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To B Or Not To B: 1975 MGB

right front

This B has been sitting since 1985 waiting for the bits to make it fun again. I’m thinking somewhere there are folks with rusty MGB projects gathering dust that might find this shell a fresh start. Or perhaps all you need is a seat and one could sit and make engine sounds. Bumpers and a transmission are included. There is no apparent rust and no place to hide it.

floor

There was nothing much for the creatures of barn and field to dine on, so there’s no mess here. The floors are indeed rust free. There appear to be gauges in the dash board.

engine compart

There appear to be wiring, brake and steering components. It just needs an engine and radiator and…

trunk

There’s no rust hiding in the trunk either, although one could do without those speaker holes.

left

Ain’t she pretty? This beauty is listed on Craigslist in Houston, Texas. Does the $1,600 asking price seem reasonable? Perhaps it wouldn’t be if you had to source the parts, but perhaps if one had a rusty hulk and could convert this one to chrome bumpers and a more classic, lower stance. The comments on this one should be interesting. Like the ad says “PARKING BRAKE WORKS AND JUST NEEDS A GOOD HOME”

Comments

  1. Avatar Trickie Dickie Member

    It would make a helluva cute planter……..maybe ivy, pansies , a few rocks and Lotsa cactus plants. Big hole already in the bottom for good drainage. I wonder if the parking brake works.

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  2. Avatar grant

    Huh. Maybe a little over priced but it’s really clean. Someone is going to have a fun project.

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  3. Avatar Ian Werner

    Great start for an EV project…maybe?

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  4. Avatar Roger Owen

    Looks very solid, if it’s been laid up since ’85 it probably had only 10 years or so on the road before that. As mentioned – would be a good shell donor for someone with a rusty ‘B’.

    Rostyle (or more correctly ‘Rubery Owen Style’ wheels are fun to repaint – with an artist’s paint brush and a very steady hand!

    Intrigued by the sloppy engine bay respray – including the wiring harness and the steering gaiters!

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  5. Avatar ClassicCarFan

    I’d agree this would make good sense as a body donor for someone who has a complete car with a compromised body (terminally rusty or seriously accident damaged maybe?)

    Makes little economic sense to try and build this one up and complete it. Rubber bumper MGBs are still cheap enough that you’d be far better off just finding a complete one than buying this and worrying about finding all the missing parts to complete. It’s the little details and assorted small parts that really add up with this sort of project. Though some people just enjoy the challenge of a giant sized jigsaw puzzle I guess !

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  6. Avatar Rando

    SBC baby!

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  7. Avatar Van

    Supercharged LS7
    As long as I’m going for full on stupid.

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  8. Avatar Healeydays

    Nice little blank slate. At that price this shell is a bargain. Try just buying a rear quarter for these cars at Moss motors. They’ll cost you over $500 each shipped.

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  9. Avatar RayT

    The overspray would drive me crazy. I’d HAVE to clean that up…. Fortunately, Bs are plentiful, so an engine and trans. and all the other missing bits ought to be easy to find. Though my first thought when seeing that big empty hole was “Rover aluminum V8!” Chrome bumpers for sure, and that front spoiler would have to disappear.

    Don’t know if the repro bodyshells are still available, but when they first came out they were already WAY over $1600.

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    • Avatar Murray

      If you were to go the V8 route and you intended to use it as a high speed cruiser or racer that front spoiler needs to stay. It does two things, the first is to make it more stable at the sort of speeds the V8 engined B can cruise at. The second is that the air vent incorporated into the design funnels air to the bottom of the radiator (and the oil cooler on Rubber Bar V8), and helps the V8 engine keep its cool. The spoiler on this car is to the British Leyland S/T (Special Tuning) design so can be said to be period correct to the car……..

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  10. Avatar Carl W French

    Tahiti Blue is a Great color for a rubber bumper B. Nice rolling shell. Maybe a bit over priced even here in the rust belt.

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  11. Avatar Edward

    Says engine was removed carefully, might be available. No harm to ask.

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  12. Avatar Pfk1106

    Buick 215 v 8? That would be my idea!

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  13. Avatar Randy Ingram

    A Eotec 2.0 Turbo charged out of a Saturn Skyline and the 5 speed tranny would be a nice project. With a good tune, those can produce 375 hp and 350 ft lbs of tq.

    Like 0

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