In this section you will find some great items for the historian, restorer and mechanic. Take your time and have a good browse.
TRANSITION FROM MK I TO MK II
One of our readers (who goes by the name of ‘Pooch2’ on another website) prepared the following explanations of what he found when looking for a ’67/’68 MGB. Pooch2
PRODUCTION DETAILS
The following 2 attachments highlight details about some of the vehicles assembled in Australia. The 2nd attachment seems to be derived from the 1st attachment. Note: the correct heading for the last column is ‘Delivery Date’ NOT ‘Date Finished’ as in the 2nd attachment. Evidently these details were compiled from registration of warranty cards returned to BMC/Leyland from the dealers. Also note with the 2nd attachment, you have to deduct 4 from all years stated.
Production Details – MGCCC-1 (2)
Australian MGB Production Records-1 (2)
FACTORY PARTS MANUAL
This is the manual that was sent to the dealers. Many amendments and notes are made throughout. Thanks Garry Kemm for the contribution.
Because of its size, I had to copy it into 4 files (sorry)
INTRO.compressed
LEFT_PAGES compressed – Copy
RIGHT_PAGES – Copy
AMENDMENTS
CODES FOR BMC FASTENERS
BMC_fastener_decoder_booklet_1964
BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY HERITAGE TRUST – APPLICATION FORM
BMH_Application_Form
VIDEOS FOR SALE
A list of all the videos on sale from British Motor Industry Heritage Trust
Heritage Videos.compressed
from BMC Div Sales Bulletin BSB 13/68
LAPCO-BMC small.compressed
FACTORY PHOTOS OF BODY PANELS
MG CKD parts.compressed
Zetland assembly line
MGB MK II PRESS RELEASE
MGB MK II Press Release
MGCCQ CONCOURS MANUAL
MGCCQ Concours Manual March2007.compressed
MGB 30TH ANNIVERSARY PORTFOLIO
Portfolio Sheet.compressed
SERVICE PARTS LIST (SUPPLEMENT)
SERVICE PARTS LIST – SUPPLEMENT small.pdf
WHERE TO SEEK RESTORATION HELP
WHERE TO SEEK RESTORATION HELP
“THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS” PAPERS
Lucas technical data
allLucascurves
A COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL ADVERTISING BROCHURES
MGB1970(UK).compressed
MGB GT& V8.compressed
SPORTS OR GT.compressed
SPORTS OR GT (Australian version)
SUPERLATIVE 1.compressed
SUPERLATIVE 2 (2).compressed
SUPERLATIVE 2.compressed
MGB GT.compressed
MGC.compressed
MGB1970(UK).compressed
The MGA.compressed
TUNING SU CARBURETTORS
Tuning manual
Tuning%20SU%20Carburetters.compressed
REFERENCE BOOKS
Some handy workshop reference books
GE DIGITAL CAMERA
NUFFIELD COMMENCING CHASSIS NUMBERS
Australian Nuffield Production Data 1950s-2 (2)
A NEW ‘FANGLED’ GADGET!
CAR PRICES (1969)
PRICES
CKD ASSEMBLY MANUAL
WITH original detailed photos
mgb_ckd_assy (2)
PARTS MANUAL MICROFICHE MG TOURER, GT & V8
PARTS MANUAL MICROFICHE MG TOURER, GT & V8 (2)
SPEEDO CONVERTER
One of our readers (Richard Keats) has kindly provided the following overlay for anyone wishing to change their speedo to KPH. Simply print, cut out and place over the current MPH numbers. Thanks Richard.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE OTHER END
I received a most interesting email and attachment from the Director of the MGCC (UK).
Written in 2012, George Wilder, Director of the MGCC (UK) penned an article “…to set aside some of the myths about the Abingdon MG plant…” . The article was fact-checked by Peter Neil, the MGCC archivist. “Peter is an ex MG Apprentice who worked at Abingdon – mainly in the design field – right until the end in 1980 when he went to work for GM in the USA then came back to work on Aston Martin DB7.
You will read that by the time of the MGB, Abingdon was an assembly plant – nothing was made there – with MGB bodies arriving fully trimmed engines assembled etc. Slightly different for Midgets as you will see attached factory guide.
The Nuffield Group had developed a specialised facility at the Cowley works in Oxford (alongside the logically placed Spares Division) to assemble kits for CKD manufacture overseas of various Nuffield Group vehicles. This carried on to BMC and British Leyland days. When MG volumes increased significantly and the demand for CKD MGs started with the MGA it was at Cowley that the kits were assembled. By the time of the MGB Abingdon was just an assembly plant. There was nothing for the Abingdon Plant to add to the kits, there was no need for any parts to go to Abingdon, so Cowley bound the parts went. As you will see Abingdon did not have the facility to handle the work illustrated in the CKD manual on your website. The result is that CKD MGBs are not a product of Abingdon. The Leyland Australia letter refers to in MGB para 10 (see attached letter) cars being built and then knocked down for export. This may have been the practice when CKD production started in the late 1940s. However with the demand for greater local content in places like Australia and the volumes needed, this practice ceased and cars were truly kits rather than KD cars but the CKD name stuck.”
It is a most interesting read and helps further paint the picture for the mgb owner, of the era and the process used by BMC/Leyland.
Leyland Australia letter
FOR THOSE WHO’LL NEVER GET THERE.
Courtesy of the MGCC (UK) is the ‘Visitor’s Guide to Abingdon’
2343 Visitors’ Guide to Abingdon A5.compressed
IS YOUR CAR FAMOUS?
Was your car ever used in a TV series? Chris ‘Dr Chris’ Keating of Radio 96.5 FM, Melb sent in some fantastic photos and captions of MGBs used by Crawford Productions.
AUSTRALIAN MGB PAINT COLOURS
HALF A CAR
This is what happens when true enthusiasts put their mind to producing something spectacular.
SPECIAL TUNING FOR THE MGB
Special_Tuning_for_the_MGB
REPAIRING JAEGER & SMITHS SPEEDOMETERS
speedo
FITTING A V8 ENGINE INTO AN MGB
v8_mgb conversion
BMC ENGINE NUMBERS
QUEENSLAND DISTRIBUTOR RECORDS TO NOV, 1964
Qld Distributor MGB Sales Jun63 to Nov64
QLD MGBs Distributor Records to Nov 1964
TUNING THE 1800cc MGB
Steve Strange has kindly given permission to reprint the following. This is part of an 1800 page ‘tome’, which I will also upload, once I work out how to shrink it enough.
Thanks again Steve.
TUNING THE 1800CC MGB
DOES YOUR MGB SOUND LIKE THIS?
How your MGB should sound…
14 sounds recorded of various situations (starting, running, passing, doors opening/closing etc) recorded by the BBC sound effects department.
https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search?q=MGB
DECIMAL CURRENCY
As with all businesses during the ’60s, BMC was faced with the changeover of our currency to the decimal system (Feb 14th, 1966). The two following documents were sent to all BMC dealers to prepare them for this changeover.
THE BRITISH CAR FAMILY TREE
The following diagram clearly describes the existence of the various British cars, their amalgamation with different companies and many of their demise.
WATER PUMPS AND MORE…
John Liersch kindly sent in the following link that has a lot of interesting info about MGB water pumps (with great photos). If you look further on the link http://mgparts.co.nz/ , there’s a lot more good reading. Thanks John
INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Thanks to Ernie Young, there is an absolute plethora of information in this link that you may find interesting…
https://www.mediafire.com/file/dcgeekfeaux23np/Tech_Bulletins.zip/file
MG Production in Australia
Tom Aczel has produced another well-researched article (this time on the complete range) on MG production in Australia. The pdf attached appears courtesy of the British MG CAR CLUB, in it’s magazine – ‘SAFETY FAST’