Dan's '65 MGB Project

I Feel a Lot Better....

2010-08-16T11:15:00.003-04:00

...after reading this -

Click Here

I still have 20 years to go to match him!

Good News!

2009-07-21T09:58:00.004-04:00

The '76 B is up and running again! See here - http://dans76b.blogspot.com/

So, while I still have some adjustments to make to the '76 (it's running a little ragged, but I need to use up the 3+ year-old gas that's in the car before I start tackling the rough running) I think I can start getting back to work on the '65. As I noted back in January, it's pretty much stripped but I need to get the remainder of the wiring harness and the brake lines off. So, I need to get it up on jackstands to get underneath, take a bunch of pictures and then start removing stuff again. Of course, before I can do that, I need to clear up some space around the car... It has kind of been the storage space for the last couple of years.....

Once I make a little progress I'll post some new pictures of the inside and underside.

2009 Plans

2009-01-29T10:22:00.003-05:00

Ok, going to make a dual entry here, since I want to discuss both the '76 B and the '65 B and the plans for this year.

'76 B Status -

I really need to get this car back on the road. With Rob now driving, once AJ comes home from school, we may have a car shortage this summer. Kathleen will be using the Audi for her job, which will leave the van for Rob if he needs to get to wherever he might be working... AJ will be using 'his' car, I guess, and I'm not sure that we can afford to buy somethng just for Rob - especially of the van is just sitting here. OTOH, we will need to watch the van's mileage carefully, as it's over where we should be right now and we have to turn it back in (unless we buy it) on December 1.

Ok, the last time we checked in, the '76 was not starting and the fuel pump was making a consistent, buzzing sound, versus the normal click-click-click every few seconds as it pumps fuel forward.... So, I need to do a flow test to see if it is actually pumping anything (the fuel filter did seem to be filled but...). I probably should check the fuses as well, as I wonder if something shorted out and the pump isn't getting enough power... If not, then I will replace the pump. It isn't actually an original unit anyways. Depending on the prices, I may get an original SU-style pump or just pick up something locally. A generic pump will work, if you get a pressure regular, to reduce the amount of pressure in the system.

Once the pump situation is clarified, the car should be good to go, as it did run a couple of times. Just need to do a little carb tuning, as it was idling pretty fast. But oil pressure was fine.

'65 B Status -

Once I get the '76 up and running (and driving!) then I will turn my attention seriously back to the '65. Right now, it is mostly stripped. The running gear, engine and transmission are still in the car. The wiring harness is still in the car. The brake lines are still on the car. That's about it for major items. So, I'll start by removing the wiring harness and brake lines. Then I'll pull the engine and transmission. I'll leave the suspension and steering rack on for now. Then I need to figure out the next steps. I guess that would be bodywork, so I need to see where I can get that done, or decide to see if I could do it myself (learn how to weld!).

I also need to start going back through some of the removed parts and looking at them for possible restoration. I have a spreadsheet that I am using to categorize them and keep track of which box they are in. I'd like to be able to start looking around for parts, if I need them. In general, I would rather restore/rebuild parts that came off this car as the first option, then buy a different used part and restore/rebuild that, before the third option of buying a new/reproduction part - which almost always tend to be of lesser quality than the originals. Of course, it's generally cheaper to restore/rebuild a part than replace it.... That's the plan, at least.

Now I just need some warmer weather in which to restart this work!

'65 on Hiatus, '76 in for Engine Work

2007-05-16T07:23:00.002-04:00

Well, the '76 B has been smoking like a fiend, and doing dry and wet compression tests indicates that there is a ring problem on cylinder #2. So, taking a short (hopefully) break on the '65 to pull the engine on the '76 and see what's what.

AJ and I started disconnecting and removing stuff last night. We drained the radiator and removed it, along with the radiator support. We also removed the carb and disconnected some hoses and cables. Have a few more to go under the hood, then will disconnect the motor mounts and move under the car to drain the engine and gearbox oil and disconnect the driveshaft. I'll need to rent an engine lift from somewhere.

Some pictures -

Starting point.....

Radiator removed....

Radiator support removed.....

Carb removed....

Ignition side (nothing done here yet)...

Removing Misc Items

2007-04-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

Spent about an hour removing various items from the car tonight. I pulled off the transmission cover (which seems to be pretty banged up around the shift lever opening, for some reason) and some small parts in the engine compartment (secondary hood latch and some miscellaneous nuts and bolts). I also removed the engine mount bolts. I originally pulled off the nuts on the long bolts that go through the center of the rubber pads, but the engine didn't really seem to move much. So I ended up removing the other set, on the corners, and now the engine rocks a bit, so once I disconnect the drive shaft and remove the shift lever I assume I can lift it right out. Not sure when I am going to do that, I will probably wait until everything else is removed from the body - although there isn't really much left, mainly stuff underneath the body. I figure I will wait until the engine is out and maybe flip the body on it's side, to remove the brake and fuel lines from the bottom.

Back to Work!

2007-03-21T15:46:00.000-04:00

Ok, after a long and cold winter (well, the latter half, at any rate) I'm reading to clean up the garage and get back to work on the project... Just have to move the snow shovels, left-over Scout popcorn and empty the junk out of the car and off my workbench......

The goal is to drive this car to MG2008, which will be held in Valley Forge, PA, the week of June 23, 2008. This is a pretty aggressive schedule and means that I need to get the bodywork done by later this year to have a shot. So we'll see. But having a goal is better than not, I guess.....

When I left off, I had removed the wiring harness from the body, and am probably ready to pull the engine and transmission out now. So, I think that will be the focus of my efforts as I restart this week-end.

I have a new camera so I'll post some pictures next week.

A Request for Assistance by NJ Guys

2006-11-07T12:19:00.000-05:00

Assemblyman John Burzichelli is sponsoring a bill (AB 3540) that would allow the owners of cars registered as historic vehicles in NJ (QQ plates) to drive their cars one day a week for any purpose, in addition to the current uses (driving to/from car shows, for educational purposes, etc.). Assemblyman Burzichelli actually owns antique firetrucks, so is a classic car enthusiast himself.

Please contact your local NJ legislators and urge them to support this bill!

Additional details:

AB3540: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp

Find your Legislator: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

The Story of the BMIHT Certificate!

2006-10-31T15:16:00.000-05:00

(Ok, since the Scout popcorn is still in the garage, I thought I would again go back deep into the archives of previously-published information on the car..... ;-) First published in August of 2003 on my web page)

I purchased this car in August of 2000, and as soon as I knew the chassis number (but before I had picked up the car), I sent off to the BMIHT for the build certificate. I was very curious as I knew the car had pull-handle doors but had been told by the PO that it was a 1966 - hadn't thought that perhaps it was just titled as a 1966. So, I sent the form and my $40.00 off, and waiting. After 10 days or so, the certificate arrived. Didn't think much about it until I picked up the car in September of 2000.

Once I got the car, I noticed that the engine number was indeed a G-series engine - I had originally thought that the PO had left out an 'A' or a 'B' in the engine number, as I knew based on the build date of October 26 - 27 of 1964, this car should have had either a GA or - more likely - an early GB-series engine. Definitely not a 3-main, though.... The engine number in the car when received was 18G-U-H 1815, apparently a pretty early 3-main engine. I had sent in this information with my certificate request. Apparently, all the BMIHT folks did was take this number off of my rquest without checking the records to see what engine actually came with the car. Or so I thought....

So I faxed a request back to BMIHT and asked that they recheck the production records, and explained my reasoning why I felt that the engine had to be a GB-series (all taken from 'Original MGB' by Clausager). They in turn sent me back a new certificate along with a response indicating that the engine prefix was not indicated in the production records! They also added that they assumed the correct engine number was a GB-series, based on chassis number of my car, and amended the new certificate to read 18GB-U-H 1815! I hardly think it is possible that the original 18GB-U-H engine, serial number 1815, was replaced at some point with a 18G-U-H engine of the exact same serial number! Doesn't seem likely, does it?

The only open switch is the identity of the engine in the car - is it actually a 3-main, G-series engine?? The number plate appeared to be original, but I guess I will not know for sure until I remove the engine and open it up.

At any rate, I have obtained 2 GB-series engines, one of which will be rebuilt to power the car.

Temporary Hiatus!

2006-10-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

Well, taking a little break until the Boy Scout popcorn sale is over!

More Stuff Removed

2006-09-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Spent about 45 minutes on the car tonight. I removed the starter solenoid, brake line 4-way connector and brake light switch and fusebox. So the 'ignition' side of the engine is pretty much done. Just have to get the coil holder off. Next up will be the throttle cable and gas pedal assembly. Then I can start to think about pulling the engine and transmission.

Wiring Harness Out

2006-09-16T17:21:00.000-04:00

Made some good progress today. I removed the main wiring harness (sheesh, couldn't they make that hole in the dash about an inch larger??) and the other lines going through the dash (oil gauge line and a wire I didn't label...!). Also removed the electronic ignition module, and some items from the engine (distributor, heater valve). Pulled out the clutch and brake lines from the master cylinders and some other miscellaneous items. The car is looking pretty stripped right now....! No digital camera today so I'll take come pics tomorrow.

I also attended the Moss Fallfest up in Dover this morning. Saw a couple of folks from The MGB Experience (Carl Cederholm, Peter Fydell, David Deutsch, Kim DeBourbon). Good show, not a lot of cars when I left but a nice variety.

Some Pictures of the Wiring

2006-09-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

Just posting some detailed pictures that I took of the wiring in the car.

Wiring Harness Work

2006-09-10T21:48:00.000-04:00

Spent about 2 hours working on the B today. Finished taking detailed pictures of all of the various wiring sections on the body (haven't done underneath yet though). Got the very front of the harness disconnected - the headlights and horns. Also took out some various sections behind the dash. There are a million connections on the harness, man! I thought I could pull it out easily, but I see it's going to take a couple sessions to get this task done....

Also removed the fuel pump, looks like it's an aftermarket one, as it says AC on it. But it looks like the SU style, versus the solid-state box-type. I noticed that the battery boxes are in excellent shape. But I think there is some pretty good rust behind the driver's side front fender... When I removed the foot-operated light dimmer switch, the bolts seemed very rusty....

Interlude: Interesting Day with the '76 B

2006-09-08T22:33:00.000-04:00

In addition to my '65 MGB, I have a '76 MGB that my wife and I have owned for 18 years... It's been a very reliable car overall, although it's not a daily driver. Well, today it let me down.....

I went to the local gas station fill up. After putting in the gas, I went to start the car - no start! And the battery wasn't turning over the car very well either.... Of course, the gas station was empty when I pulled in and there was not a line of cars with left-hand fuel fillers behind me! So, I jumped out and pushed the car about 30 feet over to a parking spot. It was about 83 degrees this afternoon.

Pop the bonnet, look around, and see that the lower nut that holds the throttle cable in place on the bracket has slid down the cable and caused the cable to jump out of the groove on the throttle lever. Okay, easy fix.... Except that the underhood temps are about 120, and everything is HOT. So I decide to wait a few minutes. In the meantime, a guy comes over and asks if I need help - turns out he owns a '79 B! MG folks are great that way. He looks and sees the same thing as me.

Well, after fooling around for a few minutes, I get the throttle shaft nut off, so I can remove the lever and get the nut back into place. Easier said than done, everything still real hot, my sweat sizzling on the exhaust manifold. Can't really get it done, and figure since I probably need to jump it anyways, maybe I will walk the mile home and get the Audi, jumper cables and some tools. So I start home and get about 500 yards away when I realize that I left my keys in the car - can't get into the house and get my Audi keys without 'em! So back I go....

Get home a total sweat-ball. Chill out inside for 20 minutes and gather my tools, head back down in the Audi. Ok, the un derhood temps are down to about 90 now, so it's all good.... Got the lower nut back on the throttle cable, put the lever back on properly, and just for the heck of it, jump in and turn the key - startes right up!! Cool, no jump start needed. So I drive the B home, then walk back down to collect the Audi. Elapsed time, about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Oh well, it was close to home, a beautiful day and I got some exercise.....!

Engine Compartment Wiring Pics

2006-09-07T17:52:00.000-04:00

In preparation for removing the wiring harness, I am trying to take detailed pictures of all of the wiring in the car. Here are some pics of the engine compartment wiring -

Some Old Pictures

2006-08-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

Going to start removing the wiring harness tonight. Thought I would post some old pictures of the car in the meantime.

Some from when I first purchased the car....

Finished Emptying the Doors

2006-08-27T17:41:00.000-04:00

Today I finished up the passneger's door, removing the glass and all the innards. Didn't take me too long, like an hour, only had 2 bolts that required PB Blaster and heat. So, to date, the interior is totally stripped. Now I need to determine the next step - wiring harness or engine? I am leaning towards pulling the harness out as that will be easier to store than the engine and transmission! Then I guess I need to start shopping around for a body shop that can do this work.

Too Hot!

2006-08-04T12:19:00.000-04:00

Well, with the ridiculous temperatures this week in Central New Jersey, my garage has been only a few degrees cooler than Hades in August - so not much work has been getting done on any of the cars! Boy, I wish the person that built this house had opted for the door leading into the backyard. At least then there would be a bit of flow-through ventilation.

It hasn't been a completely wrench- free week, however, so allow me to digress a bit from the purpose of this blog....

Monday I did a major job on our '99 Ford Windstar van, repair of the infamous isolator bolts, cause of the P0171/0174 codes and source of the Check Engine Light.... That involved removing the intake manifold plenum and replacing the 8 bolts that hold it in place. You can see pictures of that project here.

I also am hoping to fix the 'cloud of white smoke' problem with the '76 B - when I replaced the head gasket last year, I didn't have a torque wrench so could not tighten the cylinder head bolts properly. Now, when I drive the car for a short time at a constant speed (say, 45 mph) then stop at a light, when I drive away from the light, a humongous cloud of white-ish smoke appears like magic behind the car.... Leading me to believe that coolant is getting into the cylinders while I'm cruising along, from the cylinder head not being snug against the block. Once the weather moderates to the low 90's, I will re-torque the head bolts, with my new torque wrench purchased for the van project and install a new valve cover gasket and hope that fixes it.

Dan

Seat Refinishing

2006-07-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

One of the first projects that I completed was the seat restoration. I wanted the original look so I went with Moss Motors leather seat covers, sourced from Ed Kaler at JustBrits.com, a Moss reseller (great service!), along with new foams, rubber diaphragms and seatback cardboard.

Stripping the old seats was easy, as the foams had mostly deteriorated to the point where they were basically dust! The seats had some nasty old vinyl covering on them, they were probably red with black piping at some point.... I discovered a bit of the original black-with-red covering still attached which was kinda cool.... I wire-brushed away the surface rust on the frames (quite a bit, but surface only) and painted them in a satin black Rustoleum. What a difference!

Now came the hard part - putting everything back together.... I read what I could find on reupholstering the seats (a good guide is available from Victoria British). I started on the driver's seat, figuring that if I messed up the first one, at least I would not have to look at it while driving! The most critical thing is really getting the piping on the upper and lower to match, which takes a little shifting around. It's a good idea to test-fit the top and bottom together first, and then adjust the upholstery as needed prior to gluing.

Basically, if you're doing the early seats, you use the rubber diaphragm with metal hooks that fit into holes in the lower frame. It's a tight fit, so I let the rubber sit out in the sun for a bit, then used a screwdriver inside the hook to stretch it across the frame and into the appropriate hole - bracing the frame with my feet. Kind of tricky, and be careful with that screwdriver, hold it tight! Once that's done, I used some spray adhesive to glue the seat cushion foam to the frame - mainly to hold it in place until the cover was on.

The seat back uses the foam, which was again glued to the frame, and a cardboard backing, again glued. I also used some tape to hold the cardboard in place.

When it comes time for the seatcovers, I started with the bottom. I turned the cover inside out and placed it on the cushion, then 'unrolled' the sides so it was even then used the C-clamps to hold it to the frame. I didn't use any glue. For the seatback, the simplest way is to get a plastic bag like the dry cleaners use, and slip this over the frame with the cardboard backing and foam. The upholstery will then slip easily over the foam! I ripped out as much of the back as I could, then used the 3M spray adhesive up inside. WEAR EYE PROTECTION AS YOU WILL GET ADHESIVE BLOW-BACK!

Now is when you test-fit the upper and lower to make sure the piping aligns. And that's it!

Restoration Journal Up to Now

2006-07-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

Sunday, September 10, 2000

Picked up the car in Frostburg, MD. About 600 miles round-trip. Used trailer from Gary Zastocki and Brian Evans’ Expedition. Costs: Gas - $111, tolls - $31. MPG on return trip about 11!

Documents received from Brad Barkley – South Carolina title, his receipt from purchase of car from British Motorcars Ltd of Greenville, SC. Also found in the glovebox the following:

- State of Indiana application for title dated 10/26/78

- Inspection receipt from Indiana, dated 5/30/79

- Excise Tax receipt, Indiana, dated 6/21/82

History to be documented separately.

Odometer currently reads 63,935, which appears to be accurate from above documents. Condition is as expected. Body overall very decent. Floorboards have some surface rust but no holes. Looks like passenger’s side was replaced at some point, perhaps rocker too as it’s better than the driver’s side. Latter one has one small hole and some surface bubbling. Aluminum hood in excellent condition – no dents. Bumpers in very good shape – one dent each (rear is on an overrider) although the chrome is somewhat pitted. Looks like someone mounted driving lights on the front bumper – two holes drilled through between the overriders.

Monday, September 11, 2000

Interesting to note that car was built in October 1964 but apparently not titled until 1966 model year. But I will consider it a 1965.

Engine is apparently not original, according to the BMIHT certificate. However, it appears to still be a Mk I engine, just about 5600 engines later….

Discovered this afternoon that the car has apparently been converted to negative earth and one battery. Hooked up the car to the van and the horn worked, taillights and one headlight worked, radio light came on and the starter clicked when I turned the key.

Tuesday, November 21, 2000

Wow, guess it’s been a while….! I located some more parts – 4 hubcaps and the air cleaner assemblies. Paid $15 for the hubcaps (a couple are apparently kind of dinged up) and $30 for the air cleaner assemblies. Hope to get them soon.

I had also located a 5-main engine from a ’66 B in the Philly area, guy wanted $450 for it and the transmission. I’ve been hemming and hawing about it and I think I’ve decided to just rebuild what I currently have in the car, regardless of the fact that it’s an earlier engine. So, after the holidays, I need to really get cracking and get an engine stand and pull everything out. Hopefully, I’ll get some gift certificates that I can use!

Friday, January 5, 2001

Spent an hour last night stripping the seats of their old coverings. It wasn’t too bad, except that the cushions were really badly deteriorated – pretty dusty! It was neat to discover a bit of the black carpet that was on the rear seatback along with some of the original upholstery – black with red piping, as I thought! There is a bit of rust on the lower frame rails but looks like I can simply sand it and repaint. Ed Kaler at JustBrits says he can get the Moss kits cheaper than Moss, so I’ll wait until the spring sale and see what their prices are. I may go ahead and order the webbing and foams, since they’re on sale now from Moss.

Saturday, February 17, 2001

Spent a couple of hours between Saturday and Sunday using a wire wheel on the seat frames. Stripped off the surface rust from the bottom frames and cleaned them up generally. Had some difficulty with some of the bolts holding the tracks on (in fact still have one I have to get off). After doing this I took the entire frame apart for painting – used Rustoleum Satin Black. What a difference! They look almost brand new! Next step will be to order the diaphragm and cushions. I’d like to have them ready to go when the Moss interior kits go on sale (although I will probably buy them from Ed Kaler at JustBrits, since he said his price would be much cheaper). Problem is, I don’t think I can really afford the leather, so will probably go with vinyl (which is basically half the cost).

Also visited MGT’s in West Milford, NJ, last week to see Rob Medynski and discuss the body work issue. He recommended doing that first (prior to mechanicals) as a way of visualizing what the car will look like and acting as encouragement to get on with the mechanical bits. Seems to make sense, although I figure that it will cost me in the neighborhood of $3000 to get the body done. Need to figure out how to pay for this. I figure if I spend the money on the body, I can always put it back together with used parts and upgrade (as needed) while I drive it. If nothing else, it will look great. I guess I could have him do the exterior and paint the engine compartment and trunk myself (so I don’t have to strip every wire from the car).

November 15, 2001

Hard to believe that I haven’t recorded anything since February!! I finished the seats in September – they came out pretty nice! Wasn’t too difficult a job. I also purchased a used GB-series engine from Kai Radicke (short block) and am planning on suing that engine in the car. I bought that in August and am currently trying to get the flywheel removed so I can mount it on the engine stand I bought at Harbor Freight. I have also cleaned and restored the fan, fan pulley and air cleaners.

November 30, 2001

Still struggling with the flywheel bolts! Got 2 loosened with heat and banging on my socket wrench! The MG list recommended an impact driver, so I’ll pick one up at Sears. Some of the remaining bolts are starting to round a bit; hopefully, I can get them loosened without having to resort to drilling them out….

May 27, 2002

Yes, it’s been a while…..! In honor of British Car Week, rededicated myself to The Project! I decided to start stripping the body down, so I tackled the dashboard this week-end, between Saturday and Sunday. Spent about 5 hours working it off. It wasn’t too difficult a job, although the 2 bolts directly in front of the driver were tough, especially the left-hand one. Not much clearance under the scuttle panel on top, not enough to get a ratchet in until the bolt was backed out a bit… Can’t wait to try putting it back! I have a lot of baggies now, all labeled, and I also labeled all of the wires. Not sure why since I will end up putting a new wiring harness in it….. Oh well, it looks good for the pictures. The speaker box is in excellent shape, although I have to figure out how to clean the plastic a bit, as it’s faded. The grille itself is in incredible shape – wonder if it’s original?? It was nice to see that bright red paint under the dash… More confirmation of the origonal condition of this car.

I recently bought another set of hub caps that I think will look good. I have 4 good ones now, between the previous set I bought and these.

September 11, 2002

I rearranged the garage this past week-end. I now have the car in the center so I can easily access it. Put it up on jackstands tongith, and did a quick survey of the underneath. Looks like both floor pans have been replaced at some point, relatively recently. The rockers and castle rails are not too good, and a couple of the fenders need replacing. The front valence is pretty well trashed, looks like it was smashed into a couple of rocks. And the rear valence has a cut-out that looks like it was for a Monza-type muffler and dual exhaust tips…. Battery boxes are okay. Worked on loosening the bolts for the bumpers and removed a couple. Also removed the antenna and headlight trim. Right now, I’d like to get the car stripped down and get it to a body shop next spring, then while that’s being done, work on the motor.

I had repainted the dashboard after stripping it but am not too happy with the end result. The wrinkle finish is a little uneven, so I tried putting some additional coats on. Unfortunately, it looks like the more coats you put on, the less wrinkle effect you get. So I will probably strip it again and take it someplace to have it powdercoated. I found a place that’s not too far away. Have to check back with Ed at Platt’s Performance too.

October 26, 2002

Stripped out the interior panels, removed the door hardware (window winders, grab handles, etc). Looks like these are the original panels and the doors had the original vinyl panels under the interior panels that sealed the inner dooor and protected the window mechanisms from water and condensation…. They are thin vinyl sheets that were lightly adhered to the metal door skin. I’ll clean them up and re-install them when ready. The interior panels, hoowever, aren’t reusable, unfortunately. I thought maybe I could just clean them up but the bottoms are kinds of rotted…..

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Finally was able to get out in the garage! Beautiful day, nice and warm…. I removed a bunch of small switches and parts from the wiring harness in the interior. I also went back and properly bagged and categorized some parts I had removed last fall and tossed into a box…. I’m finding it’s going to be really important to keep all of this stuff labelled and bagged properly, especially if I plan to restore some of these parts. Between October and now I located and purchased a couple of things I needed – turn signal switch (used but works great and looks decent), the door trim rails (proper style, with the rear points). I need to go back through my ‘missing parts’ list and update it.

Saturday, April 26, 2003

Finally got some quality time with the car today. I took off the side moldings, the taillights and finally worked the front bumper free! The moore I do to the car, the more original it appears to be. I need to keep at it, as it’s going well and I enjoy my time working on it… Funny, there was an oil drip on my creeper, which was stored under the car, proving that it is indeed alive!

Thursday, May 14, 2003

Took the rear bumper off last night, the boolts were REALLY rusted. Had been treating them with PB Blaster for about a week, but ended up using the torch to remove them. Once they were heated up, they came undone but had to keep reheating them to undo them. But the good news is that the bumper bar itself is very straight, so it can be rechromed. The front one might need a little work. The overriders probably will have to be replaced. But the repor bumpers are supposedly crappy, so I’ll see what can be done with it.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Yes, the date is correct – 2005!! Haven’t done anything on the car (other than fill it with storage items) for over 2 years – mostly as a result of 1) lack of time and 2) the ’76 B having blown the head gsaket – I just didn’t feel like working on the ’65 with the ’76 laid up… But the ’76 is really close to being back on the road….

Last weekend I had to rearrange the garage to accommodate working on the ’76 while it was on jackstands, so I emptied all of the crap out of the ’65, pumped up the tires and put ‘er back on the floor (maily to shift it over a few feet).

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Spent some time today going through the boxes of parts I have previously packed (and a lot I didn’t!). I put together a spreadsheet to track the parts that I removed and their condition etc.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Pretty much finished logging in all the old parts, and have removed some new stuff as well. Have been trying to figure out the engine. I’m pretty sure it’s a 3-main since it has the mechanical tach drive, but have been trying to uncover the ‘clock’ on the engine block that shows the casting date… There are a series of numbers at the same level as, and immediately in front of, the oil filter – 56 on top, with upside-down immediately below it ’14 A3D’ – I haven’t been able to decode this. I finally got the filter removed today but there doesn’t apppear to be a clock – just a number that appears to be ‘2’ where the clock should be. I looked at one of my spare GB-series engines, and it has the clock. I thought I saw somewhere that the early G-series engines may not have had this little clock….

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Posted the ‘missing clock’ info on The MGB Experience forum but no definitive answer on the issue of whether or not the early G-series engines had a clock or not. I’ve actually been trying to get the engine to turn, I put some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders and have tried to turn it by hand – no luck. I put some Liquid Wrench in there, and probably need to get a breaker bar to slip over the end of my socket wrench for some leverage….

I sent a letter off to Richard McDaniel, who was an owner of the car from the late ‘70’s to the early ‘80’s, asking him for any information he might have. Hopefully he’ll send me a reply!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

I received an e-mail from Rick McDaniel – see the History document for the details.

Removed the steering wheel this past week-end. I think it’s repairable – it has separation at the side spokes, but the spokes are still attached to the metal rim, so it should simply be a question of filling the cracks with eposy and then sanding and painting it. The spokes themselves are in great shape, no rust at all. I will put a thin leather cover on it, and try to source a new hub for it.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Ok, I used some special putty to repair the cracks in the steering wheel last night. Once it hardens fully, I will sand it and use some black paint on the rim. I am still going to get a thin leather cover for it, like the MGC had. Still need to try and source a better horn unit for it.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Ooo, long time no work….! Actually, I’ve been working on the steering wheel for a while, and finally finished it off with a leather cover yesterday! I had sanded down all of the putty, which came out pretty good. Then I painted the rim and center piece – initially, I used a gloss black but thought that was too shiny, so I tried a satin finish. That took me a couple of steps because I had to remove the gloss paint as the satin would not stick to it! But the satin was too dull, so I ended up back with gloss. In the meantime, I looked at the wheels in cars of this age at a couple of shows, and they all seemed to be more shiny than satin so….. The rim came out a little bumpy, even though I sanded it between coats. No biggie, as I was always going to use the leather cover anyways, as I liked the look and feel of it. I also sourced a new, uncracked horn centerpiece, with a nicely patina-ed badge in it. So, that’s done!

Yesterday I also started back to work on the doors, gutting them. Finally got the window glass out of the driver’s side, then started working on the vent window assembly. A bit stuck with that, so I’m waiting for some assistance from the MGBE folks.

MG2008 is supposed to be held in the Valley Forge PA area, so I am going to shoot for that as a target date to have the car done and road-worthy.

Did some more work on the vent window tonight, still one thing holding it back.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Turns out there were 2 rivets holding everything up, so once I drilled those out the vent window unit came right out! I also removed the window regulator and latch mechanism, and finally, the door handle. So, the driver’s door is empty! I imagine the other side will go much easier.

Longer-range, I think I will shoot for MG2008, which is supposed to be held in the Valley Forge, PA area. That gives me just under 2 years. I need to start thinking about the body where and whether to do that myself or farm it out.

Car History

2006-07-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

I have been doing some work on tracing my car's history. I found a couple of previous owners, using some documents that I found in the car. Here is what I have pieced together to date -

Ownership History

o Marcus R. Johnson, South Bend, IN - ? to October 1978

o Jesse Huggins, Jr – had it a few days, sold it to R McDaniel – lived in

Hartford City, IN – now winters in Florida

o Richard A. McDaniel, Marion, IN - October 1978 to 1980 – paid $600

o ???, Lafayette, IN (1980 to ???)

o British Motorcar Sales, Greenville, SC (Archie) - January 1999 to July 1999

o Brad Barkley, Frostburg, MD - July 1999 to May 2000 - Paid $2000

o Stephen King, Plano, Texas - May 2000 to August 2000 - Paid $800

o Dan DiBiase, purchased August 19, 2000 - Paid $650

Other Information

5/2/2001 – Spoke with Archie at British Motorcar Sales - engine was seized when he bought it, from non-use, in his opinion. He did no work on it - how it is now is how he bought it.

1/28/2005 - Saw a ’65 car advertised on eBay (item # 4522107202) - it is chassis # 54298, with engine # GB-U-H 6897. Assuming the engine numbers were sequential, and that this car has the original engine (which it appears to have) then my engine number should be around 2442.

10/26/2005 – Sent a letter to Richard McDaniel

10/31/2005 – Rick McDaniel responded via e-mail -

Dan, It was quit a surprise to receive your letter concerning the MGB. It does appear that your roadster was owned by me. I'm afraid I can't be much help but I might be able to fill in a few holes. My wife and I bought the car in October of 1978. We bought the car as a 1966. That appears to be what the title says. We kept it for about 2 years. It was red the with a black top. The body was fairly decent shape, top not too great. Can't give you any information on the Marcus Johnson in South Bend as I never met the man. I bought it through a friend of mine at that time. He was kind of trading in them and he only had it for a few days, never titled it in his name. I would imagine he bought it through the Trader newspaper. His name is Jesse Huggins Jr. from Hartford City In. I believe he has retired now and winters in Fla. I am sure he wouldn't remember as much as I do. As to why the car doesn't have the right motor I can probably answer that. When I bought the car (I think I gave $600 for it) the motor had a wrist pin hammering We had every intention of freshing up the motor up but never did ...It just kept hammering. It was the original motor with twin Webers etc. On top of that, the transmission had synchronizer probs. Plus I had the usual Lucas starter and charging probs. I didn't have storage room inside for it and we quit driving it, so the top got in really bad shape. About 1980 we got tired of it sitting around rusting so we advertised it in the Trader newspaper for $200. We sold it to a man from Lafayette In. (sorry I don't remember his name). He said he had several of them and was going to restore it. It's obvious he didn't since the title trail ends after me. I would assume he replaced the engine and the original is probably long gone. The last we saw or heard of the car was in about 1980 when it left our driveway on a trailer. How it got to New Jersey is beyond our wildest dreams. Sorry I couldn't be of anymore help, but it is nice to know that the old car still lives as I have been a steet rodder and racer for years and I hate to see any old sheet metal destroyed.

11/4/2005 – Sent letter to Jesse Huggins. Also tried to find British Motorcar Sales in

Greenville but no listing! Sent an e-mail to Hap Waldron at another British

shop in Greenville to see if he knows what happened to them.

Hap responded as follows:

Yes, that would be Archie Olgesby,  he moved away from here about 6 months ago, had some

tubs lying around on his property and ask me to come look at them, was just

rust, I walked away.  I hear he is in Virginia now.

Sent e-mails to 4 shops in Virginia.

11/16/2005 – Heard back from 1 shop, no idea about Archie. I may try local British car clubs.

5/12/2006 – Sent letter to Marcus R Johnson,  Indianapolis, IN 46260

5/30/2006 – Dang, Johnson letter returned – “Addressee Unknown”

First Post!

2006-07-26T11:22:00.000-04:00

Hi, this blog is intended to be a public record for the restoration of my 1965 MGB Tourer. The restoration started when I purchased the car back in the fall of 2000, and I am back into it after intermittant work the last several years.