MGF freebie

I went to our local barbers the other day for a cut and ended up, somehow, with a free MGF.

The barber had bought this car about 4 years ago and hadn't really done any mileage in it, but the other day, the worst happened and it lost its coolant. Thinking the usual K-series issue of head gasket, the top of the engine was stripped to find that, actually, the liners had freed themselves and the engine was pretty much toast. Rather than pay for an expensive fix, he remembered that I had a set of spanners and offered it to me!

So today, a couple of local mechanics delivered this to my driveway;



















It's a '97 VVC (145bhp) model with a great deal of the options ticked. Expecting it to be ropey, I've had a good look round and the shell seems exceptionally well preserved with only a small patch of sill rot evident.

It's also British Racing Green so it's going to be repaired. Granted, it will never handle like the Puma, but it is well worth renovating and the styling has aged well.

So, I'm a two hair-dresser car bloke (one of which was owned by a hair dresser)!

In all honesty though, I will be bunging him some money as it's too good for a freebie.

Niceeeeeeee!

Come to think of it, why has noone ever given me a car fro free?! :?:

Just lucky I guess! This situation stems from a simple act of humanity a few years ago that the chap was grateful for. So I guess I just did the right thing?!

Utterly chuffed with it to be honest - it's a really straight example.

I really like these cars, a lot of people deride them but I think they're cool.

I think they were the perfect homage to classic British sports cars - inherent engine problems, leaky roof, made out of other cars of unlikely providence (it's basically a Metro turned back-to-front) and developed on a shoestring budget.

As mentioned, the styling has aged really very well and the K-series are lovely engines when they work.

Lovely colour, hope you get it all sorted, been after one of these myself as head gasket problems mean a lot of them get abandoned in driveways for what is or can be a very simple fix..

Your freebie also has the much nicer mesh grill, so much better than the slotted design they did

Sadly, this one is beyond a simple fix, but the body is too good to just let crumble. It's also a great colour and spec and my daughters are already deeply in love with it. Our eldest (7) asked if she can have it when she learns to drive, which is either a genuine naive kids comment or a slightly dark comment on the speed of my renovation projects.

Wow, Congratulations!! :grin:
I think they're great little cars, I've had mine for about 5 years now...and don't knock the handling till you've tried it, 145bhp, mid engine, RWD. In the dry it sticks to the road like $*** to a blanket ...now in the wet, that's a different story, I try not to drive mine in the wet :wink:
Good luck with the resto :grin:

Damn you must spend fortunes on blue rinses to get a free car, my barber gives me a free cut once a year if Ive been a good boy and remembered to get my card stamped each time I get a cut :grin:

Very nice car! For years I was after one but somehow I never pulled the trigger. I like the fact that they are not the obvious choice (MX-5) but simultaneously this exactly is what kept me back (making the unreasonable choice).

It is the best MGF colour-interior combo to my eyes. Looking forward to see the progress with this!

Alex

The Arch Bishop said:

I think they were the perfect homage to classic British sports cars - inherent engine problems, leaky roof, made out of other cars of unlikely providence (it's basically a Metro turned back-to-front) and developed on a shoestring budget.

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Epic! :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

Wow! There's a lot of love for the old MGs on this forum then! I was awaiting the harbingers of doom telling tales of head gasket woe to be honest!

I've had a crack at the bonnet this evening - the paintwork is a mass of car wash swirls. Clayed, scratch-X'd, super resin polish and some wax really brought it up nicely! Just a little tester to gather some motivation! Also tried some SRP on the opaque plastic rear screen which made a massive difference.

This is the fun bit of a project just before you are swallowed up in a world of rounded bolts, seized fittings and empty pockets...

I've always liked these, but compared to an MX-5, the driving position is woeful - you sit on it rather than in it.

Still, can't complain as a freebie! Great MX-5 alternative k:

I know what you mean Neil, but I've discovered you need to recline the seat a bit and develop a gentle slouch, then your eye-line isn't directly on the windscreen header bar.

It feels a lot more modern inside than an MX5 and they unbelievably seem to hold off the rust better.

The Arch Bishop said:

you need to recline the seat a bit and develop a gentle slouch

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This is how I always drive, no idea if that's a good thing but it tends to relax my driving attitude I find. 8)

I've been investigating K-series specialists recommended by one of the MGF forums. First one I called didn't get out of bed unless you commissioned him with a head gasket to fix and wouldn't come out to evaluate the state of the existing engine.

The second one who is a little closer seems keener saying that reseating liners isn't a problem and to give him a call to discuss so I'll be giving him a ring tomorrow! If I can get the work done without dropping the engine, it should reduce the overall cost of getting it back up and running. If not, I'll make a call to the bank of Dad (still a valid option even when you're nearing 40). :lol:

Really loving this little car. Has an old but decent Sony head unit unit and half a tank of fuel and it looks pretty sat on the drive.

Hi AB
Head gasket swaps and other works are fraught with difficulties on this engine as a lot have been cooked and not worth re-commissioning. If you can find an engine that's come out of a Lotus or a Caterham via an engine swap you might be better off as they might have been built with the uprated gasket set and dowels in the first place.
Barry

This guy is a specialist on repairing K-series and is well regarded. Basically, I've asked him to evaluate the current engine to see if it has been cooked and warped. If so, it's likely he will have another or will know some good sources to find a known engine. Whatever goes in will have a HG swap along with the water pump and cambelt.

Hi AB
It sounds like you're doing the right thing with this. It's a shame about the HG issues on this engine because there are a lot of good things about it, especially the light weight and the amount of revs/power it can produce. It was the engine of choice in the Caterham R500 before the 2.0L Duratec came along (the VHPD version). I think if you look further there may be some issues with the thermostat or housing causing thermal shock which can be improved as well.
Barry

I Had a Rover 416 years ago that had the 1600cc K-series and I remember that it was a cracking engine - revy and broad-chested considering the capacity. Rest of the car was dreadful however.

I've been doing a bit of reading up about them though, and it seems that it was well designed and poorly executed. The packaging in the MGF did it no favours either, but they can be made far sturdier I'm told!