Edmund Schultz's Journal

Thought it was time to start a post. Seems like a good place to keep track of changes I have made and what I plan to do. I am from New York so this might be a little windy.

This is my 3rd MGB roadster. I bought my first MG when I was in the Navy in Moffett Field, Ca back in 1972. It was a 67 and I really got hooked on MGs after that car. There were several of us that had LBCs including an MGB-GT, TR3, MGC, and a Spitfire. The one item on that B I really liked was an electric OD. With all of the highway driving we were doing it came in handy. Once a family came along and my new civilian company transferred me overseas it was bye bye. A sad day!

The second B I owned was in Jax FL. It was a 67 and I bought it in 1982. It was a fun car but, as with the early 67 a job transfer caused me to sell it.

All this time I kept my MG manuals and my wife kept asking why I was lugging them around. I only smiled!

Several years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. We decided to move back east (Maine) to be closer to family. Besides the doctor in Minnesota told me I had 3-7 years and I should go home and live my life. Sounds like he said to go home and die! The new oncologist in Maine said I was a good candidate for a stem cell transplant and we went down to Dana Farber and the doctor there said I was a candidate. I lived on infusions for a while and the transplant was scheduled for November 2015. I was also looking for an MG as I was retired and looking for a project. We found a 74B through my wife's brother. He knew about the car and new the owner who was considering selling it. Also turns out that my wife's other brother who passed away 5 years ago painted this car. My wife have the OK after hearing that and the car was in my garage the next day (Sept 2015)......with an alternator on order. The original one died on the way home. To be expected. I got to drive it for a few weeks until it got close to time for my procedure and time to get it ready for storage. While I was driving it I noticed that I had trouble shifting it. Needed a new clutch cylinder. Save that for when I got out of the hospital.

Put it in storage in the garage and underwent my procedure. Got home on December 18th and went thru my recovery. Thinking about that car in the garage and going thru the Moss Motors and British Victoria catalogs really helped keep my mind going and was a big influence on my recovery.

Started getting my energy back in May so I was able to start under the hood. Replaced the clutch cylinder that was bad and took the car out for a few drives. Noticed the radiator was leaking and while it could have been brazed it was a 40+ year old unit so I replaced it with a new one and all new hoses, thermostat, and a new oil cooler. I also bought a new seal kit as all of the seals were bad and some were missing. I cleaned up the hood track and got some matching paint and cleaned up the paint.

Next projects include trying to figure out the switches on the center console (not standard), clean up with wiring under the hood and perhaps install an electronic ignition.

Fortunately my health is improving. I've taken the car to one show with the Mid Maine Sports Car Club and going to another one this Sunday.

Will keep the next posts a little shorter!

Ed

Been a while since I posted something in my journal so thought it was time for an update. The 74 B is doing fine. At the end of the2016 driving seasone I had replaced the cooling system and the clutch slave cylinder. Got it bled and the car ran great. When it came time for the 2017 season to start I thought about installing a Pertronix ignition system, a new steering wheel and a new radio. Got the ignition system and steering wheel installed. Radio is going in now. Over the winter I plan to clean up the wiring under the bonnet. When the car was painted 16 years the color went from a mustard yellow to a green. The under bonnet area was not painted green but was spray bombed black. Never, ever do this! If you don't plan to paint the under bonnet area the same color as the exterior leave it the original color. That at least keeps everything clean. The black paint covered everything including all the wiring so trying to figure out the color code on the wire is near impossible. The wiring can be cleaned up but it takes a little time and elbow grease. Once the wiring is cleaned then I plan to replace the existing Lucas fuse panel as even that was painted. I'm surprised the electrical has worked all this time.

Not sure what else I may consider doing. I may have it reprinted. The 16 year old garage paint job look OK but it's what I call a 3 foot paint job. Get any closer and you can see the imperfections. A lot of the trim was masked and should have been removed. I talked to my brother-in-law about doing the job and also said I would remove as much trim as I could. We'll see what it may cost before moving ahead.

The car mechanically is in good shape and the interior is in great shape so not sure what will be next on the adgenda. Will keep everyone posted.