1974 MG B August 2012
  | This MGB built was inspired by the series "An MG is Born" Check it out on YouTube  |
History
12/4/12
I bought this car from the original owner with all original paperwork. I drove it from North Miami to Tampa the day I bought it. I lost 100 lbs of rust on the way. :) We drove it straight into the shop and began work. We started by stripping it down and removing all the chrome (or what was left of it). I carefully bagged and tagged all the parts. Many MG parts are hard to find and can be quit expensive. I then welded in structural support and started removing body panels. This was fairly easy. All I had to do was bang on it and they nearly fell off. For all it's structural issues, the original owner keep the engine and drive train in working order (even the overdrive!). To this point the rocker panels, rear quarters and front fenders have been replaced. Floor pans are next, a little body work then off to the paint shop.
2/5/13
I finally got all the rust removed, panels replaced and most of the body filler done. Now its off to the body shop....if I can get Griffin out.
4/2/13
JLP on U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills ( http://www.jlpmotorsports.com/ )did an incredible job painting the MGB (1 coat base and 3 coats clear) at a very affordable price. I picked this gray color because 1974 was the only year you could special order gray (Gray was a standard color that year for MGB GT's). Now back in the shop, it's time to put the car back together.
4/22/13
Just completed the rewiring! I was hoping to knock it out in a day. HA... It took me 10 days to figure out you need to do two things when rewiring......1. make sure you have a great GROUND. If you are unsure, create a new one. 2. The most important thing when trying to figure out why the turn signals are not working.......TURN THE CAR "ON"! Yep, I tried for a week to figure out why the turn signals were not working only to discover that "ON" in an MGB is the third turn on the ignition switch not the second! Oh yea another little handy piece of advice, don't shut the trunk with the latch loose while trying to adjust the trunk latch! IT WONT OPEN! I had to take the gas tank off again to reach in the trunk hole and pry the latch open from the inside.
5/29/13
In the final push now. All of the "Bright" work is back on, wheels repainted and I just finished putting the carpet in. Now on to the front window seal, convertible top and recover the seats and I will on the road like a fine Gentlemen.
6/1/13
HOLY CRAP putting the front windshield in was a pain in the !@#$. It took me, my wife and father-in-law two days. It took a lot of sweat, cussing and almost a divorce. Do not try this yourself if you have the $500 or so to have your locate MG guy do it! The original convertible top cleaned up great with Mother's vinyl top conditioner. I have to recover the seats and top off the fluids and I am off.
6/6/13
Finally done! Man this was a lot of fun and a great experience! This car is so much fun to drive!
