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Offline Chris

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The humble MG B
« on: June 22, 2009, 11:33:51 PM »
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Writing Car Lust posts is a privilege, especially when they bring back memories of vehicles I have either personally owned or that have been in the family. Such is the case of a 1973 terracotta-colored MGB that my sister had for a few years until her family outgrew the car, which didn't take a lot of outgrowing to do.

What attracted us to the MGB was that, as small as it was, the car was larger than a Triumph Spitfire or MG Midget. I wanted a Spitfire at the time, but this wasn't going to be my car. I believe this is the only picture of "our" MG that we have left. That's Snoopy right behind it, and my first car, a 1972 Vega :( .

My favorite MGB eccentricity was its three windshield wipers. The windscreen was low and wide, and two wipers just weren't up to the job. Only American MGBs had three wipers; all others had two. One night I got caught in a thunderstorm in the canvas-roofed car, and those wipers gave their all to let me see. I was minoring in Aerospace Technology at the time, and driving the roadster was not unlike flying a Cessna 150, except that no pilot is stupid enough to fly a 150 in a thunderstorm.

http://www.carlustblog.com/2009/06/mg-mgb-series.html
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My MGB was a '69 I had in college & took with me to medical school. My memory of the three windshield wipers was not pleasant. The wipers were activated by cables in roam-n-flex spiral metal cable sheaths that led into the cabin to an electric motor under the passenger dash. They worked like a charm as long as it didn't rain. As soon as any water hit the windshield it would run down the wipers into the sheaths and then down into the electric motor, shorting it out.

Great wipers for dry weather, useless in the rain.
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Ah, the memories of my very first car. After thirty years, I still long for my 73 orange MGB, even with the water that flooded the passenger compartment when it rained. (Now, I might be able to afford to fix it.)

And you can still invoke the spirit of the old MGBs with the words "Lucas Electricals."

Still, I smile when I think of that car.
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I can remember way back in 1978 or so when I lived in Texas. I'd open the garage door and stare at the blue MGB that was sitting there. Inevitably, a big wide grin would spread across my face - because I knew that the MGB belonged to my (then) brother in law - and the Fiat 124 Spyder out in the driveway belonged to me. I can remember one evening my bro-in-law was working on the "B" and he somehow managed to short out the brake line to the positive post on the starter or solenoid or something. So as he was blowing on the glowing, sputtering brake line that was now boiling out flaming brake fluid I jumped into the back where the two six-volt batteries were buried to try and get one of the cables off of its post. I grabbed a wrench and squatted down and was frantically unscrewing the post bolt as my BIL was going "PFFFTTTT...HURRY... PFFFFTTT... HURRY!!!" Well you know, a man would have to have a heart of stone ... not to laugh! For a moment I thought of just letting the car go up in a merciful cloud of smoke... but no. I got it off of there and the crisis was averted.
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I had a '68 GT (British Racing Green) in northern Canada. Colder than a well-digger's boot. There were two holes, one either side, to allow the steering column through into the cabin. A rubber plug closed off the passenger (right) side hole. it kept falling through, and finally vanished. The local dealer wouldn't order one because it wasn't in the parts list.

It had the electric overdrive: added about 20 mph to top speed, as I recall. It also had Lucas electrics: Joe Lucas, Prince of Darkness! As for rear seat space: room for two legless emaciated elves.

And there's Tom Magliozzi's MG TD...
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The MG TD is a standard transmission, rear-wheel-drive roadster. It represents the state-of-the-art in engine design, transmission, and suspension... for 1952. Which means, what? The engine breaks frequently, it leaks oil almost as fast as it burns gas, and it handles only marginally better than a bathtub.

There are no airbags on this car, other than the one behind the wheel, that is. There are no safety belts, no roll bars, no windows, no A pillars, no B pillars — and no roof for that matter. And there're no crumple zones, except for your thorax.

The engine in the '52 MG TD has 52 horsepower — which, it turns out, is just enough power to make it go fast enough to scare the living daylights out of you. Would it get up to 75? Maybe. But, we've never tried it. When 30 feels like 70, why would you want to try?

The speedometer works nicely, if all you care about is that you're moving. Other than that, it appears to bear no correlation to the actual speed of the vehicle.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: There's nothing on this car that's plus or cushy, or could ever be construed as being comfortable. The seats are just a little bit better than sitting on a pile of rocks.

The noise level on the inside of the MG is excellent. There's plenty of it! For this reason, we recommend this car only for the profoundly hearing impaired or those with hearing aids that can be turned off.

Visibility is excellent. There are no blind spots because there's nothing like a window or a roof to obstruct the view. Or protect you if, say, an errant heat-seeking missile was aimed at the car.

There is no heater in the MG. This car was made before heat was even invented, and only a few years after fire was discovered by Piltdown Man.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/testdrives/Reviews/mgtd.html
I really want an MG B.  Please talk me out of it. :rotf:

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Offline Lacarnut

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2009, 01:24:56 AM »
Quote from: Chris on June 22, 2009, 11:33:51 PM
And there's Tom Magliozzi's MG TD...I really want an MG B.  Please talk me out of it. :rotf:


My brother had a new red MGB in the 60's. That was a fine car and he would let me drive it once in a while. My first sports car was TR-3. It had a hole in the rag top and I carried a towel to put in my lap in case of rain. Traded it in for a Sunbean Alpine. That sucker stayed in the shop more than it ran. British sports cars back in that era had horrendous reliability records.

If you want a MG be prepared to do a great deal of maintenance one it
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Offline Wineslob

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2009, 10:19:21 AM »
Stay away! If that thing is anything like a Fiat 1200 Cab (I had a '62), you don't have enough money to keep it running.
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Offline Chris

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2009, 12:34:43 AM »
But you can't help love a car that has a wiring diagram you can print on a business card. :-)

One of the contributors to Car Lust has a really nice-looking green Miata; I really like the contrast with the leather interior and the exterior color.  The wood steering wheel is a great match... very slick.  The Miata is the same size as the MG B, but the MG has more style.  Miatas are so boring.  I might make an exception for that green one, though.
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Offline Lacarnut

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2009, 12:49:06 AM »
I used to pass by an Alfa Romeo dealership every day going to work in the early 80's. They had a new British racing green Spider Veloce on the showroom floor that I drooled over. I musta looked at that car a hundred times. That is a much better looking car than the Miata but those British and Italian cars are not very reliable.
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Offline Chris

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2009, 01:02:52 AM »
There's a garage around here that has an Alfa Romeo GTV6 for sale.  The body is crap, but the interior looks flawless with its beautiful leather.  Not sure I'd buy it, though.
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Offline ironhorsedriver

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2009, 05:23:55 AM »
I had an MG Midget, only real problem I had was wiring. I bought the entire wiring harness, just ran it and left the old harness in place, didn;t have any more problems.
I also had a fiat Spyder, looked like the Alfa Spyder. Burned oil, body rough, but I loved to drive that car. The only real issue I had with it, other than oil was thermostats. Luckily they where under the dash and easily replaced.
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Offline Thor

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2009, 10:14:16 AM »
The Weber side draft carbs are a bitch to sync and make run properly.
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Offline Chris

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2009, 12:45:34 PM »
This guy makes it look easy...
[youtube=425,350]ASeMfXfjNpw[/youtube]
University Motors
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Offline Wineslob

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2009, 12:46:22 PM »
I had a girl friend that had a 67 Alpine with the Zenith-Stromberg carbs............................. :hammer:


I stay away from English "engineering"
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“The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”

        -- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 BC (106-43 BC)

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"Practice random violence and senseless acts of brutality"

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Offline Chris

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2009, 12:51:17 PM »
:rofl:

Here's an interesting project... an Austin Healey Sprite with a Toyota 20R truck motor.  The current owner is in the process of replacing the entire wiring harness with new material.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2009, 12:56:31 PM by Chris »
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Offline Chris_

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2009, 01:17:31 PM »
Quote from: Thor on June 24, 2009, 10:14:16 AM
The Weber side draft carbs are a bitch to sync and make run properly.

Actually the MG-TD is my favorite, my best friend in HS had one, and I loved that car.....everything that the above writer mentions is basically true, and there are  few items that he missed.......like the TD had wood frame rails, that had a tendency to rot and make the entire vehicle fall apart......but they were a blast to run around in, and those were the days when a car didn't need any belts, bags, etc. to make everyone feel good......all they required were basic driving skills.

On tuning the side draft carbs......I had a 53 Corvette that had three Rochester side-drafts on it, and if you made a simple water manometer with two or three indicating tubes......attached it to the vacuum line ports on each carb, they were a breeze to tune, and synchronize.........

doc
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Offline ironhorsedriver

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Re: The humble MG B
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2009, 08:44:29 PM »
Quote from: Chris on June 24, 2009, 12:51:17 PM
:rofl:

Here's an interesting project... an Austin Healey Sprite with a Toyota 20R truck motor.  The current owner is in the process of replacing the entire wiring harness with new material.
Would have loved it if it were a bug-eye!
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