Forgive my ramble as I'm new to both MG's and this list. I'm pretty excited
about my 68 MGB/GT. I've always owned Triumph TR6's, but this GT project
found its way into my garage last Spring. The car had sat partially
disassembled in my father-in-law's airplane hangar (very dry, thank
goodness) here in Texas for over 15 years. He needed room to add a third
plane he was purchasing, so he told me he was going to sell the GT for
whatever he could get for it. I offered to buy it since I had seen it in
its prime in the early eighties and always had secretly lusted after it. It
was Primrose yellow with black interior/white piping. He said he would just
give it to me to get it out of the way and I agreed. Prior to it going into
permanent storage in about 1984, he had rebuilt the engine and done a nice
minor restoration. Then, he decided the paint needed a re-spray (it really
wasn't bad but he is very picky), so he promptly disassembled the car except
for the drive train which he left in place. Removed the interior, all the
trim, doors, rear hatch, etc. He and his son stripped the paint off the car
and there it sat buried in the back corner of the hangar for the next
fifteen years. The good news is that there is practically no rust except
for a little surface spot here and there on the roof where he had some stuff
stacked on it. I guess it allowed moisture from the air to be trapped
against the roof. The body is really in great shape. Not a single dent
anywhere and no rust except for the couple of surface spots I mentioned on
the roof. I decided to try to start the engine before tackling the rest of
the car so I could see what shape it was in. Fortunately, he had put oil in
the cylinders years ago and I started by gently rocking the engine over
little by little. It moved pretty freely. I changed the oil and filter and
replaced the coolant. I put a new battery in and began cranking the engine
over a little at a time. I quickly discovered that the coil was bad so I
replaced that and most of the rest of the ignition until I was getting a
good spark. I put a couple of gallons of gas in the tank (it was pretty
much dry) but found I wasn't getting any gas to the carbs. Just for grins,
I filled up the float bowls with gas and fired the engine up briefly just to
prove it was ready to run. I determined the fuel pump was not working so I
put on a new SU fuel pump and pulled the gas tank out and cleaned it as best
as I could with gasoline and compressed air. I also blew all of the fuel
lines out with compressed air while I was at it. Put the tank back on and
put a couple of gallons of fresh gas in. Still not getting fuel to the
carbs (pump was clicking but never primed). As a test, I dropped a rubber
tube into a gasoline can and fit the other end onto the fuel pipe where the
tank would normally hook up. Using this method, the pump quickly drew in
the fuel and begin pumping it to the carbs. Too much. The float needles
were sticking and gas was venting everywhere. Took the float assemblies off
and blew them out with compressed air and made sure the needles were moving
freely. Then tried again using the gas can as a fuel tank. The engine,
which had sat dormant for 15 years roared to life. Filled the garage up
with so much smoke from all of the oil in the cylinders that I was afraid a
neighbor would call the fire department. Eventually the smoke cleared out
and the car was idling on its own. The engine felt and sounded very strong.
Gobs of oil pressure. No oil or coolant leaks at all. Shut it down and
began tackling the fuel tank again. The pipe leading into the side of the
tank was completely blocked even when I tried compressed air. I pulled the
sending unit out and found that it was frozen solid with rust and varnish.
The whole inside of the tank is. After messing with it for a while trying
to clean it out, I decided, discretion being the better part of valor, to
order a new fuel tank, sender, etc. I thought about sending it to an
advertiser in Hemmings that restores tanks but I bought a brand new tank
from the Roadster Factory for only about $100. It would cost that much to
try to save the old one. Anyway, I now await the new tank impatiently.
While waiting for the new tank, I did the clutch hydraulics and was
pleasantly surprised to find them working after flushing and bleeding. I
was afraid the disk would be stuck to the flywheel. I was so happy that I
couldn't resist taking a little ride. Okay, it was a very little ride.
Using a gas can for a fuel tank, I started it up and put it in first gear.
I eased out the clutch and smoothly moved forward about a foot. Then I
slipped it into reverse and backed it up about a foot. I dared not do more
because it has no brakes and the tread of one of its rotting tires is
hanging off in strips. But it was very satisfying to me to see it move
under its own power after so long. I can't wait to see this engine running
off of its own fuel tank instead of a gas can. Sorry for the long post but
this is very exciting to me. Regards, Greg Hutmacher
76 TR6 (now jealous because the GT is getting all of the attention)
68 MGB/GT (finally stirring to life)
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