Hello everyone, winter is here in Michigan, and all I want to do is take a cruise in my car with the top down. Unfortunately the warm weather vehicles are all tucked away until spring. But at least while I’m inside, I can take a minute to make a little post about my 1975 MGB.
I bought this car in the spring of 2020. I had been looking for a project car for a while and knew I wanted some type of vintage car (preferably a manual coupe, with a soft top). The MG I found was in a barn in Ohio, with 1982 plates still on it. The original owner had passed and his son was clearing out the property. I’m not sure why it was originally parked. At the time it was only 7 years old, and only had 42,000 original miles. The only sign of damage was a dent in the passenger door, where it looked like it was backed into.
When I got it, it would start for a minute, but that was about it. Although I knew getting it to a point where it would run, drive and stop reliably would be challenging, my main concern was its physical state. The undercarriage had an undercoat which preserved it well, however the body did not fair as well. The front fenders, passenger door, rockers and rear doglegs were all toast, completely rusted out. Luckily I was able to find a second 1973 MGB with a rotted underside to pull fenders, grill, carbs, bumpers, and rear quarters off of.
From there I welded all the new sheet metal on, changed out the rubber bumpers with chrome, swapped the fenders, added a freshly restored fish mouth grill, and swapped the original single carb, with a set of twin SU carbs. I was able to get the engine tuned up, after a lengthy battle with a mouse riddled wiring harness. I fitted it with all new brakes and hydraulics for the clutch. I also custom made a new exhaust from the manifold. All that was left to do was prep for paint. This was my first time painting, I wanted to keep the original tundra green the car had sported when it was new, but it took me a long time to get the courage to spray it. Which was fine, because working out the high and low spots on this neglected car was an entire project in itself. But I was able to figure it out eventually.
Now 3 years and some change later I was finally able to get the car on the road for the first time since ‘82, just in time to enjoy it for a month or two right before winter. It is a blast to drive. Luckily I had it done in time to take a few rides with the top down. The original suspension is surprisingly decent, especially around turns, this tiny car floats over the bumpy Michigan roads. While it’s not a race car by any means, the steep geared 4 speed keeps up just fine.
I really enjoyed building this car, and I cannot wait to get it back out next year. I plan to enjoy it for a little while, and eventually I might sell it to fund a new project car. I am hoping I can use this method of flipping restored cars to work my way up to buying some really unique cars. We will see what the future holds.
If you made it to the end I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. I also want to thank Chuck Messer for his interest in my car at one of the local car shows, and pointing me towards this cool website where we can share our car stories. I look forward to reading some of your guys stories as well.