About My MGB Experience

This page is maintained by brothers Terry and David. Following is a brief background of their MGB Experiences:

David:

By the age of 61 I had enjoyed a number of hobbies. My wife will tell you "I try to find a hobby but nothing works for me. Not David though, he just bounds along, discovers a new interest and bam, he has a new hobby".

So at age 61 I developed a keen interest in acquiring an older car to tinker with. Not necessarily a restoration project as time, even at 61, is still a precious commodity and not to be messed with. My twin brother, Terry, had recently purchased a 70's MGB roadster, rekindling an enjoyable pastime of his youth - restoring and tinkering with classic sports cars. After enjoying a number of discussion about his MGB experience, I decided to launch into my own MGB experience.

But why an MGB?

After looking around at various options - like VW Beetle or Kombie (both of which I had owned in my youth) and other familiar cars from the 60's and 70's, I realised that MGB's offered many benefits over the other options. In brief, in my view MGB's represent the classic car version of the current day Toyota Corolla - they are well known, there are lots of them around and there is no limit to sourcing/accessing parts. In addition, there is a very strong enthusiasts platform in terms of car clubs and online material, not just locally but world wide. What a great option for launching into a classic car experience.

My first MGB experience:

A 1980 MGB GT LE - a limited edition model released at the very end of the MGB production story. This page is intended to document that journey, to offer reviews and practical guidelines of ownership, maintenance and upgrade tips, fun stories and stories from the trenches.

Comments

Faulty Ignition Relay and Symptoms - MGB GT 1980

Coming home on Tilt Tray Related posts ==> Other Repairs After picking up my new MGB GT LE it was revealed there were some electrical issues, resulting in the car coming home unceremoniously on the back of a tilt tray truck. I first checked the alternator and voltage regulator but that was ok. I then took the car to a local auto electrician. The problem was eventually tracked down to a faulty and burnt out ignition relay . In my MGB GT that relay also controls the blinkers and some dash gauges, hence the other odd electrical symptoms were also resolved. This was an interesting learning curve as this little $5 part caused a lot of grief and some unexpected $5 part that cause a lot of grief costs (new battery, tow truck and auto electrician). Knowing now what the problem was I checked the symptoms of a faulty ignition relay which described almost exactly what the car was doing. Symptoms of a faulty ignition relay include: Car suddenly stalls while operating - yes Car not starting

Seat Belt Installation - Inertia Type 1980 Model MGB GT

Original Inertia Spool Related posts ==> Other Repairs My MGB GT LE is a 1980 model and 40 years old. Recently the plastic cover over the original drivers side seat belt latch broke, resulting in the release button falling out and the seat belt latch no longer able to clip together with the buckle. Looking online in Australia, there was no inertia seat belt parts available from the regular MG parts suppliers. I also checked the local auto parts stores and no luck. I then found a local seat belt supplier company who were able to supply a suitable inertia type replacement seat belt unit. The new unit was supplied with the seat belt unit, mounting plate, a sleeve washer, all bolts and spring washers. Following is a summary of buying and installing tips: Original Seat Belt unit with broken plastic casing on the latch 1. The online search offered two types of seat belts - a simple lap strap and latch unit or a lap/sash inertia unit. Given the year of production (1980) my MGB GT

SU Carburettor Worn Throttle Shaft Air Leak.

SU H4 Carburettor. Thanks and credits go to Mark for contributing this information, with symptoms, diagnosis and the solution described in this article to fix air leak on worn throttle shaft. Well those who have been around cars using the SU H4 carbs would be familiar with this issue and have perhaps wondered why SU seemingly didn't do much to address this key trouble spot in their carburetors, namely air leaks from worn throttle shafts / carb body bushings, or maybe being relatively new to the scene this is a recent development with your own car. Symptoms: Attempts to balance the carbs when they appear to be well balanced only to go completely out of balance at the touch of the throttle. Missing, stalling and running rough at idle and driving, or stalling and the car won't start again. Throttle shaft. Diagnose: With a can of carb cleaner, while the car is idling spray around the area of the suspected shaft. If an air leak exists the carb cleaner will get sucked in and the car

My MGB Experience

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