>I have the opportunity to buy a '74 B at a reasonable cost, but there is a
>problem..."typical" MGB rust. This car is probably going to need a
>sill/floorpan replacement sometime soon. The rest of the car is in pretty
>good shape, but before I jump into this, I'd like to get an idea of how much
>I can expect to spend on this work. I know this is open-ended, but if anyone
>has had experience with this, I'd appreciate hearing from them. Can any
>competent body shop handle this, or should I look for a "specialist"? Also,
>in the last issue of the Moss catalog that I've seen, there was a part
>number for the Heritage shells, but no price, I assume meaning it is not
>available. (Either that or "If you have to ask, you can't afford it
>anyway.").Are these available in the U.S.? How much $$$? Anybody done a
>reshell or known some one who has?
>
> Dennis
>~B-)
>
I bought an MGB with the same problem. I found a specialist (his shop was
full of MGs) in Indianapolis IN. He came highly recommended and the shells
he had worked on looked like new. This is a rather large undetaking and does
not come cheap. He only undertakes this kind of job during the winter months
and it takes all winter (he works on several cars at the same time). He's
charging me 4K for the whole job, this includes both sills, floor pans, jack
mounts and several quarter panels. He claims that people are spending up to
6K for more involved restorations.
I bet you west coast people think this price is crazy, but here in the midwest
salt-bowl, MGs with good bodies are non-existant. I looked at MGBs for over a
year within a 70 mi radius of my home. I finally settled on one that ran well
and looked good (if you didn't look underneath!).
I'll have 6.5K in the whole car when it's done. I'm sure some of you out there
will think this is ridiculously high.
So here's a good topic for a new thread:
What is an MGB (in good shape but not show quality) worth? Please include
your region. For that matter, I wonder what they go for in the U.K. where they
came from.
Bob Donahue " 50s FOREVER "
rdonahue@holli.com
1953 MG-TD under restoration
1971 MGB
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