Basic 'B - Winter Preparation


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Extract from November/December's NAMGBR publication - MGB Driver
The first in a new series especially for beginners...

PREPARING FOR WINTER

Now that winter is here it's a good idea to inspect your MGB and give it a thorough cleaning underneath. At present I'm restoring a 1968 BGT and have just finished replacing the sills and the wings. As the car is now 28 years old you would expect to have to replace these items.

What surprised me was that, apart from the two exposed ends, the rest of the sill (internally) was like new! So that led me to believe that if the previous owner had paid attention to these areas, the sills and wings would now probably not need replacing.

Here comes the commercial Waxoyl! When Waxoyling the sills, make sure the tube goes right to the end of the sills, that's the end of the footwell at the front and the front face of the rear wheelarch at the back. Make sure you put plenty of Waxoyl in. Then remove the paneling directly behind and at the side of the seats to give access to the inner sills and inside face of the front section of the rear wing. Give these areas good quantities of Waxoyl and remember the sill is in two halves, inner and outer, again copious quantities of u-know-what in here as well!

The front wings are great mud traps. If you run your hand up the footwell face, inside the wheel arch, you will feel a ledge. On top of this ledge there's usually a good accumulation of mud, soil, etc. Clean out this area and let it dry. Then give it a good Waxoyling. You could underseal it but that does not stop rust which has already Waxoyl will! Also remove the mudshield in the wing and again spray Waxoyl into the area behind it.

Colin Hall, UK MGB Register

TWO MORE ITEMS FOR WINTER ANTI-FREEZE AND ELECTRICS

The first is perhaps obvious, but the consequences of frost damage are somewhat expensive and easily avoided if you check the specific gravity of your coolant as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions.

The second item is worthy of mention since electrical faults are one of the most common causes of winter breakdowns. It's all too easy with MGB batteries to fall into the "out of out of mind" trap. It's a few minutes well spent to check electrolyte levels, and clean all connections including the earth strap. This done, liberally smear the terminals with Vaseline.

Then, using a meter (clever stuff!) or turning the starter with the headlights on (Please send me a meter!) and watching the effect, will tell you whether the batteries are well charged. If they aren't, charge them up and, as important, especially if your MGB has an alternator instead of a dynamo, find out why they aren't! All a bit basic but we make no apology for this since not only do common things occur but they are easily preventable and a reminder never comes amiss.

Malcolm Thomas, UK MGB Register

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