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MG MGA - Hi, I'm Judd, And I'm a MGAholic. . .

Hi guys and gals. I'm brand new to the site and MG ownership. Having wanted one since I was a teenager, a 59 1500 Roadster finally adopted me at age 40. It has been in a barn since 1985. Car is complete and original except for the paint, ignition coil and a coolant overflow reservoir. I think the head was replaced at some point as it is painted orange.

Got her just before Thanksgiving.

My plan is to get the engine running so I can evaluate it's condition. Then new sills so I can get the body off -- frame is 100% covered in light surface rust. Gonna blast/paint frame, then clean/fix replace brakes, fuel lines/pipes. Replacing all bushings, thinking I'll add a sway bar up front. Pulling the engine while the body's off for repairs/paint. Will probably rebuild carbs at the same time. Then body work, reassambly and paint.

I have no experience in restoring cars. Is this a good general plan? Tell me what I should change, please.

I plan to make her a very nice driver. I think she would be a good candidate for concourse, but that aint gonna happen -- I'm gonna watch the miles squirt out behind her!!

Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself. Here's a pic of her from the auction.


J. M. Irland

That's the nicest Diamond In The Rough I've seen in a long time. '59 1500 with 1600 type wheels, must also have the high starter engine and flanged output gearbox common to early '59 1500 cars. There were 3 or 4 thousand cars in that series just before 1600's started in April '59.

When you yank the body you are likely in for at least two years of fiddling before it goes back together. You should be loving every minute of the learning experience. Damn smart your first restoration won't be a concours car, but you can have a hell of a nice daily scooter with ultimate reliability.

One of the first things you are likely to change would be your shorts, after you figure out how much all this is going to cost. But don't be discouraged, just keep paying the bill as you go, and try not to add up the totals until after it's finished. If your labor is free as a hobby, and we get a little more inflation, it might even be worth as much as it costs by the time it's finished.

Welcome to our mutual addiction.
Barney Gaylord

Hey JM,

I am also a addict. Having just restored my 58 1500 roadster, I can attest to Barney's suggestion about checking your shorts. I always keep a clean pair nearby when I start totaling parts and other costs. It aint pretty, especially the $7500 I spent to get the body stripped and repainted. And she's still considered to be a "driver"...oooh that hurts.

You will know you have gone over the edge when you actually start to justify the costs to your wife or significant other, and yourself. If you're lucky, they eventually stop asking "what's in the box that was delivered today?"

That said, you will have a fantastic, albeit frustrating relationship at times, with your new found toy. Treat her with respect and she will provide you years of pleasure.

You have what I call MGA-itis...and there's no known cure except to feed the fever with more and more parts and lots of dough. Here is a photo of my wallet on 4 wheels. Not 100% yet. Ahhhhh I love it!

Enjoy!

Fran

F Valenzano

Thanks guys. And Barney, thank you for your website. With the many hours I have already spent there, I can't imagine the time you have spent developing it. It has already helped me.

Fran, very nice looking driver you have there. I love the color -- is that Glacier Blue? Mine was OEW originally, probably will be again, but I have a year or two to make a decision on the color.

Here's is pic after she arrived and had a bath.

She is actually better than I expected.

Your not kidding about the wallet on wheels. Havent had her a month yet, and Mr. Moss has half a paycheck already. Thankfully, she should start soon -- if I ever get that d@mned distributor to let go of the block. 4 days of Liquid wrench soaking and she'll rotate 5 degrees or so.

J. M. Irland

HI Judd, welcome. Don't be surprised if it takes longer than you have planned. My 1500 took 15 years of weekends and vacations. Yours is all together which is helpful. Take pictures and label everything. Are those vintage Talbot Jr. mirrors on the fenders? If they are, hang on to them as they are very pricey. Enjoy your car and post more pictures.

David Holmes

Hi Judd,

With your first visit to the MGA board also comes a question for you. I have a '59 born March 6th, VIN HDL43/64792. When the PO rebuilt the engine the block was hot tanked and the aluminum engine number plate was lost. Could you share your VIN number and engine number. I am trying to approximate an engine number for a new plate. It looks like our cars were both built just before production was cut over to the 1600.

FYI - you can obtain a copy of the factory record for your car from http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/exhibitions/archive-services/

Happy Holidays,

John
jjb Backman

John

Your engine should be a 15GD and its number very close to 3389.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Judd, you said you were having trouble removing the distributor. Try removing the two set screws that hold the clamping plate to the block. They are a bit awkward to get a spanner to, but with them out, you will probably find that the distributor will come away, complete with clamping plate.
Lindsay Sampford

Judd,

It will take a long time. You will shed blood (sharp edges), sweat (damn tight bolts) and tears (dropped car on my thumb), but it WILL be worth it!

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Cheers,

Grant :-)

PS Barney is the guru of all things MGA - check out his site at mgaguru.com
G Hudson

J.M.

As Barney said, you do have a wonderful diamond in the rough. Much better condition than others I have seen.
My car has been repainted in the original color "Glacier Blue". It is indeed a departure from most of the black, red, and white cars out there. She definitely stands out in a crowd.

I live in north central Florida, an area lately considered to be the frozen tundra of the south. 23 degrees this morning. Well, so much for tooling around with the top down. Where are you located in FL?
F Valenzano

Love the garage flooring. Is that something new in garage design ? .....lol Welcome to the club.
Gordon Harrison

John,

VIN: HDR43/54672
Body: 65120
Engine: 15GB-U-H 44714
Tranny: unknown until I take the tunnel off.

David,

IDK how to ID the mirrors. Are there markings? Enclosed is close-up pic of the mirror. I think it is chrome plated brass because the corrosion has a blue-green tint.


Lindsey,

That is how I disconnected to distributor. Planned to leave the collar in place to preserve the timing. She's frozen in place. The first two days of soaking and it still wouldnt budge. Just now (day 5) starting to wiggle a tiny aomount in and out as well as rotate 3 to 5 degrees.

Spark gets into the dizzy but not out, prolly condenser. Just wanna get it out to clean, inspect, rebuild it.

Fran,

I'm in Venice. Although I have the car at work in Bradenton.

J. M. Irland

Welcome Judd. Another option for you to consider -- approach your car as a rolling restoration. A complete body-off-frame restoration can be a very satisfying experience, but IT WILL cost you much more $$$ and take much more time than you estimate. Your car looks good enough to enjoy right now as it is, after going thru the brakes/suspension/ignition bits. You can get to paint, interior, etc later on and enjoy the car in the meantime.

George
G Goeppner

Judd

I have just noticed that you have a 1958 car, not 1959. My chassis is 928 after yours (55600) and it was made on the 27/28 August 1958. Yours would probably be late July/early August 1958.

The Heritage certificate will show you the exact date, colour scheme outside and in, equipment, options fitted and export date.

This is what you get (mine): http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/heritage_certificate.htm

Steve













Steve Gyles

Car looks pretty complete which is always a good thing. For advice about sources of parts and services, or for physical help, go to www.namgar.com and find the Chapter Club in Florida that is nearest to you.
Also try to get an original workshop manual, and an original spare parts list (or MOSS/Scarborough Faire catalogues) to show parts and describe techniques. The "Original MGA" book by Anders Ditlev Clausager is also an excellent reference book, and has just been reissued.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Judd, the mirror will be stamped "Talbot Co W. Berlin" see photo These were also installed on many sportscars at the dealer. It looks like the Cobra crowd will pay dear for a mirror of this vintage but concourse judges need to be educated occasionally to note that they are a period option for MGs.

David Holmes

J.M., -- If you have good spark, the condenser is okay. When spark goes into the dizzy cap but doesn't come out, it's probably a bad rotor. Maybe just change the rotor and Ir will run, no need to remove the distributor (at least not a current emergency to do it).

Your chassis number and engine number appear to be a close match for August 1858 production. It is common for these cars to have been titled in the year they were sold, so a 1959 title is okay for a 1958 production car.
Barney Gaylord

This car dating anomaly seems to be a North American thing. In the UK, the car is a '58 if it was built in 1958. It seems in Canada and the US, owners tend to go by the first date of registration, so 58's become 1959, and so on.
The date on the Heritage certificate is, in my mind, the one to go by.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

The past tradition of dating the title when the car was sold would allow a dealer to sell a car as "new" even if it may have been produced as much as a year or two earlier. You can imagine how this would benefit the dealer, especially if there were significant design changes that would make the more recent car more desirable. A local club member recently purchased a 1964 MGA 1600-MK-II (even though production ended in May 1962). That car happened to be about 34 digits from end of production. (Of course the year on the title is not likely to convince anyone that it was an MGB).

The title dating "tradition" changed about 1968 with the advent of federally mandated emissions equipment. This is when model production years (as specified on the owner's title) became "legally binding" as to the equipment installed on the car. About the same time the format of the VIN number was being standardized, and number plates were expected to be permanently attached in standardized locations (rivets or welding, no more screws).

On the other side of the spectrum, in modern times you can sometimes buy a new car in middle of the calendar year (possibly as early as April) with next year's model year on the title. This is more common with newly introduced models. If it has the right equipment and passes all federal test requirement for safety and emissions, it can wear the model year of latest certification. This is a BIG deal when it comes to sales value (especially a new car sales gimmick).
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 15/12/2010 and 17/12/2010

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