MG Car Repair: 1980 MGB Horrendous Noise Under the Hood, bolts, handful

Question
I own a 1980 MGB which has only 52,000 miles on it.  I had it idling in the drive Saturday when all of a sudden then engine starting making noise like a handful of bolts in a metal can.  In fear, I immediately shut her down and now I don't know where to start.  Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Answer
Hi Glenn,
A noise can be anything, so you are going to have to raise the hood and start the engine. In this case I would advise you get an MG specialist to listen to it to try to determine if it is serious of not. There is no possible way that I can tell you via e-mail if it is serious of not. I can't hear it and I can't tell you how to decide if it is a serious problem or something minor. All you can do at this point is look to see if you can see anything loose.
Howard