So, I found the car on Craigslist and started the long journey towards the ultimate goal of owning and enjoying my first British sports car. Two round trips up the coast were in order.... didn't want to waste time and money towing a rented trailer unless an MGB was coming home. I was more interested in finding a car with good bones (i.e. little rust). This 73 seemed to fit the bill during my inspection: mechanically challenged, but seemingly structurally sound. I knew after about 10 minutes of poking around with a magnet that this would be going home with me.
The clutch is stuck, so there would be no driving her up on the trailer. All four tires held air, so we pushed her out of the trees and onto the trailer. We strapped and chained her down, filled out a bill of sale, shook hands and hit the road.
The trip home was uneventful- aside from a little snow! It is Maine in December after all...
We pulled in the driveway just as it was getting dark. I had to shuffle around my Miata to make room for the MGB. All went well during the unloading, and it was time for a cold beer and a few walks around the car under some good lighting. The LONG list of tasks started forming in my head as I closed the garage door and went inside for the night.
Day One: the fuel system.
Step One: un-stick the hood (bonnet)... I quickly found out there was a reason why it was open upon original inspection... the hood release pull under the dash was completely frozen. A wire clothes hanger fished through the left wheel well and around the hood release wire did the trick.
Some work with a shop vac cleaned up a few pounds of acorn shells left behind by the squirrels who used to live in the engine bay. I also cleaned out the trunk that had a few parts (jack, air cleaners, etc) including some I can't identify yet- I'm sure I'll need them later...
Next up was raising the car up on four jack stands and remove the wheels. No problems.
We decided to remove the hood to gain better access and get better light onto the engine. I marked the hinge arms, checked the alignment holes (not lined up at all), and removed the hood.
Next, I removed the fuel tank filler hose and cap pipe. I wanted to take a look into the fuel tank. I assumed I would find stinky ruined fuel, and I was right. I took a fuel sample out of the tank to get a closer look: raspberry iced tea would be the closest liquid I can come up with to describe the fuel. Yuck!!
The tank will need to be drained and either cleaned or replaced. I've already bought a few feet of 1/4" i.d. fuel line, so any I can get to will be replaced.
Next, I wanted to check the fuel pump. We hooked up a good battery and turned on the ignition yet the pump remained silent. I tapped on it a few times with no success. I wanted to check the voltage at the pump, but couldn't find my multimeter and it was starting to get late. With that, we called it a day.
MGB Workshop Manual
Next up: dealing with the fuel tank and fuel pump.
