First MGB Exported to Malta
First MGB Exported to Malta
| A much awaited moment finally arrived: My 1964 MGB Roadster was completely finished from a whole stripdown restoration. I can assure you that restoring to original specification was not in the least an easy task. Let me tell you the whole story.
It all started when as a teenage schoolboy my mates and I used to walk a mile or so to school, all the way discussing the subject of our passion – sports cars. We all considered ourselves experts on sportscars and modified engines. One day the topic turned to MGBs which was confirmed to be the best affordable sports car and who can argue with that? However, I remember saying that I would not want just an MGB but a MK1 roadster, an early model, as early as it could be. I did not want a seventies model and even less, a rubber bumper MGB. However, in my whole life I had never expected that one day I was going to own the very first one exported to Malta. Thoughts about MGBs rested for a while but were never forgotten. Throughout the years I have indeed restored various cars, moving on from type to type when the job was finished. The first car I restored was a Morris 1000, followed by a Morris Marina, a Land Rover Series111 and the hardest chore of all, a Mini (actually it was the front part of one Mini attached to the back part of another). I had thought that this was the last car that I would ever restore, since it was so time consuming and I have about two other dozen of hobbies to deal with (to mention a few: show dogs and birds, gardening, body building, water sports, music, photography, etc, etc.) and my printing business and a family, all taking a whole lot of my life, leaving me little time for anything else. My mind was definitely not set on another restoration. It’s cheaper to buy a new car and drive it until it breaks (my 4×4 Suzuki and my wife’s Peugeot never have yet). Then one day, on 15th August 1996, my wife Rita, daughter Yasmin and myself went to a village fiesta to visit some relatives and see the fireworks, and there it was, in a used car showroom, right in the front, a very shiny Black 1964 MGB Roadster. I could not stop staring. It was the one I had always dreamt of – a definite must have! All those years looking at MGBs I had never found one as early as this. The day being a public holiday, the showroom was closed at the time.
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| Asking some questions about the car to the dealer’s son, who incidentally was my wife’s cousin. I found out that the car had been traded in just a couple of hours before by an elderly man who wanted a small saloon. I also learnt that the car had been unused and garaged for a couple of years. After a restless night, dreaming about the car, I had to go back and get a closer look at MGB 064 (it couldn’t have a better number plate).
On the outside, the car appeared to be very sound, the trim was perfect although the seat covers had been changed. On the whole it looked good. When I looked at the engine bay however, it was another story. |
| The engine was painted in an ugly looking green and the engine compartment was finished with black underseal paint. It looked utterly tatty, but starting the engine and going for a test drive, it felt perfect. The only thing I could complain about were the rear shocks, but I was assured that with all the time it had stayed garaged, the fluid in the original shock absorbers had completely drained. Anyway, a deal was made and the car was finally in my possession. As I already had three cars, one of them had to go and this would have to be the Mini. I felt really sorry for it, after all that time working on it, but seeing the MGB in my garage utterly made up for the loss.
The first couple of months owning the MGB were spent running around on short trips showing off and fixing small things like balancing the drive shaft (as it gave a little vibration over 70mph), greasing and changing of suspension bushes, brake pads, and so on. I decided that, as soon as I had some time and money to spare, to start a strip down restoration. I started buying some parts but as I could not find any new parts locally, I had to import everything from the UK. Various MGOC suppliers were the source for the body parts, accessories, and a long wished for new set of chrome wire-wheels. Soon the garage was filled with body parts and accessories. Stripdown restoration started on November 1997. Taking the engine out and checking for any worn items, resulted in the discovery that apart from a new set of gaskets, new thermostat and minor stuff like that, it needed nothing else. For the body I wanted a perfect job, and this could only be achieved if stripped back to bare metal. The engine bay, the boot and doors were sand blasted and mended where needed. Floor plans, front wings, front and rear valances were replaced, but the biggest job lay behind the engine and the gearbox tunnel. At some time or other, the previous owners had fitted a bigger engine, (probably a V8 from the looks of it), did not like it and refitted the original engine again. Sadly the job was not done professionally and the damage on the bulkhead and gearbox tunnel had not been restored properly. Being the perfectionist that I am, everything had to be as original and as perfect as possible. All the above work was done by a friend of mine, Sammy, a panel beater by trade, but he prefers to fly his plane instead of working. Although we quarreled often, because he took so long to finish, it seemed that he was going to take forever but in the end everything was done perfectly and to my approval. By this time, I had decided that the car should be finished in Tartan Red, as it was always my favourite colour. I was convinced that it was the original colour, as under the black paint, red was clearly visible, as was what I thought to be a very light blue primer. Only when I received a Production Record Trace Certificate from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, I learnt that its original colour was Iris Blue, one of the less common colours on early Bs. It also had wire wheels and months since MK1 seats are a bit rare. Late September 1998 saw the MGB moving to another stage. The body work was finished, so the spray painting booth at Charles Gas was getting ready for action. We decided to start from the engine bay, luggage boot and interior of the car and finish the outer shell. Charlie had not expected me to be so fussy about the finish, even of the floor boards. These too had to be finished perfectly even though they were going to be covered by carpets after all. I wanted everything to be tip-top finish, especially the engine bay. After these parts were completed, work on the exterior started, followed by fine sanding and looking from every possible angle so that all panels appear to be lined up neatly. All this took some time but everything was ready on Christmas Eve 1998. We then moved up another step. The MGB was towed on a trailer on 4th January 1999 to Vince’s Garage for the mechanical parts to be fitted. The engine was cleaned and painted and I took all the new parts that I had purchased bit by bit. What a lot of things come out from just one car! With the experience Vince and his brother have, all the little detailed parts, being spacers, bump stops, rubber bushes, cables etc., soon found their place. After exactly two months MGB 064 was ready for the electrics and upholstery. Real leather was purchased, so that everything would be to the original optimum standards, even the light blue piping had to be as close to the original light blue. The upholstery work was put in the capable hands of Mr Ciangura, as I knew that his professional experience, passed on from his father would be an asset.
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May 1999 Full stripdown restoration finished
With navigator Leonard Vassallo during a two day rally on the 12th & 13th June 1999
| All this was finished by late April. All that needed to be done was now to convert the wheels from steel back to the original wire wheels and setting the valves and carburettors. This was done by late May; to be exact on Sunday 30th May 1999. I spent all day driving around our little island cherishing my MGB 064. As the weather was perfect I could not tuck it away in the garage but I kept driving from place to place well through the evening.
Today looking forward to many happy hours MG motoring, my only wish is to meet my baby’s first owner and exchange the experiences of the MG. Since Malta is a very small island and everyone seems to know everyone else this should not be a problem. NB: The inaugurating event for my prized project was a two day rally drive through the Maltese Islands, Malta and Gozo. With navigator Leonard Vassallo, we were placed a respectable 6th place out of 35 classic cars. This rally organised by our Old Motors Club was held on the 12th and 13th of June and was indeed a great success. Emmanuel Cachia |
During our two-day rally in June