Oh oh oh I forgot to mention my solution for the cold weather (I drove an
MGB through 8 Canadian winters). Cut a piece of cardboard (size depends on
how cold it gets) Completely encase it in aluminium foil wrap. Put in
space between grille and radiator !
At 09:25 PM 11/20/05, Simon Matthews wrote:
>To add my 2c:
>
>I was, until recently using my '57 MGA as a daily driver -- although my
>commute was quite short. I did this for 6 years and in that time, the car
>never stranded me totally. Some years earlier, I used my '74 MGB for weekly
>trips to the airport (70 miles) where it was parked in the open for the
>week.
>
>So, here is my list:
>1. Renew all hoses. Make sure you replace with the best quality available.
>Especially the radiator top hose.
>2. Heater control valve. I have mixed feelings about this one, since I
>believe the quality of replacements is rather poor.
>3. Cables. I have had 2 accelerator cables break. It's possible that I don't
>have the correct combination of nuts and washers at the clamp.
>4. Windscreen wiper motor -- make sure this is properly greased and sealed.
>It's no good having a running car if you can't see where you are going.
>5. Maintenance
>6. Listen to the engine and maintain it.
>7. If in a cold climate, have some way of blanking out the oil cooler, or
>install a thermostat in the oil line. On one of my 70 mile airport runs, the
>temperature gauge never moved off "C".
>8. Continually make sure the charging system is working properly. On an MGA,
>you can start the car with the hand crank, but the MGB does not have this
>luxury.
>9. Maintenance (did I mention that already?)
>10. Adjust/replace points at the correct intervals but DON'T replace the
>capacitor/condenser.
>11. Keep the HT leads, distributor cap, etc. clean.
>12. Don't fix what is not broken. Don't go replacing the electrical
>system/wiring harness unless you think there is a problem. Lucas did not
>have any particularly bad reputation in the UK, with its wet climate.
>
>Regards,
>Simon
>
>
>
>On 11/19/05, Mark L. Hineline <hineline@ocotillofield.net> wrote:
> >
> > My lovely wife frequently expresses an interest in having an MGB-GT,
> > but after years of driving (and not driving) beaters, including a
> > couple LBCs, she has gotten spoiled by a late model VW Jetta. Before
> > she would use a B-GT as a daily driver, it would have to be as
> > dependable as her Jetta.
>
Regards
Barrie Robinson
barrie@look.ca
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