1976 MG MGB

Convertible

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

Gasoline

You are viewing a custom built 1976 MGB V8 – I call it a “B-Type Speedster”. It is British Racing Green, and features a mildly hopped up and rebuilt Ford 302 V8 and auto-metric transmission with overdrive. It is breathtakingly fast, and is a lot of fun to drive. I’ve owned it about 4 years, and have enjoyed the restoration build, but am now I'm selling because my priorities have changed….I’m going to maybe buy a small motorhome and do some light travel, and collect some more g u ns and do some hunting with family and friends. VRRRRROOOOMMMMM!!!!!! If you like British sportscars or custom street rods, this is a very unique and fun car with a lot of punch in a small package. It is styled similar to the legendary D-Type Jaguar of the late 1950s, and really turns heads. My car has many new parts, including gauges, interior, tires, exhaust, brakes and hydraulics, gas tank, fuel pump, waterpump, radiator and fans, battery, wiring, tranny cooler, and many other things. I have spent LOTS of time and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.....my loss is your gain, as the start bid of this NO RESERVE SALE is well below what many other MGB V8s go for on ebay. Like many vintage sportscars, however, there's always something needing attention, some work to be done. For those of you that look at this great looking car and low start bid and say, "So, what's wrong with it??!!", I have expanded on what I believe are minor repairs/fixes/needs below. Again, my priorities in life have changed, and I'm simply ready to move on. Exciting to drive: I took it out this week and had good fun buzzing the neighborhood, as it runs and drives good, and is very flashy....most people wave in approval, while some just stand there with their mouths wide open gawking...heh heh. Gotta love it, and yep, I'm going to miss this car a little. BODY: I started with a solid 1976 body that had some rust in the rocker areas and floorpans, and I fixed those areas, as well as some dents, scrapes, scratches, etc. Some of these photos are in the link at the bottom of this ad. You’ll note the external door handles are shaved off for a smooth look, and there are two different “humps” or headrest fairings that fit behind the driver. These are removeable in a few minutes, and can be interchanged, or left off completely. The first of these interchangeable headrest “fairings” is the slope down version, and is low key compared to the tall vertical “wing”. A tall wing like this was on the D-Type Jag around 1957, as I read somewhere that it helped keep the car from dancing at high speed while racing at LeMans. Each of these headrest fairings were custom made by me out of a metal and fiberglass mesh, and each is very lightweight and painted to match the car. The round 02 number on the tall wing is a decal, while the door number 02 is magnetic and can be removed. Also like the D-Type Jag, there is also a fitted metal cockpit closure that can be set over the passenger seat to make the car a one-seater if you want a more racey look. To do this, the top of the passenger seat pulls out, the seat hinges forward and down, and the metal piece is set in place (weighs about 10 pounds). Adding/swapping this piece, or the headrest fairings takes a few minutes, and is very simple, as each piece is simply held down by chrome wing nuts. The hood is lightweight aluminum, has lock down pins on the corners, and chrome vents for looks and improved airflow. The MG grill is highly polished chrome. The front air dam spoiler is custom made from a plastic composite, and is very lightweight as well. The hood scoop is a little higher than what I would have preferred, but I needed to have this extra clearance for the taller billet (bluetop) distributor. I considered cutting the hole in the hood bigger than the scoop, and then mounting the scoop on the carb top with a couple small metal brackets (fairly simple), which would allow the scoop to ride very low, and also give a “shaker” appearance. This can still be done if desired with minimal effort, and probably at no cost other than time and some minor metal bracket fabbing. My favorite part of the body is the windshield, or windscreen as the British call it. It is custom made and designed by me, and is made of bent Lexan. It is very strong, and gives the car a very sleek and menacing appearance, unlike anything else you’ve probably ever seen. My name is printed on the doors with vinyl decals that can easily be removed with a hair dryer if desired. There is no top – I keep it garaged, and it never sees bad weather. The rounded show bar behind the driver is welded inside in several places to the the body, and is painted black. There is a roundish head pad covered in the same material as the seats that fits on the front of the headrest fairings (velcro). This piece fits into the show bar top, and gives a nice touch to the custom look. The car has stock MGB “Rostyle” rims painted to look original, and clear coated to give the wheels a bright shine. Each has a metal “Bandit” spinner with a B-Type logo, and if you look very close, you can see the words “Dunlop” and “England” on each wheel to give it a look of added detail and authenticity. The tires are recent – maybe 50-100 miles on them, with an excellent spare, the spare wheel being painted to match the others. INTERIOR: For a daily driver, the interior is very nice, but not show quality. The seats are custom covered, and are Triumph Spitfire frames, as these are slightly smaller than an MGB seat, and also hinge forward at the base in two places. The dash is exceptionally nice and is solid black walnut, with a matched set of new Phantom gauges. The driver speaker cover came loose (see pic), and if I get in the fixer mood, I’ll re-glue it on the door panel this weekend...no biggie. The seats are covered in a glove leather feeling material (not real leather)...they feel soft and nice to the touch, and look great. POWER: Under the hood is probably the real reason you’re interested, as if you’ve ever driven a V8 powered MGB, you know it is one of the most exciting and thrilling British cars you can imagine. I rebuilt the engine myself – I was told it had 60k miles on it when I got it, but I tore it down anyway to clean and inspect, and while down, I installed new rings, bearings, headwork, and a meticulous cleaning inside, and reassembled. It holds about 50 psi oil pressure at mid idle, and spins up faster than you can say abracadabra. It has a polished intake and Holley four barrel. The carb was bought as a rebuilt unit, and it sat about two years in my garage. I believe it can use some expert tuning to make it idle and perform at optimum. The transmission is a Ford metric automatic with overdrive, and a B&M ratchet shifter. The shifter is cool but a little complicated to use until you get the hang of it. With moderate gas pedal pressure, it can squeal the tires when shifting. The tranny came from an LTD Crown Victoria that I drove every day, and it did great in the big car; in this very light car, it shifts good but not with the consistent certainty as when it was in the big car - not sure why and not a show stopper, but a little strange,,,,maybe the big weight difference. The exhaust is new, like most other things on the car, and dumps out the sides. It is fairly loud, and very deep and throaty….scary….sounds maybe like eight big Harley Davidsons. OTHER MECHANICALS: The radiator is new aluminum and is fitted with two seven-inch fans, which hold the temp pretty steady at about 185 in the driveway at idle. I would probably add another fan (there’s room) as the 2 small fans work very hard particularly when it’s much hotter outside. The brakes are stock with new wheel cylinders and shoes, new calipers and pads, new master cylinder and a new power booster, along with new cross drilled and slotted front rotors. It stops very well. The front end was rebuilt and it tracks good. The rear end was taken out and taken apart, cleaned and inspected, painted, and re-assembled. I believe it has stock 3.90 gears, and the car is very quick off the line while the overdrive is nice at higher speeds. It has a new electric fuel pump (high performance type and a little on the noisy side), and has a brand new gas tank. There is a RED emergency shutoff switch/button beside the driver linked to the fuel pump. The red tranny cooler is new, and can be seen in the front under the grill area. You'll note 2 rounded looking chrome plates with brass nuts on the front grill - these are easily removed to expose the heavy stud/bolt that is underneath and welded to the front frame area. Included with the car are 2 chrome rings for each side that screw on these studs - the purpose of the rings is to easily tow the car if needed. Previously, I mentioned that there are some repairs/fixes/needs as follows: A. Engine has oil leak at rear of engine – either pan gasket or rear main seal, I’m not certain. In either case, it’s probably an inexpensive repair part if you do the work yourself. I think I must’ve pinched one of the gaskets or seal when I did the rebuild….kinda irritates me, but that’s the way it is – I’m pretty handy at these things, but not a professional racecar mechanic. Stuff happens, and I don't have the interest or energy right now to get my hands dirty again. ADDED 12/31/11 am: I got the car out this morning, and took a more thorough look at the oil leak. After this look, I would say it is a heavy leak that needs to be fixed, not an occasional drip drip drip. It appears to be coming from the rear main seal. I installed a new seal when I assembled the engine and was careful while mating the tranny to it, so I am not sure what I did wrong, except that the engine sat unused after assembly for a long period...perhaps it dried out?? I have driven the car about 50-100 miles, and have not yet had to add any oil, but it left a puddle under the car when I let it sit and idle in the driveway for about 20 minutes. The good part is that it was clean oil! (:> That said, one way I've fixed rear main seals in the past is to separate the engine and tranny, pull out the old seal, and tap in a new one, then slide engine and tranny back together. This is a very tight fit on this car, so it will be a pain, and one will need time and patience. B. Speedometer cable pulled loose at back of new speedo gauge – should not cost anything to fix, but small hands needed, because it’s a very tight and aggravating fit. The dash can be removed by a couple chrome castle nuts (visible in the front corners of the walnut). There are some photos in the link below that show the dash prior to installation to give you an idea of what is behind there. C. Holley carb on passenger side has slight gas drip on choke linkage (have to look close), and while engine runs good and strong, this carb in my opinion needs tweeking/expert adjusting to get the idle right – in the years I’ve had this Holley it has not been friendly to me, although car accelerates like a jet fighter. D. Gas gauge reads high/wrong – was told it needs a resistor in the wiring to match to sending unit. E. Radiator is new, but I mistakenly mixed 2 different types of antifreeze and the liquid isn’t clean and clear as it should be – ideally, needs to be drained, flushed, and refilled….(cools good),,,not a biggie, but worth mentioning. I had a few minor leaks on some of the hoses at the waterpump while driving/testing, but I think I got all the clamps tightened and don't see any more drips. F. Metal battery cover is presently removed for view access - this fits under the carpet behind the passenger seat. It has a few fasteners that hold it down - it's painted and I have it...I'll leave it off for buyer inspection, and you can (or I'll put on) for you...takes a minute or two. G. Paint has some imperfections/chips/scratches (front spoiler bottom and elsewhere), and has bodywork and paint imperfections/some minor overspray in some places/orange peel, dust, a run or two in the clear if you look close, but overall pretty decent looking for a driver car – I wouldn't be at all ashamed to show it, although it is NOT a show car at all, but a DRIVER, and I have been driving it. (It turns heads and folks really like it a lot in person, and some who have seen it in person have said that I’m more critical of the paint than I need to be. Well, maybe, but if it looks better to the buyer in person than my written description, then that is a good thing. Overall, it's a very fun car. If you have the time and energy to tinker and want a MG that is VERY UNIQUE, it is worth serious consideration, as the hardest work for a V8 MGB Conversion has already been done. I believe I've covered all the big stuff...there may be some small nit picky items I haven't covered, but feel free to ask questions, and I'll try to expand on whatever you wish to know. Please note that my e m a i l is like my ebay ID. Serious buyers, serious inquiries only, please. NO RESERVE SALE. Buyers with zero (0) feedback MUST contact me prior to bidding, or your bid may be canceled with no notice. Running an ad costs me $$, so please be considerate and don't bid if you don't have $$$$$ in-hand to pay. I have a clear title in my name (South Carolina). Winning Buyer must provide $500 deposit payment via paypal (or in person) within 2 days of auction end, and pay the balance in cash when you pick it up….I will not ship. LOCATED IN AIKEN, SC 29803 near Augusta, Georgia. Transportation / pick up is buyer’s responsibility. Bring your trailer and your cash funds….cash and carry – no checks, plastic, or credit. Sold AS IS, WHERE IS, NO WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND….I AM NOT A DEALER….caveat emptor. Since ebay limits me to 24 photos, I have included more pics at the following link,,,,,some of these photos were obviously taken during the restoration process. http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o147/cweigleatbellsouthdotnet/?start=all