I looked at a 73 MG BGT this weekend out in a field at a farm.
The owner parked it out in the field over fifteen years ago and since
then a cedar with a dia. of about 4 inches has grown up right next to
it. The cedar grew so close to the car that you can't open the driver's
side door!!
I opened the passenger's side door after I matted down all the pricker
bushes in front of the door. I found the interior to be intact, but it
was such a collection of garbage, dust, cobwebs, and pricker bush
branches, that I could hardly get into it.
All the gauges were intact and all Smiths. The T-handle choke was
original as was the "B" for bonnet pullhandle that didn't work to pop
the hood.
One of the tires dry rotted completely off the rim. Every body panel on
it had rust and as far as I could see from the semi-hole the car was in,
there are no sills to speak of anymore.
I opened the hatchback to get the jack and see if I could jack it up and
I discovered a couple things:
1. the trunk in and around the spare is home to a dozen or more mice.
They greeted me!
2. The jack was completely stripped and useless!
3. Actually the hatch may not have had any rust!
I pushed the plastic grill section on the front grill in towards the
engine until it gave, then I tugged on the hood latch wire and opened
the hood.
I found an intact and complete, sans some hoses, engine.
The car was all original and so it had two HIFs on the 18V6**** engine
that still retained the vacuum advance from the intake manifold and the
air pump, rail, and injectors!!
I was amazed to find the vacuum advance off the intake and that the
other vacuum port (the twin of the vac adv port) was used for the gulp
valve!
Everything that is there as far as the engine is in restorable to good
condition. The valve cover is fairly clean and retains the factory
stickers. The original Lucas coil is there as well as the original
dizzy, fuse box, brake master and clutch master cylinders, radiator, oil
cooler, fans, starter, etc.
Keep in mind, this car is in a hole that was created by dirt collecting
around it and the car sinking year after year. It has no hope for a body
restoration other than a heritage body shell and the interior is only
worth the gauges, seats, and maybe the dash.
So in the lists humble opinion, what would be the value of this car?
I was thinking $100.
I saw a guy in Denver two months ago on the net, trying to sell a (68?)
BGT. He was asking $900 and it was in good condition, no visible rust,
and it ran.
TIA,
Erik.
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