Hi forum,
I just bought a disassembled 74 MGB GT off ebay for a bargain and am planning on rebuilding it into a daily driver. The body is in very good shape with very little rust, but when the previous owner replaced the floorboards, they had to cut away a small portion of the body. They also cut away some of the inner door paneling to make room for larger speakers. However, the car came with two hoods, one aftermarket one that is on the frame and the original hood that is badly dented and is virtually unusable. My question is whether or not I can use the original hood as sheet metal to patch the body? Or should I just buy some sheet metal? Thanks.
Sure!
You can use the sheet metal from the hood to to make patch panels.
Tester
Just as an aside, should “74 MGB GT” and “daily driver” ever be used in the same sentence?
Have you joined the MG owners clubs and forums? There are lots of these around, you’ll find lots of good advice.
I’d get rid of the rubber bumpers and convert it to chrome.
@PvtPublic, I’d certainly not put ‘disassembled 74 MGB GT’ and ‘daily driver’ in the same thought. This car screams ‘hobby car’ to me.
Badly dented doesn’t necessarily mean unuseable. I’d hate to see an original hood cut up as patch metal if it can be salvaged at all.
It may be worth a few bucks to someone doing a restoration and who wants nothing but OEM parts.
At one time no one, including me, ever thought that an iffy old Harley fender would bring 1-2 grand either.
And off fleabay, I wonder how many parts are missing. All I can say is hats off to ya, and best of luck sam_i
I had a Girlfriend who owned a 1969 MGB GT. I drove it quite often. No problems at all. I guess my guardian angel that has always protected me from Sir Joseph Lucas Prince of Darkness even works for friends BMC cars!
I’ve owned several British cars and had very little trouble with them. The Lucas magnetos on some of the old Triumph motorcycles I owned did cause me to create an entirely new language made up entirely of profanity though…
Lucas.
The prince of darkness.
The lights are either on, off, or flicker.
Tester
Lucas was just the gargoyle of insufficient lighting.
It has always amazed me that cars from this ISLAND country dissolve in water like Alka Seltzer. And leak water into the interior, too, as if MG insisted you must regularly wash your floorboards with rainwater! Plus, only the English could tell you; “Well, we can’t stop the oil leak, mate, but we CAN slow it down a bit”
That said, they are cool cars and very fun to own and drive. English car fans are great, with strong camaraderie. Dump the rubber bumpers for the earlier chrome ones and never consider this as a daily driver. It is a fun weekend car that will swallow tonnes (metric tons!) of your time and money and make you lifelong friendships.