Bill..
I've owned a 72 BGT for about 1 1/2 years now and absolutely love it!
The weight is about the same as the roadster, and the car handles
quite well. Living in Vancouver, WA, we get quite a bit of rain and
having the BGT makes more sense for a daily driver. It's quite
practical - I routinely pick up groceries (lots of them) and they all
fit nicely in the back. Forget about the idea of a rear seat though.
As far as running hot - Being in the car in the summer is not to bad,
as the back windows hinge open. I did install carpet insulation and
new carpet and that helped keep the heat coming through the
floorboards to a minimum.
Parts are easy to get, and for all practical purposes, the BGT is
identical to a B as far as almost all the parts are concerned.
So, if you get rain, want something you can lock, and like
the looks of the BGT (I like it more than the B) I would highly
recommend it.
Dave
http://www.pacifier.com/~dlhall (check it out for pics!)
p.s. - to satisfy the convertible craving, I just got a 74 midget!
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From: Bill Schleusner[SMTP:b-schleusner@.ti.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 1996 2:03 PM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: B vs. BGT
Fellow SOLers,
Having recently restored and subsequently sold an 1980 MGBLE I am in the market
for another LBC. I caught the LBC bug over twenty five years ago with my first
car, a '60 AH 3000 (only to have it back). I had a burning desire for many
years to restore a TR6 (take it easy, I couldn't afford one when I graduated
from college) except for all the horrible things I have read and heard about
Triumphs. Triumphs seem to have more problems than your typical LBC, which
have enough already. Since I don't have the $$$ for an Austin Healey 3000, nor
would I use an AH3000 as a semi-daily driver, I am considering another MGB.
My question is this, I am somewhat familiar with MGs (way up the learning
curve) and would like to restore a 67 B or BGT to avoid all the emission
problems. To narrow my search to one year seems shortsighted. I don't care for
the dashboards of the later 60's and would like to avoid a rubber bumper (not
so much for looks but the detoxed engine) so that leaves me in the early 70's.
They are chrome bumpered, haven't been choked to death and parts are still
relatively available. Is there anything I'm missing about these particular
years that I'm not aware of?
My other conundrum is B vs. BGT. I've always liked the looks of both cars but
thought a BGT might be nice for a change. The BGTs are harder to find and seem
to command a little higher price for a lesser specimen than the roadsters. I've
also heard they are extremely hot (living in Texas all cars are hot). By hot
is everyone referring to the hardtop, or are they inherently hot, a la the big
Healeys? Are parts for the BGT any more difficult to find? I found very few
parts unavailable for my '80LE, which was very nice. Any help from BGT owners
would be greatly appreciated.
BTW Deutsch, I've been an enthusiast for the last 25 years even though I may
not have owned LBCs for that entire period.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>From Bill Schleusner
Texas Instruments Incorporated
b-schleusner@ti.com
972-917-6920
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