MG B Mk II

This car, although a one owner from new, was sitting out in the open in a garden in a suburb of Cape Town for 13 years. There were rust holes in the bodywork that you could put your hands through. When I went to collect it with a trailer it was found that it had been parked all those years ago with the handbrake left on. There was no way that the car was going to roll out of the garden and up the trailer. With plenty of Muscle power the car was manhandled into the street and using dish washing liquid under the flat rear tyres, the car was winched up on to the trailer.

Once the brakes were completely reconditioned and the tyres pumped up, it was decided to see if the engine would start. Some clean petrol, new plugs and after each cylinder had 50 ml of diesel squirted in them 24 hours previous, teh plugs were replaced and with a new battery, the engine fired after its third try.

After changing all oils and liquids the car was taken out for a test run and with a few minor faults, the car ran well. So much so, that as there was a car show to be held in a town some 80 kilometres away, I decided that the car had to attend. The car was taken on the road with the original tyres that had been flat for many years and the original steel silencer that was still doing its job, sort of. I think most of the baffles had disintegrated. At the show, the car won a prize for the best wreck of the show, but since then I have had all of the rust completely removed, some new panels fitted and a complete respray.

Was it worth it? Financially no, but I feel that saving one classic from the scrap heap is worthwhile and I do enjoy driving it.