If the 3 main engine has made it these past 35 years, it's probably a
good one, and is going to be fine. Watch your revs to avoid "crank whip"
just to be safe (the strong, mellow low end of a stock B is the engine's
best attribute anyway). Look for rust on the castle rails (sills) along
outer edge of floor on both sides. If these rails are rusted, you've
lost a great deal of the unibody's strength. Make sure the doors close
properly - if the rails are trashed, the frame will sag and the doors
look like they're perpetually half open. Expect rocker rust, as well as
over both rear wheel wells (no biggie either way). I assume the "crack"
is the door mounted mirror stress crack. It can be fixed, but the door
skin should come off, and a countoured steel plate gets (very skillfully)
welded in behind it. Look for wrinkles in the two inches or so between
the grille and radiator mount to tell if it's been front ended, then note
how the tires are worn. I got amazing tread life out of tires on my B's,
and those that have been hit in front never do - it seems to throw off
alignment / susp. geometry forever. Look for trunk rust - not sure about
a '63, but later cars' trunks have a prop rod that people don't collapse
properly, causing a bowed trunk lid, therefore allowing a leak path for
water. There's more that I've forgotten, but remember the car is 35
years old, and there's bound to be a lot of hidden surprises.
IMHO, early B's are the best ones, conceived and executed long before
Ralph Nader began to ruin it for everyone. Good luck, and enjoy.
On Thu, 19 Feb 1998 17:42:36 -0600 Mark Endicott <endicott@bellsouth.net>
writes:
>A friend of my wife has a 63 B for sale at probably a reasonable
>price. I am going to go look at it soon but since I have never owned
>one I really don't know what to look for. What about this "crack of
>doom" and the 3 main engine? Where should I look for "terminal"
>rust? Any other info appreciated.
>
>TIA
>--
>Mark
>WB0NOO
>1970 MG Midget
>S/V Witchcraft,S2-27
>Nashville, Tennessee
>
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