Hey, listers, for those of you who've been keeping up with me, I've been
looking at a 77 B for sale near me... weighing the plusses and minuses,
trying to learn as much as I can, and doing a lot of drooling over the car
(find myself driving by just to gat another look...). I took a fair amount of
time today going over the car, and here's the condition as I see it. I know
this is lengthy, but please bear with me... your opinion is greatly valued and
appreciated.
Body: A few scratches and dings, but nothing major there. One area about the
size of a quarter in front of the driver's side door appears to have been
filled or patched badly, then painted over. Two places the metal has bubbled,
one above the left rear wheel well, and the second right side just ahead of
the wheel well, where the sills end. The first is about the size of a
quarter, the second the size of a half dollar. Passenger's side door has
split just below the rear view mirror, for
about one inch. Lastly, someone tried to close the trunk without relasing the
catch and split the frame to which the support arm is attached; this split has
rusted and caused a bulged in the trunk door, about the size of a half dollar.
Other than those problems, the body seems to be in good condition. Here and
there I find little patches where the paint has worn off and rust has
accumulated, but none bigger than 1/16th inch (nost are in the trunk, where
metal things get thrown around and scratch the paint). No rust/splitting
along doors, hood, and other edges. All original paint. Did notice inside
the trunk a gummy sealant has been used to close the gap between the trunk
bottom and the fender panels (it appears to have been painted over the
original color... was this standard practice on originals?)
Interior: Original interior, though in poor condition. Dash (padded) is
cracked and peeling on top of passenger's side, and falling down underneath.
Original black carpet is mostly gone, replaced by a few scraps of home
carpeting laid down. Seats doors are brown leather; both seats have split
areas, and the padding on the passenger's side (just below the window) has
peeled.instruments all seem okay.
Overall: Bumpers in excellent condition, need simple cleaning. All running
lights good. Car does not lean, suspension excellent (probably new). Has
passed state inspection and emissions test a mere three moths ago.
Engine: Appears good (no frayed wiring, split tubing, etc.) but have not
taken it for a test drive (wanted to today, but nobody was there...). When I
take it for the test drive, will also swing by my mechanic's place and let him
take a look... Get this... I found no evidence of fluid leaks, tho will
recheck after the test drive.
Now, while I was looking at the car, there was another MG parked there, I
think a Midget (already owned, tho, darn it). Same color, same interior color
scheme. The interior was in very good shape; I could even read the voltage
warning on the panel behind the passenger's seat quite clearly. Didn't look
at the engine, of course, because it's someone else's baby... Body was rusted
to hell, tho. Comparing the two, I think the one for sale is the better
car... the interior can be fixed relatively easily (heckuva lot easier to do
than all the body work on the other...), and as long as it runs well, it may
be a good purchase. I'm relatively new to the idea of restoring a car, and
pretty inexperienced, but I feel like I can handle these problems.
So, what do you think? Let me know...
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