bae@fisher.UUCP (Shiva the Destroyer) (05/03/85)
I am planning on purchasing a pre-1965 MGB. Before I do so,
I would like to hear any horror stories about reliability,
safety, and performance any of you may have to tell. If there
are sufficient replies, I will summarize.
--
Brian A. Ehrmantraut
Ad Maioram Gloriam Hasturi!
UUCP: {allegra, astrovax, princeton, twg} !fisher!bae
BELL: (609) 452-8991 / (609) 734-7761
USnail: 184 Little Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544jrm1@pyuxh.UUCP (J McKeel) (05/03/85)
I had a bumper sticker on my 69 MGB.
********************************************
* BEWARE LUCUS, THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS *
********************************************
Lucus manufactures all electrical parts for the MG(B) and Midget.
They never seem to hold up.
Johnjp@lanl.ARPA (05/05/85)
I know your request was for pre-1965 MGB info, but I am ignorant enough not to know the differance between pre-1965 MGB's and 1966 MGB's. Therfore, I will pass on to you my small tale of woe. I bought a new 1966 MGB in 1966 (naturally enough) for about $3400 or so. It had wire wheels and knock-off hub nuts. I had to sell it in 1968 because I was going back to school and couldn't afford two cars. My point of sorrow is that the man who bought it from me in 1968 for $1800 is still, today, in 1985, driving it around. And I'm sur I couldn't get it back, even for more than $1800. I'm not sure what his maintenance problems have been over the years, but I do know that the little crack in the door by the outside rear view mirror that was about 3/4 inch long in 1968 did not grow enough to cause the door to break in half as I had feared it might. My only consolation is that I am still driving the 1961 109" Land Rover pickup that I took back to school as my only vehicle in 1968. That is more of a tribute to American ingenuity than it is to British engineering however. It's saving grace is the all aluminum (really aluminium) body. Oh well, I would still be willing to race the Land Rover against my old MGB if I could pick the road. Cheers, Jim Potter jp@lanl.arpa
berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) (05/07/85)
In article <136@pyuxh.UUCP> jrm1@pyuxh.UUCP (J McKeel) writes: >Lucus manufactures all electrical parts for the MG(B) and Midget. >They never seem to hold up. Remember, the English drink warm beer because they have Lucas refrigerators. -- Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900 (kerch@lll-tis.ARPA)
kenyon@nmtvax.UUCP (05/07/85)
In article <> jrm1@pyuxh.UUCP (J McKeel) writes: >I had a bumper sticker on my 69 MGB. > > ******************************************** > * BEWARE LUCUS, THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS * > ******************************************** > >Lucus manufactures all electrical parts for the MG(B) and Midget. >They never seem to hold up. >John This should be LUCAS. We have a voltage regulator on our '52 Jag XK120M that caught on fire in our driveway. Thanks Lucas! About two years ago in the INDY 500 someone lost power in their March and came into the pits. About 2 minutes after they had it fixed an announcer came on with a box in his hands that said "Lucas Spark Enhancer" (or something equivalent). Both my father and I said at the same time, "It figures..." A couple years ago I saw a bumper sticker on an MG proclaming, "All the parts found falling off this car are of finest English quality. Please pick them up and give them to the driver." Robert Kenyon ...ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!kenyon Being 5/8 english I can get away with this kind of stuff. Give me a european car over any american car any day. (I will admit, they are getting better in the US... They couldn't have gotten worse...) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaim what? I never claimed anything!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
craig@fritz.UUCP (Craig Hockenberry) (05/23/85)
The only way I could keep my '69 MGB-GT running was by robbing parts off my spare '69 MGB Roadster. After a about one year, the Roadster didn't have much of an electrical system. Lucas can't even make fuses that work right! If you are seriously interested in obtaining an MGB, try calling your local British/Leyland dealer (if you can find one) and ask him how much a new starter costs. You will be surprised. Parts (including rebuilt ones) are not cheap. MGB's (and most other British automobiles) are great fun to drive, the only problem is keeping them in a drivable condition... -- /%%///%% Craig Hockenberry /%%%//%/ ..!ucbvax!trwrb!felix!craig /%%////% FileNet Corporation, Costa Mesa, California /%%/%//% /%%//%%% "The stuff of thought is the seed of the artist" - Arshile Gorky, 1942
bhs@siemens.UUCP (06/17/85)
peoplethinkthatthislineiseatenbutitisnot,isit?youcanseeitafterall,canyounot? My friend had a much raced early 70s Midget. He designed a bracket to install a GM alternator and used all aircraft grade switches to replace as much of the Lucas system as he could. That seemed to have cured most of the electrical problems. However, the shock absorbers are an integral part of the front suspension, and have a tendency to leak oil constantly, which means that unless you constantly refill them, you have no handling. Also the shocks are quite expensive to replace, the best solution is an after-market coilover kit to replace them. MGs are not primary cars, they are like the italian misstresses of our dreams: when they are running, they are great, but OH MY GOD the fuss they can make. Always at importune times. They are great conversation starters, I can clearly remeber him driving down Rte 18 here in NJ while his friend had to continuously whack the floor of the car in order to keep the fuel pump running on it's way to the parts dealer for a replacement. Enough said? If I had the money and a driveway to work in, I would buy one, too. Bernard H. Schwab Siemens RTL, Princeton, NJ