Well my MGB restoration project is going to be a slow one. Have had it for a few months now and the epic drive back from rural Victoria was by far the most time I have spent with it. It’s a 1966 MGB and I found it for sale on a farm in Victoria. When I saw it, it was sitting in a shed and seemed to be home to the farm’s cats and dogs (judging from the amount of animal hair in it and smell of it).
I had to drive it home (about 750km) in the heat of the Australian summer which speaks volumes about the roadworthiness of it. It’s a great little car to drive but does need some work on it. There are a number of gauges that don’t work (temperature, tacho, and as of today, petrol) which really need to be looked at.
It goes in for its first service this week and from there, I hope to set the baseline for the things that need to be done (what I can do and what the professionals need to do).
I hope to set it up as a daily driver – I am not looking to create a show pony. I would like to stick fairly close to original but don’t mind making some modern improvements in terms of safety and comfort.
I am starting to compile a list of things to attend to in addition to the afore mentioned gauges including:
- the electrics are unreliable and need some work
- possibly converting to ‘negative to earth’
- window winders
- door locks
- roof needs some serious work or replacement
- passenger side windscreen washer
- new floor linings
- look at the suspension setup
- radiator cooling fan
- fix a couple of minor oil leaks
- fit a radio
- not sure whether to fix the paint problems or go for a total respray
Lots to do and I am sure time will reveal a lot more but at the moment it is still fun.
Cheers,
The Wanderlust Gene
/ May 13, 2012What do you mean improvements in terms of comfort?
jerry
/ May 13, 2012Well, the roof has some serious leaks and you get very wet in the rain. That’s probably the next thing to fix. There was a big hole between the engine and the passenger’s compartment that needed fixing but that’s been done now, which makes driving on warm/hot days a lot more pleasant.
Cheers
The Wanderlust Gene
/ May 13, 2012Got it! Must’ve been a great drive home.