Topic: MGB, am I crazy to even begin going down this rabbit hole????
OK gang, first post here on the Lemons forum, but certainly not new to the “dance”. My family has been SCCA racing for 50+ years but this might be the beginnings of a build for a Lemons team. MAYBE........
So, I get a call from a friend who has a friend that tows and crushes cars. He was dropping off a salvaged vehicle at his yard and saw an MGB waiting it’s ultimate fate. A very flat fate! He goes to take a quick look and sends me a text to call him. I give him a ring and he explains that there is an MGB “carcass” languishing in a muddy holding yard. The next day I take a trip to see what was there. I don’t have high hopes as I figure it’s a steaming pile of British rust like most old MG’s I’ve bought. Well, first let me say, it was a carcass! No engine, no transmission, no interior, a rear axle tube with no brakes/axles/gears, no dash and no bumpers. It does have 2 doors, a trunk lid, a hood and 3 pedals. Surprisingly, there were actually floors, rockers and a trunk floor still intact! Seriously! All of this wonderful thin British steel for a whopping sum of $50 cash with no warranties expressed nor implied.
What does a guy do with a $50 MGB? Spend a few thousand dollars buying another rusty car to do a complete swap and still end up with a crappy convertible that I need to say a prayer and cross my fingers every time I take it out for a drive? Probably not. If I want a slow convertible, I can go get a Miata and know I’ll make it back home from a weekend drive.
I get thinking about an engine swap and the possibilities. 4cyl, V-6, V-8? What would one budget for a swap and then at the end off the day, what would you have? It had a V-8 MGB in the past, but it was a really nice car and sold for good money. I had a V-8 Miata and that also sold for good $$$, but I bought both of the already swapped. Do I want to take on a swap from scratch, sure why not, but what would be the end goal? Fast street car? Trackday toy? Flip it, but no title will be an issue for getting a decent buck for it.
Then it hit me, Lemons RACE CAR!!!!! Maybe.......
I’m here to ask the other inmate at the asylum what they think. Do it, don’t do it, run away like your hair’s on fire or jump in with both feet.
Here we go.....................