The seller of this 1969 MGB GT located in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho tells us that they are the second “dreamer” owner that has unsuccessfully tried to put the car back on the road. Perhaps the third owner will be the lucky one to drive it again? Perhaps it’s you? If you think you might be interested in this $1,000 classic, you can find the ad here on craigslist. Be sure and let us know if you purchase the MGB!
As with most cars, pictures tell part but not all of the story. I’ve highlighted the first area to rust in about 95% of the MGBs I’ve come across. Unfortunately no amount of image manipulation I was able to use got me a clear enough picture to tell whether or not the car is rusty in the sill. The MGB is designed with a three-piece sill, and if you see rust here, it comes from the inside out and is a pain to fix properly. I’ve done it.
Nice to see what looks like a serviceable grille and the octagonal knock off wrench in the hatch. Hey, you can tell your significant other you are buying a practical hatchback–right? Ok, not so much.
The interior has been reupholstered at least once but you could probably skate by for a while with a good clean. We aren’t talking perfect here, just usable.
Under the hood, appearance is actually pretty good and shows some fairly new fasteners. The seller tells us that the engine turns over but that the car will need electrical work to be driveable. There are not many cars that are simpler than an MGB mechanically and pretty much any part you need is readily available. I think this is a pretty good place to start, and even if the rear rocker area is rusty it will drive for a long time before being structural. More importantly, what do you think?
If you are into these cars it’s cheap enough to gamble on. The only way to get hurt financially on this car is if you can’t transer the title into your name, even then you should be able to part it out for a profit.
Steve R
Good thing it’s halfway across the continent or my wife would have me living in it. The telltale for me is the battery boxes which look solid, as does the trunk floor and the engine compartment.
There are a couple of trim pieces missing and the bumpers are a mess, but it has 5 wire wheels and all the glass.
I love this car. Nice find.
Look at the picture on the trailer, and enlarge it. Better light to answer your question about rust in front of the rear wheel. Good thing for me it’s across the country!! Good luck to the new owner and seller!!
I think ’69 was one of the best years for these. The wires are a deal killer for me, and that rust in front of the rear wheel is bad news. That’s right where the front mount for the rear leaf spring is, and when that goes, it’s toast, trust me, it’s what helped kill my ’71 MGB. And all the smog parts are removed, just like I did, so I knew it couldn’t be the original motor. Ran great after that junk was removed. Also, many GT’s had O/D, but don’t see the sticker on the steering column by the right stalk ( wiper control) Price sure is right, but that rust would scare me away.
At 300 percent, it appears the suspect sills are sporting a bit of Bondo. Same with the door. Or perhaps it’s glue. Works for me.
I have welded new inner and outer sills, castle rails, diaphragm panels, doglegs or rear-wing patch panels on many MGBs. Of course it’s possible that the front rear spring perch is rusted out also, but given what we see from that enlarged trailer shot, it looks unlikely if the dogleg is really as solid as it looks, that the spring perch is gone. Also, given the apparent condition of the battery boxes (what can be seen of them), I might be tempted to take a chance. Overall, it looks less rusty than the ’73 B/GT I bought 32 years ago and I’m still driving daily.
The fact that much of the smog stuff has been removed, does NOT mean the engine could not be original. It’s obviously a “smog” head – appropriate for all MGBs beginning in ’68 – as one can see the bolts plugging the smog rail ports. The smog-pump bracket is still there, also.
I have a ’69 MGC/GT (six-cylinder), and while I bought it for the drivetrain, I can’t say that ’69 is a “best year” for these cars. The attractive metal dash on North American models was gone after ’67 – replaced but the “Abingdon Pillow”. Last of the emission-controlled engines: 1967. They redesigned a rather nice dash beginning in 1972, but the “black hole of Calcutta” grill remained until something resembling a traditional grill matching the center “bump” in the bonnet with the medallion returned in 1973 and stayed through the first half of the ’74s. Then we’re into rubber-bumper cars. I love all years of MGBs – and the B/GT is one of the most useful cars on the planet. Just some disagreement as to which year -models were the best.
In summary – this looks like a great project car for the money. But I think I’d inspect the bottom side first. That’s also the only way to determine the presence or absence of overdrive – literally worth it’s weight in gold!
Final note: stripping the emissions stuff off a ’69 engine does not make it run like a ’67. It may improve performance, but to get to ’67 levels, you need different pistons, different distributor timing and advance curve, and probably altered cam timing. At least…
Well, thanks for that accurate description, figures someone knowledgable would chime in on these, sounds like you know what you’re talking about. I still liked the ’69’s. While you certainly seem to have the skill and resources to fix something like dog legs and spring mounts, you have to remember, most people looking at this don’t have that luxury, and will have to pay someone 3 figures an hour to repair it. I didn’t mean removing the smog equipment was a performance thing, mine wouldn’t idle, backfired on shifts, stumbled, until one day, all that stopped, it ran great. Popping the hood, revealed the pump froze and the belt broke. I’d think there are better MG’s to buy, ready to go than this.
Hi Howard. Thanks for your comments! And for your gentle reminder that preferences for the various years and models of the MGB are personal. You obviously like MGBs and that’s what really counts as far as I am concerned. And you have a perfect right to prefer the ’69s!
Regarding stuff like rust repair, etc: it’s pretty hard to find an MGB that does not require some rust repair. And yes, that work can get pretty pricey if you hire it out. That’s the main reason I taught myself how to do it. Lots of reading, lots of practice, a lot of failures along the way…
But, for just $1,000, if the rust problems can be determined to be no worse than they appear, and the drive-train can be awakened without invasive surgery, there’s at least a remote possibility that the car might be a real bargain, even at those three-digit hourly rates for body work. ‘ Wish I lived close enough to get a look at it.
‘ Just took another look at the pictures and noticed something with the engine picture. It has an electric oil pressure sender – which was not used after some time in 1971. And it has an old-style canister oil filter. These items do not guarantee that the engine is original, but they do indicate that it is from the 1968-71 time period. It is at least an appropriate engine for a 1969 model.
I’ve heard of LBGTQ, but what does MGBGT mean?
“Most Good Beavers Gather Twigs”