MG Car Repair: Awakening from a long sleep, front wheel bearings, grease fittings

Question
Hi Howard, I have just taken delivery of a 1976 MGB, which was running when it was stored 10 years ago.  Can you tell me what steps I should take before attempting to fire it up?  Also, the brakes, including the parking brake, are nonfunctional - can you give me a general procedure on diagnosing that?

Thanks,
Billy

Answer
Hi Billy,
Generally you should do as follows if the car has been stored for 10 years.

Inspect all belts and hoses for cracks etc and repair as necessary.
Change all fluids, gas, coolant, engine oil, transmission oil, differential oil and brake fluid.
Inspect brake pads and rear shoes for ware and repair as necessary.
Clean rust off of the front brake disks and rear drums.
Adjust the rear brakes and the hand brake.
Adjust the valves on the engine.
Run a "Dry" and "Wet" compression test on the engine.
Set the ignition timing to specs.
Lubricate all cables including the hand brake cable.
Grease all grease fittings.(don't forget the "U"joints and hand brake cable.)
Inspect tires for dry rot and check air pressure.
If it has wire wheels, remove the wheels and clean the hub and wheel splines and apply grease to the splines.
Check front wheel bearings for free play and noise when hand spun and repack the front bearings if necessary.
Clean the battery cables or replace and install a new battery.
Check clutch pedal resistance to push and confirm free play.
Check for a firm brake pedal and free play.
Confirm all lights work and repair as necessary.
Inspect steering rack boots and replace if necessary.
Check for free play in the steering.
Lube door and trunk latches.
Clean the air filter.
Remove the top plate off of the carburetor and inspect the diaphragm for holes. and put oil in the top.

After you have completed that you should turn the key on (but not start) and listen for the fuel pump to run and slow down to almost a stop. then closely inspect all the fuel lines for leaks or rotted hoses and repair as necessary. Also look at the carburetor to make sure it is not leaking fuel and correct if necessary.

Purchase a repair manual for the car.
Write down all that you find wrong and refer to the manual for corrections and if you have trouble with any of the items and can't correct it by what the manual tells you, contact me and I will walk you through each repair.

"The brakes are nonfunctional" is a general statement and useless to me, so you will need to be more specific. First do what I said above, get new brake fluid and tools handy and drain all the brake fluid out of the brake system and the clutch system and replace it with new fluid (Castrol/Girling DOT 4 fluid) Then contact me and I will tell you how to bleed the system and check for the operation of the brakes and clutch.

Howard