My "new" '74 GT, "Scoop" is on the road again--and it's a very nice car! Still
looks ugly, mind, but it has a tight front end, no
clunks, beautiful steering and the engine pulls strongly. Much better than I
expected for $1000 (not counting my wheel and
hydraulics free-for-all). The gearbox is good, too, but it's rare to find a
four-syncro MGB box that's awful.
The engine didn't overheat, but the guage did go up to 3/4 and stay there. It
didn't seem too hot, but I'll have to put a known good
thermometer on it...I don't panic over "high" temps as long as it isn't
actually boiling.
The clutch engages at the very bottom of its travel, so I suspect either the
throwout bearing is near the end of its life or the
clutch plate is. It doesn't slip, so its probably the former. I'll just be
careful, as I don't have any great desire to take the
engine out at the moment.
This car is definitely worthy of a repaint!
Roger Los
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