On Mon, 29 Dec 1997 20:58:37 -0800, you wrote:
>
>
>Donald Scott wrote...I would not take a TR7or a rubber-bumper MGB unless=
it was a gift.=20
>What!! I have a 79 Rubber bumper B that has been a great car I have put =
over 30,000 miles on it since I bought it 3 1/2 years ago all pleasure =
driving and haven't had half the problems I've been reading about from =
the "classic" B owners,and it hasn't been restore it is all original. I =
am getting sick and tired of all this maligning of rubber Bs they are =
evry bit as good as the older ones if you do a little work to them and =
they cost a lot less simply because of attitudes like this.You can get a =
good rubber B for a couple of thousand bucks but will pay twice that for =
a "classic 71"The stromberg carb isn't as hard to keep in tune as twin =
SUs,It will be newer and should have less rust,lower milage won't have =
been "restored"by some idiot.
>My advice is if you find a good solid example of a rubber B get it!Go =
get the Jan issue of Thoroughbred and classic cars magazine the lead =
story is MGB
>Why the smart money's back on rubber bumpers.So in closing don't shy =
away from a later B though I would get a 78 or 79 because they have the =
rear anti roll bar you will get more car for the money.
>Pat
>
I confess that I too was a rubber bumper snob. When I bought
my early '74 B 10 years ago I wouldn't even consider buying a later
model. Time has changed me, however. RB's have matured with a
distinctive '70's charm. Cars with 'period' bright colors such as
Tahiti Blue,Snap Dragon Yellow, or Vermilllion Red have a definite
appeal. Rostyle wheels seem to look much better on these cars than
they do on chrome bumper models. LE models are particularly
attractive with their mags, stripes and the lovely three spoke
steering wheel (repos now available from Moss, a nice alternative to a
Mota-Lita wheel). =20
Sure there are some mechanical issues, but as stated earlier
they are easy to overcome. Most B's purchased from non-enthusiasts
are due for a suspension overhaul anyway, so you might as well put in
lowered springs when the work is done. Replacing the front
crossmember is a more elegant way of lowering the front end (retaining
the full suspension travel), but would add somewhat to the costs. If
the suspension is decent in the first place I would fit a set of the
"Ron Hopkinson" style sway bars which are said to be quite an
improvement over the factory bars. If you don't live in a smog-tested
state, change back to dual SU's and fit a distributor to match your
carb set-up (ie HS4 SU's used on '63 - '71 need a distributor from the
same years to provide proper vacuum advance. HIF4's can use the RB
dissy or better yet an improved unit from Brown and Gammons in the UK
which has an advance curve similar to early cars but is set up to work
with the vacuum take off point of HIF carbs. I should add that the B
and G unit is the only one that I know of that is specifically
designed for HIF's, the others will give strange results with these
carbs.)
I suppose that much of the negative image these cars have
comes from the automotive press which loved to take shots at the
"poor...old....antiquated...etc." B. This behavior actually started
when chrome bumpers where still available and continued for the rest
of the B's life. I suppose they were right AT THAT TIME! Other cars
available offered better performance, economy and comfort. The
criteria they judged with is not the criteria we use today. We want
character, we want wind in the hair fun, we want the support and
friendships of others with the same automotive tastes. Rubber Bumpers
do not interfere with these values, IMHO.
=09
Ken Roach
'74B
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