MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
Here's a question -- do all the cars get painted the same inside and out? Mine has a red exerior, but I'm wondering about it's original color as the trunk/engine area are that weird green color. Any insight here? (Don't shoot me if this is a stupid question . . . )
They were the same color all over. Is the green Tundra, like army green? Usually under the dash is a good place to see what was original.
my engine bay is white! i wish it was kept white all over! :(
Hi Bradley - I looked at your photos on your Blog, and it looks as though Tundra was indeed the orginal color. My first MGB was a '74 Tundra that I had for 12 years, great car. I sold it to a friend who moved to Las Vegas. Here's a photo of a Tundra MGB.
Brad, Unitized bodies like the MGB and Spridget were painted as they rolled down the assembly line, before any mechanical, interior, braking or electrical parts were applied. Some bolt-on pieces MAY have been painted separarely. The best clue is to look at old magazine photos of these cars when new and see if the bolts holding those parts on are body color (meaning they were painted while on the car), or non-body color, like silver or black (meaning they were painted off the car and assembled later).
Parts added later are usually the same color on all cars... so Nigel working on the line wouldn't have to rummage around for BRG trunk props, red fender bolts, etc.
The best places to find your car's original color are the engine bay, up under the dash, and best of all, because it is rarely removed except in a ground-up restoration, between the gas tank and the body.
BTW, no B left the factory with a black engine bay, unless the car was painted black.
Thanks all -- I got to looking around and sure enough, there was even a spot on one of the fenders where I have some original green paint showing thru. I like the red myself . . . but matching for touch-ups is going to be a bit more interesting . . . I think it'll get a "close is all that counts" color for now while other things are worked on.