Hi Joe, Hi max, hi all,
max makes a really good point here. Thankfully the problems i have had with
my car so far have been minor (touchwood). They have however fallen into two
categories
1. Those where nothing has been buggered about with, and solving the issue
is simple and quick with manual in hand. (like fixing all of the problems in
my lights in under two hours)
2. Those involving buggering about on the part of the previous owner(s).
These invariably involve amoment of stomach sinking, when either you look at
the part and know it's been screwed around with (you know, wires taped back
on themselves etc.) or you suddenly realise that the part is fundamentally
deviating from what is described in the manual. Then comes a flexible period
of intense frustration, whilst you pick through the manual and try and work
out what is where, what should be where, what isn't where it is, and why the
hell it was working before it broke. Then you have to decide whether to fix
it back to stock or back to the way it was before it broke (which is
especially difficult when you think the PO made a mess of things, cos then
you are putting your name to someone else's balls-up). witness my
trepidation at the idea of ever having to fix the electronic ignition; or
second oil-cooler with wierd thermostatic valves. or the totall ball-ache I
am having of trying to find paint to match the repsray which the previous
owner (i think genuinely) didn't know about.
Beyond these points, My advice would be to spend some time looking at a
number of cars. Check out the full range, from junkers to total rebuilds.
Test-drive as many as you can. Get a feel for what an MG can look and drive
like when in good to excellent condition, and ask yourself whether you
really want to rebuild a junker or lavish TLC on a car in good starting
condition. Look for a solid frame, recent smog, compression, leakage, and
other signs of regular maintenance. The interior of the car is often a good
indication of the car taken on it. If the interiror is in good condition and
original, you can bet the rest of the car has been equally well looked
after. Never buy a car without having a specialist mechanic check it over
thoroughly. It will cost you a few dollars but it will save you heartache.
Ask the mechnic to take you with him/her when they test-drive the car, and
get them to explain what they are listening/feeling for. It is amazing how
much you can learn in terms of assessing the quality of a car just by
hanging round a good mechnic as they check one over for you (and it makes
you appreciate the value of a hydraulic lift / inspection pit). You will be
a lucky man indeed if the first car you take in for a check up is actually
as good a deal as you think it is. However you may well learn so much that
the second one you take in will be the deal you are loking for. There are
enough MGs out there that you CAN turn away from anything in suspect
mechanical condition. It will take time, but you will ultimately find a good
deal on a car that is in sound mechanical and cosmetic condition.
I spent over three months looking for the perfect buy. I am so glad that i
held out for as long as i did for a car that was in as good condition as the
one i finally bought. You can enjoy it straight away. You intial
get-to-know-the-car-period is whilst you make minor repairs and do basic
maintenance, not whilts you take on some major job. I would be much happier
now about doing exactly the same repair i haven't done before, than i would
two months ago, simply because i have got to know my way around the car's
systems, and have a feel for how it should feel, sound and look. did that
make any sense? Also it's far easier to invest in the maintenance of the
car when the chance of a majour surprise is not lurking round the next
corner.
Finally, to go full circle. I saw plenty of cars in that search that had
non-standard alterations. Very often the owners were proud of their
ingenuity. Invariably this was symptomatic of someone who simply did not
know the damage they were doing. I saw one car which had had an emission
system "from the hardware store" (well it's 25% the price of getting the
equipment from moss) installed by drilling a hole in the exhaust manifold
and engine blocks and god knows what else. Suffice it to say the owner was
very proud (and of the half-assed paint job), but the poor car was
positively sickly.
i hope this helps. I might not have too much experience of repairing my MGB,
but i guess i can help out with the trials and tribulations of buying one.
If you are in Northern California, i can give you numbers of garages which
checked out cars for me.
cheers
Joe G.
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Heim [mailto:mvheim@studiolimage.com]
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 11:56 AM
To: MG List
Subject: Re: MG with Nissan B-210 motor
The main problem with buying a conversion such as this is that the
knowledge of everything the PO did is basically irrecoverable. You need
an MG manual for general stuff, a Datsun manual for the motor, but there
won't be any documentation for the modifications to the wiring, clutch &
transmission, motor mounts, or whatever else may have been changed. You
are already experiencing this issue, in that you don't know what
transmission is in the car. You'd probably have to compare it to the
illustrations in both manuals to figure it out (a 5 speed would be a dead
giveaway, of course).
My question about this particular conversion is, why? The B210 wasn't a
particularly sporting model. I doubt if there was any performance benefit
whatsoever (well, maybe compared to a 75-76 RBB). I don't think
reliability or parts availability would be very compelling rationales,
either. This sounds like one of those misguided conversions by a person
unfamiliar with LBCs that just assumed MG engines were "unreliable" and
inferior to Japanese engines. Similar to the common conversion of Jaguar
sedans to Ford or Chevy V8s -- what is the point? Do you want a Jaguar,
or a Chevy? Do you want an MG, or a generic econo-slug?
IMO...
Joe7670@aol.com had this to say:
>I am looking into buying an MGB. I found one with a Nissan B-210 motor in
>it. Does anyone know what the good(or bad) word is regarding this
>conversion?
>Do those motors bolt right onto the original transmission, or would the
>transmission also be nissan?
>
>Any info. is greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Joe
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
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