QuestionPicking up a 1970 MGB next month from a friend who's had it in a garage, (and hasn't started it), since 1987. After carefully trailering it home, what steps should I take before even considering turning a key in the ignition?
AnswerHi Roger,
18 years in a garage will have taken it's toll on some components such as the battery, fuel system and the hydrolic system so you should expect to do some work in these at least and maybe the belts, hoses and many rubber parts like tires. It doesn't mean that all of this is going to be unuseable.
Things like hoses and belts can be examined closely by squeezing the hoses to see if they are hard and brittle and look closely at the belts. I would definately consider removing the tank and having a shop clean it out. Most radiator shops do this. Change the oil, filter and coolant and replace the thermostat. Clean out both carb float chambers and if they have a lot of sediment in them you should remove the carbs and clean them out. Blow out the fuel lines and replace the rubber flex part of the fuel lines at both ends. If it still has the SU fuel pump you should remove it and take it apart and clean it and examin the diaphragm for cracking. (Be sure not to rotate the diaphragm as that is the adjustment) Use emory cloth or a points file to clean the contact points in the pump. If it does not have one, add an inline fuel filter. Bleed the brake and clutch system with new Castrol Dot 4 brake fluid untill clean new fluid comes through. Examin the thickness of the front brake pads and condition of the brake disk. If these are OK you probably will not need to work on the rear drums but if you find the front disks worn badly or very thin pads, you should remove the rear drums and inspect the shoes too. I would check the transmission and differential fluid levels and color of the fluids. Hypoid oil in the diff. and engine oil in the trans. Change if milky or black. The oil in both should look new as you can't ware oil out, you can only contaminate it.
After you have done all this, spin the engine over with the plugs out until you see oil pressure on the gauge. (35 PSI or more is normal) At this point I would do a compression test, valve adjustment and set the ignition timing. (before spinning the engine with the plugs out, unplug the small wires from one side of the coil)This will prevent a spark from jumping to the primary of the ignition system and destroying a modual. If someone has replaced the electronic ignition with the older pointed ignition it will just prevent sparks from jumping all over. At this point you should be able to run the engine enough to see if it is good and check for coolant leaks at the base of the water pump. The clutch disk may be stuck to the flywheel so don't attempt to put it in gear. After you have warmed up the engine shut it off and role the car outside and aim it down the street and put the car in 4th gear, depress the clutch and make sure no one is in front of you. Then hit the starter. This puts the max strain on the clutch to brake one loose from a flywheel. If the engine starts and it does not jump forward then it is not stuck. (unusual).
The MGB is a fun car to drive and it handles very well, however, they do not like slow heavy traffic on hot days and unless it is an overdrive trans, it will not like the expressway cruise speeds even though I have run many Bs over 100 MPH when they were new. Also, all of the chrome bumper Bs maintain a good value as these are the prime cars to restore as show cars.
I hope this helps, Read my website for tips on care and maintaince of MGs. http://www.mg-tri-jag.net
HMF
