DOT 5 is incompatible with virtually all the rubber in an LBC. Hence all of
your seals sould be replaced with the silcone variety now, or they will
leak. Reflushing and going back to the original stuff would work, but you
will proabably still see premature seal failure just about every where. At
least this is what I remember from autocrossing, when some friends did the
same thing....and regretted it.
Generators vs. alternators: Generators generate DC, and alternators
generate AC. Generators require very heavy magnets and softer brushes,
while alternators are lighter and more efficient. That's it in a nut shell.
Wanted MG: If anybody has an MGA in running condition for $1000 I will take
it sight unseen........But I dare say there aren't any....well that might
not be true.
Here is a story of being in the right place at the right time. A friend of
mines dad is amazingly good at finding Bargains in the LBC world. Back in
the late 80's ( or maybe 91) he was playing golf and hit the ball into the
rough. While he was rummaging around he came across a small unused cabin
with a dirty unused 67 Jag E type sitting in front of it. He never found
his ball but instead went to find the manager of the golf course. Turns out
the previous owner of the course had a mistress that lived in the cabin and
he bought her a 67 Jag and a 67 E type back in 1967. The Jag broke down and
she eventually drove the jag into the ground and married him. Time passed
and everybody forgot about the jag. The current manager said give me a
grand and the jag is yours. My buddies dad couldnt get his check book out
fast enough. The jag was in good original condition with very low mileage.
The interior was shot and the engine needed freshening up. My buddy drove
the car through out college and eventually sold it to get a 356 SC. For
those that dont know a jag E type at the time was worth in the 100K
range...True story. He also bought a very original (needed a new top and
interior kit and thats all) 74 MGB in orange under a car cover in a chicken
coop while on a business trip for around $1000, back in 1992. He also
bought 2 bug eye sprites (and I think 4 motors) one with some serious racing
history for a song too....lucky family....
So on the one hand I think the person looking for a $1200 MG is a little
uninformed, it is possible though unlikely that they will find one...but I
commend the effort. Also If this ad had been placed about 15 years ago it
would not have seemed nearly as outrages, as back than the papers were full
of LBC's in the $1000 range here in the mid west....although they were a bit
rusty....
My own personal opinion is that it is possible to find a fair MGB or Midget
in the less than $2000 range with repaired body panels and floors and tired
motors. That I would consider driving restorations.
Later,
Drew
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