On Wed, 27 Sep 1995, Robert J. Donahue wrote:
> Is the MGB unibody or does it have a frame? If I buy one that is rusting
> underneath will it go sway-back on me? I looked at a prospect yesterday. The
> door and rocker on the drivers side both had a crack or tear. Is this a sign
> of poor structural integrity, or just some body work that needs to be done?
>
> Thanks in advance from a poor bewildered shopper.
I'm a fellow shopper, not an owner, so I'm not defensive. It's a
unibody, and although it is a strong one, it can deteriorate to the point
of folding in the middle. One can, for a fairly reasonable price, buy a
complete replacement body, so even an extremely rusty B can be resurrected.
If your prospect is from a non desert area, it is likely to need at least
new inner membrane and outer sills (the basic structure holding the front
and rear halves together). This is a significant job, but acceptable if
the price of the car reflects the work needed. The door crack is
(probably) a vertical crack below the rear corner of the quarter window.
It is par for the course in an unrestored car ("they all do that"). A new
door skin or a welded reinforcement will be needed.
So yes, they can be weakened by rust, but all can be fixed. Just be sure
the price reflects the condition.
Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
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