Happy Monday, Autopians! Today we’re venturing into the weeds to take a look at a couple of rough but saveable projects. Those of you who like your cars intact and running probably won’t like these much. But first, of course, we need to see which one of Friday’s “Catalina Cadillacs” you chose:
And it’s the purple Western. Personally, I kinda dig that Yamaha, but I can see the appeal of the Western too.
All right then. It’s getting too cold out for golf carts anyway. It’s time to start making indoor plans. Garages count as indoors, right? If your garage is looking a little empty, here we have a pair of cheap projects to keep you busy. Let’s see which one you prefer.
1968 MGB GT – $1,275
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter OHV inline 4, 4 speed manual, RWD
Location: Placerville, CA
Odometer reading: 80,000 miles
Runs/drives? Nope
In 1965, the British Motor Coropration wanted to create a hardtop version of the popular MGB. Several design houses were approached, but in the end it was Pininfarina of Italy who created the winning formula. Instead of sticking to the MGB’s low windshield, Pininfarina made it 4 inches taller, and gave the car a long roof ending in a fastback hatch. BMC executives were so taken by Pininfarina’s design that they put the car into production with virtually no changes.
This is a car that I am intimately familiar with, and I can tell you a few things about this one. First, it’s not as rusty as it looks. The little spot on the dogleg just in front of the rear wheel is a little concerning, but the one door sill we can see looks clean. I’d want to check the firewall and cowl carefully, and it might need floors, but structurally it’s probably solid.
The 1.8 liter BMC B-series engine is simple and easy to work on, and as long as it spins freely, it shouldn’t be too hard to revive. The carbs are off, but the sale includes both the original twin SUs as well as the popular Weber DGV aftermarket setup. My advice: Rebuild the SUs. They’re simple, reliable, and they belong. There’s no mention of an overdrive on the 4 speed manual; if it is there, it’s a desirable option. An MBG GT without overdrive on the freeway is a noisy little monster.
Inside, it’s, well, trashed. But that’s all fixable – it just takes money. In fact, that’s true of pretty much everything that might be wrong with this car. That’s the advantage of restoring a well-liked mass-production car; parts are not hard to find.
Really, this doesn’t look like too bad of a starting point at all. Yes, it needs a little bit of everything, but everything is available. And it will be a hoot to drive when it’s done.
1979 BMW 733i – $1,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.2 liter SOHC inline 6, 3 speed automatic, RWD
Location: Sacramento, CA
Odometer reading: 179,000 miles
Runs/drives? Not for almost 30 years
Is a small British sports car with a little Italian flair not your style? Then how about this old German autobahn bomber? The E23 chassis & 7 series was BMW’s biggest and baddest in 1979, an executive saloon if there ever was one. It’s powered by a 3.2 liter version of the venerable M30 inline six, backed by a US-friendly automatic transmission (sorry).
This 7er hasn’t been on the road since Reality Bites was in theaters, so it will take some work to bring it back to life. You can probably assume every gasket and hose is suspect. But the good news is that it’s all there, and the body looks fine. The interior, however… It’s actually almost impressive what 30 years of sitting around in the California sun will do to leather. I’ll bet it cracks and flakes if you so much as touch it, like a mummy.
This isn’t a particularly valuable BMW, and while it was a nice car in its day, it’s nothing to write home about now. But it could be a rewarding project if you like to wrench and are willing to spend some time ripping stuff apart. As has been said many times, there is no such thing as a cheap BMW, but maybe it’s cheaper if you start with one that needs everything?
Obviously, either of these cars will probably keep you busy for longer than one winter. But it’s as good a time to start as any, right? Who ya got?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I’ll take the MGB because it’s small and squirrely and weird and easy to work on.
There’s nothing that I like about any BMW.
The MGB! It’s an early enough car that it probably has a high-compression engine. Get Joe Curto to rebuild the SUs, replace the head gasket, and you’re probably in business. (I mean… other than the hydraulics and the almost certainly rotted sills.)
MGB, because I wanted one back in the day, and because I wanted even more a certain girl in college who had one. And because low/no tech.
Old German plastic tends to disintegrate into dust, and many of the plastic and electronic bits are now made of unobtanium unless you can find a salvage source (which comes with its own issues). I’ll take the B, since it’s only slightly more complicated than my bicycle and falls squarely into the “slow car driven fast” corral.
As the owner of an MGB Roadster I would definitely go with the GT. Cheap to run and 100% in the fun category.
I would keep the cash
Although the MGB is definitely simpler, more fun, and infinitely easier to work on and a better candidate, I voted BMW, because for me both of these are unsalvageable, and the question devolves to “would you like to lose $1000 or $1250?”
MGB GT all the way – not because it is the coolest MG (or even MGB, that would be the pre-rubber grill convertable), but because it is achievable.
The MGB is about as complex as a stone hammer, small, simple, you don’t even need an engine hoist as the whole engine only weighs about 100 lbs.
all you need to fix everything that could ever be wrong with that car is a socket set, a hammer, a $99 stick welder from Harbor Freight a wire stripper and a healthy respect for the Dark Lord (Lucas)
it will cost you more and take you more time just to fix the jacked interior of that 733 than it will take for a frame off resto of the MGB.
forgot to add:
Also, a slightly ratty MGB has is cool and has character. a slightly ratty 733 is just slightly ratty. if you are going to do the 733, it needs to be factory perfect to be cool.
Mix that MGB with a 289 Ford power plant, transmission, running gear. Weld a folding chair in place for the driver’s seat. Update your life insurance. Enjoy.
Restoring the BMW gets you a very classy car, and one the best of BMW’s styling. It’s going to take more money than you can imagine. Hidden frustrations lurk everywhere. Also, do you have a talent and fetish for recreating leather upholstery?
But because cars have come so far since this BMW was new, what you have when you’re done is a German version of a Buick sedan. You’d be better off buying a high mileage Lexus GS or IS.
While this 7 series is from the best era of BMW styling, I don’t value the BMW’s appearance that much. And I’d much rather have a 3 or a 5.
I never liked the look of MGB GTs as much as the other British makes and models, but I would gladly enjoy one. They’re what I like, but just not what I favor.
The MG is simple, easy to repair, cheap to own, and very impractical. The best kind of project car. After you get it running properly, there’s almost nothing mechanical to break that you can’t fix over a weekend once the parts arrive. It’ll be a lot worse than almost every modern car, but at least it’ll be fun and cheap.
As a former owner of a ’78 MGB I got PTSD just reading this post. I spent 1.5 seconds imaging loading that crate up on a trailer and it brought back flashbacks… I need to go lie down somewhere dark and quite for a while… CP
Haha. Working on an MGB (78, as well) right now and every week, I have a list of parts for the local British parts guy.
I say this the proud (insane?) owner of a 74 Midget and 69 MGC-GT:
MG
Is
Always
The
Answer
MGC-GT? Very cool. That’s a rare bird, right?
People keep saying there’s no such thing as a cheap BMW, but that’s complete bullshit. Parts prices are completely reasonable. There are many quality aftermarket suppliers with competitive pricing. If it’s a manufacturer part you need, it’s easy to find it at 20-40% below MSRP from actual BMW dealers through their online parts stores. Even your local BMW parts counter will give you a discount if you’re a BMW CCA member.
If you have to pay for labor, then it will cost you. However that’s true of any used car.
You are right about parts, absolutely. The worry with the 1979 733 is that I’m pretty sure it was still a “thermal reactor” car at birth, and there’s a good chance it was parked with a cracked or warped aluminum head. If so, I’m afraid I’d have to try to the BGT going and look elsewhere for my Paul Bracq fix.
If I still lived practicly between Placerville and Sac, I’d buy that BGT today.
I like a BMW, probably more than the next guy, but that’s not the one I would pick to dive into. You’d need an entire interior and to replace anything that moved or was a petrochemical material.
All that and you’d be left with a fairly slow, roly-poly sedan with a terrible transmission.
The MG you could probably get back out what you put in.
While I’m not the greatest fan of MGBs — or BGTs — I’d still go for the Octagon Car first. They are, as has been said, simple to work on, and parts are available. If the engine has any hidden faults, a Rover/Buick V8 would fix a lot of woes, and make it a nicer cruiser.
The BMW? Really nice, but also really complicated, and getting the parts to put it on the road is going to be pricey. Also: automatic trans., something no BMW should have.
MG hands down. I look at it this way: I’d spend $10-15k getting either of these to the point of being a fun weekend ride. The BMW would certainly be the more comfortable cruiser, but I suspect it would also consume another $1-2k per year to keep it that way, while the MG, once on the road, should be cheap to maintain. The straight 6 is a much smoother & more powerful engine, but I’ll take a simple, cheap, and light manual car over a faster and heavy money-sucking auto.
Came to say the same. $10,000 or so to make it nice when you can buy a nice example for less. Not a lot of B-GT’s in my area but several roadsters under $9,000 that from the photos look very good.
I am sure that the BMW, when restored, would be a better car in most measurable ways. But I have so many happy memories of bombing around country back roads in my 79 Midget back in high school, I just can’t say no to the MG. I know Midget =/= MGB GT. I know much of the wonderfulness of the Midget came from the convertible top. But I’ve always thought a GT would be fun. And I suspect the simplicity of the MGB GT would make it a lot easier to work on than the Bimmer. MGB GT all the way!
Gotta love the MGBGT. If I only had room for it…..
Bimmer, with a Hurricrate engine swap.
Shark Nose, doo-doo, doo-doo
Shark Nose, doo-doo, doo-doo
Shark Nose, doo-doo, doo-doo
Shark Nose
I’m all in on the BMW for a couple of reasons. #1 I’m almost certainly too tall for the MGB. #2 The proportions of that MGB are all wrong to my eyes. It’s too tall, it’s too stubby, it looks remarkable fat for a tiny hatchback. #3 That shark nosed BMW is just so classically handsome. #4 As I age I suppose I’m more inclined toward a grand touring car rather than a sports car. BMW it is!
MGB-GTs look a lot better in person than in these pictures – they are really handsome cars and they have a decent amount of headroom.
Yeah those pics are terrible. Who uses a Dutch angle to sell a used car?
MG for sure. I had a ’67 MGB-GT and so have a soft spot for them. Positive ground. Lucas electric. Two 6-volt batteries under the back “seat”. Voltage inverter so that I could mount an FM converter. Power nothing. Rust. I loved this thing and miss it. Fond memories of my high school years.
The MG is like a tractor compared to the BMW in terms of complexity. It looks a bit more friendly to get moving, and would be pretty unique in my neck of the woods. I’ll go with the GT.
The difference in complexity and ease of repair is such that the MG will be on the road and bombing corners before the Bimmer even gets the engine out to be examined.
I suppose if it comes with those two new tires in the boot, I might reconsider, but otherwise it is really just an oddly proportioned station wagon with Lucas electrics.
There are several people out there that have squished Miata subframes and drivetrains under an MGB GT. I want to join their ranks.
Is 95 hp and ancient suspension not good enough for you, Mr. Fancy-Pants?