And so I find myself seeking advice and guidance from the
Scions of Lucas.............
As I was running some errands after work yesterday, I happened to
pass by a used car dealership and what to my wondering eyes should
appear but a quite immaculate '73 B-GT. Before I knew what was
happening I found myself driving into the lot to take a closer look
at the car. It was parked close to the office and _wonder of wonders_,
it was even unlocked!! I got a good 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted
perusal before the salesperson showed up.
Apparently, the B-GT was a 2 owner car. First owner was in the
Air Force, and sold the car to a friend who found himself sorely
lacking in garage space and also needing a Blazer for hauling.
Now for the car: it appears to be in really fantastic shape. Body
is in white (apparently original color) and straight and free of
any rust rat damage. I looked in all of the usual Brit car places for
rust--everywhere! Seriously, door edges, rocker panels, and fender
edges all looked to be in really good shape. Interior looked average--
seats were cloth covered (I'm not an in-depth expert--I thought seats would
be leather?), rear seat looked to be in good shape.
Engine area was _extremely_ clean--no dirt/grime/mung anywhere. Twin carb.
According to the salesdude, PO (which one--I dunno...) had the motor pulled
and rebuilt at "British Motor Works, or something" (yes, kids, actual
words used by actual salesguy :-). Supposedly, all receipts are included
with the car.
About the only thing wrong with the car I noticed was the paint was cracked
and checked in a number of places. No rust anywhere, just a bit of cracking
and checking. Is this normal behavior for factory paint? I would perhaps
expect to see this in new paint that was improperly mixed/sprayed over an
improperly prepped surface. I did see this cracking over the show metal
and in door sills.
Car has, according to the clock, <29k miles. Title is available for
review to see if this is correct, or perhap 129k miles. This does not
look like a 129k miled car, though.
Drivability: I need to go back and drive it. I want to look at it again
tonight ro tomorrow. I do need assistance in approaching my baptism into
SOL-do though. From the experienced folks in netland, I would like to get
help in answering:
1.) What body/frame spots should I pay special attention to in looking for
hidden or obvious signs of rust? The B-GT does have Ziebart plugs
in the door sills, BTW. Will this sort of treatment do anything to
harm the car? I know originality/faithfulness from the factory is lost,
but does the Ziebart goo help stop lbc's from rusting?
2.) I was short on time, and it was getting dark last nigh, so I did not
take the car for a test drive. What should I listen for? What suspension
woes should I be on the lookout for?
3.) Personal comments and feelings are asked for here. Although I was
primarily looking for a droptop lbc, I feel that sometimes Providence
puts things in your path for a reason. How does a B-GT "compare" to a
droptop MGB? I know I would be giving up the tousled hair look, but is
a B-GT still a fun car to drive? It should be more rigid since it is a
hardtop. This will be a summer only and for fun car for me. Will it
work for the occasional autocross?
4.) This car has British/europlates on it, and no apparent mounts for
'merican plates. Does this mean anything?
All inputs will be appreciated......Thankyouthankyouthankyou :-))
-jeff
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Jeff Dutkofski - Electrical Engineer | IL33
Motorola Inc. - Wireless Data Group | Mail Stop M2
50 E. Commerce Dr. Schaumburg, IL 60173 USA | Voice: 708-576-7153
e-mail: jeffd@wes.mot.com | Fax: 708-576-8585
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