MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
Well I purchased a Luggage rack from Balloonist and have it setting on my trunk lid. It's just what I wanted I think. I'm really having a hard time deciding if I want to put the holes in my trunk lid to hold the rack. I like the B without it but also think it is really fun when you put the old picnic basket on them and go for the afternoon drive with your bride. Man is this ever a tuff one.
http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=33481
Fortunately, I didn't have to make that decision - my car came with the factory rack on it. We use it exactly like you describe - we have a picknic basket that we strap on occasionally. I had an MG without one - and I actually like the lines better without it - but it is kind of nice to have. We went to a show recently, and the boot was filled with other stuff - we'd have had a hard time finding a place to carry lunch with us if we hadn't had the luggage rack.
I hate to advise you on this. I had a rack on mine, but was old, had it rechromed once but after a few more years it was leaking rust from the inside. Replacement racks all had different hole patterns so I scrapped the rack, filled the holes and really like the look now. My old rack was removable and left the chrome seats and bolts in the holes. So when rack was off the car I still had four chrome bolts sitting there. I only ever really used the rack once or twice. One was a rapid getaway move from my house to an apartment to stay clear of my then soon to be ex-wife. It was a help. I didn't know that you could cram so much stuff into an MGB.
Forget Moss. I picked this basket up for $12.00 from Ebay. We use it to carry our lunch goodies when taking long leisurely drives and going to cars shows.
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ted
I use my luggage rack a lot because it easy easy to strap stuff down to. I have a RB style rack, which is curved, so for flat boxes and such it isn't the best, but it works. I don't always care for the looks of them on Bs though. It can clutter things up. I would suggest just painting another trunk lid and drilling holes in it and swapping them out, but that could get expensive with the paint, and then you risk ruining your gaps everytime you switch. Really, you'll probably never feel really strongly one way or another, so just sleep on it, then decide to drill or not. After all, in the long run, its just a hunk of metal.
I have a rack on the roadster, on the car when new. (wonder what it would look like on a GT<G>)
Have never used it.
But have had racks on all of the street Bs I've had and driven much over the last 40 years and it kinda looks naked without it.
Never thought about the two trunk lid option. I'll be painting the car in the near future and if I can find an extra lid that might just be the best of both worlds. I'll only have to talk my son into changing them back and forth for me, I can't lift anything anymore.
I never really got the picnic basket thing, but then I saw how my friend Jack uses his rack...
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/JackRenaud.htm
BritishV8 Wrote:
I don't have a rack and thought about putting one on many times. I'd like to get a removable one so I could use it when i need it. I'm just trying to save up the cash for on and then finding a good place to store it when I'm not using it.
rinverso Wrote:
My '63 had a rack on it when I bought it in '73. I removed it when the car was painted in '79, and converted to a stow away top. We remove the top in the Summer, and there's plenty of room on the battery cover for the picnic basket.
YMMV
i wouldn't be without it. use it all the time, camping, hw store and my son with his amp and geetar. it is a true piece of british whimsy meets everyday utility.
sam66mgb Wrote:
It's a done deal, drilled the holes and it's installed. Looks pretty good, my wife ordered a new deluxe english style picnic basket today to go with the rack.
I had to make the same decision for my MGA.
One piece of advice when installing. After you drill the holes, treat the edge of the holes with either a rust killer like Extend and paint, or treat with a dab of metal prep and then paint. Then when you mount the rack, get some flat rubber washers (you can find at a plumbing supply store or in the specialty bins at a hardware) between the mounting pads and the trunk lid. I got some that fit the shanks of the mounting bolts snugly and was rewarded with no leaks, no rust, and no damage to the paint where the mounting pads rested.
I'll second Bob's idea of protecting the drilled holes, and I heartily endorse the idea of two trunk lids...
So many B's in snow belt rusted from the ground up, an inexpensive, unmolested trunk lid should be easy to find.
When I got the last paintjob and bodywork done I finally got the holes in the boot filled (they were previously filled with the original bolts).
I only used the rack once - and still have the "picnic basket". It just would suit her these days to carry a picnic basket (especially on the track)!
Racks are the way to go. Max always had one and I've moved unbelievable things with it. The very original. IMHO, factory racks look the best. The Moss ones aren't very good repros of the original. I bought two and sold them deciding to have my re-chromed which it needs again.
I also like the idea of two lids. Its brilliant.