Description
Priced at £4350.
MGBs are an excellent starter classic, with excellent parts availability, simple mechanicals and fantastic club/ enthusiast help and backup. The car is priced very competitively but do please be aware that this is not a concours show queen!
I’d term the car as an ongoing, running, driving, usable project, which could immediately be used regularly. It has just undergone a thorough mechanical going-over and recommissioning, having been laid up for the past few years due to the previous owner’s other commitments. The previous owner had the car for well over 20 years, and the car had a major restoration some thirty years back, with ongoing works since. The bodywork does let the car down in some areas but it makes a good basis for a car to take to the next level.
We bought the car to undertake a comprehensive bare-bones restoration but the truth is that we have far too many other projects in the workshop at the moment – so decided to recommission and get it running and driving nicely before finding a new owner decide whether to just leave things as they are, and use the car as a slightly scruffy, period-looking ‘user’ or take a step further!
Recent works include:
• New clutch master and slave cylinders
• New brake master cylinder, rear wheel cylinders, rear brake pipe
• Complete cooling system overhaul – radiator and heater matrix back-flushed, new hoses throughout, new thermostat, new water pump, new heater tap, new 7 blade cooling fan
• Fuel lines replaced throughout, fuel pump checked, carburettors stripped and cleaned, new float valves
• 4 new tyres fitted and balanced
• Electronic ignition fitted
• New battery (12v conversion)
• Major service - oil and filter change, regrease of suspension
• Ignition timing reset and carburettors retuned and rebalanced
• A replacement clutch assembly was fitted at a cost of £1200+ before our ownership, and has covered under 200 miles.
• …and much more!
The car runs and drives just like you’d expect an MGB to, ticking over healthily at 800rpm. The engine fires up from both hot cold with ease, pulls strongly and runs at the correct temperature – the oil pressure is also excellent both hot and cold. A compression test has revealed good results – around 150psi in each cylinder. Overdrive is fitted, and is working well, and the rear axle is nice and quiet. The gearbox selects all gears without fuss and is a pleasure to use. King pins, wheel bearings, steering rack etc are all in good order with no excess play. 4 new tyres have just been fitted, and the car rides nicely. I have covered around 100 or so miles in the past week or so, including being stopped in heavy traffic, and the car keeps itself perfectly cool.
Bodily, as you can see in the pictures, the car is presentable but by no means a show car – it is a little cosmetically challenged! It presents nicely enough, though – more than passable. It has had a few blow-ins over the years and there are some minor scuffs, chips and areas of bubbling, door bottoms etc. The wing-top seams at the front are free from bubbling. The panel gaps are pretty good and the doors shut with a nice ‘clunk’. A vinyl roof has been fitted in period, it is still in excellent order and has been done well – it looks great! I have uploaded pictures of all the panelwork on my website (just google RMC Classics Ltd), so you can get a very good idea of condition from them – but as usual, things generally present better in photos – viewing is a must.
The engine bay is clean and tidy but would benefit from a detail, if that’s your thing. The previous owner has added relays to various circuits to take the strain off the wiring loom – a very sensible thing to do, really – some of the wiring could do with a little tidying. I’ve had a poke about underneath and the important bits seem to be OK – the car has had welding repairs done over the years, so again, please don’t expect perfection.
The interior is very clean and tidy – seat covers, carpets, door cards, centre console, steering wheel etc are in good order. A CD player is fitted but not currently connected up.
The car is, of course, tax and MOT exempt. The V5 document is present along with some history, bills and receipts. Many more high-res pictures available via my website, RMC Classics – just give me a Google.
All in all, this is a decent ‘rolling restoration’ car with plenty of potential that is ready to be used and enjoyed, and further fettle with as you please. If you’re looking for a concours car, please triple your budget and look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a entry level, running and driving project car – then this might just be the one for you!
