>
>Mark -
>
>'75-76 were the "worst" in the sense that they had the heavy rubber
>bumpers, higher ride height and no sway bars as well as the
>emissions-choked engine found on all post '74-1/2 models. If you drive
>agressively you might want to do some mods to improve the handling. But
>I've driven my '76 since '91 and it's better than I am. Mechanically, I
>don't know of any reason to single out the '75. If it has a side-draft
>Weber, I'd replace it. Choices: downdraft Weber, original Zenith-Stromber,
>or twin SUs as on earlier Bs. Mine had a sidedraft Weber when I bought
>it and the engine came in cardboard boxes. (A correlation could be
>speculated on, but no claims are made.) I put twin HS-4s on mine and it's
>been great for nearly 8 years. I have also owned a '75 with the original
>carb and it was a good car too. If these are the worst Bs ever built, it
>can hardly surprise us that they sold a half-million of these things!
>
>If it is REALLY rust-free, the body shell alone is worth $1000. You can't
>fix much rust for that! If you're not afraid to learn some mechanical
>stuff, this sounds like a heck of a deal. You're not "nuts for wanting an
>MG". I was 44 years old when I bought my first one and 15 years later I
>realize I was nuts to waste so much of my youth without one!
>
>Buy it in the right spirit. How good your MG is depends on how good you
>are. Don't expect a lot from it until you learn. Just remember, it's 24
>years old! Stick with it - underneath all the bad hype and all the
>undeserved Lucas jokes, you'll find a car you'll respect and love - and
>your wife will too. I drive my '76 everywhere - every day (except when
>they put salt on the snow). It's not a finicky exotic machine requiring
>finicky exotic maintenance. It's just a car. The same drivetrain was
>used on lots of very utilitarian, UNexotic vehicles. I can't remember the
>last time I opened the bonnet on my '76. Yes, Bs require more maintenance
>than modern computerized econoboxes - and do it using good judgement, but
>resist the temptation to tweak ad nauseum trying to get it to do something
>it wasn't designed to do.
>
>BTW, my wife loves the Bs too.
>
>Allen
>
>
>>I'll try this again. I posted earlier that I was considering buying an MGB,
>>but it didn't post for some reason. In my original post I was asking if I
>>was nuts for wanting a MG (my wife thinks I am). I am not a mechanic by any
>>stretch of the imagination, but am hoping to learn. I am somewhat beyond
>>this decision as I have stumbled upon an original owner '75 MGB. I would
>>like your opinions on two things:
>> 1. He mentioned in our conversation that 75 was the worst year for
>>MGB's, do you think this to be true? Are there a lot of problems after the
>>transition for all the USA requirements?
>> 2. He put a Webber Carb. on it a few years ago. Ever since the car
>>blows plugs every 300 or so miles. Any thoughts? Unfortunately, it has not
>>been driven much.
>>
>>The car has 65,000 miles on it. The body has NO rust, it is in the
>>middle of
>>a rebuild (interior), but has the interior kit and all the parts to put it
>>back together. All this for $1,000.00. What do you think?
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Mark Michael
>>Tallahassee, FL
>>Soon to be Jefferson City, TN
>
>
>
******************************************
* Allen H. Bachelder =iii=< *
* Sinking Creek Home for Wayward MGs *
* New Castle, VA 24127 *
* USA *
* 540/544-7333 *
******************************************
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