And so it starts.....

[Taoen7]

I inherited a 1971 MGB from my father.  We worked on this lil babe when I was in high school. We never got it back on the road.  I would like to start the refurbishing back up but I really want to get it done and done right.  I am wondering if I could get some mentorship from someone or a group if there is one local to Madison Wi.  I will get some pictures and would like to discuss how far back I should go with it, meaning should I strip it all down and repaing the whole tub or what, and then what steps I should take to get it back in running condition.  Can anyone pass along some helpful info?

Thank you all so much for sharing your passion for these great cars.

Sincerly

Patrick

[Art]

Hi Patrick,

Sounds like a very good project, especially since you are familiar with some of the history.  The club published and article on evealuating an MGB that had been left sitting for several years or any non-running MGB.  It might help you as a good starting point for your decision on how much work is really needed.  It was psublished in the February Octagon, which is available on-line at this site.  It was also on the site as answer to someone's question, but I cannot remember in what catagory or when.

The main thing in thinking about how much to do or spend is rust.  Most dents can be address with the sections on the car.  If the floors and sills are solid, the scope and cost of a full body-off restoration is reduced tremendously and you may not even have to go that full distance of stripping the entire electrical and brake systems, fenders and suspensions off, especially if you intend to use this as a driver and keep it the same color.

Look-up the article and make your evealuation before starting.  Ask questions on the board or write any of the Tech Staff.  If you cannot find the article, write me and I'll send you a copy.

Good luck and welcome (back) to the club.

Art

chfwrench@aol.com