About this blog

 This blog is a resource for any/all humans who own or wish to own an old British (or not) car and would like to work on it, tinker with it, modify it or just keep it running and hopefully use it as it was intended. There is A LOT of information online about MGs and MGBs and this blog is by no means a definitive resource or an attempt to subjugate these other reference points. I encourage you to seek these out and read and learn as much as possible with the understanding that not everything written on the net (possibly including my blog) is fact. Educate yourself and do your own work and you will always learn more than sitting at a computer. I have never been, and am currently not a member of any forum, message board or club and I am not on or look at social media, and as such, none of my blog is intended to impede on such places and all the info herein is from personal experience, my comprehensive library of old books or gleaned online while drinking tea.

I will start by saying the MGB in all its 18-year production form is a very (very) easy and simple car to maintain with basic tools and common sense. It is also very cheap to keep on the road and use regularly if you're prepared to learn and get your hands dirty. As an example of this, my MGB is my daily driver, although I don't drive every day. It is my only car so when I need to go to the PO, or the hardware, or meet up with someone, it's the car I take. Sunny, hot, cold, raining, it makes no difference to me. I will also claim that it is cheaper to keep running than my wife's 2011 Suzuki Swift if you're working on them yourself as I do with both cars. While this blog is primarily concerned with the MGB, a lot of the info can be used on many older (pre mid 70's) cars. So, sit back and see what an absolutely wonderful car an MGB can be.

I won't write pages about the history of the MGB because there are websites and books you can read till the cows come home but to give you a quick introduction. The MG car company had a history of designing, engineering and building amazing cars for nearly 40 years before the MGB hit the showrooms in 1962. The MGB was a huge leap forward from the previous MGA in that although the mechanicals (engine, gearbox, suspension etc.) were a fairly archaic continuation due to the parent company, BMC never giving any real funding to their premier sports car manufacturer for development, the body, ride and comfort were bought into the modern age which the new sports car owners of the world were expecting from new cars. Luckily for us, this use of old technology in the MGB made the car very, industrial, basic even in it's make up. I say lucky for us because everything in and on an MGB is easily worked on and repairable in a simple 1 car garage or even on a driveway. I can say this with authority because that's how I maintain mine. 

When I bought my current MGB (I say current because I've owned them before having bought my first one, a white '67 MKI in the late 80's) it was in good condition having been very well looked after for most of its life. I wasn't too concerned about what needed to be done as long as the body was solid and fairly rust free and the mechanicals were serviceable. My car was made in May 1970 and sold in Victoria on the 3rd of August that year. The new "facelift" MGB had hit the showrooms in June and mine is the 54th car built in this new form. All the original datable parts (engine block, head, gearbox, electrics etc.) are dated Oct/Nov 1969 which shows how quickly CKD kits were being turned into complete cars by this stage. When I started looking for my last "forever car" I kept coming back to the MGB as they're cheap, easy to work on and fun to drive, and, in my opinion ... beautiful. Once I settled on the MGB my parameters were easy. It had to BRG and it had to be a '69/70 Australian assembled MKII. I say this because my first choice of colour for any old British sports car is of course BRG (I've owned Jaguars and original Cooper Ss in this colour also) and it had to be an Aust assembled '69/70 MKII because this is the best MGB made. While the first of those statements is purely personal, I will elaborate on the second throughout this blog. My car came to Brisbane, Queensland in 1975 and has been registered here ever since.