An Alternative To Traditional MGB Restoration

“To B or not to B…?” was an often asked question that frequently resulted in the realization that old rusted out MGBs just weren’t worth saving. Today’s MGB enthusiasts have an alternative to traditional rust repair by re-bodying their tired old MGB with a brand new factory original body.

It’s well known that the MGB body shell design is extremely strong and more resistant to rust than most other sports cars of the period. A good professional can successfully save almost any MGB body, but the cost in terms of labor and panel work can add up quickly. Most competent rust repair specialists would hesitate to give exact cost estimates for full rust repair, but prefer ballpark estimates that ultimately translate into time and materials. Since time is money, many commercial firms will cut corners where possible, particularly where the results of a marginal job are not going to make themselves known for some years to come. For this reason it’s always a good idea to maintain a good relationship and an ever watchful eye on the guy working on your car.

The other major challenge to traditional rust repair is in re-installing the mountain of mechanical and trim components that were removed in order to replace sheet metal sections and to properly repaint the refurbished body. Novice enthusiasts can quite easily reach the limits of their patience in sorting through the heap, particularly if a year or so has passed since the car was dismantled. Of course, the safest approach is to carefully bag, tag or otherwise label each and every component as it is removed, keeping the mounting hardware for that item attached to the part.

The real thrust of this article is the alternative to traditional sports car restoration that revolves around the new MGB body shells recently introduced from British Motor Heritage and now available at Moss Motors.

The Heritage body shells are exactly as original, except that the overall quality and attention to detail is even better than when the body shells were in volume production. As a particular case in point, the body shells are both submersion and electrostatically-primed. This results in 100% coverage of all surfaces, including all interior surfaces of the outer sill sections. Original MGBs were never originally painted in these critical areas. New body shells are supplied complete with doors, hood, rear deck lid and front fenders. Careful final assembly at the Heritage plant in Faringdon, England, insures that all bolted-on panels are aligned properly.

A new Heritage MGB body radically changes the approach to MGB restoration. The body shells do require minor fine-tuning prior to painting, and some minor holes (for trim, side marker lights, and badges that varied from year to year) must be drilled beforehand, as well. It’s also best to re-tap all holes at this time, because, as stated earlier, the bullet-proof, electrostatically-applied primer is firmly bonded to every nook, cranny and captive nut thread.

Once the body shell is fully painted and sitting on jack stands next to the donor MGB. the “fun” begins. Imagine the satisfaction of being able to remove a single mechanical component or sub-assembly, clean It, refurbish it as necessary, repaint it. and re-install it on the new shell prior to moving on the next job. There is no need to remove most parts from the original car until they are actually required, resulting in the most organized parts-filing system imaginable. Not only is it easy to find the part you need, but re-installation time is so short that you’re not likely to forget how the part is actually fitted.

Particularly timid novice enthusiasts can easily take some aspects a step further. For instance, one original door can be stripped down and the cleaned-up components can be transferred to the new door with confidence, by using the other still-intact door as a reference guide. This helps to insure that every nut. bolt and washer gets returned to its original location. Since recognizable forward progress is made as each small section is completed. “Restoration Bum-out Syndrome” doesn’t seem to be a factor in this type of renovation (if the large number of completed MGB re-bodies in the U.K. is any indication).

While there is a natural tendency to replace each and every old component removed from the donor car with a shiny new part, in reality, most of the completed cars use a large percentage of parts from the donor car. Engines, gearbox, and rear axles can be cleaned up, painted, and re-installed if they are in good repair to start with.

In terms of cost, it’s really too early to accurately estimate the cost of the completed project, particularly considering the tremendous number of variables involved, for example, condition of donor car, outside labor, extent of the mechanical rebuild, etc.

It is perhaps fair to say that the overall cost would be less than the cost of a new Miata. Since restored XKE convertibles are regularly selling for over $100,000, what’s a restored MGB going to be worth in a few years? Again, it’s probably fair to say a lot more than a used Miata.

By Chris Nowlan