Sorry you couldn’t see the MGA, Johnny. Try:
http://www.members.aol.com/jasg/mycar.jpg
For your move to Washington - if near Seattle, these guys are the best MGB shop around - not a restoration shop, just plain, no nonsense mechanics who know the cars well. They did the heavy lifting that I couldn’t do on my MGA.
A very active MGCC centre up here too.
And I have to second my esteemed Dutch friend, BRG is the way to go. Although that red MGA had me doubting for a while…
Wow, I haven’t thought of Performance Motors in a long time. I used to take my B-GT there, and they’d cry if they saw the shape it’s in now.
Is Doug Beagley still around? He’d be getting on in years, I think he was a Spitfire mechanic in England during World War II. He was also the longest-serving overseas member of the MG Car Club. When they computerized their membership records they lost track of him because his member number was only four digits. He’s a good guy, track him down if you can; look for a white MGB roadster with a V8 in it.
The real joke would obviously have been to overbid by $10 with 5 minutes on the clock. Then sell it to Johnny at a $1000 premium. 
Heh. Except that I put in my bid with 10 seconds left. 
Speaking of Spits, how 'bout that Triumph Spitfire? I always wanted one of those (to go along with the three MGBs I had at the time). I once saw a Spitfire (Triumph) painted like a Spitfire (Supermarine) – green and brown with sky blue on the bottom, and a big RAF insignia on the side. (BTW: I also wanted a bright red TR6. When we lived in Japan we had a red TR4, but I was too young to remember it except for one instance.)
Me want!
As far as Washington goes, my boss told me not to expect to be laid off any time soon. I’ll have to have the work done down here. (And while the mechanic is working on the car, I can work on polishing up my DataStage skills! ) I’m likely to move up to the Bellingham area (that’s where I’m looking for a house), so I’ll need to find a mechanic in Vancouver, B.C. as it’s closer than Seattle. Or maybe there’s a mech in B’ham? A co-worker visited the area last month and she said she saw a rally of MGs on the road up there.
Okay. The colour. I count four votes for red, one for white, and three for BRG. While I really like BRG (and the Matchbox – or is it Johnny Lightning? – MGB I bought a couple of years ago is BRG), I’m not considering it for this one. I talked to the seller yesterday and he said when he was taking it apart he saw evidence that it was originally white – which would have been a job, since everything in the engine bay must have been removed. He said the bonnet is white. (BTW: I asked him if it was aluminum. He didn’t know, but he said he did notice that there was no rust on it. I said he should try a magnet on it.)
So now I’m leaning back toward white, mostly because I think the red interior with white piping would be really neat. So that’s four votes for red and one for white, plus a tentative for white by me.
She said she was going to! 
The auction ended later than I thought, so I was sitting there wanting to bid, but not daring to. (FWIW, my max bid was $1,234.56. It was nice not to have to go that high. )
So just a general question, what do you expect this to cost for a restoration? Will you do any of it yourself? Or have it all done by a ‘professional’? I had a 72 Buick Skylark Convertable that I had to get rid of recently because it wouldn’t pass state inspection, and I just didn’t have the time/money to have all the work done to it. And I’m lusting after another convertable/roadster. Although I’ve heard that MG’s are a pain for maintanence. Any comments or advice from other ‘older’ car owners?
That Spitfire painted up as a Spitfire-- I saw one once when I was but a mere sprout, say twenty years ago or so, and I wonder if it’s the same one? It was on the Maple Valley Highway, just outside Renton…
As far as restoration costs go, last time I did a complete car all at once (Hudson pickup, 1985), it was about $12 grand. My friend The God Of Citroens says that $25 grand is about the minimum nowadays. We’ve been doing the Rambler bit by bit so I am carefully not adding up the cost.
I bought a 74 (?) MGB once. Needed works fine parts just sitting there. Plus it had a lot of parts. I would have done better with a Triumph, they don’t have as many parts.
Oh, I mean that it ‘needed parts just sitting there’ Like when I would start it the next time it would need a new generator…
Oh, I wish I lived in Washington! No, I saw it in Lancaster, CA.
I’d like to do it myself, but I don’t have the workspace, tools or time. I’ll have to give it to a “professional”. I’ve found a mechanic near my workplace. He usually works on MF T-series, and he says the repair bills are usually around $6,600 – but MGB parts cost much less. He says: “Prices a fraction of what a Japanese, German, or American car would cost. I hate to ballpark an estimate, as there is always more than meets the eye needed on these cars. The price will be fair, the work proper, and I’ll always try to save you money. Many times that means I make less, as I still try to do the most for the least $$$.”
For the cosmetic stuff: “We know a few paint shops in the area. I have a great upholstery place in Orange that I use often, for seats & carpet.”
handy: It’s amazing how mechanical things suffer from entropy. It seems like the best way to keep them in shape is to keep using them. But indeed, MGBs seem to require a little more attention than other cars. My previous '66 spouted oil leaks continually. Fix one, and it comes out somewhere else. One of the '77s had a phantom fan. Thermostatically controlled, it was supposed to turn itself on when the engine was hot. This one would turn itself on any time of the day or night regardless of whether the engine was hot or cold, and run down the battery. (The '66 doesn’t have this problem, as it doesn’t have electric fans.) The other '77 would stall at stop signs, but otherwise run fine. Turned out an exhaust gasket (or “doughnut”?) had cracked and then engine bay was filling with non-combustible exhaust gasses when the car was not in motion.
But I no longer have to depend on a sportscar for my primary transportation.
Johnny, my friend had a MGC & I worked on it for her & I looked under it one day & there just seemed to be these places where parts should be but there weren’t any parts.
I like the MGC best.
There was a box waiting for me when I got home. “Ar? Can’t be the Lord of the Rings DVD set with the Argonath bookends. That box is going to the office. Hm. I haven’t bought anything on eBay recently (except for the MGB). What is it?”
It’s a Haynes repair manual, a Haynes restoration manual (as if I’m actually going to restore it myself), and a reprint of the original MGB owner’s manual (quite accurate, to judge by the photos I’ve seen on eBay).
But I only ordered them Monday! That’s quick service, Moss Motors!
I guess I really was too young to remember it. I just talked to my mom, and she said the “TR4” was actually a Triumph Herald convertible. She said it was Navy Blue originally, but my dad (a Navy Lt.) preferred red, so he had it painted. She said the Herald went to Japan with us.
Okay, I’ve ordered a 1:43 scale MGB model. Old English White with a red interior and black top and wire wheels. Just like mom’s/mine.
Ah, bliss on a nice summer day…a nice convertible! And especially a pretty one like a chrome bumper MGB…
My dad had a white with red interior 58 Corvette when I was growing up, so I, too, have a strong affinity for that color combo. But, the B does look so nice in red with the chrome… But, I do agree, not black vinyl on a 'vert. Don’t know if it would have been an original color combo, but what about the red with a biscuit color (dark tan) interior? Maybe black carpet for a little color contrast.
Bill
Welcome to The Straight Dope, FriendBill.
Not really into brown cars, actually. I saw a biscuit-coloured Porsche 944 once, and I’ve seen other “dark tan” cars. I think I’ll go with the Old English White. The Moss Motors catalogue has a nice coour photo of the red carpeting. Looks really nice.
Thanks for the welcome!
Sorry if I wasn’t clear…I meant the red exterior with a dark tan interior! But I can quite understand the powerful pull of nostalgia! My dad always says “White cars are faster!” (well, he would, now, wouldn’t he, having had 2 white with red interior Corvettes!)
Bill
:smack: Okay. I mis-read your post. I see the interior part now.
I’ve e-mailed the seller. He has agreed to trailer the car down to the mechanic for a small fee. Groovy! Now parking isn’t so critical.
A question for Rick. In the other thread you said:
I thought I read that the switch came in 1967, although I’ve also heard late-1966. As I mentioned, my mom new 1966 had 1967 parts on it; so I’m thinking that there may have been tube-type axles in 1966 (although I don’t remember what was on mom’s/mine). As I posted, the ad said:
I talked to the seller, and here is the story: The car is a California car. (I think two-thirds of the MGBs manufactured came to the U.S. and two-thirds of those came to California.) The car was purchased by a guy in Arkansas. He had a shop in Merced, CA work on it to get it roadworthy. He either spent $1,300 or he sent an additional $1,300 after having some initial work done. When he came out to pick it up, the engine had been worked on and is running. The car has new tyres and muffler, and the radiator and carurettors are clean. But it still wasn’t “roadworthy”. The owner had an MGA that was “turn-key” – i.e., ready to go – so he gave back the MGB and took the MGA instead. Although the car is registered in Arkansas, it’s never been out of California.
Now about the year… The title says it’s a '66. There is no way of knowing until I can check the VIN or body number, but I assume for now that it’s a '66. I’m not aware of any “body” changes for 1967 until reverse-indicator lights were added later in that year. This car does not have them. IIRC, my mom’s car had a little sticker in the lower-right corner of the windscreen saying that it met 1968 California safety requirements – but I’m not sure about the year. I think I remember 1968 on that 1966 car.
Given that the car’s title says 1966 (and as I run a website for old Willys Jeeps, I’ve seen some rigs that had titles that did not reflect the year of manufacture as evidenced by the seriel number), and the car has a “tube type” rear axle but lacks the reverse indicator lights that appeared later in 1967, what is the possibility that the car I bought is A) a late-1966 model with a correct 1966 title, or B) an early-1967 model with an incorrect 1966 title?
No worries about getting parts, as they are plentiful for all but the earliest years; and while I’d prefer a 1966, I was looking for a 1965-1967. So if it turns out to be a '67 that’s okay. I just want to make sure I’m calling it what it is.
Welcome to the wonderful world of “the factory did WHAT”?
If the title says '66, it is a '66 - by law. The fact that somebody had just filled the parts bin with a new style of (whatever) does not change the legal definition.
If, however, the VIN is recorded (by MG) as a '67, and the engine matches, and the title matches those numbers, you’ve got an interesting situation. But first, find out how to get DMV to issue a CA title.
Johnny my '67 roadster has a banjo axle. So did my sister’s '67.
I’m in Seattle this week and don’t have access to my MG manuals which are at home, so all of the following is IIRC.
What follows is a stream of thoughts on various vintages of B’s.
In 1965 MGB went from three main bearings in the engine, to 5.
At or about the same time, the door handles went from pull to push button.
1966 cars have a different gas tank than 65’s or 67’s (ask me how I know this)
As far as I know the following changes all occured at the start of the 1968 model year.
New dash (padded)
side marker lights (although these may have come in very late '67 when the back up lights did)
Full syncromesh transmission
Negative gound electrical system (sticker under the hood said “negative earth”)
changes to the emissions system (California got a air pump, not sure about other states)
High backed seats (I think that vinyl became standard at this point, all the early cars I have seen were leather.)
different steering wheel
starter solonoid relocated to the starter, perviously on the inner fender.
convertible top went to fold away, as standard, perviously this was an option.
wire wheel knock-offs deleted, 2-3/8" nut used instead.
Banjo to tube axle
So how can you tell which year your car is?
Look at the items I have mentioned above. Most of these items can be exchanged between the years with one exception. The one that I feel is most telling is the transmission. The late transmission is larger physically and very diffcult to install in an early car. I won’t say impossible, but not a project that someone would do in their driveway. So if you car has the late transmission, I would tend to call it a '68. Here is how you tell the difference.
The early crash box (non-syncro first gear) had a gear lever that was crome and came straight out of the boot for about 2" the made a 45 degree turn to the rear. In about another 2" it curved back to vertical. The late transmission has a straight shift lever.
If you are still taking votes I vote against the white. My B is that color and It has never looked really clean. Anyway I like burn your ass black seats
Wrenchr/Rick