My wife won. I sold the Sprite to a guy that will give it a great home...he is an English sports car lover like me. Now I have more space in my garage for the restoration of the MGB, and does it ever take up space. You need at least three times as much space than the car itself requires.
First, let me say, that I am restoring this car to drive. I personally do not care for a car that looks new underneath. "Frame off" restorations are fine if you want to show your car and spend your days looking at it, but how could you enjoy driving a car in that condition knowing all that time and effort spent on the undercarriage was being ruined by road grime every time you drove it. After a careful inspection, I determined the undercarriage of my "B" to be solid and free from rust and damage of any sort; so I chose to leave it as is.
There are several items you will need prior to the commencement of the work. A digital camera, a pad of paper and a pen, several dozen Ziploc sandwich bags, two dozen one quart Ziploc freezer bags, several clear plastic bins with lids, and a shop manual for your make and model. Take plenty of photos, you may need them when you begin reassembly. As you begin to remove parts, inspect them carefully and determine if they may require replacement or reconditioning; if so make note of it immediately. As you remove fasteners and other small items, place them in one of the freezer bags, label them immediately and place them in one of the bins. Lastly, refer to your manual often. I know it's a "guy thing" to read the directions when all else fails, but it will only save you time to read about it first.
I began by removing all the trim and glass from the car. Next, I removed all the gauges and dash. The '67 B has a metal dash with a wrinkle finish. It appeared that a previous owner had tried to repaint it with a toilet brush...pretty disgusting.
The final stage of dismantling the car is the removal of the engine and transmission. You may wonder if all this is really necessary. In my opinion, what is the point of repainting the body of your car if it looks nasty under the bonnet. My car was a greasy mess under there. The motor had been leaking around the valve cover for probably thirty-five years and had never been cleaned or repaired. But do not let the oil leaks concern you. We British car lovers have a saying, "If the car was made in the UK, it leaks".
The removal of the engine and transmission is not that complicated. I have a good friend, Captain Bob, that loaned me his hydraulic lift and his help. He and I had the engine disconnected and out of the car in four hours.
Now my car is in little pieces. All the pieces are bagged, labeled and stored in a dry place. The engine and transmission have been separated and mounted on separate stands to aid in the cleaning and refinishing process. A detailed list of items to be replaced has been made and the shopping has begun. There are several English car parts dealers that have virtually everything you need for your restoration; Moss Motors, Ltd, Victoria British, Ltd, and Atlanta Imported Auto Parts. All these companies have web sites and they are more than willing to help you spend your money.
I am posting a photo of the my car before it became intimate with Captain Bob and me, and a few more of the engine before it was removed.
Well, that's all for now. More to follow...
TD
