That awful colour MGB GT

[SiC]

I suspect that they were the only replacement that you could get at one time.

I wouldn't have thought this was the case as the round knob was so ubiqutious compared to the bar type in this.

If its not original, I suspect it was chosen either because its easier for an elderly hand to operate or that its more robust. You get clear visual and haptic feedback when its locked on, unlike the round knobs which are much easier to turn too far. A couple of times won't matter but repeatedly will wear it out. A bit like ball valve tap vs a standard tap.

[LynehamHerc]

If they needed that sort of choke knob because they were elderly I doubt that they could get in and out of a MGB say.

[SiC]

You only need to get out of an MGB when you are at home, otherwise the only other place a MGB will be at is in a car show and there is no need to get out there ...Right?

[Hooli]

You need to get out to sit in deckchairs sipping luke warm tea from a tartan flask as you scowl at anyone who dares look at your car.

[SiC]

You need to get out to sit in deckchairs sipping luke warm tea from a tartan flask as you scowl at anyone who dares look at your car.

Thats classic Jag owners because they could afford to have the hip replacement done privately.

MGB owners are still waiting for their call from the NHS.

[SiC]

Why oh why do I even bother trying to paint anything. I end up getting more on me and the floor than what I'm intending to paint.
 
First job was to put the wheel arch covers back on and spray them with stone chip paint.

 
Next I had a rub down underneath on bits that look a bit funky. Mostly surface rust where the underseal has come off. Worse bit, that always has been since I've had the car, is the driver side rear spring hanger.
 
This is what it looked like when I got the car, just over three years ago now.

 
Today not looking so pretty.

 
Pulled that bit of metal hanging off to leave this.

 
Then worked at it with a finger sander. Managed to make a small hole through too. Intention is to weld this up later on once I get around to doing a spruce up when the Dolomite is back on the road.

 
Also cleaned this bit off and straightened it.


 
Found my pot of Harvest Gold paint and covered it back up. Definitely doesn't match whatsoever. I'll take some pictures once it dries. Maybe I need to get some RAL cards to figure what colour the car is?
 
Then painted the underside. I'm so terrible at painting. Paint is supposed to be silver grey. Unfortunately I ran out of black and this is what I happened to have to hand. Black stonechip will be going on after so not too fussed about the colour. I'll say it's deliberate as I can then tell where I need to spray over.


 
While I was under I had a look at the masses of oil that is covered under the car.

 
Then had a bright idea to check the sump bolts were tightened.

 
Quite a few could be done up a good quarter to half a turn. Maybe this is why oil is disappearing when accelerating hard (above ~4k)? The high revs splash the oil around more and end up running down the sides of the block inside then leaking out the slightly loose sump. Usual British crap sealing engine gaskets won't be helping either if this is the case.

[panhard65]

It's an MGB it will leak oil. I pulled the engine and box out of one of my customers MGB's and replaced all the gaskets to try and get it oil tight. 3 years later and it is back almost where we started sweating oil wherever it goes. Trying to keep oil in one is like herding cats.

[mercrocker]

The engine in the Cowley is a handpainted old Goldseal unit out of a bloke's shed. A mate put it in with little more than a cursory glance to see nothing obvious was missing, got it running and gave it an oil change. Bloody thing is still as dry as a bone and actually has rust marks here and there - unheard of! I sometimes wonder if the more you do to a bloody B series the worse it gets......

[LynehamHerc]

It's an MGB it will leak oil. I pulled the engine and box out of one of my customers MGB's and replaced all the gaskets to try and get it oil tight. 3 years later and it is back almost where we started sweating oil wherever it goes. Trying to keep oil in one is like herding cats.

Mine doesn't and never has.
It also has rustmarks on it.

Admittedly it's been off the road for over 10 years now but didn't in the previous 30, where it was also used as a daily for a few years.

[SiC]

I don't mind a bit of oil leaking and it's helped the underside of my BGT to not rust too badly. I'd like to know where the oil is going though when you thrash it. A tad smokey out the back but nothing like expected given the quantity of oil loss. Hopefully it's just out of the sump where it wasn't quite tightened up.

Intention is still to pull the engine sometime in the near future to send top end off for rebuild/tune (Peter Burgess) and hopefully the bottom end just needs a set of new bottom end bearings. Also replace the rear main seal that is leaking into the clutch housing. That probably dried out where it sat for ~15years.