Hello all & Greetings:
I'm new to the list. At this point I'm a wanna-MG, and I'm thinking MGB
specifically. Before I get one though, I have a lot to learn, and
that's why I've subscribed to this list.
First, some information about me.
My name is Sean Bartnik, I'm a 21-yr-old student in Fredericksburg
Virginia. I currently own a 1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia camper.
This van has a rear-mounted, air-cooled, 2.0L horizontally-opposed
4-cylinder engine that makes a max. of 67 hp. It has a four-speed
manual transmission. It's pretty darn slow but I like it a lot and the
mechanical simplicity of it makes working on it enjoyable. It's also a
camper that sleeps four and has lots of cabinets and cubbyholes, as well
as a sink with electric water pump (for the faucet), 3-way refrigerator
(propane/110v AC/12v DC), and 2-burner propane stove.
It gets crappy mileage but has been extraordinarily reliable and I plan
to keep it for a long time.
I also own a 1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible. It has a
rear-mounted, air-cooled 1.6L horizontally-opposed 4-cylinder engine
making a max. of 46 hp (yes, that's not a typo!). The description is
for those of you who are not familiar with the ubiquitous VW 4-cylinder
Beetle/Karmann Ghia engine. It is the original engine, with 81,000
miles on it. It also has a 4-speed manual transmission. It's in pretty
darn good shape with no rust, etc. I've spent some time getting the
engine to run properly (not too fond of carburetors, I'm used the Bosch
fuel injection the van has). I also enjoy working on that one,
air-cooled Volkswagens have become a hobby of mine and I've gotten quite
good at repairs and maintenance work on them.
I'm thinking of possibly selling the Karmann Ghia and using the proceeds
to purchase an MGB or perhaps trading with a party who wants to try
his/her hands on air-cooled Volkswagens.
I'm primarily interested in the MGB. My father once owned an MGA (don't
know what year) which, I believe, was totaled in an accident many years
ago.
Basically I'm here to learn about the MGB in particular and other MGs in
the course of that. If anyone could help me out with MG basics (such as
model year changes, engines, etc) or point me toward a web site or book
with this information, I'd appreciate it.
Also, any comments on reliability (you knew that was coming, sorry) and
ease-of-repairs (keep in mind my air-cooled VW leanings -- i.e. how does
it compare? etc) would be greatly appreciated. I imagine that these
cars don't have power steering, A/C, etc, which is fine by me as that's
just less to go wrong and less to get in the way under the hood. The
only things belt driven from my VW engines are the alternators.
Of course, the MG being water-cooled, you add many more components such
as radiator, water pump, hoses, and God forbid, coolant. :-) I imagine
they are relatively easy to work on and keep up. If I had an MG, how
often would I need to be "keeping up?" Do you find them to be reliable?
I imagine they are high-maintenance, many of them being quite old by
now, but that's fine as I'm used to high-maintenance and I enjoy doing
automotive mechanical work.
And of course, the question you knew was coming -- are Lucas electricals
really THAT bad??? :-) If so, why?
I'm sure you've all heard the jokes many times, so I won't repeat them
here :-) .
Well, I better end this. I'm sorry for the length, but anyone who can
help me out with any or all of the above information, I'd really
appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks, and I hope to learn a lot here.
Sean
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