I may have belonged to this list back in 1995 or 1996, it's hard to
remember...
I have most of three MGBs, two with titles. "Reg" is my 1963 MGB (car
#10,000 or so) which is an OEW/black, steel-wheeled car with just 85,000
miles. It's never been abused but has had some minor mods:
* a repaint in Tijuana in 1973 (to a brighter white, that will change back
at some point)
* Same time and place, the seats were recovered in a pattern that *vaguely*
resembles the original covers, in vinyl
* An altimeter (!) was added in 1965
* A stereo with polarity converter and (unfortunately) rear bulkhead
speakers was added in 1977
I have every piece of paper on the car, from the original sales receipt to
the receipts for the altimeter and the MG Mitten car cover (which I still
have). It was sold new in San Diego and I still have the black plates the
car originally wore.
I bought the car from the best friend of the original owner. It's a great
old machine and I'll hopefully never sell it. It needs a minor restoration
but I've been puzzling over how to do that and maintain the patina, and I'll
probably puzzle over it for a few more years, in the meantime it's a
pleasure to drive. The engine runs very well but the transmission no longer
has syncromesh on 2nd. I have most of the pieces to covert the box to
overdrive, not sure I'll actually do it, though. Much like I'd prefer a red
interior, it somehow seems a bit presumptuous to change things out at this
point.
Photo: http://rogerlos.org/junk/63_MGB.jpg
I just bought (perhaps from a list member) a pile of parts which includes a
bodyshell and a title. In theory it's a '62--but the bodyshell number (the
VIN plate is missing) shows it to be roughly car #19,000, so it's probably a
'63 or '64. The pile of parts included nearly two of everything--only a
single motor, though (fortunately a three-main). I'm picking it up this
weekend. The shell is rough but not terminal and it will be my "learn to
weld and paint" project, which hopefully will be tackled in a couple of
years.
I have a very early E-Type Jaguar roadster I've been restoring for almost
ten years now (hence my desire to learn to paint and weld, having paid
someone else to do so); an '87 XJ6 I got for free, which was far too much to
pay; a Land Rover Disco which is my "daily" car, and a '68 Ford F250 which
is another very original survivor. I have a mid-fifties BSA 650 which is my
only actually completed restoration, a modern Triumph 955i, and a Ferguson
tractor from the 50's. My wife is very patient, if increasingly
sarcastic--she drives a Subaru.
Roger Los
Whidbey Island, Washington
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