1968 MG Other

2912cc

Automatic

CA962647

Clear

Gasoline

1968 MGC GT (GCD1U2919G) - 6 cylinder, Automatic transmission, numbers matching car with British Motor Heritage Certificate. Cs are a rare and special breed of MG. Total production was 8,999 during the two model year run. 1773 GTs were built for the US (534 for 1968, 1237 for 1969). Of those only 484 had automatic transmissions. This particular car was built between September 5-9 and left the Abingdon factory for the USA on October 4, 1968. I bought it almost 2 years ago from the low desert of Southern California just prior to it being loaded on a container ship to Australia. The previous owner had it for nearly the same amount of time buying it out of Phoenix, AZ. Previous to that the car was in Havasu City, AZ and in garage storage for over 20 years on CA title all those years. Near as I can tell, it's spent it's life between these two states. The odometer shows 24k miles but have no way of verifying if that's accurate or not. It's originality supports the low mileage notion since it still runs off the factory-issued key, has the original early 16AC alternator with external regulator and had the complete functioning emissions equipment on it when I purchased the car. Mechanically I've gone through much of what the previous owner did not. He had both brake boosters rebuilt as well as the master cylinder and replaced the steering rack, fuel pump & tires. I drove the car home some 135 miles after purchase in heat and stop/go traffic with no trouble. When I got it home, on closer inspection, I noticed the original heat shield was deteriorated so I started my project there. I stripped/coated the manifold, replaced the entire exhaust with a Bell Stainless unit and finished it with 3 new hanger kits. Next was the stainless heat shield, refurb of the intake manifold and complete rebuild of the carburetors (SU Carbs/Chester Gillings). During that time I sent the distributor to Jeff Schlemmer at Advanced to be rebuilt and recurved. Along with that I flushed the cooling system, replaced both hoses (lower one Kevlar), added new plugs/ignition wires, installed the new fuel tank/kit/sender/soft lines, adjusted the valves and tuned it to perfection. On the advice of John Twist at MG 2011, I replaced the original oil canister filter system with a spin-on adapter kit although I do have the original set-up and it goes with the car. It was properly de-smogged with the removal of the air pump, air rail and installation of threaded plugs in the air ports of the cylinder head. That original emissions equipment is off the car and goes with the sale. I run a lead substitute in the fuel and ZDDP with the oil. It starts, idles, runs and shifts through the gears great in cold or hot weather without ever overheating or incident. It is a pleasure to hear and drive now that it's fitted with the Bell exhaust and all squared away under the hood. I never hesitate to jump in and take it anywhere. The front torsion bar suspension on a C is a key area of concern, especially with regard to rust. This car is completely dry up front. I had originally planned on renewing the bushings first thing when I bought the car but only saw 2 that were suspect. It does squeak and creak over uneven terrain and under shifting loads (braking) so my plan this for Summer was to disassemble, paint, and renew the front suspension with poly bushings, new wheel bearings/hubs/wheels/tires. At the last minute I switched gears and did the interior so the new owner can refurb the suspension, wheels & tires to their preference. When the previous owner replaced the steering rack, he re-used the somewhat knackered tie rod ends before aligning it so I'm including a new set with the sale. I get some vibration in the front end over 60 mph but I attribute this to the tires since it didn't do it prior to the recent rotation. The hubs and wheels are fine and the tires fairly new although the fronts are 14" 60 spoke MGB units. The new owner could get away with just renewing the bushings & tie rod ends but I had planned to do everything at once and have all 4 wheels the matching 72 spoke variety. The first thing I did for the interior was to add the special-order Moto-Lita steering wheel and hub. It's a work of art and really sets off the classic look. I've just finished installing a new carpet kit with complete insulation, fresh door panels, recovered the radio console and had the front seats completely redone in leather (professionally) with new foam & diaphragms using a kit from Moss Motors. The result was well worth all the effort and the smell of that leather can't be beat. The dash has been capped. It's still fitted with the original Kangol magnetic seat belts. The switches and lights work across the dashboard work save a non-operating tachometer & red brake warning/alt & map light. The exterior lights, blinkers, brake lights all work as they should. Both headlamps are the original Lucas branded sealed-beams. The body is rust free and straight from front to back having spent it's life between California and the Arizona desert.. The passenger front fender was replaced somewhere along the way with a later one. I went over this area from the front and underside thoroughly but couldn't find any evidence of damage warranting a new fender so I'm not sure why it was done. The hood is still aluminum as it should be. The outer body color was changed from it's original British Racing Green to White probably for comfort in the heat of the desert. The engine bay is still the original color as is the cabin from the trunk forward and door jams in. The paint is decent and certainly presentable but does have some areas of flatness and amateur scratch repair. I replaced the rear and front lenses/bezels with NOS units within the last year. I've brought the car back to regular driver status but some items still need further attention in the big picture. The brake pedal feels a little soft until the boosters kick in. It might be normal for a C, I've never driven another to compare. The classic 'clunk' is heard solidly from the rear differential most notably when going from forward to reverse and/or on faster downshifts approaching stop lights/signs. The starter works fine but sometimes turns slow or needs a second turn of the key to engage. The charging system works just fine and I can leave it for weeks with no battery drain. It does leave drops of oil and ATF here and there but not enough for me to be concerned about or address. I have available, separate from this auction, a brand new set of 4 MWS/Dunlop 15 x 5.5" 72 spoke painted wheels as well as a set of brand-new matching hubs if interested. Also, a pristine, rust-free, correct fender specifically from a '68 GT hangs in my rafters to replace that later unit if interested. The original, unrestored Black CA license plates were officially issued by the DMV to me and this car under the YOM (Year of Manufacture) program. The registration is current and I have a clean, clear CA title that is written against the Assigned ID tag in the door jam. At some point, before my ownership, this tag was added by the CHP and now the title is based on that number versus the true VIN. The upside down VIN tag on the inner fender well is likely the reason this was done. I've verified the stamped body number on the floor with the VIN tag, engine number and Heritage certificate which confirm it's authenticity. It's my favorite of the 9 MGs I've owned over the last 25 years but personal priorities necessitate the sale. Dry, complete, quality MGCs are hard to come by so this is a great find. I bought it because I prefer the GT body style (taller windshield, quieter cabin, better weight distribution) and with the automatic transmission it's the best of MG in my book. A bunch of quality work has been done over these last 3-4 years, it's now a nice, clean driver that's ready to be enjoyed as-is or taken the rest of the way to show car status. I've been as thorough as I can with the description but It's a 44 year old MG with it's own quirks and idiosyncrasies so keep that in mind. I'm sure there are things I'm overlooking or not remembering to add. Please go over the photos carefully and ask questions if unsure about anything. I've bought several cars sight-unseen on ebay over the years and I've had nothing but good experiences after doing my homework ahead of time. I welcome and encourage personal inspections to prospective bidders, it's the best way to know exactly what you're getting. Keep in mind your bid is a contract to purchase, not look, so know what your bidding on and have the funds ready as I require a deposit right away and full payment within 7 days of auction's end. Bidders with the a feedback rating of less than 10 will need to contact me prior to bidding for verification or I'll delete/block them from participating. I'm more than happy to work with your shipper but that expense will be yours alone. I've been on ebay for over 14 years now with a perfect feedback rating, bid with confidence. This is a great MGC being offered with no reserve, good luck making it yours!