MGB: clearheaded advice required...

Hi All;
I'm seeking some educated opinions. I have a 69 B that I have owned since I was 16 - drove it a couple of summers, then it broke and I parked it for about 20 years, school, no money, wife, kids, work etc. Now that life has settled down a bit, I would love to restore it properly, but I don't know if there is enough "car" left to restore.
The sills and floors are gone of course. The foot-well area needs some patching, the trumpets are fine. One subframe member is rusted thru about where the driver's heel rests. The trunk floor is fine, and the wheel arches are repairable. The splines on the hubs and in the wire wheels are rough, probably unusable.
The engine is shot, needs a bore and rebuild. Head is OK. Good OD tranny - (not for sale!). Needs all new hydraulic cylinders and hoses, brakes and suspension, interior, you know the stuff. I guess the only good thing about the car is that it is complete - all the bits are there.
Is that the description of a project car, or a parts donor? Should I save my money and pick up a better example from the sunny south, or dive in and get at it? I am capable of the work, but I don't know if it makes sense to do this particular car. I really love this car and fear my judgement is clouded.

Your $.02 appreciated!

Best clearheaded advice I can give... it depends on how much you love THAT car. It can be fixed, for a price. It will take A LOT of time, money, and aggravation, and in the back of your head, you'll always know there was an easier way. If your love for THAT car overrides logical considerations, go on an do it.
But looking at it rationally, it'd be a lot easier and cheaper to just go find another 69 B. Even one that needs restoring, if it's solid, will be much easier than that one. It's the rust that really kills it.

Jim,
I'm afraid it sounds like a parts car to me. Everything you mention could be fixed, but you're talking about lots and lots of time and money. My personal opinion is that you'd be way ahead of the game to find a solid car to build and use this one as a donor (esp the O/D box!)

It sounds like a parts car to me. I would estimate you are looking at in excess of 10K to bring it back, and that's you doing the work. You would be better off to find one already restored. There's a good chance you could find one completely redone for 10K, and start enjoying it right away. It all comes down to how much this particular meens to you. I have restored one owner cars for customers and it exceeds 25K for the total ground up restoration. This is more than the car is worth to a buyer, but not to the owner. They have no intention of selling their car, and want it back to new condition. As has already been said, rust is the big issue here.

So far, I'd have to agree with the others, it sure sounds like you are talking a lot of time and money. For a quick check, I'd take a look at what cars are selling for over on Ebay...that might help you make a decision.

You'll spend half as much money and about 1/500 the time with this car posted earlier.

Look at this good deal!!
Author: David Kiehna (---.mem.bellsouth.net)
Date: 04-19-03 19:38

Yep, sounds like a parts car to me as well, BUT a lot of us have taken parts cars and fixed them up again. Being a B person and good sense do not always go hand in hand. Judgement gets even cloudier if the car has senimental value attatched to it. Just to prove my statement, I have three Bs that have been totaled by flood water, but I refuse to let go. Now, that is very dumb!

Depends on how much the car means to you. The money will be somewhat of a factor, but the biggest factor, in my opinion, will be the time and aggravation. If you have plenty of time and patience, then go for it. If you are not blessed with the patience of Job, and are ready for a several-year project then heed the above advice.

It's not just the rust, but where the rust is. When the rear wheel well goes....
I have three cars for sale, none restored, but they are close. All drive. They range from $5400-$7500. Try to put one together for that. And these are rust free cars.

Thanks everyone. That's about what I figured, just needed to hear it from someone else with 'the sickness'. I've always preferred the steel dash on the earlier models anyway. Hmmm.
Thanks.

Somebody has a '65 parts car!! I forget, but maybe Don and Joan Nichols or something like that?? Anyway, you may be able to put the two togther!!

I'd have to agree with the "restore it for love" opinion, based on your description of the car. I also say it because I, much to the chagrin of my wife, am doing the same thing to my '69. If I total up the amount I spent on finding another "mostly" rust-free shell plus the amount spent on just getting this shell ready to take parts from the car that is my original '69, I probably could have bought a very nice condition '69 or some other year.
However, I'm trying to get back the feeling and wonderful memories that have caused me to keep the car through several years of not driving it and simply towing it from house to house as I moved....

It does seem that there are a lot of other '69's for sale at the moment -- I saw another that was made 105 cars before my first roadster on Ebay...which seemed to call to me, though it was in rough shape. But, it was driveable, which my current one (well, 2) is not.

Good luck with your decision. Regardless, it sounds like you want to stay with an LBC, which is the best decision, IMHO.

Dan