I think I've done something very bad...;)

So I bought a project car today. 1968 MGB GT. Its been sitting a while and its pretty rough. But no huge rust problems except for some along the drivers side rocker, not into the sill, and a little around panel edges and such.
I actually connected the battery and it had enough juice to run the wipers which were on, and the fuel pump. Wouldnt crank though, not enough battery. But the motor turns freely and the trans seems to work...It was apparently driven around the block a year or two ago. It has no front seats, and the interior is all apart, but the rear seats are reasonably freshly re-upholstered (in ugly black with white piping) and all the interor panels are there, as far as I can tell, but just loose in the boot. Its got wire wheels, all 5, and in the boot is the factory jack and a wrench for the knockoffs. It needs a lot of work but I've been looking for a weekend project and I think fixing it up will be fun.

Tell me, oh experts of the LBCs, what you think of my new project. Was it worth the 200 bucks I paid? Heres a link to a journal, which has a link to pictures...
Greg's MGB GT Project

Nice! You got a bargain!

Looks nice! Gotta love what appears to be a home made ski rack on the back :)

Welcome Greg! Nice find.

yeah I was kinda sad about that because its a breeding ground for rust, but nothing a little sealer and filler can't fix.

I like how active this forum is. And I'm glad I did't loose my butt on this car right away.

Welcome to the insanity....

Don't get discouraged about the rust...but my 2 cents is take a more complete approach than sealer and filler. If you plan to keep the car it won't help. Take baby steps and post frequently. There are some really good people on here that can help.

i paid 250 for one rougher than that. good find. if you get frustrated with it, drop it by the house and i'll give you 200 back for it.

Thanks for the welcomes all. I've been reading all around this site for weeks now and have learned a lot already.
As far as the rust goes, I will be taking it slowly, I plan to remove the front fender with the hole in it and repair it completely, as well as tackle any rust behind it. I've seen a few B's before with rusty holes there...I know about the frame/sill problem, but is the fender just trapping water due to no drainage or what?

Very BAD Greg! (tu)

Oh yeah...This thing's got a Mikuni carb on it, it looks similar to a Weber. I've seen them on bikes before, but never worked on them, does anyone have any experience with these? are they any good?

Nice find. But I must ask, is this a fuse?

Mikuni carb - yes, seen one of these on a friends car, a USA import. Its a great carb, if its the same one (side draft), I had never been inside one till this summer, and was impressed by its simplicity - once its jetted correct, you can pretty much forget about it it appears. You can still get service kits in the USA and an instruction manual too. The only issue we had after rebuild is make sure the main jets are 'nipped up' as just a little tight they tended to vibrate loose - other than that, if its (I assume) already got the right jets in for the car, then the only other bit of set up is the idle jets, and thats a simple job. I really like these carbs, my friends car has worn it since he bought it about 12 years back, been on two engines and is just a nice, simple, reliable bit of kit. Oh, and a great induction noise if you like that sort of thing! His car has a big bore exhaust, 1950 engine and the Mikuni carb, and runs very well indeed.

Certainly worth $200 if the car is of interest to you. Seen lots worse brought back to life.

Note the polarity of the battery cables before removing to ensure you know which is hooked to the positive and which to the negative. Its probably been converted to a single battery (originally had two 6 volts.) "May" have had the polarity reversed, or not. While your in there check the condition of the battery hangers, they tend to rust.

Along with other projects you need to evaluate all four wheels closely. The wire wheels tend to wearout if not serviced regularly. You will be looking for out-of-true, loose/missing/broken spokes and worn splines, these get a "slanted" look to them rather than a standup "V" profile. A new set of wheels and hubs is something like $2,000, one of the more expensive problems.

Rust below windscreen is a concern. That panel is a b*^$h to replace.

Someone has had the windscreen out. The chrome finisher is also a B*^$h to install.

Steering rack looks dry. Needs boots and lube (grease or gear oil, your choice).

On GTs look for rust around the hatch window. If its leaked, check the tire-well also.

Did 1968 heads already have the air injection rail? It also appears to have the electric oil pressure sender?

Looks like the car was originally off-white or light yellow?

At some point the car was probably stored under a plastic tarp, hence the surface rust on the roof.

If your mechanically inclined, have the space, time, and money, the car is a good project. Wish I had it.

no,
you done good

Good Greg...
Sit.
Stay.
Rebuild.
Post.

Good Greg.

@David- Yes....the car is actually a giant, rolling molotov cocktail ;)

@Mick- I'm glad. I had plans to slap a Weber on the thing, unless it had the original SU's but if the Mikuni is a good carb I'll leave it till it gives me reason to change it out.

@Clay- The car has been converted to a single battery, Negative ground. Theres even a sticker that informs so on the front valance under the bonnet.
The wheels I am worried about. I've only been in the car as long as it took us to chain-tow it down the street to my uncles from where it was living, and there was so much noise from everything going on there was no way to hear any clunking or feel any wierdness. I'll check the splines as soon as I get it up on jacks...I just worked on an old Jag 120 DHC with wires and it needed 4 rims and 4 hubs...customer wasnt too thrilled.
I was a little concerned about the below the 'screen as well...but it doesnt look too heavy...just enought to lift the paint, I poked at it and the metal is still strong underneath. I'm planning on replacing all of the window seals and finishers ::o eventually...so the glass will have to come out. NOT looking forward to that.
I'm going to rebuild the rack, it's lived in a dirty, dusty dirt road area for a long time and who knows how long the boots have been open...
The spare well looked ok, surface rust everywhere but nothing too terrible...
I thought the air rail was odd too, a little early for emissions? Maybe a retrofit later, but usually thers a tag stuck on the car somewhere.
I think, from what ive seen on the web, that the color was once 'Pale Primrose', judging by the doorsill color...Going to repaint it down the road, jurys still out on color :P
Thanks for the input/advice

@Michael- That made me laugh. Thanks for the encouragement. Will post more the next time I'm up with the car. I also started a journal, wich pretty much echoes my first post here, and I will (try to) update it regularly.

Greg,

Great find. The Mukini is a great carb. Doug Jackson recommended them highly. Will give a little more grunt on acceleration, than SU's. Not bad mileage either. If you ever decide the change it the Toyota guys will give you a good price for it. Most of jets are under one cover.

Greg,

the engine seems to be a later one and the Mikuni carb is a license built Solex PHH. Lots of infos on the web about this instrument.

Ralph

God speed Greg. HA, I just bought a 68 B and I look at all of the quirky, wallet draining problems it has as my way to relieve
stress from work. Can't wait to see what you do with her.


Good luck.
m

Restoring it as a driver, I'm driving it this summer then I'm tearing her apart. It's a going to be a big job but I feel it will be worth it.

m

You won on that deal.

Looks like the OD wire is hooked up. The hood rod is blocking the view. It is the yellow wire that may be hooked to the transmission bundle. If it is hooked up you Could have a Over Drive. Even more of a plus.

Where does the wire go? Next time I am with the car I'll check it out, but what am I looking for exactly?

I am going to call my uncle shortly and try and get him to get the numbers off of the car...In my initial excitement after getting the car I didnt even think of the numbers, and of course I couldn't have taken any pictures that had a legible placard in view...I got close with the engine number but not quite. 8-)

Greg,

If you find another one for almost free let me know please.

Funny thing...Theres a 71 MGB sitting at my uncles, that he got from one of his brothers-in-law...I initially wanted to grab that one, but it has sat in a seaside town in a driveway for more than 25 years and is really too far gone to be worth saving...(But it was free....) It will be my donor car for the GT, (for whatever parts will fit) and the SUs on that car are coming off to go on my uncles '74 TR6, to replace the lethargic Z-S's its got on it now...

Will front seats from a 71 fit a 68? or did the pattern change?
This will be a franken-car when I'm done with it, I fear. :P