Time To Go Home
January 10, 2024
Towards the end of our New Year’s Car Meet, we handed our 1970 MGB Roadster back to its owners. After spending some time in the
1970 MG B Roadster
Looking Great
January 3, 2024
Now that our 1970 MGB Roadster has come to the end of its stay at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, Nick spent some time taking
Run Up And Finish
December 21, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster is coming to the end of its time here at Bridge Classic Cars. Jonn has been refitting parts to the engine
MGB Engine
December 20, 2023
After the engine of our 1970 MGB Roadster had its engine prepped and painted in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop, classic car technician Jonn reassembled
Stephen Norman Talks about Our MGB Roadster Restoration
December 14, 2023
We recently had a visit from a long-term friend and customer of Bridge Classic Cars, Stephen Norman, the ex-boss of Vauxhall and a walking encyclopedia
MGB Roadster Engine Work
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has carried out a diagnosis for number 7 valve clearance that keeps increasing on our 1970 MGB Roadster. He removed the
Out Of Paint And Into The Workshop
November 30, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster has come to the end of its time in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop. It recently moved into the main
In Paint
November 24, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with technician Mauro. Mauro has been rubbing down the car after primer before
Welding Work
November 15, 2023
While our 1970 MGB Roadster is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it has been in the car of one of our fabricators, Monty. Monty
MG B Roadster in Epoxy
November 10, 2023
The MG B Roadster is now in epoxy prime and ready for paint.
Continuation on the MG B Roadster
November 9, 2023
Mauro is continuing on with the MG B Roadster rust removal.
Investigating MG B front wing corrosion
November 8, 2023
Work begins on the front wings of our 1970 MG B Roadster project. Mauro has removed the wings to reveal some corrosion.
A Stunning new arrival
November 6, 2023
Most days of the week, we have new classics arriving at our Suffolk HQ. Today, we’ve had this stunning 1970 MGB Roadster arrive into the
Time To Go Home
January 10, 2024
Towards the end of our New Year’s Car Meet, we handed our 1970 MGB Roadster back to its owners.
After spending some time in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it was great to see the happy owners here with us, taking their car back where it belongs.
Looking Great
January 3, 2024
Now that our 1970 MGB Roadster has come to the end of its stay at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, Nick spent some time taking these stunning pictures of such a great-looking car.
As it was a rainy day, Nick parked our MGB in The Atelier and gave it the photoshoot a car like this deserves.
Run Up And Finish
December 21, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster is coming to the end of its time here at Bridge Classic Cars.
Jonn has been refitting parts to the engine now the engine is fitted. After filling it with oil, he removed the spark plugs and coil lead. He then cranked the engine over until oil pressure was made.
The spark plugs were refitted and the coil lead. The oil level was checked and topped up and Jonn attempted to start the car.
After charging the battery, the car wouldn’t fire. The spark plugs were checked and found to be ok. Fuel to the carbs was checked and found to be ok too.
Jonn removed the rocker cover to align the timing marks. He removed the distributor cap and checked the timing was ok. After resetting the distributor, the cap was refitted and a small amount of petrol was poured into the carbs which let the engine fire on cranking.
Jonn stripped the carbs and found the jets were set too high, and running a very weak mixture. He set the jet depths to approx 2 1/2 turns down (0.090″). The car then started and ran fine so Jonn refitted the radiator and fan.
After finishing checking over the engine and finding no leaks upon inspection this morning, the bonnet was fitted and adjusted. The car was taken outside and ran up to temperature. A leak from the top radiator hose was found so Jonn tightened the jubilee clip but still noticed a leak. A second jubilee clip was fitted behind first and secured, (it had 2 clips on when it came in) which resolved the leak.
Jonn noted that the fan cuts in ok so a road test was carried out. The road test was successful after Jonn stopped to secure the distributor and adjust the idle speed.
Our MGB Roadster was tested at all speeds up to 65mph in stop/start traffic conditions and all was fine.
MGB Engine
December 20, 2023
After the engine of our 1970 MGB Roadster had its engine prepped and painted in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop, classic car technician Jonn reassembled it.
He refitted the painted parts and ancillaries and refitted the oil pump with new gaskets (pump filled with engine grease to avoid cavitation). He then fitted the new main bearing nuts and washers and retorqued to 95nm. Jonn went on to pre-oil all moving parts before fitting the sump and securing it.
To get the engine back into the car, Jonn mounted the engine on the engine crane so he could rub it down and paint the steering rack and column. The engine was then put back into the car.
Stephen Norman Talks about Our MGB Roadster Restoration
December 14, 2023
We recently had a visit from a long-term friend and customer of Bridge Classic Cars, Stephen Norman, the ex-boss of Vauxhall and a walking encyclopedia of British automotive history.
We have been working on our 1970 MGB Roadster and, while having a closer look at the progress of his 1976 Triumph Spitfire that is currently in the workshop, Stephen spotted our MGB and had a few things to say about it.
As one of the people who actually saw the MG Midget and MGB rolling off the production lines at the Abingdon factory, Stephen’s thoughts are always amazing to hear.
Take a look at the video below and see what Stephen had to say.
MGB Roadster Engine Work
December 14, 2023
Classic car technician Jonn has carried out a diagnosis for number 7 valve clearance that keeps increasing on our 1970 MGB Roadster. He removed the inlet manifold to gain better access to the engine side covers. He then removed the rear side cover.
Jonn slackened the tappets for number 7 and removed the push rod. He was unable to remove the cam follower from the block. He suspected that the follower was worn and “mushroomed”, making it impossible to remove from the top. As a result, Jonn decided to remove the engine to ease the removal of the follower from the underside of the engine. Fluids were drained and the engine was removed and mounted on an engine stand.
The sump was removed and Jonn found small fragments of metal inside. He continued to strip the engine so he was able to remove the camshaft and access the worn follower. He removed the distributor, removed the oil pump and the cam locking plate. The camshaft and number 7 follower were removed and, as Jonn suspected, the cam follower was badly worn and the number 7 cam lobe was also badly worn. New cam and followers are required.
Jonn cleaned parts ready for refitting. Due to the metal fragments in the sump, he thought it prudent to strip the oil pump and clean it. He then inspected the inside for scoring etc. The oil pump looked fine.
The engine was packed with build grease and rebuilt. The block and mating surfaces were cleaned and the cam bearings were inspected. Number 1 cam bearing was showing slight scoring. Jonn will check the tolerance when the new camshaft arrives. In the meantime, Jonn has blown out the oilways and covered the engine until the required parts arrive.
Jonn finished cleaning engine parts in preparation. He also cleaned the engine bay and inner wings/cross member. The gearbox bell housing was cleared out and Jonn visually inspected the thrust bearing, which looked ok.
Out Of Paint And Into The Workshop
November 30, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster has come to the end of its time in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop. It recently moved into the main workshop where classic car technician Jonn has been giving it some attention.
After removing the old coil, Jonn turned the engine over and aligned the timing marks. He then removed the old distributor and swapped over the distributor clamp to the new distributor.
Jon cut the wires to length and taped them up before soldering the new terminals and connecting them to the coil.
While following the setup instructions for the distributor, Jonn found that the engine code is 18GB and is not listed in the paperwork for the distributor, so he was unable to select the correct torque curve from the list.
Jonn set it to number 3 on the list – timing static at 7 btdc, stroboscopic timing at 17btdc. He swapped the HT leads to a new cap and connected. During a road test, Jonn stopped to adjust the timing a few times and to tighten the distributor clamp.
He then cable-tied the wiring before removing the rocker cover and adjusting the tappets. Number 7 appeared to have wear and valve clearance was large.
Further investigation is needed.
In Paint
November 24, 2023
Our 1970 MGB Roadster has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with technician Mauro.
Mauro has been rubbing down the car after primer before prepping it for paint. Once the prep had been completed, the body of the car went into the paint booth for a new coat of paint.
Welding Work
November 15, 2023
While our 1970 MGB Roadster is in the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it has been in the car of one of our fabricators, Monty.
Monty has welded a front wing trip piece onto the car as it needed repair.
The front wings then went into the paintshop where Mauro applied epoxy primer to them.
MG B Roadster in Epoxy
November 10, 2023
The MG B Roadster is now in epoxy prime and ready for paint.
Continuation on the MG B Roadster
November 9, 2023
Mauro is continuing on with the MG B Roadster rust removal.
Investigating MG B front wing corrosion
November 8, 2023
Work begins on the front wings of our 1970 MG B Roadster project. Mauro has removed the wings to reveal some corrosion.
A Stunning new arrival
November 6, 2023
Most days of the week, we have new classics arriving at our Suffolk HQ. Today, we’ve had this stunning 1970 MGB Roadster arrive into the safe and caring hands of our classic car workshop for the team to take care of a few jobs for its adoring owner.
The car has been totally restored in the past by another restoration company, but a few little bits and pieces need addressing on the car to make sure it is in the best possible condition.
Take a look at some of the photos we snapped before moving into our restoration workshop ahead of the technicians working their magic on this beautiful 1970s sports car.
