Greg,
Everything discussed so far is good advice. There is another option
that you might want to consider. I have noticed that " The Proper MG"
sells rebuilt B engines on an exchange basis. I have no first hand
experience with the quality of the motors. I assume that they are
imported from the UK. Anyway, you might want to check it out. Does anyone
on the list have any experience with these motors? Greg, where do you
live? If you are close to me, (Baltimore,MD), there are a couple of local
places that could help you.
Randy Kegg
On Thu, 21 Jun 2001 13:40:26 -0700 Max Heim <mvheim@studiolimage.com>
writes:
> Well, that figure may reflect the mechanic's cost at standard shop
> prices
> and parts mark-up, but it's really rather high when you consider you
> can buy
> a high-performance V8 motor for that kind of money (not for an MG,
> of
> course).
>
> That price probably includes lots of stuff that you don't need, or
> could
> easily do yourself, even if not immensely experienced. I would guess
> the DIY
> price, parts and machine shop labor included, would be 1/3 to 1/2 of
> that,
> depending on how many "while I'm at it" items you go for; possibly
> much
> less, if you just fix the problem and don't try to rebuild
> everything (this
> may or may not be advisable). Most of the work is just disassembly
> and
> reassembly, with some machine shop work in the middle. These engines
> are
> pretty simple, but if you have to do it on the curb or in a driveway
> (or in
> your living room), it may not be viable with the domestic partner.
> If you
> have some garage space, and 4-6 weekends to devote to it, it can be
> a fun
> and educational project, and will leave you with a sense of
> accomplishment.
>
> Other alternatives include swapping in a working used engine from a
> wrecking
> yard or parts car (this is what I did), or sending to the UK for a
> rebuilt
> block (if they are still available -- they were 10-15 years ago,
> because
> that is where the engine in this parts car came from).
>
> on 6/21/01 11:37 AM, Greg Bass at bass_c@bellsouth.net wrote:
>
> > Well... the B's engine is making severe knocking noises. Sounds
> like a cap
> > or a bearing problem to me and the mechanic I talked to. The car
> cranks but
> > I'll end up towing it someplace for repairs.
> >
> > My question is this: since I am not an experienced mechanic
> (understatement
> > there!!) which is the best way to go. Have this engine rebuilt (if
> possible)
> > or purchase a engine to drop in the B. The one place I talked to
> gave me an
> > estimate of $3000 - $3500 to do a complete engine rebuild. Is that
> a
> > reasonable cost? LOL... I don't know what I'm worried about it
> for since I
> > don't have that to invest in it right now anyway. Plus the wife
> would
> > probably shoot me if I did. :-)
> >
> > Greg Bass
> > '78 B
>
> --
>
> 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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