Hi folks:
Just a quick update. I was able to pick up the free '79 MGB last week on
the way back from Laguna Seca. It turns out the owner lives out of state
and is very happy that the car may finally go back on the road.
The car has sat for many years and is in very poor cosmetic condition. The
carpets and much of the upholstery have been chewed up and the underhood was
full of nuts, carpeting and rat poop.
Last night I swilled the engine compartment down with disinfectant and
shopvaced as much of the mess out as possible. The nuts made heck of a
noise as they jammed, then shot through the vacuum hose like cannon balls.
I cut the trashed soft top off the bows, which were in very good tight
shape. The car also came with a pretty good condition Snugtop hardtop,
which cleaned up well. In the trunk were the original jack, tonneau and top
boot. All looking in usable shape.
Under all the poop and junk the engine looks complete, all smog gear intact.
The engine oil is clean and the block looks like it may have been repainted.
On the whole the car looks well taken care of, before it was left to the
elements. Big Surprise, No Cracks of Doom! Typical dogleg and FR lower
fender slight rust perforation.
There are some bitten through wires and lots of other worrisome details that
have to be ironed out before doing a compression check to see if the engine
is ok. If it's possible to put the car back on the road cheaply I will do
so. I figure that all of the problems folks are encountering with barn
finds are going to be exhibited in this beast.
If the engine is toast then I may offer it to members of the V8 list as it
would be good candidate for conversion.
And for those of you avid fans who have followed the story to this point.
The lady said Yes.
Safety Fast
Kelvin Dodd
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/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
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