Hey Mike:
Where do you live? Is it a very rust prone state? Typical locations of
rust are in the sill areas of the car, that is, behind the front wheels and
before the rear wheels, where the fenders run to the bottom of the car. The
MGB has a "unibody construction, which new, is very strong.
The sills run the length of the car, from behind the front wheels to just
before the rear wheels. There are 3 parts to this: an outer sill (this is
what you see as outside sheetmetal below the car doors), an inner diaphram
and an inner sill (carpeting goes over this inside the cockpit). I have
inspected cars that had rust so bad that you could place your clenched fist
inside the inner sill from outside the car! While sills are replaceable,
(about $50 per side - outer sill only) it takes some time, skill and access
to a mig welder. Check out your Moss book for detailed drawings.
You can also detect sill damage on a convertible by inspecting the door gap.
A sagging car will have a larger door gap (outside door handle side) near
the bottom of the door. This means real trouble brewing! Take a small
magnet with you to ensure that someone hasn't just cut out the rust and
placed bondo in the cavity (have had that happen to me in the early days!!)
Just remember, bubbling paint is not a good sign! New floor pans already
installed are a good thing, but also gives you a free hint that this car was
exposed to severe weather conditions over the course of its life.
IF the car indeed does have overdrive (you should get under the car and
visually inspect that it is there...should have a badge plate stating "LH
overdrive unit") and it is functional, that alone is worth the price of the
car! Ask for receipts of the repair work done. If there are no receipts
and the car does not run, it is considered a "pig in a poke". A rebuilt
engine (done correctly) can easily run up to $2000. I figure that a running
MGB is worth a minimum of $1,000 and add or subtract, based on it's condition.
Good luck and
Cheers,
Jim Boyd
International Sportscar Components
Paradise, CA
At 09:23 PM 4/11/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Tomorrow I will be taking a look at a 71 B. The description of the car I
got over the phone is
>"primer red",
>minimal rust,
>new floor pans,
>bad interior,
>no tonneau,
>hardtop,
>soft top,
>rebuilt engine with less than 1000 miles,
>overdrive.
>
>Asking $800 - $1000.
>
>Since I have minimal restoration experience (just starting on the midget)
my question is if the description is accurate, is the price reasonable?
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Mike
>'66 Midget in restoration
>'78 B (hers)
>
>
Jim Boyd
International Sportscar Components
Paradise, CA
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