From: William Elliott <William.Elliott@mail.mei.com>
Date: Monday, May 04, 1998 10:00 AM
Subject: MGC: Opinions and Pricing
>I've stumbled across an MGC roadster for sale and have several questions:
>
> various "price guides" have conflicting
> information: from approximately the same value as an MGB to 50%+ more.
> what is the current opinion of these cars and the value
> range?
Premium over a 'B' is only 15 to 20 percent depending upon how bad the owner
wants to sell it and how bad the buyer wants to buy it. Only the number 1 or
2 cars command heavy premiums and there ain't many of them.
> How many C's imported into the US?
Almost 9,000 built. Almost equally split between Roadster and GT. Almost
half of them went to the states.
> Was O/D an available US option?
I've seen a dozen 'C's and they all had O/D (a couple of autos). Not having
an O/D in a 'C' would be a real downer for the seller.
>What's the opinion of the braking system? (We used to convert them to MGB
>specs)
Expensive and not nearly as 'boosted' as all the hardware would indicate.
The remote boosters have been used on other cars, though, like the Lotus
Eurpopa, so parts are available. All of the brake hardware at all four
corners is unique to the 'C'. The master can be swapped if you plumb in 'B'
stuff.
> Availability of drivetrain parts?
It takes some scrounging. The transmission internals are, for the most part,
interchangable with the 'B' model. In fact, the all-synchro 4-speed was
built for the 'C' first and then 'rationalized' to the 'B'.
The transmission case, input shaft, and clutch are unique to the 'C'. Clutch
and hydraulics are available. Everthing else is getting scarce if unique to
the 'C'. The driveline weird stuff is the whole front suspension and the
brakes. Parts "over there" are easier to come by. Bromsgrove (sp) has some
good sources. The front structure is unique as is the radiator and mounting
supports. Hard to find. The hood, of course, is unique, made of flimsy
aluminum and prciey. Spares around, however. The more 'stock' the underhood
the better as many of the little bits are now unobtainable.
Rear axle is the same as the 'B' but has different ratios -- commonly 3.7
but early ones had 3.07. There also are some automatics around; a Borg
Warner unit that shifts like a bus. The reason the tranny hump was so
enlarged (and carried over to the 'B') was to fit the auto box that never
became prevalent.
>Any "C" intensive web sites I've not been able to find?
Not much of a user group with so few cars. And they looked to much like a
'B' to garner much collector status. Being panned by the press on
introduction didn't help. In stock form, the motor is a great freeway
cruiser. It can be "warmed up" considerable. The damn thing is heavy,
though -- around 650 pounds -- which puts over 200 more pounds on the front
axle compared to a 'B'. Handling suffers.
>If I get _another_ project, I may be sleeping in the garage with it. Just
>wanted to know if a "C" is worth it.
Where is it? I may amble over and give you and eyes-on eval!
Bob Allen, Kansas City, '69CGT, '75TR6
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