Updated Sunbeams

Way back in 2010 I posted an article about three Sunbeams, a Tiger, one we called Old Paint and one we called New Paint.  Well, old paint was sold.  The Tiger got a beautiful racing green paint job and New Paint now has a new look.  Her hard top has a hand painted Union Jack.  This art work was done by a local sign painter who does excellent work.  I think you'll like what you see!

Here's a few shots of the Tiger before and after paint.  The non-matching fiberglass hood was dressed up with a temporary homage to A.A. Milne.

Not one but two MGB GTs!

 

This 1970 MGB GT has an interesting history.  In 1972 the owner of this car was a senior in college.   His father bought the MGB GT for him with the extra money he had saved for school in case he decided to study for more than four years.  What a thoughtful dad.
After college, the owner kept the car through a twenty year career in the Navy.  When he retired in 1993, he sold the car.
In the Spring of 2011 he came across a picture of the car with  his brother helping him give it a new paint job.

On a lark, his wife suggested he try to find one like it on the internet.  He did just that.

Good, old, reliable EBay.  Just what he was looking for.  When he downloaded the pictures in the ad, he discovered it was not only like his car.  It was exactly like his old car as that was what it was!

 

 

 

How did he know it was his old car?  A Navy sticker on the bumper, a GT decal in the rear window, and the gear shift knob which was a Christmas gift in 1992.

 

 

Can you guess what he did?  Yup, he bought it back!  He took the car to a body shop for some repairs and a real paint job. 
When that work was completed, the car came to us to be reassembled, get a new interior and a lot of mechanical and electrical work.   We started by installing Koolmat on the floors and tranny tunnel. 

 

 

While Bart replaced all the rubber seals, brake and clutch master cylinders, installed the dash wiring and instruments, checked all electrical equipment, etc., Carolyn reupholstered the seats with seat kits.

 

 

What?  You've never seen a car seat with arms?  That's just what is needed for a very comfortable ride.

Slowly but surely it was beginning to look like his favorite car once again.

In went the carpets, panels, seats, belts, etc.  Bumpers and emblems all reinstalled.  Ready for a test drive, some last minute tweaks and it's ready to driven by its proud owner.

Add an appropriate license plate and look forward to 20 more years of driving the mountain roads of Northeast Georgia.  Some of the greatest roads in the country.  Drive it in good health!

Why the reference to two MGB GTs?  This customer told us that he bought a second one so that both of his kids can have an" MG experience" after he's gone. This is "Punkin's" story.

Think it looks pretty good already?  The paint was covering a lot of body filler so it was decided to strip off all of the paint and trim to see what was underneath.

 

 

 

The bad, the ugly, and the very ugly.  The rust and poor previous body repair was cut out and replaced with new metal repair panels sourced from Moss Motors.

 

 

 



The engine received new valves and guides and a milled cylinder head along with and .040" overbore and decked block.  A mild camshaft was also installed to enhance performance a bit.  The plastic fan runs quietly and is complimented with a shroud and aluminum radiator.

 

Behind the dash board lurks an electric power steering servo with an adjustable control knob.

 

 

 

The seats were recovered over new foam and all the rubber window seals and trim were replaced.

Installing all the lighting, bumpers, grille assembly, rain gutter trim, and side moldings over new paint is nerve wracking and time consuming.

 

...but the result I is a great looking B GT that steers like a Miata.


 

 



 





HI- TECH MGB

This 1974 MGB came to us looking pretty good but in need of a good deal of mechanical repair.  The owner wanted to update the electrical system as well as the performance of the engine, suspension and brakes.

A couple of small holes in the floor on both sides were repaired before KBS rust proof paint and Koolmat insulation was applied.

A lot of time was spent removing all of this old insulation and carpet.

Since KBS had an almost perfect color match to the exterior non-original paint, it was decided to clean and paint the underhood area to match. The hydraulic lines are wrapped in foil to prevent overspray.

As this paint job was done with a small sprayer and brush, we achieved a very close match. An added plus - this paint resists brake fluid and oil.

The interior was painted with the same color and POR 15 (black) was applied in a few rough areas.

Koolmat insulation was applied on the floors, tunnels, battery shelf and foot wells to cut down on heat and noise (it's also fire proof).

Next came the installation of the electric window lifts. Why not? They are fast and operate smoothly.

The wires were run along the upper door hinge and will be kept inside the door.

Something else no MG ever had, a proper fuse and relay box. Its size required it to be mounted inside the car in the passenger's footwell. The harness and fuse/relay box were sourced from Advance Auto Wire.

The customer did the dash himself with a set of electronic gauges and switches including a speedo that runs off the GPS. The downside, twenty plus connection bus behind the dash to hook them up.

The original front suspension and brakes were worn out.

Rebuilt kingpins, new poly bushings, tubular sway bar and big brake conversion.

The rear disc brake conversion sourced from Old Phartz Partz is very neat.

The old gas tank.

The new gas tank.

The engine disassembled shows worn lifters....

...and worn bearings as well as everything else.

After the rebuild with a five speed transmission, a supercharger, an aluminum cylinder head and a whole lot more.

The engine goes in fully assembled.

In position with uprated heater fan and matrix along with an aluminum crossflow radiator and fan.

This shows the absence of electrical clutter when fully wired up.

Here is the close to stock appearance of the interior. The amp powers four speakers through a smart phone or I-pod.

Look Ma! No window cranks!

The crowning touch - a new "Mohair" convertible top from Prestige tops it off!