SOLD
Asking Price: $1,950
Location: Kiln, Mississippi
Mileage: 44,451
Title Status: Clean
VIN: GHN5UE382824G
Seller’s Description: Time capsule, very last months of the chrome bumpered B’s. Stored 40+ years. USA spec car purchased in the UK by a student, driven all around Europe for a summer, shipped back to Baton Rouge, LA and driven for another year with the UK plates, then parked/stored. Never titled in the US until the owner died and family gave it to his best friend with memories of driving in the car in the 70s. Friend intended to get it back on the road, but now after 5 years has given up that thought.
Body Condition: Original paint, no accidents, very solid, and other than the bonnet, practically rust free. Spare rust and dent free bonnet included with the sale. Body panels straight other than a couple of parking lot dings and a little dent on the boot lid where somebody dropped something on it. Little to no rust underneath, nothing structural. Bumpers are dent free, polish up nicely with some patina. Other chrome similar – polishes up with nice patina. All lights and lenses are intact. Windshield uncracked. A period correct but non-factory hardtop is with the car and included.
Mechanical Condition: Rolling project. Original engine/clutch/trans/suspension/interior/6-volt batteries/bumpers. The engine is stuck, but a good, spare18V short-block is included with the sale. A couple of the tires potentially original. All hold air. Unknown mechanical condition, but trans/diff/suspension should be in the condition of a 44,000-mile car. The brakes will certainly need to be gone through. The engine compartment is dirty but a time capsule of originality – wires, blue wire wrap, clips, tubing, labels, tags – most unmolested, original engine compartment I’ve seen in 40 years of MGB ownership, shows, purchases, sales. Complete car – only things I’ve found missing are the air pump, passenger sun visor, carpets, console lid/ashtray, ignition lock mechanism, and the keys.
It’s going to need work, but Reader Rick H’s MGB looks like it could be a fun project! If you’ve been looking for a good winter project, make sure to take a closer look at his craigslist ad.
Do you have a barn fresh project that needs to go? Consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
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Wish I had the time to take this on! But it’s my memory that my 1969 MGB had an aluminium (aluminum) bonnet because of its size. The boot lid (steel) was much heavier to open. When did the material for the bonnet change to steel?
The letters ‘OK’ of the British registration ‘SOK’ tell you she was first registered in Birmingham, UK. ….and the M at the end, confirms that (as you know) she is a 1974 model. (Birmingham a biggish industrial city, is about 100 miles north of London)
Not easy to see if she is right or left hand drive !
And 3 windscreen wipers on an MGB, seems unusual to me…..
Theee wipers is how all these are after ‘67 or ‘68. I’ve owned four and they are all the 3 wiper variety.
All US spec MGB’s had three wipers UK spec ones had two.
This is a US spec car with the LHD, big rubber over riders, three wipers and side marker lights.
Not worth the time and money to get back on the road.
Wow, and people complain about the bumpers on the later BMW 2002s! Those rubber overriders are off the chain!
The car is priced right, but personally I’d rather buy one for 5K that’s nice, and those cars are out there everywhere. I had a “licorice-lip” ’76 in Blaze that I liked just fine…nice paint, ran great, good interior…I paid $2200. Sure I put a couple thousand into it with tires, seat belts, soft top etc., so for about $4200 I had a very reliable daily MGB that looked nice.
Here’s a joke: Why do the English drink warm beer? Because Lucas makes the refrigerators!
Oof.
Actually this is in pretty terrible shape. It’s been somewhere very humid and it’s super rusty. Look at the chassis around the battery boxes – I’ve never seen that area that bad on one of these. Also the firewall below the heater. All the unpainted metal is also covered in rust. Based on how this looks I think it’s a parts car or at best a donor for a new chassis from England. Given how plentiful MGBs are there’s no way this makes any economic sense to try and fix.
I mean a body in white for one of these is only about $11k. This car is going to need a total tear down and be rotisserie’d to get anywhere near “rust free.” Not counting the tear down labor you’re already past that much in bodywork and paint. And the engine is frozen? I’m sorry but I think it’s scrap.
Picture on Craig’s list shows it as a left hand drive