I spent a couple of months looking for an MGB. My basic conditions were little or no rust and running - preferably with current license and registration and in a price range of 3-5k. I talked to about a dozen people about their B ads. About half were rejected based on the phone conversation. I looked at the rest and, during the course of a physical inspection and/or drive, rejected most of the remainder. It's not so much that they lied, It's just that didn't volunteer information unless you specifically asked or you found something baaaad. I learned to modify and add to my question and exam bank over the course of the search. I thought I had covered all the bases - crash, fire, flood damage, OD, cracked glass, operating lights and gauges, etc. I thought I was pretty thorough.
Not so.
The one I eventually chose, the Brooklands(ish) Green 1976 B Roadster, had its share of issues. Dodgy suspension (front fixed), dodgy front brakes (also fixed), poor gas mileage (partially fixed), broken axle check straps (parts on hand), rotted steering boots (parts on hand), wet carpets and rusted floor pans (all fixed). Then there was the question of aftermarket items. None.
Not so.
Upon examination there were the retrofitted twin SU carbs in lieu of the single Z-S. There was the wood trimmed upper door edges, the fancy wood rimmed steering wheel, and the wood shift knob. Pleasant surprises, yes, but there was still much to be done before it was ready tearing up the pavement. My trips to this point had been limited to around the neighborhood or on some of the larger boulevards around town to test my mechanical efforts. I haven't killed myself, so things are looking up. Except that the PO tossed the Z-S carb, but kept the air cleaner assembly.
Nevertheless, I decided to visit a local BL expert (no, not Jimmy Hilton) and have him go over the car from nose to tail with me so we could make of list of what I could fix (the rear suspension bushings are still on my list) and what he had to fix because of my limited knowledge, skills, tools, facilities or some combination of the four. So up it went on the rack. You have a whole 'nother perspective of a car when it's a foot or so over your head. No smooth, shiny painted metal; no soft upholstery and nice looking instrument panel. Just sharp angles, pipes, wires, grease, dirt, and deep dark recesses where you don't necessarily want to reach in and feel around. At least, not without a light ...and maybe a gun. We found a seized e-brake cable. The handle moved and seemed to have resistance where it was supposed to, but it wasn't working. Then we found the rear brake shoes had been installed backwards. They were jammed in the partially on position or had become unseated. Well, that explained the binding rear brakes. Also found a leaking rear brake hose which was apparently throwing a bit of fluid onto the right rear wheel and giving a visual impression of a leaking wheel cylinder. The PO had said the cylinder was leaking, so I was planning to replace it. The wheel cylinders were actually fine, as were the rotors. The differential was fine as were the u-joints and drive shaft. There were no odd sounds from the engine, no billowing clouds of smoke - of any color. No rusting structural components. No Jimmy Hoffa.
Since it was up on the rack, we went ahead and replaced the brakes shoes (Wagner, 27.95 at O'Reilly's). and replaced the axle straps. I wandered further under the car to take some pictures to help me during the winter projects. Only whanged my head twice. No blood. Some cussing. Anyway, I'm looking at everything: brake pipes, wiring, structural elements, and so on. Ken then said, "I didn't know this had an overdrive." I said, "It doesn't, just a standard four speed." His response was a soft, "No, you have one." So I came over to where he was standing and looked up at large cylinder covered in grease, oil, and dirt. It had a label on it. I wiped it off and read it: Laycock Type LH Overdrive.
SWEET MOTHER O'GOD!!!
I swear my heart rate doubled in less than .01 seconds. I had no idea what to say. I had asked the PO on the phone about an OD and the response was no. I asked again when checking it over. Again, no. I didn't squirm under the car to actually look. I mean, you'd think he'd know, right? Since then, all the time in my garage had been spent in the engine compartment, the front end, and the interior. I'm still in a state of shock ...and frustration. We can't test it til next week, so I get to stew over it for the weekend.
POs, you just can't trust 'em...