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My 74 MG Gasser Project

417K views 3K replies 42 participants last post by  mmhotrod 
#1 ·
I had a vision of a v8 MG and then I thought of the nose in the air over an I Beam Axle rolling down the street in Gasser fashion. So last winter I started taking the car apart and building my vision. I stopped the project in April of 2012 and just picked up on it again. The first few pixs will show how much of a mess the floors were.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
just checking how much to take out of the rear end to sit under the car. Tires will have to stick out for sure but I want it to look right so I will have to take a few inches out of the rear to do it.

Automotive tire Bicycle part Gas Bicycle tire Automotive wheel system
Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Hood
Automotive tire Gas Rim Bicycle part Motor vehicle
Bumper Wood Bicycle part Auto part Composite material
Automotive tire Vehicle brake Motor vehicle Gas Auto part
 
#3 · (Edited)
next set of pics getting ready to set up the hand me down ladder bars on the rear and check measurements on the bench so I can drop it in as a unit on the leaf springs
 

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#4 ·
I love it! An MG gasser with the nose in the air will be very different! Kinda like a later version of Hugh Tucker's '28 Chevy AA/SR Roadster! Looks like you've got a 8.5" 10 bolt rear also! I'm using a modified 8.5" in my '71 Camaro, and they're very strong with the right pieces!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I started cutting all the sheet metal out and got overwhelmed so I went to the rear end so I would get a different frame of mind. kind of shift gears so to speak. The only thing that keeps me going is my vision of how funny it will be to see this matchbox car going down the road. LOL What started this whole thing going is I always wanted to build a cobra and the mg is the closest your going to get to a cobra in size.
Pics of the car the way I got it in dirty tan color
Red crazy blown version cool but not my wallet style.
red and green cool gassers from back in the day.
 

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#7 ·
some more progress. I placed the rear in position with tacked brackets in place. Haven't finished the welding yet.
Gives an idea of how wide the tires will be in the back.
 

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#8 ·
Holy *^ÂŁÂĄ that's going to be awesome ! ! So what's going to power it, small block Chevy ? Are you going to add any tube chassis, or just reinforce the factory unitized structure ?
I would do an MG before even considering a Cobra. I like the Cobra, but how many MG's you going to see, and when will you ever see one with a solid axle front. What's really cool, one State over from me ! ! :D :D
A friend of mine has one with a small block in one but other then it running you would never know it.
MMhotrods may know him, he races a Karmin Ghia and a front end nostalgia dragster, the English brothers, and dad, are a very talented crew. Kieth English use to narrow all my rear housings, and reps line my axles.
Hey good luck on this build, it's going to be cool to watch... :D
 
#9 ·
I have a 9-1 small block 350 that Im going to freshen up with a cam that put me into the 11's in the coupe. Not spending a lot of cash on this one. Promised the wife. She endured 8 yrs of my project and 3 yrs of my son's project of which you all know I had to help fund. How often does that happen?
Anyway Im not a professional builder. just grabbing the mg by he tail and running with it. Im using 2x3 tubing under the car which you will see in upcoming pix. i made a crossmember at the back vertical wall to support the front of the leaf springs and remade the perches. The ladder bars end under the
seats so I might have an ejection system but don't know it yet. LOL I need to make a frame work to drape down to meet the ladder bars front rod ends. So much to ponder in one sitting. Its fun though. Seriously I may have to loose weight to use this car. Its tight in there and the floors aren't even in there.
Guess that's the incentive I need. Thanks for all the compliments. I was kinda loosing interest because of all the energy involved but when I hear all your comments and how outrageous the project has potential to be, it perks my interest again.
thanks All
mario
 
#12 ·
Me too. Will be a lot of fun.
 
#14 ·
I agree it will be very interesting. Test of square frame work and building accuracy. Fun to see how it goes.
I made this cross member to support the leafs and found out the rear end drive shaft yoke is right behind the curve.
So I had to cut it in position and swing the curve 180 so it clears the drive shaft. The orig rear was a lot higher in the tunnel.
1 step forward and 2 steps back but its still progress.
 

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#16 ·
Thanks , I have a few more pics to catch up and bring it up to date.
 
#18 ·
more pics of last winter
I lopped off the front chassis area so I can get to the sheet metal work at the kick panels and make room for the chassis 2x3 rails.
I needed good sheet metal to weld to.
 

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#19 ·
more pics of last spring
I cut away the rest of the frame work and started replacing rocker panel sheet metal
 

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#20 ·
pics of rocker panel work
Also pic of cross member in the way of the drive shaft.
found that out after the rear went in.
 

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#21 ·
pics continued of rocker work
 

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#23 · (Edited)
MM.... I (we) have been really enjoting all the info & pictures of your MG Gasser project!!!!!

Do you have pics of the MG before you started to work on it????

How long is the wheelbase and curb weight from the factory weight????

BTW Mario: this is a reply I made in another one of your threads that I think is more appro here:

I remember an MG that was always parked next to an old fashion "Mom & Pop" Service/gas station (remember those???) ..... it was an MGA -in brown primer - carbs sticking up (no hood) ..... never thought it ran until one day I saw "white shoe polish" on the windshield and all over its body.

At that time there were NO dragstrips in the Pittsburgh area so most hot rodders just raced on the street rather than figure out a way to get a car 100 miles or more to a dragstrip. This was in the "early sixties" so back then in addition to most "hot rodders" not have any $$$$, trailers, etc there were also NO major highways to travel on like we take for granted today. So the "street" was the place most drag racing took place.

We did not have any place to drag race until 1963 when we raced at Heildelburg Race Way (an oval track) on the 1/8 mile straight away portion of the dirt track.... yes "dirt !!!!" The following year Pittsburgh International Dragway opened ('64 until '76).....

Never got the chance to talk to the owner about that MG & then one day it just disappeared. Still is a fond memory of how it "used to be".

This story is just one of the many reasons for the phrase I use in my signature.... "Those were the days.........."

Such a "sad commentary" where drag racing as we once knew it has gone.
 
#42 ·
Hey John,
I just measured the wheel base from center cap to center cap and I go 83 approximately with out someone holding it for me.
So I have less than you said. thats a whopping 8 inches less. LOl
mario
 
#24 · (Edited)
Glad you enjoy the pics. I love posting them.
Yes I saw that response in the other thread about the mg race car.
I posted a pic of the car In the beginning thread. 3 pix one of the blower car and the red road course car. The 3rd is my car before I picked it up in Connecticut. The dark tan yellow color. Almost mustard color.
I think it's 85 or 87 inches at the wheel base. Memory not as good as it use to be. I remember measuring original centers to locate the wheel in the opening.
As far as the curb weight , don't have a clue. LOL way too technical for me. LOL
 
#25 ·
......I think it's 85 or 87 inches at the wheel base. Memory not as good as it use to be. I remember measuring original centers to locate the wheel in the opening.......As far as the curb weight , don't have a clue. LOL way too technical for me. LOL
I looked up the "factory specs" ....... wheelbase is 91" - curb weight is 2141 lbs..... another mini-gasser!!!!
 
#28 ·
I wish the build was that easy. LOL
 
#30 ·
love the Opel, that looks great. you know I used to have a 68 2dr opel cadet years ago when I bought my first house. It was given to me all banged up on the driver side but I drove it anyway.
Got amazing gas mileage with that thing back and forth to work. Wish I still had that thing.
There it is in the driveway in the pic.
 

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#31 ·
You sure never saw the Opel Kadett in the coupe version anywhere! I saw a lot of the fastbacks, and when I met my wife her dad had two of them. He eventually junked them both out, even drove one to the wrecking yard! Wish I'd had the foresight to know how rare they'd be today!



There's a nice clean '69 for sale here locally for $2500, but it's too nice to chop up.
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/3520660909.html
 
#35 ·
You sure never saw the Opel Kadett in the coupe version anywhere! I saw a lot of the fastbacks, and when I met my wife her dad had two of them. He eventually junked them both out, even drove one to the wrecking yard! Wish I'd had the foresight to know how rare they'd be today!


Vall....Same here in PA..... rarely saw a coupe.... Except when I was in Germany when I was stationed there ('67 - '68) Really liked the Ralley Kadette.

When I came back to the states I kept my '61 Chevy for a year or so then bought a '68 Rallye Kadette (gold w/black stripes). Was working & going to school at night. It was great on gas but not long after buying it I got "muscle car fever" & traded in it for a '67 Camaro.

Back then we rarely took pictures of anything.... when we did I had them made into "slides".... so I have NO pictures of the Opel and not many of the Camaro.

MM.... for you to have a pic of your Opel is amazing to me.


Even more amazing is that I own another Opel.
 
#32 · (Edited)
more pics of the kick panel repairs. My friend Gary had some steel shelving that was 2'x2'
16 guage thick. He asked me if I could use some sheets for the mg. there you have it.
never throw away any steel. any steel.
you never know.
The best thing about this project is anything goes. No restoration to stock is necessary. I make it look decent and all is great.
I kept the width of the front the same by taking a measurement and making sure it doesn't cup on me so the front fenders line up
with the rockers and cowl area.
You also get a good shot of the upside down cross member. I will show the flip on that a little later. What a shame. I made that member
really strong by plug welding plates on the inside as well as welding all around.
 

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#34 · (Edited)
thanks. LOL I know it must be strange in fast forward. These pics came from last spring so we are getting close to the present. Just a few more to go and then we get to the vega steering box vs rack and pinion.

Here I started boxing 2x3 frame and started with the outside perimeter and the end piece is only temp. I want to run rails from the ladder bars up to the front after I do the perimeter so I know all is squared up.
I have good kick panel metal to weld to now as well.
 

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