Perfect MGB Weekend and a big THANK YOU

Well, we had a stunning Labor Day weekend here in New England, and having finally passed MA state inspection, my MGB project is officially on the road after 14 months of work! My wife and I took a 60 mile tour Sunday afternoon through the back roads of lower Cape Ann and the horse country of Essex County – it was fabulous!

There’s still lots to do on my little beastie, but I wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU to all in this community that have provided me – a rank amateur – with advice, knowledge, and especially encouragement. Thanks especially to all you professionals out there who freely give of your time trying to keep us neophytes out of trouble - I don’t know where you get the time or patience. And while there are so many I could name individually – I want to give a special shout out to Glenn Towery, who back in the beginning, when I was staring at burned out engine bay with a motor that would not turn freely by hand, got me on the phone and encouraged me to press on.

THANK YOU ALL!

Bob

Here’s what I was able to accomplish with YOUR help on my ‘77B using a ’69 parts car:
- Freed up a partially frozen engine, now with great oil pressure and compression!
- Replaced main wiring harness, with some “season to taste” modifications
- Cleared, cleaned, and repainted a burned-out engine bay
- Rebuilt heater unit, including core replacement
- Rebuilt / replaced entire brake system, including transferring ’69 brake system to the ‘77
- Installed new wheel bearings
- Rebuilt (and successfully bled:)) clutch hydraulics
- Installed and properly adjusted 25D distributor (to be Schlemmerized in near future)
- Replaced fuel pump (and cleaned our fuel and vent lines)
- Rebuilt entire front suspension with new (lowered) springs, poly bushings, new (used) shocks, and blasted/repainted cross member and everything attached to it
- Attempted steering rack rebuild, but installed new when determined it was too far gone…
- Converted to dual SU HS4’s from ’69 parts car (to be rebuilt soon…), including manifolds
- Rebuilt exhaust system
- Conversion to chrome bumpers (in process – kinda halfway done now…)
- Replaced turn/signal/horn switch
- Got my overdrive operational, including lockout switch replacement and fixing some sticking issues….
- Built my own heater valve replacement, which works wonderfully (my wife is grateful!)
And I’m sure a bunch of other things I’ve forgotten…

If you knew how mechanically ignorant I was at the start, you’d understand how much this is YOUR accomplishment! Thanks ALL!
Bob

Bob..Congrats..Now you can enjoy the car.

How did you you rebuild the heater valve if i may ask.??? Always looking for good ideas on this one.

John -
I'll have to find my camera to show some pics, but it was a take-off on what many others have done, specifically using this post: http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,1246171

I used a similar valve, only I found one that has a 1/2" female pipe thread on one end that I mated directly to a brass elbow mated to a tapped based of an old OEM valve. All said, looks very similar to Franks above, except I didn't get the reducing hose from NAPA, which would have been neater...

Bob

Well done, Bob! Most inspiring! Enjoy!

Good work, Bob! Where on Cape Ann did you go. We are just off Rt 127 in the Gloucester/Riverdale area.

Now we gotta get serious and plan a rendezvous in Newburyport or (?) for coffee, lunch or a beer. Maybe lunch and a beer. Maybe coffee and a beer...maybe not.

A'dm, are you listening? Anyone else from North East MA-Southern NH?

congrats, bob!

it was a great weekend for cruising. i took a drive to find brit-bits on sunday, though the drive back was slightly hampered by fussy fuel filter/pump issue. on the other hand, it would have been a beautiful day to be stranded on the side of the road, and i had my journal and a book of kafka in the glove box... B)-

albert, sounds like fun... let me know.

Congrats on the great work! I might be interested in a drive down there. Despite it being Massachusetts, Cape Ann has some beautiful drives :)

You might want to consider coming up the coast in three weeks for the Historic Rally of the Kennebunks. It is a very nice little road rallye on some beautiful back roads in coastal Maine. Great food, beer and wine after as well.

http://www.thekennebunksroadrally.com/

Wow! You won't be able to use the badge "Rank Amature" any longer, not with your list of accomplishments.

Everyone loves a happy ending.

I'm glad you had good weather for the long weekend - our's sucked (big time) and the beastie stayed in the garage. Nice to hear someone got to enjoy it.

By the way - what does the state inspection you referred to involve. Is it just a mechanical inspection for a first time licence?

This is great news! Congratulations Bob!

Keep us posted on your future progress. Always glad to see another local on the road. :)-D

Albert -
Was looking for you as we tooled around your neighborhood. We got some fired clams and shrimp at Farnums, then got lost (on purpose) around the salt marshes and ended up at Wingaersheek beach - late enough to avoid the parking charge. Then we cruised around Wenham and Hamilton than back home through Topsfield. Was great!

I'm definitively game to meet up, but I'm afraid the car will be stuck in the garage for awhile. I need to hlpe move my son from Rochester to Astoria NY this weekend (driving a U-Haul instead of the B - yuck!), then head to Austin for the week, then back to Long Island the next weekend for a family event, then to Vienna for the week. Ugh.

Might be back just in time for Carl's event in the Kennebunks, though that distance might be pushing my luck in the B...

We WILL get to Newburyport before the leaves are gone!
Bob

In Mass, it's just an annual safety inspection, no emissions on cars this old. I almost passed, except the front bumper was missing (my original RB was a mess, and I was intending to convert to CB anyway). The law is fuzzy on this point, but apparently our local police insist on bumpers. So I slapped a CB on with some turn lights (needs some finishing....) and now I pass, but the car looks pretty funny with CB on the front and RB on the back!

Bob