The story of an MGB restoration

Last updated 23 September 2021


My daughter Amanda fancied owning an MGB but couldn't afford a good one. She asked me whether, if she bought a wreck, I would help her restore it if she paid the bills. I said I would, so she bought a 1972 MGB-GT (chrome bumper, Glacier white, L-registration, overdrive, recessed grille, Rostyle wheels) in early 1995 for £250. It was in a sad state, but we decided to strip it down completely at our then home at Well Cottage in Sussex and rebuild it as a two-year project (i.e. complete it by April 1997). Fortunately we had a large old poultry barn which is not used for anything else, and was ideal for doing the work in. So how did it go? Not very smoothly!

The state of Amanda's MGB engine compartment when we first got it.

We decided to do all the work ourselves except cutting, welding and spraying, which was beyond our capabilities, and needed to be done properly (i.e. not by us !).

The engine was not running when we bought it because the previous owner had had an overheat problem. While out in it one day, the temperature gauge went off the clock and steam started coming out from under bonnet. He didn't know what was wrong and got a friend to tow it home. It then sat in the open for over a year, and he never got round to finding out the cause of the problem.

Finally he got fed up with it and decided to buy a motorbike instead. That's where we came in. We towed it home (45 miles from Dartford!) and discovered that a core plug had fallen out of the engine block. This was replaced and the water system topped up. It then started without too much trouble and ran just fine. The oil pressure was good so we were delighted and decided to leave the engine and gearbox in place during the restoration.

Typically for an MG it was the bodywork that was the worst problem. There was a lot of rot around the sills and floor, so we knew we had a major welding task ahead of us. Amanda and I joined the local branch of the MG Owners Club, who are were great help. Now read on........

(Latest news at the bottom of the page)


NEWS - DECEMBER 1996

We have not been idle over the last few months, but we haven't had time to record our progress. Anyway, here's where we are:-

A local MG restorer (excellent quality work) and member of the local MG Owners Club has been helpful with advice and volunteered to come round and take a look. His name is Mark Gessey, from Horam Classic Restorations. We were worried that our welding was not getting anywhere - largely because the first welder disappeared after two day's work, and the second one never turned up. Anyway, we wanted to ask Mark whether he could recommend anyone, or even do it himself.

We were not prepared for his answer, and nor was he, really. He advised us apologetically to forget about the body we had and get another one! This meant additional expense that we had not expected, and also meant that all the work over the last 18 months taking off bits, restoring them and replacing them was a waste of time.

For lack of any better suggestion we took Mark's advice and located another (second-hand) bodyshell of the same year, in far better condition than ours, and it only cost us £300 - largely because it had received a bit of accident damage. We then got our 'guru' to sort out the various bumps and scrapes, weld up a sill, and locate new doors and front wings (ours were shot to bits).

Meanwhile we started stripping everything back off the original shell. His advice proved very wise when, as we removed the back axle, one of the rear spring mountings crunched right out of the bodywork. It had rusted completely away! One more hole in the road and our MGB would have collapsed in one corner.

There is no doubt that our old shell has had it, and that we are doing the right thing. Anyway, at the time of writing we have removed everything except the engine (getting the loom out is a right laugh, but it came out OK in the end and we will use it again). Mark is coming round tomorrow with his hoist to get the engine out for us. Amanda went round today to look at the new bodyshell in Mark's workshop. He has already sprayed the inside and is now starting on the outside. She says it REALLY shines!

The next task will be to clean / paint / restore the various bits of engine that we couldn't reach while it was in place, check out the starter etc. The front and back axles will be restored to sparkling condition ready to go back in. Of course we never intended to do all this - the engine and axles were going to stay in place. Anyway, now we have no choice but to remove everything, so we might as well take advantage of the situation.

Once the engine is out, we can move the old shell out of the way and await the arrival of the new one, which will be sprayed before it is delivered (Incidentally, we have discovered that the colour is not 'Old English White', as we thought, but 'Glacier White'). After that, it's up to us. How long will it take to put it all back together? We shall see..................


NEWS - 1st APRIL 1997

Well, our new bodyshell arrived in January and we have been pretty busy ever since. Old parts refitted included both axles, the handbrake, the rear windows and chromework, tailgate and rear screen, instrument panel, heater, brake servo, and wiring loom - with everything given a thorough clean up before it gets fitted.

New parts installed included all brake pipes, hoses and hydraulic seals. We also fitted new bullet connectors to every joint in the loom, as well as giving all the wiring a thorough checkover and tidy-up.

The new bodyshell starts its rebuild.

Amanda and I spent the whole of the Easter holiday period working solidly on the car. We achieved a great deal - the major gains being the completion of all the wiring loom connections, and the preparation of the engine and gearbox for re-installation, including fitting a new clutch.

We also fitted the fuel pump, bled the brake system and refitted all the pedals, put on the front bumper and grille, most of the lights and generally got everything ready to connect up to the engine when it goes back in (which could be any time now).

I suppose the most sobering way to mark our progress would be to make a list of what HASN'T been done;

About then, we might be able to drive it out of the shed for a road test to check everything and adjust the brakes. Finally it's up the road to get an M.o.T. test. It looks a mammoth task when you write it all down, doesn't it ? We'll keep you posted.


NEWS - 19 JUNE 1997

Amanda's MGB finally comes out into the daylight at Well Cottage, 4 June 1997.

We have some good news and some bad news.

The Good News

In late May, with most things re-assembled we finally started up the engine. It took a bit of encouragement, but it worked. Then we noticed a water leak from just under the rocker box. It turned out that the cylinder head was cracked !

We bought a new one and fitted it (breaking two studs in the process) and eventually drove the car out of the workshop on 4th June - a great day. See the photo at the top of the page. Our guru Mark tuned up the carbs and timing, and we took it for an M.o.T. test on 6 June. It passed !

At last we could start driving it about and enjoying it. Amanda was really excited and we grabbed every opportunity to take it for a spin. There were a few minor teething problems but nothing much, and we tried to build up some mileage on it prior to a re-tightening of the head, tappet adjustment and re-tune after 500 miles. We were a bit wary of taking it too far from home, but at least we had finally done it !

The Bad News

On 16 June after a short run, the temperature gauge suddenly rocketed and steam wafted up from under the bonnet. Water had sprayed around the engine compartment but it was hard to see where it had come from. When it cooled, I poured water into the radiator and it ran straight out of the back of the engine. It turned out that the core plug at the back of the engine block had come adrift.

This core plug is situated on the back face of the block where the gearbox is attached. There is a very small gap there, quite inaccessible, and certainly not large enough to put in a new plug. So the only option is to take out the engine again, split the engine and gearbox and put in a new plug.

This is all very depressing, and the old girl is now back in the workshop up on stands awaiting major surgery again. I guess we had better change ALL the core plugs this time, since it is the second to come out in recent history. Whoever put them in didn't do a very good job !!


NEWS - JANUARY 1998

Well, all those jobs eventually got done, and finally the old girl is running well. After around 500 miles of driving we got Horam Classic Restorations to retune everything (carbs, ignition timing, tappet clearances etc.) and it's now going like a dream. Its first rally was the South Downs Run, a 100 mile round trip through West and East Sussex, ending up on the seafront at Eastbourne along with about 350 other MGs. A great day.

It also attended the Castle Point Transport Rally, Canvey Island, Essex, and again performed faultlessly. At that rally, it was the only MG at the show, so it attracted far more interest and attention from visitors than at Eastbourne, where it had been somewhat 'lost in the crowd'. The crowning glory was in early November at the local MG Owners Club meeting, where we were awarded the 'Pride of Ownership Cup' - our first (and maybe only !) award.

On 1 January it officially became free of Road Tax (cars over 25 years old are exempt from road tax in UK, saving of about £150 a year). So we now proudly display a disk on the screen which says 'Tax Exempt', and shows the amount paid as 'nil'. That's a great pleasure ! Now that winter is here she tends to stay under cover at home, as we don't want to get too much rain, salt, grit etc.on it if we can help it. However we hope she will be a busy girl in 1998 !

As the restoration neared completion, I began to wonder whether I would rebuild another car. After all, it had been fun (on the whole) and we did have an ideal site for the work. I considered various saloon cars from the 1940s and 50s (Rover 10, perhaps a Riley or an MG Magnette) and kept my eyes open for any interesting projects for sale.

The eventual solution came about by accident. In August I saw an MGB GT advertised for spares in the local paper, and thought the guy might have some useful parts for Amanda's car - we could use smarter chromework and various other little bits that we could 'upgrade'. When I turned up to see the car, it was in pretty reasonable condition, and the owner (who had originally intended to convert it to a dragster with a Rover engine, but ran out of enthusiasm) had changed his mind about breaking it up. Instead, he told me, he wanted to sell it as a project.

To cut a long story short, with the help and advice of Horam Classic Restorations I bought it complete (well, in a thousand bits actually !) and it now resides in our poultry barn as MGB Project Number 2. It's two years older than Amanda's (1970, H-registration) but is otherwise identical apart from some minor changes. It has the conventional grille (as opposed to Amanda's recessed grille), has no brake servo (I will fit one), and no overdrive. I have chosen to fit an overdrive, which means changing the complete gearbox and fitting a shorter prop-shaft (the overdrive gearbox is longer), but I'm hoping that won't be too much of a problem.

The Red MG

The red MGB before stripdown.

So, here we go again. I guess it makes sense to rebuilt the same type of vehicle a second time, as I have recent experience with MGBs and hopefully will find things familiar. With a bit of luck this one might be completed a bit quicker, but I bet it isn't any cheaper !


NEWS - FEBRUARY 2000

Guess what ! We've now got THREE MGB GTs.

Amanda's car (the white one) is running just fine, and still looks really smart. We've fitted an intermittent windcreen wipe device ("Screensmart", which takes a bit of head scratching to operate, but it works), and I've an anti run-on valve here, but can't figure out how to install it. Amanda always hates it when the engine runs on after switching off (personally it doesn't bother me) so I bought the valve to cure it. Isn't it funny how so many MG's don't want to start when they're stopped, and don't want to stop when they're running !

My restoration job (the red one) is trudging along slowly. The bodyshell is completely stripped and about two thirds of the components have been cleaned up / repainted / restored and packed away neatly ready for re-installation. I want to finish all that before the respray because I don't want to be cleaning filthy axles around a nicely repainted bodyshell. I have a shopping list of bits I need, and we keep our eyes open at rallies and shows for bargains. I've got plenty of time, so I can wait for the good deals to come along. However, that shopping list has suddenly become shorter because....

....I've bought a donor car (the purple one !). It's a 1974 BGT with 92000 miles on the clock and a totally rotten body in a disgusting colour called "Aconite", which has earned it the nickname of "The Purple Peril". Amanda came across it through a friend of a friend, when the owner threatened to scrap it and offered it to her for £200. I bought it as a source of spares, but was somewhat surprised to find that it was still perfectly driveable, and legal until April 2000. So I'm using it as a 'runabout' at the moment and it goes very well.

The Purple Peril

"The Purple Peril"

When we put it up on a ramp we discovered that it has a brand new stainless steel exhaust (with a very throaty voice !), new rear springs, front shockers, starter motor and handbrake assembly. Well that lot must be £200 worth for a start, and then there's all the things I can now strike off my shopping list for "the red one", like the overdrive gearbox and associated propshaft.

So I'm quite pleased with myself about that, and several guys at the local MG Owners Club seem pretty jealous ! I'm definitely going to scrap it though, the body has gone too far and, if I'm going to restore one out of the two, it's better to rebuild the older one (free of Road Tax, for one thing !). Anyway it's now time to get stuck in to the restoration - trouble is, it gets so cold in that shed at this time of year, roll on summer !


NEWS - DECEMBER 2005

Many developments. First of all, Amanda bought a Peugeot hot hatch and loves it to death. This means that she pretty much gave up driving the MG, and so she agreed that I could buy it back, which I did.

So there was now no purpose in having so many MGBs - I could only drive one, and the obvious candidate was the original white one, being the only example that actually works. So I have sold the red body shell and its identity, and am in the process of dismantling the Purple Peril for spares.

However, not all the news is negative. I've been going through a process of robbing all the best bits from the abandoned project in order to improve the white one. So it now has a chrome grille (instead of the recessed one), a walnut dash, and a host of other smart bits. That is an ongoing process, as I have a barn FULL of MG parts now, and I really need to sort out what's worth keeping and what isn't.

Anyway, here are a couple of picture of the old girl taken in Summer 2005. I think you'll agree that it's all been worthwhile.


NEWS - AUGUST 2010

I've still got the car, use it a lot, and it still runs really well. It's now fitted with PerTronix electronic ignition (bought from Retro Rockets http://www.vintageperformance.com/retrorockets/ - a really good deal!) which, added to a new sports coil and new leads, has been nothing short of brilliant. She hums along like a sewing machine, and never misses a beat.

I've also finally ditched the old clockwork fuel pump (most MGB owners know that sometimes you have to clout the damn thing with a blunt instrument to get it ticking!) and installed a solid-state pump instead. Totally reliable (so far!) and very reassuring. The paint job is still holding up well too!


NEWS - JULY 2012

On 12 July 2012 the car completed 100,000 miles, coinciding with its 40th birthday and in the 50th anniversary year of the MGB design. It still has its original engine with an un-modified 'leaded' cylinder head, and is running just fine.

Recent improvements have included switching from two 6 volt batteries to one 12 volt unit (a vast improvement), new braided oil cooler hoses and a new water pump. All pretty straightforward stuff really, and the old girl looks well and drives well. What more can you ask?


NEWS - JANUARY 2017

The car has now clocked up 103,000 miles (so you can see that it doesn't do many miles, but they are all 'quality' miles!) and is still running fine. Since the last report we've had one major bit of work done; the front wings were both rotting at the bottom so, since I still had two nice wings and a front valance left over from the 'red' MGB project, we got them all switched and resprayed.

I've also overhauled the carbs (which improved things) and the heater (which didn't). Other replacements over the last 5 years included the fuse box, brake light switch, the alternator, and the top and bottom hoses, all of which came from my own stock of spare bits.

It just goes to show that the MGB is a pretty cheap and easy car to run, provided that you keep a close eye on things and are prepared to do a fair amount of the work yourself. But then it's not rocket science, and everything is immediately recogniseable and easy to reach. I recall reading in one magazine that the MGB is "technically unremarkable". That pretty well sums it up.


Email us at richard@thegilberts.net