1973 MGB GT, Chrome Bumpers, Clear Title, Original Blue California Plates!



This GT came off the production line in April 1973. The original colour was Bronze Yellow. I bought it in shabby condition about a year ago, with bad brakes, a problem with the clutch, and various other issues, and I have had a lot of fun fixing it up. Now it is running nicely, and is quite pleasing enough to the eye, I would like to tackle restoring a different car. To do so, I need to make space and sell this nice GT to someone who appreciates these fine little British cars.

It starts easily, runs well, has 50lbs oil pressure, makes a characteristic MGB exhaust sound as it goes, and is huge fun to drive!
The engine is a 3 main bearing unit with number 18 G-U-H 25079, not the original (see the British Motor Heritage Certificate below).
The odomoter shows 32,000 miles, and is almost certainly not telling the whole truth :-)

The car comes with one ignition key and one key for the doors and trunk. I fitted a Grant GT steering wheel and hub adapter. The Grant wheel is small: about 12" in diameter. I have the original 15" diameter MG steering wheel, in good condition, with a new leather cover, if the new owner prefers that choice.


All the dash controls and dials work on the car. The heater blower blows, but is not very effective!
What appears to be the original radio is installed in the centre console, and works well. There are two speakers, one in each of the rear passenger side walls. The centre console also houses the Voltmeter and vacuum gauges I added. Under the rear seat, in the battery compartment, is the single 12V car battery to which I fitted a battery cut off switch (handy for when working on the car's electrics). The seats are all in good condition with no rips or tears, except for a quarter-sized piece that is ripped on the middle of the back of the rear seat upright (barely visible in the photo below).


These are the jobs I completed since I bought the car:
  • Replaced steering boots
  • Cleaned and tuned carburetors
  • Replaced interior carpets with new kit
  • Replaced brake master cylinder
  • Refurbished clutch master cylinder
  • Fitted new brake lines and hose at rear
  • Fitted new brake hoses at front
  • Fitted new brake shoes at rear
  • Refurbished rear wheel brake cylinders
  • Fitted new handbrake cable
  • Replaced brake pressure warning switch
  • Refurbished clutch slave cylinder
  • Replaced choke cable
  • Recalibrated the tachometer
  • Fitted new Kumho 185/70 tyres all round
  • Replaced gearbox oil
  • Replaced speedometer angle drive
  • Fitted new antenna
  • Fitted Voltmeter and Vacuum pressure gauges in console
  • Fitted new Facet fuel pump
  • POR-15 treatment for the footwells, and trunk floor
  • Fitted new chrome sill covers
  • Fitted new wing mirrors
  • Replaced custom air filter with a pair of original units
  • Replaced windscreen rubber seals
  • Fitted new dashboard topper
  • Constructed, covered and fitted new footwell kick panels
  • Fitted new safety belts, driver and passenger
  • Fitted new halogen headlamps
  • Fitted new front bumper bar
  • New spark plugs, and spark plug leads
  • New fan belt


The car was not completely without rust when I bought it. Parts of the driver's floorpan had surface rust, which I tackled with POR-15. The trunk floor also had surface rust, treated the same way. The passenger side rear sill had some bubbling in the paint. This is a very common area for these cars to rust. I cut out the rusty part of the skin, applied POR-15 around and inside the exposed area including the castle rail, which looked very clean. I then attached the smart VB chrome sill covers to each side of the car, which can be seen in the following photo.

The engine compartment is shown below. Please note that a previous owner had disabled and removed most of the smog equipment, except for the carbon canister, and anti run-on valve. Fortunately this car is CA smog exempt, due to its age.

The driver and passenger footwells have new MG rubber floormats to protect the new carpet. You can see that they are keeping the dirt off nicely, in the following photo.

The wheels are "basketweave" Rikens, not original to the car, but a good choice by a previous owner. I fitted new Kumho 185/70 tyres, and they have only about 100 miles on them.

The British Motor Heritage certificate (extract shown below), will be included with the car, as will an original MGB owner's manual.


Of course, there is still plenty of work left to do on this '73 GT for the new owner! Here are the items I am aware of:

  • Reversing lights don't work: perhaps a bad electrical connection or switch on the transmission?
  • Car idles a little too fast: probably could use new points, a timing check etc.
  • Windscreen washer pump not working properly
  • The hood suffered some damage in the past, which prevents it from sitting flush at the front driver's side (visible in the photos). A new or good used hood would be the best fix.
  • A new paint job (see below)
  • Other things I haven't noticed

The car has had a new coat of gloss white paint. This looks very good from 20ft, alright from 10ft, a bit iffy from 5ft, and downright amateurish close up. I did it myself, and am neither proud nor ashamed of it. The new owner will very likely want to redo the paint. As it is, the brilliant white, offset by the twin 6" racing stripes, and the sound of the throaty exhaust, results in this GT turning heads as it goes by, and plenty of favourable comments in parking lots - it's a real sheep in wolves clothing!
(The stripes are decals, and easily removed if not to the new owner's taste.)

This GT is ready to drive away. No warranty is offered, expressly or by implication. The winning bidder is asked to pay a deposit of $500 within 24 hours of the close of the auction, otherwise I will promptly relist the car. The balance in cash or money order, and the pick up of the vehicle, are all due within 7 days of the close of auction, in that order.
Please don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have, or request photos of specific parts not covered in the above. If you live locally and would like to inspect the vehicle before auction end, you are most welcome.