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This MGA might be a big project, but it’s a good place to start. It’s a 1600 so it has a little more power than the 1500 and also benefits from front disc brakes. Looks like this one even came with wire wheels! These are a body on frame design so you can pull it all apart and work on one area at a time. The floors are wood so as long as the frame and lower half of the body are solid, you should be good. It’s located in New Britain, Connecticut and is listed here on craigslist for $3,000. So, do you think this Brit could be bargain? Thanks goes to Peter R for the tip!
Looks like a good project and solid car. Wish they had more photos.
Cool looking Brit, too bad theres no title!
looks like a lotta rust on lower doors and/or sills. probably got a good dose of conn. winter salt.
Door skins are aluminum. The rockers on the other hand……
Leave the body on the frame until the sills and door frames are solid. It looks like a good restoration candidate. The price looks a little high, though.
….Except there is no title.
From CT’s DMV page: “If a vehicle is over 20 model years old, a Connecticut title will not be required to sell a vehicle. If title is not available, a Supplemental Assignment of Ownership form (Form Q-1) can be completed in full to indicate the buyer and the seller.”
http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=816&q=244692
Looks OK for the money—from what you can see. Agreed that the rockers and probably other lower body parts will need metalwork, which you have to expect with an old CT car.
Too bad there’s no trunk / engine bay / underside shots, I guess because he expects to sell it locally. But with that thing called the Internet you have to expect there might also be calls from people far away, so better to use up a few more pixels so they can see the whole car. You need to know how much rust is under there.
IIRC the ’62 had a 1622 cc engine for a little more power. Plus, the last of a series is worth a bit more than the middle of a series. These have sold for a median price of $30K at auction recently in top condition. If there’s much structural rust it might be tough to restore it for an all-in price less than $30K, especially if the interior and drivetrain need a lot of work…..unless you can do it yourself.
Just about everything is available from reputable sources. I would not get to worried about the sills and even the fenders but the frame is critical. I have seen just a very few frames patched that I consider well done. It is not that hard but it is critical and it can be done to a point that nobody can tell once it is painted.
Other features that a 1962 will have beyond the engine size is a factory oil cooler, padded side curtains, if it is original brackets for a pair of 6 volt batteries behind the seats and a crank hanging in brackets on the vertical front of the trunk. The door sinks are aluminum as are parts of the wood and aluminum combing that is covered by leather around the cockpit. Those are a total pain in the ass to get right. I do not care who you are send those parts out to an expert as well as the other padded parts.
We had one exactly like this and this is what I learned to drive on and if you have read my other posts you know that the first car I purchased for myself was a 1963 ALFA spyder. This is a much rougher car.
I can tell you that if you leave the panel behind the seats off that covers the top area during a blizzard and you are driving down a highway it acts like a giant snow scoop placing loose snow on your lap and in the floor around you faster than it can melt.
If you do not get the right thickness of plexiglass replacements for the sliding or fixed portion of the side curtains they will blow out at about 70 miles per hour. What the remaining part of the drive is like during a very cold winter day is worse than you can guess.
If you purchase it and decide to reuse the original rubber coated wiring harness you will need that hand crank and I can tell you that it will work and if you do it wrong you can still drive the car with the cast you will have when it back fires and the crank hits you just above your wrist. Fellow owner not me.
These are another car that is high in the smiles per miles which is why I have owned about 4 or 5 of them. If you have a heated garage one of the best treats is to have the windows or side curtains on, a toneau cover in place and drive with a heavy coat on below freezing days. The effect of this is like having all the heat pulled out over your head and only the edges of your ears get cold unless you have to stop then you freeze until you get moving again. I wished the ALFA had the heater this car had.
Elegant no, sporty yes, ear to ear fun at all speeds yes. Simple to a fault and faithful as a family golden retriever. Yes I love these as well.
The difference between a rusty MGA restoration and a rust-free example that still needs mechanical, interior and paint is probably $15-20k at today’s shop rates. If you can weld, that’s wonderful, but how old will you be before you can actually drive and enjoy it? Life is short. There are enough of these cars out there that there’s no reason to buy a crunchy one. I personally prefer the fixed head coupes- actual roll-up glass windows, quieter ride, and not nearly as common. Much like the MGB GT parked behind it.
Missing title.
Hello all
Is their a title ?
The A is so much prettier than the B. It might be time to admit that $3500 isn’t $3500 anymore. I once bought a ’66 Microbus for $700 and drove it for two years, and I got over three years out of an $850 ’65 Cadillac. Those cars today, at those prices, would be missing body panels, or drivetrains, or both. As it is, between the ’55 Packard a couple of days ago, and this MG, it’s getting so I’m glad I live in the city so I have an excuse not to drive around making offers on these things.
Not a ’62, judging by the rear lights. Would be a ’60 or earlier. A ’62 would be a MGA MkII with the 1622 engine, Mini rear lights turned horizontal on the back apron (not the fenders) and wouldn’t have the 1600 badge on the trunk. The stepped back front grill would be correct for a MkII, but not original to the earlier car.
Of course, fender swaps, grill swaps, vin plate and engine swaps amongst MGAs is pretty easy, so who knows what it really is.