Last night I had the opportunity to examine an MGA 1500 that had been
fitted with a Ford 302. Needless to say, it was a pretty sad little
machine. The installation isn't complete; that is, the car is a rough
project and utterly non-functional. I am wondering if it is a viable
restoration candidate, and would love more opinions on the subject.
The body is actually not bad-- it's been taken back to bare metal, so
there aren't really any secrets waiting to be discovered. The nose has
been damaged, not too terribly but enough to need some patching in the
grille area. The bulkhead/firewall/heater shelf (y'know, that part) has
been chopped up to clear the V8, and the inner wheel wells and trans
tunnel cover are non-existent. On the plus side, the frame has not been
cut or bent, the stock front suspension and rear axle are in place and
rebuildable, and all of the instruments are there. Two seats are
included, but they are in pretty bad shape.
My goal with this car would be to end up with a usable and decent-looking
car, but not necessarily a strictly original one. I do want to take it
all back to MG configuration, however I would probably choose MGB
mechanical components (engine and ancillaries, and trans) in preference to
the somewhat harder-to-find original items.
My budget is limited, and I will be doing all the work myself (I have a
reasonably complete and spacious workshop, and a few years' tinkering
experience). So my questions are: should I go for this car, and what
price should I shoot for? Information on the interchangeability of A and
B parts would also be welcome.
Thanks, and sorry about the length of the post! (Can you tell I was up
all night thinking about this? :) )
Ain Vale
1964 BSA 500cc twin
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