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  Feb. 13, 2012 6:20 a.m. mguar HalfDork

  MG Bryan wrote:

  NOHOME wrote:

  Like I said, I have been playing with these for over 30 years. Parts are easier to get for an MG that for a new domestic.

  That's hyperbole. I can literally walk down the street and get GM parts. The closest place that stocks MG parts is ~12 miles away.

  NOHOME wrote:

  Even without the overdrive gear, there is no issue on a 75 mph cruise. Gonna be more noise than you are used to in a new car, but not a probelm for the car.

  BTDT. Sure the car is perfectly capable of it. High speed interstate cruising isn't the MGB's forte though.

  NOHOME wrote:

  Nothing rare about the positive earth. No reason to change over to nevative. I seem to only get 20 years or so out of a generator and then I have to put in a set of $5 brushes.

  I completely disagree. There are plenty of reasons to change over. I had a modern radio in my 66 for a while, and having converted it to negative earth meant I could simply instal the radio and be done with it.

  NOHOME wrote:

  I am not a fan of the 3 synchro transmission. However, if it has been re-built, good chance you will get 50k out of it. Would not be surprised if the car has overdrive considering the spec it was restored to. Also not sure why people are suggesting you need to part out a car with less than perfect door fit? If I read correctly, it is rust free, fully restored, with a door(s) that close tight. So it aint concourse material. drive it like you stole it.

  Before the chassis issues were actually explained, I had ASSumed that the car wasn't rust free. A poor quality resto has a tendency to return to rust pretty quickly. A free, non-running, rusty, poorly restored would be a parts candidate. A car that is otherwise solid, I agree, is a driver. And yeah, the 3 synchro sucks.

  No you can't (get parts for a Chevy) by walking down the street. At least not few dealer only parts.. However every part for a MG is honestly as far away as your keyboard.

  But the same place that stocks your Chevy oil filter etc.. will have your MG oil filter etc..

  I've kept my MG positive ground.. When I want a radio I put it in a nice little wooden box along with the cassettes and run a couple of wires with clips on the end. The speaker is inside the wooden box with the required speaker hole covered with speaker cloth to be fancy. I use a short antenna and coil it all up inside the wooden box.

  Sure you can convert it to negative ground but I've developed a hatred for radios in MG's the butchery that goes on to fit god knows what radio/speakers/antenna into the car offends my sense of propriety.

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  Feb. 13, 2012 9:27 a.m. Keith SuperDork

  mguar wrote:

  No you can't (get parts for a Chevy) by walking down the street. At least not few dealer only parts.. However every part for a MG is honestly as far away as your keyboard.

  Well, as long as you don't want a steel dash. Or a square oil pressure gauge. Or a set of center vents for a 1972. Or rear quarter windows for a GT

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  Feb. 13, 2012 9:57 a.m. MG Bryan Dork

  In reply to mguar:

  There's a Chevrolet GM Buick dealer down the street from my house. Parts for late model domestics are more convenient than MG parts.

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  Feb. 13, 2012 9:59 a.m. Curmudgeon SuperDork

  Victoria British: 00-094 and 00-095 clear GT quarter glasses. $69.95 each.

  Square oil pressure gauge, not available new but Nisonger rebuilds them. http://www.nisonger.com/index.htm

  Steel dash and '72 dash vents, well ya got me there.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 10:22 a.m. mguar HalfDork

  In reply to MG Bryan:

  Curses foiled again.. Well still you can keyboard in parts and have UPS deliver them.. that technically would be closer. Plus I'll bet parts for a MG are cheaper than parts for a Chevy.. I'll look up a gasket set for engine rebuild and a set of piston rings.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 10:32 a.m. mguar HalfDork

  OK MGB (3main) rings, 64.95 gasket set $43.90 Your turn

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  Feb. 14, 2012 3:14 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  SBC piston rings: $38.95 - and you get 8 piston's worth for that. Gasket set $29.95. Both at Summit. Looks as if my local NAPA has the same rings in stock for $36.86, although the gasket sets are closer to $75 there.

  Good point on the GT rear windows, I forgot to check VB.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 3:59 p.m. mguar HalfDork

  In reply to Keith:

  Hmm not much of a difference is there? Oh and that was Moss I suppose there are a few cheaper places.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 4:13 p.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  Moss came and was the guest speaker at our car show. Interesting guy. Lives in Sedona now, and maintains a Bugatti race car for a friend of his. The Bugatti is worth like 3 million or something. He said driving it around the roundy-rounds in Sedona is a bit nerve wracking.

  Anyway, he founded the company but sold it years ago and no longer has any connection to it whatsoever. And he mentioned "Chinese" several times.

  Ya'll should come to our show, Brits in the Ozarks, 9/22/2012 in Fayetteville, AR.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 4:16 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  The one thing to be careful with is buying parts. Some of those Chinese made parts are complete crap.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 4:18 p.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  That's what Moss said.

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  Feb. 14, 2012 4:29 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  No, not much of a difference - the GM parts are about 60% of the MG ones Anyhow, it's fair to say that they're both fairly affordable as long as you don't buy yourself into an oddball. Most of the small shops resell the Moss parts for about 15% off the Moss prices.

  Moss Motors has had stable management for a long, long time. Al Moss sold out 35 years ago, and it's been in the Goldman family ever since.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 7:50 a.m. mguar HalfDork

  In reply to 93EXCivic: That seems to be true, however without those Chinese made ones would those parts be available at all? I wonder when the last N.O.S. part for a 1947 MGTC was sold?

  Chinese made isn't exclusive to MG though.. many, many, older cars, American and European are using Chinese made items now.

  Plus I do know there has been a steady improvement in the quality of Chinese made parts. Say what you will about Chinese sources they at least seem willing to invest in improving their products. I don't know if China will get the same reputation Japan did of building inferior products to start and steadily improving those products until they become the standard by which others are judged..

  Japan was able to do that because America pretty well ignored Japan's imports until it was too late. Thus allowing the Yen to be devalued in an attempt to maintain a price advantage over American made goods..

  The world has become much more sophisticated Now then back then and the Chinese Yuan is closely watched unlike the Yen of 50 years ago..

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  Feb. 15, 2012 7:54 a.m. mguar HalfDork

  Keith wrote:

  No, not much of a difference - the GM parts are about 60% of the MG ones Anyhow, it's fair to say that they're both fairly affordable as long as you don't buy yourself into an oddball. Most of the small shops resell the Moss parts for about 15% off the Moss prices.

  Moss Motors has had stable management for a long, long time. Al Moss sold out 35 years ago, and it's been in the Goldman family ever since.

  69%? OK compared to the massive number of Chevy's sold and the relative tiny few MG's sold I suppose it's remarkable the difference isn't much, much, greater..

  Just off the top of my head I wonder about survivability rates.. For example what percentage of 1953 Chevy's compared to 1953 MG's?

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  Feb. 15, 2012 7:58 a.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  In reply to mguar:

  Yes that is true but you need to be careful about the product you buy. A guy in the British car club got a ignition switch and it set the dash on fire because they used plastic in a particularly bad place.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 8:10 a.m. Dr. Hess SuperDork

  You mean, the Chinese made an Authentic Lucas Part?

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  Feb. 15, 2012 11:18 a.m. Keith SuperDork

  Yeah, that sounds like an accurate reproduction to me.

  Of course, new MGs are made from 100% Chinese parts. And can Chinese parts really be worse than ones made in the UK during the 70's?

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  Feb. 15, 2012 11:42 a.m. Taiden SuperDork

  From what I've gathered about NOS brit parts, I'd rather have Chinese (except for cool factor).

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  Feb. 15, 2012 11:45 a.m. MG Bryan Dork

  Taiden wrote:

  From what I've gathered about NOS brit parts, I'd rather have Chinese (except for cool factor).

  Honestly, the most reliable parts of my MGs have been the OE parts that the previous owner hadn't berkeleyed with and the parts that I've rebuilt.

  The horror stories are often hyperbole.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 12:05 p.m. oldtin SuperDork

  People piss and moan about chinese parts - they have very good manufacturing capabilities - we either sold them the stuff or taught them - they produce what their customers are willing to pay for (customers being the resellers - I'm looking at you Moss, V-B...). End customers, being the cheapskates that we are, naturally keep the pressure up for cheaper parts rather than quality parts.

  As far as the OE parts - they weren't all that great - but a lot of parts were serviceable so you could keep them going - so you might get a long life, but it won't be without paying attention to things.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 12:09 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

  I am not saying don't buy any Chinese made parts but be careful with the parts and try to find reviews.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 12:13 p.m. oldtin SuperDork

  ^ Agreed - there are many crap parts built to a price point. Then again, there's only about a half-dozen MG parts left on my MG so I'm not as current on the hard bits.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 1:36 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  Mine's like yours. I don't think there are any moving parts with an MG part number. Oh, wait, the heater fan...

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  Feb. 15, 2012 6:00 p.m. Teh E36 M3 Dork

  My MG lost its heater fan in the swap. Nothing that moves is MG any more.

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  Feb. 15, 2012 6:49 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  Even the steering column? I guess I have to count pedals, I'm still using those. And doors.

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