Here's A Story About A Little Blue Forgotten MGB...

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:55:29 -0500

Brian Carlson's 1965 Tartan Red MGB --

I had no idea I was an MGB aficionado when my fiancÃ© and I pulled up to a quaint and charming farm in Wisconsin. A man came out of the house, gave us a wave, and walked over to a four-stall garage and opened the second door. There it sat, a little '65 with pull handles. He started it up and backed it out onto the gravel.

At the time, I had very little knowledge about MGB's and what to look for when buying one. This LBC was dressed in metallic blue paint, painted wire wheels, a custom roll and tuck interior, style-correct vinyl seats, an aftermarket "mg" logo wheel, and custom fender mirrors.

I didn't know the paint wasn't an MG color. I didn't know the interior was custom. I didn't know mirrors were strange. All I knew was that my fiancÃ©â€™s car just drove its last mile and here, in April with summer on the horizon, sat a cute little convertible. The temptation set in.

The owner, who was a mechanic by trade, said confidently that engine was in great mechanical condition and all the car needed was a paint job. With that, I gave him $3,500 and set off on a true MGB experience.

The next day, I decided to drive it up to my parentâ€™s house and show my Dad my new little toy. That is when the whole thing began. Driving North on Highway 52 in Minnesota I noticed the oil pressure gauge was dropping slowly, but steadily. I had no idea what an oil pressure relief valve was. I had never heard of it, but when I called the fellow who sold me the car as I was sitting on the side of the road with an engine that sounded like a tool box being thrown down a flight of stairs, he told me all about it.

I had my dad tow me to a local shop where a man told me the engine had thrown a rod. Next step, I called a local British car tech. Right before dropping the receiver of the phone and blacking out, I distinctly remember hearing the number "5,000" casually spoken into my ear.

A decision had to be made. I'm not going to judge my decision either way, but I ended up deciding to go for it.

The next day, I had the car towed to an engine shop in North East Minneapolis. They pulled the engine and started tearing it down. As they didn't need the body while they were reworking the motor, I had another tow truck come and bring it to a body place in East Bethel Minnesota. The man there began tearing the body apart.

Two and a half very long months and nearly $13,000 in parts and labor later, I had a running, tartan red, pull handle, 1965 MGB. I felt...strange...no, screwed.

After the shock of it all - and a new exhaust system and tune-up from an MGB tech - I opened the door, sat down, put the key in the ignition, and turned her over. I pulled onto a street and gently pulled out the clutch. All I could think was: This car is a blast!

Advice: If you are buying an MGB that needs to be renovated - don't unless you have lots of time, money, and patience. If you decide to do it, you'll only regret it at first. Give it a year and you will be glad about your decision.

The car has come a long way since its rural homestead, but it isn't quite finished. Although the roll and tuck interior isn't original, it has really grown on me and I'm debating replacing it. I would like to replace the vinyl with leather. I have a dash that I'm going to blast and have powder coated in the original black wrinkle finish. I tried the the radio in the dash thing, but decided it wasn't all that attractive and more of a pain then anything else, so I made my own little system to place into the glove box.

I will complete the last 20% of this renovation over the next several years. I'll try to write in this journal to keep a going record.

Thanks for reading!

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Posted 2006-07-13 08:55:29 by Brian Carlson