1968 MGB GT... Low miles on total rebuild. Beautiful restoration / modification

1968 MG MGB BGT Description

I've been a British car owner off and on for about 40 years. I've had MG's, Triumphs, Sunbeams, Lotus etc., but my favorite is the late 1960's MGB GT. This was my first car and I've always admired the body styling. There were a few things that I vowed I would change if I had the time and the money someday. That day finally arrived, read on:
This is a 1968 MGB GT that takes everything British that we love about our 'Little British Cars' and preserves that quirkiness, while taking every challenge of our cars and either improves it, replaces it, modernizes it, or completely re-invents it.
Let's start with the comfort factor: On the interior, the seats are comfortable Miata seats reworked in English leather, wildly comfortable and totally adjustable be you tall or short. They've been custom upholstered to look like a vintage 1968 MGB seat, but with much more comfort and a headrest for safety. To address the chronic MGB cockpit heat issues, I insulated first from from underneath via an exhaust heat shield and then dynamatted the interior floor and transmission tunnel, before installing upgraded insulated carpet.
I took interior comfort one step further by custom fitting air conditioning. Icy cold air blows out of a system that's undetectable as not stock (if it had come that way). Most days in 110 degree Phoenix weather I don't even have to set it to its coolest setting!
Overall, the car is quiet and drives straight and true on the big and rare original banjo steering wheel and the vintage NOS Aamco shift knob rounds out the driving experience. There is a 'map pocket' installed in the passenger footwell and further document pockets stitched into the back of the leather seats.
Safety and driveability have not been compromised either. I fitted new lap and shoulder webbing for the belts, but reused vintage 'click to close' buckles. Interior lighting has been upgraded so that cockpit lights, door lights and the map light are all controllable via a dash switch as well as the door switches.
All gauges work and light up at night. Headlights, high and low beams both, all work perfectly. Even the 'brake failure switch' (which never works on MGBs) works as if delivered new.
The engine has had a complete rebuild. I wanted to accomplish three things with the rebuild: 1.) Increase the reliability by making it virtually new, inside and out including the ability to burn unleaded fuel without harm 2.) Increase the output to make it a bit more fun to drive and also insure that the air conditioning system did not bog it down. 3.) Increase the cooling capacity and circulation so that 110 degrees in Phoenix did not phase the car one bit.
Job Done.
All of the engine machine work was done by Chuck's Speed Shop here in Phoenix. See complete details below.
For the exterior, I used Ford Motor Metallic Dark Shadow Gray. The paint is easily accessible and common and can be picked up in touch up paint tubes or rattle cans should the need arise. Not to mention that it's stunning to look at.
The wheels are original true wire wheels with old school knockoffs to finish the vintage look. It sports nearly new Hankook radials.
There is not a single thing on this car that does not work as well (or usually better) than the day it rolled off the line when new. Even the stuff that normally doesn't work DOES on this car. The cigar lighter works. So does the emergency flasher. The windshield washer pump? Works. Horn? Works. Two speed windshield wipers? Works. High Beams, Low Beams, Turn Signals, Defrost Fan? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
PLUS, you get an interior that smells like real leather (because it is) and is quiet and cool due to the insulation and AIR CONDITIONING.
I know I'm forgetting something, but here are the complete details as they come to mind:
FOUNDATIONAL:
Removed & replaced floor pans with new fitted British Heritage floor pans made from the original stampings.Replaced castle rails and sill plates where appropriate prior to floor pan installation.Replaced front wing lowers and new metal in rear quarter lowers.Rocker panels completely replaced. Filled with 'waxoil' equivalent.Everything primed/painted with POR-15 coating. Under surfaces further coated with spray on 'bed liner' coating.
EXTERIOR
Stripped and primed for new modern lacquer paint. New paint: Modern Ford Dark Shadow Grey Metallic.Bumper overriders front and back removed for a more contemporary look. Rear license plate lights retrofitted to license plate lights.MG Special Tuning air dam in place of factory front valance.New front bumper.New right front wing mirror.New windshield glass. New driver's side door glass. All glass: No chips, scratches, cracks or fogging.Original stainless and aluminum window and gutter trim polished and clear coated.
ENGINE
All work done at Chuck's Speed Center in Phoenix, AZ.Engine Block dipped and magnafluxed.Block was cleaned and decked at .0401966 (pre-emissions) head cleaned, ported, shotabrated, magnafluxed and oven baked. Fitted for "big valves" and hardened valve seats to use modern unleaded fuels.Radius cut into piston bores to accommodate 'big valves'.Crank ground to .020 under and balancedBores ground to .060 over.Total CC brought close to 2000About 9.5:1 compressionMild race / hot street cam (Crane Cams D9) installed. The engine idles great and has a fun (wolf in sheep's clothing) little 'lope'.ARP crankshaft bolts. ARP rod bolts. ARP head bolts.Points distributor absolutely dialed in by rebuilding and curved to match the finished engine specs by Jeff Schlemmer @ Advanced Distributors.Twin SU carbs totally rebuilt with dashpots polished to a sheen and then tuned to perfection. Don't believe anything that you read about SUs without seeing how they're really supposed to work.Borg & Beck heavy duty clutch.Oil filter adapter fitted that uses modern spin on oil filter (K&N currently installed).
MORE UNDER THE HOOD
High Torque Starter: The slow grind of a typical MG starter is no more.Brand new oil cooler. Helps to keep it cool in the AZ summer.New American Racing cross-flow aluminum radiator with thermostatically controlled dual pusher fans. Override is available in the cockpit to turn the fans on manually if desired.Modern Delco alternator.
AIR CONDITIONING
Denso compressor and other component parts provided by Nostalgic AirCustom fitted piping and hoses to make the system stock looking and trouble free.Although the Nostalgic Air kit was a "great fit", I still had to do some massive mods to make it look totally factory.Custom fabricated bracket that allowed me to retain the Delco alternator while using the Denso compressor. . . and squeezing it all into a little MG engine bay.The interior work is equally incognito. This is one of my favorite things about my car. It's so "not obvious" that it's totally retrofitted to be comfortable!
INTERIOR
Dynamat heat shield applied to floor, footwells and transmission tunnel.Interior is carpeted in uprated Moss Motors English Loop interior with insulation backing. Transmission tunnel is fitted and insulated as well.Seats are Mazda Miata seats. Professionally upholstered in English grain leather to pay homage to 1968 MG seats with gray piping and 1968 'lines'.Rear (2+2) seat done to match. Same English grain.Seat belts are not the retractable gizmos, they are the lazy lap and shoulders that lay on the seat until you remind your passenger to pick it up and buckle up.English cars can be hot, so here's what I did to combat this quirk: I installed Dynamat on both the passenger and the driver's side floorboards. I put it on the sills and forward floors and then both sides of the transmission tunnel and then the Moss kit had a certain amount of fabric insulation that I piled on top.Underneath the car, I installed an additional heat shield between the exhaust header and the car.Tourist Trophy exhaust that did not place an additional muffler under the driver's side seat to further combat cockpit heat.I drive the car in AZ in the summer (110+). The car does not overheat and between the multiple layers of insulation on the interior (and the air conditioning!), it is also quiet and cool.
WIRING
Completely rewired front to back, top to bottom using Advanced Auto Wiring kit with additional circuits. Full multiple relay and fuse system with heavy gauge wiring throughout. Modifications and upgrades made throughout as well.
FURTHER NOTES
Rebuilt rear deck board.New carpet in and outNew trim, new door panels, totally new everything in the interior.New headlinerFive strong, straight and true wire wheelsNew tiresNew calipers and shoes in the frontNew shoes on the backAll new brake lines throughoutNew brake master, new clutch masterNew clutch slaveNew heavy duty borg warner clutchRebuilt transmissionRebuilt differential and axlesInterior dashboard rebuiltCenter console uprated for new electrical and air conditioningCompletely rebuilt front suspension
The car was awarded first place in it's class in the first and only car show I've entered it into: The GOF West region all MG show.
I'm sure that I'm missing something. Feel free to call or email for additional information or specific questions or pictures.
I love this car. . . but I also have a new love that I need to focus on. I will take all the time and effort that you need to feel completely comfortable with your new acquisition. Naturally, I have all of the receipts and hard evidence of everything that I've done to the car.