1972 MGB for The Wife. Barn find, sort of.

The Wife has always loved MGBs and small classic roadsters. Every once in a while we'd see one around town and she'd always go nuts for it. Well, I had basically convinced her to let me buy her a first gen Boxster, because those are awesome cars and so incredibly cheap, but the other day she shows me a 1972 MGB on Facebook marketplace for $1800 and says I want this, this is my dream car. It looked to be in good shape but the pictures sucked and the ad didn't really say much. I told her if she really wanted it, we could go get it. I know nothing about MGs, I'm a Porsche guy because apparently I like overly difficult and obscenely expensive cars that are fun to drive. But, we both watched some videos on MGBs and what to expect (which is to say, lots of rust but a car that's easy to work on). I also made a thread on here asking about them.

So, we drove two hours to get the car. This is what we find. A 1972 MGB tucked away in a wooden shed. It's been sitting there for a while, just taking up space.

This picture is after we cleared away a bunch of spare parts in the way, but you can see it's overall a bit dirty but in solid shape. Unoriginal color but that's fine, most of the stock colors were bland. The Wife absolutely loves it. And everything's there! Well, everything is there, with reinforcements and relatives and a family reunion. What does that mean? Spare parts, my friend. Lots of them. We gave him $1800, signed the title, had to drive over to Michigan to find a uHaul that had a trailer available, and started getting stuff. We had to push this thing out of the shed which wasn't too bad since it's light. We learned a bit about it.

Apparently this kid's great uncle was restoring this car and working on it, then passed away. This kid doesn't really know anything about the car except hey weird old foreign car with spare parts that's in the way. He needed it gone, so he sold it. And by spare parts, I mean three spare rostyle wheels, a full set of spare aluminum rims (15X7), three spare sets of seats, two spare steering shafts with wheels and keys, two spare dashboards with all wiring and gauges, about a dozen boxes of spare parts including carbs, spare doors, a spare original hard top, spare trunk lid, spare windscreen with frame, and the list goes on. It was kind of ridiculous how many spare parts there were.

We were nowhere close to getting it all. We'll have to make another trip back there in a few days to get the seats and hardtop and stuff. It might make sense to get another uhaul trailer because I don't think it'll fit in the back of the Cayenne. Which, by the way, is a great tow vehicle. Especially my GTS since it has 4.11 gears front and rear. We averaged 14.8mpg towing this thing on the heavy uhaul trailer. But yeah, parts.

Getting it on the trailer was tough, since the MGB is such a narrow car. There wasn't really much room for error when we pushed it on. But, we got it on there.

Yeah, she's happy. And the car is adorable, so I don't blame her. But did I mention spare parts?

Those are some of the cool aluminum wheels just begging for wide tires. Oh and what I think is an original spare.

Some spare wheels in the trunk, spare air filters, hubcaps? None of them matched but they're cool. A few center consoles, the cover for the convertable top when it's down.

Another spare wheel, spare steering shaft thingy with steering wheel, there are so many parts. But we finally loaded up everything we could and pulled out. I had to take the obligatory picture of the whole package.

And we set off! Tank was a little low but that was fine. Since I was towing I wanted to fill it up with premium. Yeah I know the car says it prefers 91 octane but I just run regular fuel in the Cayenne. It has knock sensors and has never missed a beat. Plus it's sold in countries where 91 octane isn't even offered. But, when the weather is hot or if I tow, I always use premium to be safe. It's never pinged. I also put it in sport mode just to be safe, to make sure the engine never bogs down. It did great. Here's our first stop for gas.

The size difference is pretty wild, yeah. The tow home was very uneventful. The car did great and we listened to the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook the whole way, which was awesome. Made it home and unloaded the car. Now, everything looked to be in good shape so I wanted to go ahead and try to see if the engine would even turn over. It's filled with clean oil. The key works and turns, and the clutch pedal depresses (although feels a little crusty). But it has a strange two battery setup. Not sure what is going on there. 

I would love it if someone could explain what was going on there. We tried jumpstarting it but there was no current anywhere. It looked like there's a master cutoff switch right there, but still nothing. So there's probably some wiring issues, which is expected. Once we get that figured out, I'm willing to bed the engine will turn over and fire right up. 

Oh, and we even found a full set of wrenches in all the spare parts!

For right now, our plans are just to get it running so we can start sorting it out. The current tires are drivable but pretty old. I want to put those 15s on there with some appropriate tires, maybe 195s or something. Once we get it driving, we want to take it autocrossing some. She can drive this, I'll have my 928. Fun times.

Oh, I poked around beneath the car and found some oil (because of course) but no rust. No rust in the trunk or engine compartment either, or the floorboards. There's a small spot at the bottom of one of the doors if memory serves, and that's the only place. I think my only concern with fixing the rust will be matching this quirky paint color. 

That’s a smoking deal - hope it all goes well for your restoration.  

I bought my 240Z from a hoarder and rented a Uhaul to get the spare parts home - also hired our friends high school kid to do the grunt work.  Also brought home a pickup trucks worth of engines and transmissions.

Re the batteries - looks like it’s running two 6V batteries in series.

Also, make sure to check if it’s a positive or negative earth car unless you like your electrics fried. 

BoxheadTim said:

Re the batteries - looks like it’s running two 6V batteries in series.

Also, make sure to check if it’s a positive or negative earth car unless you like your electrics fried. 

That’s a quick way to let all the smoke out. 

Dual 6v batteries were used because a 12v was too big to fit. The color might not be original to that car, but if it’s not factory 72 aqua, it’s very close. Nice score! The main thing to remember is get it running and stopping then enjoy it for a few months to make sure it’s "you". Don’t go overboard immediately. 

In reply to Steve_Jones :

Interesting. I'll have to look into the best way to convert it to a single 12V battery for the sake of simplicity.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Okay, I snapped a photo:

Negative earth. Is that a typical negative-is-ground setup like I'm familiar with on other cars?

In reply to infinitenexus :

Yes, that means negative is ground. I’ll bet you could fit a small AGM in there like a PC625.

That really does look like aqua. That was the original color of my GT.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

If you check the picture of the two batteries you can see what I believe is the original paint, which is a medium green. Fairly close to the aqua but different. If this aqua is a factory color that's awesome, because then I can find touch up paint for when I fix the rust spots.

Okay. Excellent. My first car was a '72 MGB (lacking anything else to say, I've probably mentioned that a few dozen times) and I never don't want another one someday.

Twin 6V batteries is the stock configuration. Mine had a big 12V battery in the trunk, unfortunately. A '72 is wired negative earth and probably has a sticker somewhere saying as much. EDIT: I see you confirmed that already.

The factory hardtop is an excellent thing to have. Weatherstrips and so on are now available, I think. They weren't when I had mine.

Any chance you got the optional electric overdrive? They're awfully nice to have.

I really like the '72-'74 cars for the improved ventilation, center console, etc. The dash is prettier than the Abingdon Pillow design that immediately precedes it. The '70-'72 grille isn't the prettiest, but you can change that easily enough if you like.

Those slot mags are period correct and should polish up nice, though they look more like 6-inchers than 7s. The rear wheel wells would not likely allow 7s anyway. EDIT: Forgot to mention that the black tape stripe would be a nice, period accent along with those slot mags.

Ventilation in the (very deep) footwells is pretty poor, and tunnel heat can get pretty oppressive. Adding some good insulation to the floor, tunnel, and firewall will help.

The convertible top (hood, to some) uses a special folding procedure. You do NOT just undo the latches and throw it back over your head; it will ruin the plastic windows, or the frame will bite holes through the vinyl, or both. This is one instance where you really need to RTFM. I assume reprints are still available. It was easy enough to get one in 1993...

The stock SU carbs are great. They are neither exotic nor fussy, and easy to tune if you follow the program. Resist the temptation to replace them with a Weber DGV. Throttle shaft wear can afflict the SUs, and they can be brushed to correct that wear. Don't forget a little bit of 20W oil (ATF also works) in the dashpots.

Do not fall for the "them things is all Whitworth" nonsense. The fasteners are pretty much all imperial.

You will need to grind a socket extension to a four-speed taper in order to remove the fill plug on the diff. Do it, please. I roached a rear axle by letting the oil run low. Kids are careless sometimes.

They're sweet, charming little cars. I hope it brings you both many happy miles.

In reply to DarkMonohue :

I played all sorts of mix and match with mine to get the look I wanted. A specific grille, a different badge, different turn indicators, earlier taillights, pulled off the overriders, a dash that’s a mix of ‘72 and ‘68 - the fun thing about these cars is that there are a lot of interchange options. 

stock grille (and SAAB Ronal wheels)

60’s grille

White turns and a Special Tuning air dam

Stock rear 

No overriders, 60’s tails, no side markers…the side strakes and badges were reinstalled later. Ignore the flares and exhausts :)

Holy smokes, there's a box of Repco Metal Masters in the trunk.  Score!

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Thanks for all that good info! We almost put the top down yesterday but I hesitated because the old windows aren't in the best shape, so I'm glad we didn't do it. I slapped a ruler on the side of one of the wheels one-handed as I was moving stuff into the garage and honestly they were like 6 3/4" wide. I'll have to do it more carefully today once I get the chance. I'm unsure about the overdrive. We haven't been able to spend a ton of time snooping around the car yet. By 72 had it moved to a switch on the dash? We don't have a shift knob, that's probably the only part on the entire car that's missing. We have multiple grills so it looks like we can pick and choose what she wants. We also have three total dashes, steering columns, and steering wheels so we can mix and match here. Again, thanks for all this helpful information.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Two things: First, I bought Miata parts from you back when I was 19 years old, in the year 2000, when I briefly autocrossed one. I still remember when you guys started the 200mph Miata project. Cool stuff. Good memories.

Second, these pictures are a big help, so thanks! I immediately looked up that front air dam, because I think it's a perfect look for the car. Removing those bumper overriders is a great look as well—last night when we got home I pointed those out to Charlotte and told her I think they come off, and I'll bet it looks better without them. It's good to get a visual representation of that. Just gotta polish those bumpers up a bit. The 60s tailllights are a really good look as well. It's a subtle difference but makes it look better. I've always loved the flares on yours! They look like they belong there. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but the air dam and flares would look great on her MGB. She'll probably agree.

That should be fun.  It's an old car, but a good old car, lots of parts and other support for these.

Being a old car, expect electrical issues, but it's also going to be fairly simple.  Sometimes to simple, might want to add a few relay's to reduce the load on some of the switches.  Like the starter and headlights.

Unlike a Porsche parts will be cheaper and it will be simpler to work on.  Some things will seem odd, like the carbs, but the SU carbs will work, after sitting a long time the carbs might need some work, they have some moving parts. 

A small cheap 12V battery, I used a lawn tractor battery in my fiesta race car.  They are sold in 3 different AMP  ratings,  cheap and available.

That color is fantastic!

TED_fiestaHP said:

A small cheap 12V battery, I used a lawn tractor battery in my fiesta race car.  They are sold in 3 different AMP  ratings,  cheap and available.

Hey that's a good idea. The seller included a newer 12V battery but it's too big. I'll use it just to try to get it started, then I'll find something to actually fit the car.

That's a nice looking MGB!

Just want to emphasize what Darkmonohue said: 

"The convertible top (hood, to some) uses a special folding procedure. You do NOT just undo the latches and throw it back over your head; it will ruin the plastic windows, or the frame will bite holes through the vinyl, or both. This is one instance where you really need to RTFM. I assume reprints are still available. It was easy enough to get one in 1993...

The stock SU carbs are great. They are neither exotic nor fussy, and easy to tune if you follow the program. Resist the temptation to replace them with a Weber DGV. Throttle shaft wear can afflict the SUs, and they can be brushed to correct that wear. Don't forget a little bit of 20W oil (ATF also works) in the dashpots."

This guy helped me a bunch with my SU's: SU Carb wiz

infinitenexus said:

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Thanks for all that good info! We almost put the top down yesterday but I hesitated because the old windows aren't in the best shape, so I'm glad we didn't do it. I slapped a ruler on the side of one of the wheels one-handed as I was moving stuff into the garage and honestly they were like 6 3/4" wide. I'll have to do it more carefully today once I get the chance. I'm unsure about the overdrive. We haven't been able to spend a ton of time snooping around the car yet. By 72 had it moved to a switch on the dash? We don't have a shift knob, that's probably the only part on the entire car that's missing. We have multiple grills so it looks like we can pick and choose what she wants. We also have three total dashes, steering columns, and steering wheels so we can mix and match here. Again, thanks for all this helpful information.

That top is a tricky one, but probably the least tricky of the four or five or however many designs MG used over the entire model run. It's easy once you know how.

Wheel width is measured between the bead flanges, where the tire sits. If you measure 6-3/4" overall width, then you will probably find wheel width proper to be 6".

Your overdrive switch, if so equipped, is in the right-side stalk on the steering column. Overdrive is engaged by pulling the stalk toward you, disengaged by pushing it forward. It works in 3rd and 4th gear only.

Glad to help if I can.

I would caution over-tire or over-wheeling this.  You don't have much hp to turn things

Coker Tire is making some good small size repros these days

That is a gorgeous little car and the price seems like a steal.

In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :

195s is what we'll probably go with, or whatever the autocross guys are using these days. Stock sizes are mostly NLA unless you get some special ones, probably like the Coker ones you mentioned, but those are pizza cutters and I don't feel safe driving on a 155 or 165. From perusing the MGB forums most guys are running a 185/70 as a modern replacement, which is what's currently on the car. So something like a 195/55R15 would be a bit more sporty but still well suited to a lightweight car like this.

Okay, lots of pictures. Went outside and cleaned it up a bit, removed the rest of the spare parts from my Cayenne (at least until we go get more, which will require a uhaul trailer), and tried to start it. The first thing I noticed was that Aleister Meowley has marked the car as his. Yep, my helper is always there.

Then I got to work. I measured that wheel again, although now I see your statement about it being measured between the beads. That makes sense. Although this wheel is still like 6.25" wide. I can't wait to see how they look on the car, but they need some serious polishing. We'll get to that later.

Okay, so I started pulling the rest of the stuff out of the back of the Cayenne (it was dark last night and I didn't feel like finishing then, so I left some for today) and I rearranged my garage, which is slowly turning into a car parts store. Patrick, I still have some BMW parts to give you, if you're reading this. Including in the pile of stuff were two hubcaps like this. 

I'm unfamiliar with the badge in the middle.

Continued getting parts, continued getting help. Included were brand new front bumperette thingies from Moss Motors, which I find funny because we've decided to remove them. These will get cleaned up and sold.

Also included were these headlights. No clue what they are, so The Wife did a reverse google image search and looks like they fit several european cars from the 80s, including a benz and a jag. They're in good shape. These'll get sold as well.

Pulled out more parts. I was glad to see I remembered correctly, the car has the correct 1972 grill but included was an earlier one. Just needs the badge. I think the earlier grill looks much better with that ridge on the front of the hood.

Also found a bottle of lead additive in the trunk. So I suppose the smart thing is to eventually pull the head and have the valve seals (or whatever it is) hardened so I can safely run modern fuels, right?

Another cool thing, we found a receipt for the batteries in the car. 1985. 

And some change! I haven't counted it yet but this will go into the challenge budget. As of now, we're planning on using the $2000 challenge as a sort of goal to get this car moving, and to keep our spending in check. This is just from the trunk. I haven't tallied up money from the rest of the car yet.

Drove over to Autozone and dropped off all the batteries, then picked up a new one. Type 26-R fits in those strange battery wells. Speaking of which, is this really how the car comes stock? The batteries just hanging out in the elements? That seems unsafe.

Well, I put the new battery in and turned the key. Nothing, no clicks or whirrs or anything. But! I pushed a few buttons on the dashboard and got the 4-way flashers to work. So I know it's getting power. Perhaps this weekend I'll start poking around and ensure I used the right positive cable (the one that connects to the starter). After that I'm not sure, I'll probably need some help. Maybe a starter, I dunno. 

Grabbed the old aluminum wheels, which were pretty crusty, and started polishing one of them up. Took a good bit of work and looks a lot better, but this is going to take a while. Here's a before and after.

Last picture since The Wife is saying we need to go. I removed the front bumperettes and gave the front bumper a quick polish (it needs a lot more) and rinsed off the car. Looking good so far!

Progress.

That definitely looks like a 6" wide wheel to me. A dollar bill is 6-1/8" and should almost nest down between the flanges.

The wire spoke wheel covers are mid-60s Ford.

Those headlamps are sealed beams that fit every car that ever had four round headlights. They have no value. Determining what the buckets and mounts are from will probably be impossible. In all likelihood, the whole assembly belongs in the scrap pile.

Lead substitute! Those were the days. Yes, you will eventually want to have hardened exhaust valve seats (not seals) installed in the cylinder head. Otherwise, run a lead substitute. I did not have hardened seats, and my exhaust valves started sinking into the head at an alarming rate. Speaking of which, set your valve clearance before you try to start this thing. It is dead easy to do but often gets overlooked.

Yes, that is where the batteries go, fresh air and all. Unless you are rock crawling, it's fine. They don't hang any lower than the rest of the car and aren't really as vulnerable as they look.

You will have to do a deep cleaning and some sanding on those slot mags to get to a smooth surface before the polishing starts. It's the same theory as shining up your paint job. You wouldn't just start waxing a dirty, neglected paint job. You would first clean it and then work with rubbing compound, polish, etc, working up from aggressive to finer products. Same principle.

Keep after it!