MGB GT advice

[Farmerlad]

Hi guys,

I't not sure if this is in the right place as its my first post.

Its my 17th birthday in january and I'm toying with the idea of buying an MGB GT, probably a rubber bumpered model.
Ive had no expirience with these cars but from what I read they seem to be good, but I am 6ft2in so would I find the car easy enough to drive comfortabley?
I understand that as with any older car they will require more maintainence than a new car but what other pro's and cons are there?

Also does anyone know a rough estimate for the insurance costs for one? I intend to do my pass plus but not too sure what milage the care would do a year.

Many thanks,
Pat

Edited by Farmerlad on Thursday 29th December 23:18

[chormy]

Insurance will kill your ambitions for a MGB, my son tried £3000 + for a classic, if you can afford it then I suggest you take someone who knows MGB's well, the mechanics are simple but body work expensive to get rid of rust.
I have two MGC's and a MGB average ins for a 53YO is £150 and no car tax if you buy 1972 or older.

I could not even get him on my policy's so he will have to be content with using one on the trackdays, he has a mini 1000 basic , ins £1400 and its cheaper to go fully comp!!!

My MGB is for sale the white roadster in classified £5750 the pics show some of the work done to make rust free.

[niva441]

6ft2in shouldn't be too much of a problem, I'm 6ft1in. Especially if it has a Webasto sunroof. The last one I had glass sunroof and the mounting frame was over my head, so bumps required observation, planning and ducking.

[na]

6’ 2”

unless you have a very long body and short legs you should be fine, loads of leg room in a B, steering wheels are large and IMO best suited to be kept as large as possible to keep the steering sweet same as no need for large wheel or lower profile tyres

you might need to consider how much taller you might grow though but you'll be able to tell when you sit in a BGT - note if the seat webbing and cushion are worn you will have more headroom than if/when they are renewed

insurance

I’m told by another approaching 17 that he can get insurance at I think around £1,000 a year, sorry don’t know who with or if it is correct

I will say you need to phone and speaker to insurers not just accept what’s on their websites or just text them

IF you regularly fully and properly service, maintain and repair a classic and drive it regularly over reasonable distances (not just 2/3 miles a day) then you can get it to be probably more reliable than some newer cars and much more fun to drive

My advice to new or potential B owners

Buy a owners/Driver’s Handbook before even looking for the car and read it thoroughly as it tells you so much you need to know to own, drive, service and maintain your car and it’s very useful to have as a paper copy (even if you get electronic copies later) – (Ref: 0053) http://www.mgocshop.co.uk/catalog/Online_Catalogue...
(it’s workshop manuals for repairs but owners Handbooks for prevention)

Look at and test drive as many good examples as you can including some well out of your buying budget to see how good the cars should be and that you may need to increase your budget – it usually works out less expensive to buy a good but higher priced example than a poor lower priced example

Allow in your purchase budget at least a £200 for servicing, maintenance and repairs in the first year, £500 would be better if you can afford it, if you don’t use it all it can go forward to the next year – you have to budget for insurance, possibly road tax, certainly petrol so why not budget for servicing, maintenance and repairs which will decrease in cost the more you do of them

- I’ve loads more advice you can have but most find it over the top and as your young you can’t know the value of my advice from 20 years experience of running various classics as dailies, including a BGT, so you’ll probably ignore it like most and go with the quicker and easier options – I can post a bit more info if you want

- that Driver’s Handbook will tell you more than some long term B owners know so I strongly suggest for £8 it’ll be the best investment you can make when considering buying a classic

[Farmerlad]

na said:

- I’ve loads more advice you can have but most find it over the top and as your young you can’t know the value of my advice from 20 years experience of running various classics as dailies, including a BGT, so you’ll probably ignore it like most and go with the quicker and easier options – I can post a bit more info if you want

Thanks for the advice, as I've not had much to do with classics, Im more than willing to listen to every piece of advice I can before considering buying/using one.
I have looked at a few cars and I dont think I want something more run of the mill. We have a VW caddy farm van that my parents said they will insure me to drive, so I have a stop gap if need be. But I have some savings I would quite like to use to get me on the road so to speak.

[na]

if you do a PH Search you'll find recent threads on advice on B or BGT and a few PHers that had/have a BGT as their first cars

you might need to pass your driving test first and then learn to drive properly in your BGT

rest of initial advice -
(as there’s quite a lot to note here it’s probably best to keep a copy of this information to read and refer to now and later in your ownership)
If you buy one then;
always have the battery(ies) and all its connections in good condition as this will obviously help with starting the car and running the electrical items but it will also help with problem solving many items whereas a battery and/or connections in poor condition will create problems in itself and not help with other problems

Also have all battery leads and connections, other earth leads and all their connections - clean, secure and protected - as this will help with starting of the engine and all electric circuits, same applies to all electrical wiring and connections too

As soon as possible after purchase do a full and proper 36,000-mile service only missing out items that you know for certain have already been done very recently – this service and the following work can be done in stages and in between driving, enjoying and learning your car

check brakes and tyres (see below)
consider using engine flushing oil on first engine oil change
change gearbox and back axle oils
change brake and clutch fluids
change coolant
change radiator/expansion tank pressure cap
change fan belt
change dissy cap, rotor arm and HT leads (buy good quality parts and items) - http://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html

Don’t assume the parts and components already fitted to the car are necessarily the original or correct type or that they’re fitted correctly

For a coolant change first clean with something like Bars Flush Cooling System Cleaner then drain the whole system - engine block, rad and heater matrix, if you can get any of these out to give them a good shake at the same time as flushing and back flushing then all the better - the sequence is use cleaner as per its instructions then flush, back flush and flush and continue this until water runs completely clear, refill with the correct coolant mixture but bear in mind in tap water isn’t always the best water to use distilled would be better

Follow the refill instructions from the owners Handbook to avoid get air locks or ‘hotspots’ that could cause overheating of the engine

If you clean the whole of the coolant system and also renew the seals and foam around the heater matrix you will find the heaters can get very hot

As new rubber cooling hoses tend to be poor quality now this is also a good chance to change them to silicone and rounded-edge clips - http://www.classicsiliconehoses.com/

Be aware that brand new parts can sometimes be faulty, especially electrical bits (see just above) so don’t discount them when problem solving just because they are new, buy good quality parts

Check the age of your tyres if they are 6 years old or more replace ASAP regardless of tread depth, this will improve the braking, steering, ride, handling and possibly noise and safety of the car greatly

Also change very old brake pads as soon as practical as they may have gone off with age, as can the hydraulic seals – if the car has been standing still for many years the clutch may be stuck on, tyres squared, bushes stiff, if facts lots of potential problems with a car that hasn’t been used much or at all for a long time

Use the car regularly - to get used to it, sort out any wrinkles and prevent the problems that occur with lack of use, and to enjoy it

Every few weeks check that the horn, wipers and all switches work correctly and that the heater valve turns on and off (all no problem if you use the car regularly)

Follow regular checks, servicing and maintenance as per owners Handbook

Drive in all weathers, the roadster hood should be quite watertight if fitted correctly and with all door, heater and cabin seals in good condition then the heater is more than adequate, if working correctly, for the cabin, same for BGT, both cars were designed to be driven in all weathers

Do not do any cosmetic or improvement work until at least 12 months of regular use (unless you need to replace parts or components) as you may need to use the money elsewhere on the car

Also very useful, you can get suppliers catalogues for free to get you started to see where things go but in my personal opinion they’re not as good as a paper copy like – http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-HMCC3007DVD

You can also get an excellent DVD that includes original Parts Catalogues, Parts Fiches, Workshop Manuals and owners Handbooks to have in electronic format, not as convenient as paper copies but a lot more information – http://www.motoringclassics.co.uk/heritage-range/c...

John Twist gives great, clear advice on serving and repairs in his videos – http://www.youtube.com/user/Universitymotorsltd#g/...

all info can generally be applied to most other cars

Edited by nta16 on Friday 19th July 21:37

[fulvia griff]

I'm 20 and have had my '71 BGT over 6 months now and in a nutshell its been brilliant.

I'm 6"2 myself and it is very comfortable to drive due to the fact you can stretch your legs right out and there is plenty of roof space. They are easy to drive everyday, not having power steering etc is not a problem.

As for insurance, mine is currently insured with Footman James TPFT for £650-ish but I've heard through the grapevine that FJ have now stopped quoting on under 21's so at renewal time I'm going to have to go elsewhere. As already mentioned you HAVE to ring insurance companies to get quotes, I've never got a reasonable one off an online service.

For the maintenance you have to keep on top of things and treat the car with respect but they're not overly complicated and with a bit of thought and time you can figure things out. I'm definitely a 'novice' with mechanics but I've just taken the engine out of my car quite easily (I bought one with low oil pressure so I knew there were problems).

If you're genuinely interested in a BGT go and see a couple of cars and get the owner to take you for a test drive if they will to get a feel for them. Obviously buy a car which is as good as you can afford, the condition of the bodywork is key on the cars and expensive to repair properly so take a magnet and look for filler! There are plenty of buyers guides on the web for more info.

[na]

whoops, I've just seen a stray Midget sentence in my previous post, sub stituted with -

Drive in all weathers, the roadster hood should be quite watertight if fitted correctly and with all door, heater and cabin seals in good condition then the heater is more than adequate, if working correctly, for the cabin, same for BGT, both cars were designed to be driven in all weathers

as regards working on the cars prevention is usually better than cure - hence buy the Driver's Handbook - and there are lots of BGts for sale so don't buy one with poor bodywork or low oil pressure on the engine unless you want the work and probably misery and high costs

[Farmerlad]

Thanks onnce again for the replies.

Two things cropped up when searching, the 36,000 mile service, is it very expensive to do? and would taking it to our local garage to do be a sensible idea as the mechanic doesnt really like working on older cars.

Also the electric ignition seems to be a good idea, but how hard is it to fit and would I need a specialist to fit it?

[na]

Farmerlad said:

36,000 mile service, is it very expensive to do?

not really as you could do a lot of the work yourself as a lot of it is just inspecting, cleaning, lubricating and changing oils, filters and gaskets

if you get that Driver’s Handbook it’ll list and show you what’s involved

a lot of it can be learnt quite quickly the rest can be picked up later or you can have it done by the many professionals still working on classic cars

there are so many books and information about Bs it’s an ideal classic – after the Driver’s Handbook here’s another good book if you can find it at a sensible s/h price, obviously not Amazon - MGB Step-by-step Service Guide: The Total Guide to MGB Maintenance (Porter Manuals) – http://www.amazon.co.uk/MGB-Step-step-Service-Guid...

I can give you notes too

you will need a few tools perhaps as the B has imperial and not metric nuts and bolts and 100% you'll need a grease gun

also a very important life lesson the cost of anything is what you could have got in it’s place, that is the cost of a good tool set is the pair of expensive trainers you could have had instead – by this I mean unless your lucky you can’t get every thing you want some things have to be sacrificed or delayed to get what you want or need now

a good set of tools you buy once and look after them and then you have them for many years if not life, you look on them as an investment, what they cost initially is paid back by all the work you can do with and can be used for many other jobs other than on the car

if you’ve got any Xmas money here a good investment in tools – http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/... then you need a few imperial spanners which you can get sets of

Farmerlad said:

and would taking it to our local garage to do be a sensible idea as the mechanic doesnt really like working on older cars.

er, what do you think

Farmerlad said:

Also the electric ignition seems to be a good idea, but how hard is it to fit and would I need a specialist to fit it?

there are quite a few different ones, none are difficult to fit but a lot of care must be taken not to have the delicate wires where they can be snagged but as I put above you don’t want to consider things like this until you’ve regularly driven the car for a year or so, save the money, a good battery(ies) is much more important and the car you buy might already have a unit fitted

I strongly recommend you get and thoroughly read that Driver’s Handbook so you know what you’re getting yourself into also keep a copy of these notes posted in this thread for future reference

You’re getting to the age now where you have to decide what you really want and what you can have but only you will be able to decide these things – don’t rush into anything that’s going to take a lot of your time and money unless you’re really committed to it

buying a classic such as a BGT is never cheap but if done correctly can great fun and reliable but rushed and/or done incorrectly it can turn into a very expensive nightmare

[Farmerlad]

Following your advice I have bought myself a drivers handbook and I'm quite looking forward to reading it. Also the advice given on here has been very helpful.

As for tools, I live on a farm with a fairly big workshop, and we run an older tractor so we've got a lot of imperial spanners and the like. We've even got an battery powered grease gun.
And I'm not really the expensive trainers type of person, porbably why I'm considering a classic car though.

Again I can't thank you enough for sharing your advice from first hand expirience, can't say its put me off the idea yet.

[y2blade]

can't really add to this but following with interest as i'm looking at two seater sports cars and insurance is crippling for TVRs and such. . I got a quote for a MGB-GT., It was less than i'm paying for any of my other vehicles (including the Fireblade).

Grab a copy of the current classic and sportscar magazine, big feature on MGs .

Good luck.

[na]

Farmerlad said:

Following your advice I have bought myself a drivers handbook and I'm quite looking forward to reading it.

good chap, if you thoroughly read it and understand it you'll know more than a lot of long term BGT owners

most get confused and buy workshop manuals (such as the iffy Haynes) - remember it's workshop manuals for repairs but Driver's Handbook for prevention

bear in mind there will be few variances for earlier/later models and that they relate to things at least 30 years ago - any queries just ask

Farmerlad said:

As for tools, I live on a farm with a fairly big workshop, and we run an older tractor so we've got a lot of imperial spanners

I did wonder if that'd be the case but bear in mind it mainly the smaller sizes you'll want and to avoid using adjustable spanners or pliers where ever possible

Farmerlad said:

We've even got an battery powered grease gun.

as long as it's very low pressure

as said if you want loads more general notes just PM me but have a good read of the Driver's Handbook first

Edited by na on Sunday 1st January 15:21

[na]

y2blade said:

following with interest as i'm looking at two seater sports cars

Spridget !

y2blade said:

Grab a copy of the current classic and sportscar magazine, big feature on MGs

personally I'd be ware of magazine articles as they tend to be too general and carry over mistakes from previous articles - jurnos are lazy creatures generally - plus their values are set to keep their advertisers happy rather than real world buying and selling prices especially private sales

much better info available elsewhere IMO in books and even sometimes on the web but not all of it’s correct always research and cross-reference information, even mine I do sometimes make mistakes

[MG CHRIS]

Im 19 and bought a mgb gt 4 years ago mainly to learn a bit about cars before i went to do a apprentership. Very simple to work on im 6ft5 and fit fine allthough only driven it a few times my dads insured on it.
Cant help with driving it daily as it doesn't get a lot of use mainly for runs and shows. But generally speaking it has been a reliable car and never broken down on use apart from when the air filter cam loose and blocked the carb.

Can't really expand on the info above.

Mine will be for sale next year. We didn't do many miles in it last year less than a thousand so it time to go and make way for a kit car.

Its the 50th anniversary of the mgb so prices and demand for them will go up. This is mine

[na]

TJS10 said:

with the original owners handbook which is also well worth buying - reproduction copies are readily available.

TJS

wow, another owners/Driver's Handbook supporter, would you believe some in the Midget BBS don't believe in its worth for potential or new owners - and many long term owners could do with reading a copy

cheers