Carburetor confusion

[Dkalel]

I recently bought a 1977 MGB on ebay and I had a question about the carburetor. I noticed while looking through the repair manuals that the MGB cars have two carburetors but my car has only one. Also the previous owner must have installed an aftermarket air filter. The carb on my car is a Zenith 175 CD-2 and like I said only one. The car needs a lot of work done to it and I am capable of some. I replace the spark plugs, the valve gasket and cover, spark plug wires and ignition coil. I took the carb apart and cleaned it out and put some new parts in it. My question is, is this unusual or is it okay? I had the car shipped to my home and when it got here I could barely get the thing started to get it off the trailer. I thought I just bought a piece of crap that didn't run. The ad claimed it was a daily driver but after looking at the engine I could tell that oil was leaking from the valve cover and their was oil on the spark plugs. I didn't pay a lot for it, only $3500. The car had the interior redone and the paint is in good condition. Oh and I also replaced the battery. It has sat for about a month trying to get all the parts either bought at an auto store or an online store. I tried to start it and it isn't wanting to start. It is getting gas and I made sure the spark plug wires are in the right place. I will leave it at this for now. Any suggestions would be great. The odometer shows 60990 miles.

[march2020]

The later models came with a single ZS carb...that tends to leak...on the hot catalytic converter...burning the car to the ground. Good luck!

Stuart Ferrieir

[march2020]

Get a catalog from Moss Motors. Not only is it a great source for parts, it will give you lots of exploded views of your car and you can garner what years were equipped with what. Good luck!
Kevin Eminger

[march2020]

I have a 76 B had a single carb - did a full engine rebuild and tried to rebuild the carb - it was some of the most frustrating work - I finally settled for a Weber aftermarket with auto choke - it has run problem free for 5 years - best money spent - starts every time. My research led me to the carb and wiring are the two headaches with these cars - best of luck!
David Rothermel

[march2020]

Get a Haynes manual, and the Moss Motors catalog. The American MGB Association has 4 Technical Sections with real life situations. Experience with MGs is golden.
The old SU carburetors are great. They're simple and bullet proof. But you'd need a new manifold, too.
The ZS carburettor is not optimal, but in good condition, it should be fine. Make sure the internal diaphragm is not leaking.
www.mossmotors.com

Philiipe Tusler

[march2020]

I too have a 77B. Replaced the zenith with a Weber, no issues since. Yes leaks some oil but not that bad. Not fast or show stopper but love driving it.
Joe Gordon

[march2020]

I have a 77 that I bought a couple of years ago. It ran poorly. After doing a fair amount of work, I found there was rust in the fuel from a rusty fuel tank. Certainly something to check.
Eric Schwander