs TLC and the seats are wrong for the year. Doesn't matter as I propose to rip everything out and put bucket seats in. That was always my plan.

The MG is getting delivered to my place on Thursday. According to Wikipedia, a chrome bumper MGB GT is 3,886mm long and the spare space in my garage will accommodate a car up to 4,100mm, so at least the MG will have somewhere warm and dry to continue its hibernation until I get around to fixing it up.

The plan is to SORN it and fix it up over the winter months, ready for next summer, a bit like what I did with the Sierra this year. 

A few more pics.

There was another MGB GT for sale at the same price but it was a rubber bumper model (don't like them), that needs welding, is not a runner and has a lot more rust poking out from beneath the shiny blue paint than the one I bought.

Or there was this four seater push bike, a snip at £2,200.

More soon.

 

[SiC]

Cheap! Congratulations. 

I do regret selling mine at times. 

[wuvvum]

Bargain that.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

That looks a lot of MG for sub 2k. I've always liked GTs as well as Triumph GT6s and even their values have gone from bonkers to not too bad since covid and the cost of living issues. 

Looking forward to updates. 

[danthecapriman]

Looks very good for the money. Not a state, but just a bit ‘tired’ really.

Those seats it’s got fitted look crap though!😄

[500tops]

[yes oui si]

Bargain, less than twice what I got for my non-running basket case one earlier this year. 

[garethj]

Looks like a good one for the money, well bought!

I thought your requirements were less than 6 seconds 0-60?  Even 60km/h would need a very steep hill 😀

[Soundwave]

If it's as solid as it looks, reckon that's a cracking buy. My kind of project, just fettling rather than major surgery. Good luck with it!

[SiC]

1 hour ago, 500tops said:

That looks like a spitfire to me!

[reb]

I really like these, but I am entirely too long-limbed to fit comfortably in them.

[High Jetter]

Am not a huge fan but hope you enjoy it. Wheels (5) & knob not original, but so what.

[Marina door handles]

Looks pretty solid and a great buy at that price!  

[bangernomics]

Welllllll bought.

[SiC]

7 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Wheels (5)

Rostyles I believe became standard from 1970 making them correct.

[loserone]

9 hours ago, reb said:

I really like these, but I am entirely too long-limbed to fit comfortably in them.

You're bordering on a dwarf compared to @task who lost the back seats and had think MX5 tombstones set what felt like as far back as they could go.

 

I distinctly remember the feeling of not being able to reach the brakes properly as the V8 effortlessly rumbled me up to 70mph 😅

[grogee]

Beginning to see the appeal of these, well bought if it's not rusty! 

You will now have to learn the special MG owner handshake and also to tut disapprovingly at 80s badge engineered MGs. As for the new ones... Heaven forfend! 

[Peter C]

Gents,

Thank you to all for your kind replies.

Agreed that, if it's not rotten underneath, I got it for a great price, bearing in mind the price includes delivery. If the MG finds itself on my driveway on Thursday as planned, I will hopefully have time next weekend to jack it up (VERY CAREFULLY) and have a good look underneath. I am not expecting perfection and I have a good mobile welder who will be able to help if anything needs sorting.

I will be away holiday twice over the next couple of months so initially progress will be slow. When I bought the Sierra, I was expecting it to be in good enough condition to drive immediately and I was planning on taxing it as soon as it arrived and take it to a work appointment in Windsor. Not so the MG, I know it needs a bit of TLC and my target date for a first drive is sometime in the spring.

@danthecapriman I'm three years younger than the MG and I'm tired so I can imagine how it feels.

@500tops That's not an MGB!

@yes oui si I didn't know you had one.

@garethj I had two plans, a quick small car or an MGB GT. The quick small car that I wanted doesn't exist, hence this.

@reb I'm 6ft2, 15 stone and fit fine although I plan to make more space with a bucket seat and a smaller steering wheel.

@High Jetter Rostyles were standard on this vintage of MGB, as @SiC has already confirmed.

 

 

[yes oui si]

I have a pair of mx5 seats with brackets to fit a BGT... 

[Peter C]

30 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

I have a pair of mx5 seats with brackets to fit a BGT... 

Show me please.

[cort16]

Mx5 engine transplant ?

[Peter C]

10 minutes ago, cort16 said:

Mx5 engine transplant ?

Not under my watch.

[yes oui si]

31 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Show me please.

I'll get photos when I'm not recovering from the car smash. They're at the back of my parents' garage

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

 Rostyles were standard on this vintage of MGB

I sit corrected - though I kinda prefer wires on chrome bumper cars, rostyles on the later ones.

[garethj]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

Not under my watch.

I think there’s a lot to be said for enjoying these as they were intended.  They were never made as revvy little sports cars, it’s a British car and that means a long stroke engine with decent torque and that’s how you drive it.

Revvy urgent little cars are Italian, or even a Mk1 MX5 and they do a much better job at it than a converted MGB.

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

I sit corrected - though I kinda prefer wires on chrome bumper cars, rostyles on the later ones.

Wires can be a liability if the splines and spokes wear, which they will have done on a 53 year old car.

I’ve had well over a hundred cars but until now none of them wore Rostyles. I’m excited.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Nah, Rostyles are better if you intend to drive the car. I've had one car with wire wheels and I swore I'd not have another. 

The car looks fantastic, I think it's a hell of a bargain. 

 

[Six-cylinder]

My one is a 1972 so very similar.

I believe mine is pretty original.

Sometimes I think of selling it as I don't use it much, but when I do drive it I end up thinking I keep it a little longer. That is 13 years so far!

[Joey spud]

When I was younger I despised MGBGT's and laughed out loud and called them A60/Sherpa coupes. But now I'm in my 50's I really want a scruffy but solid chrome GT.

 

[Peter C]

17 minutes ago, Joey spud said:

When I was younger I despised MGBGT's and laughed out loud and called them A60/Sherpa coupes. But now I'm in my 50's I really want a scruffy but solid chrome GT.

 

I’m with you 100%

I always judged MG owners for buying the obvious classic sports car that has a plodding underpowered engine. People buy a classic car to be different and MGs certainly are the least different classic car that you can buy in the UK and as sports cars go, they are not particularly sporty.

But, now I’m 50, I really appreciate the shape of a chrome bumper B GT and the amazing availability of parts makes them so easy to own.

I’m just praying that mine isn’t rotten underneath.