mikes a40 Michael Crane Raleigh, NC (13 posts) Registered: 09/17/2013 06:49PM Main British Car: 3 '73 TR6s, 2 Austin Devons, 1 Austin A40 Sports |
75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
I have a 79 B for sale. A prospective buyer wants to know what differences there are between it and a 75 or 76 model as far as the body, engine mounts, and radiator etc. I had heard that the 77-80 models were made for the V8. Are the radiators moved forward and the engine mounts different? Thanks for the help.
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ex-tyke Graham Creswick Chatham, Ontario, Canada (1165 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:17AM Main British Car: 1976 MGB Ford 302 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
The most obvious differences that come to mind........'77-'80 rads moved ahead by about 6" with twin pusher electric fans, motor mounts are the same as '75/'76, different dash and steering wheel, 2 speed heater motor, .....& some minor differences.
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MG wanna B edward davidson mount olive,n.c. (96 posts) Registered: 11/20/2013 07:47PM Main British Car: 1977 mgb 2.8 l gm v6 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
yea,
heater control, and flasher location is in the dash, vs, the console on the 77- 80, the horn is in the turn signal arm, vs the steering wheel, the headlight switches are different, column, vs, dash, and, i think the wiper is different, too. you're also correct about the radiator mounts. |
rntanner Roger Tanner (4 posts) Registered: 04/02/2013 05:59PM Main British Car: 1977 MGB None-proposed GM 3.4L V6 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
Yes, the 1977 through 1980 MGBs have a wider body space on each side of the engine, for the Rover V8.
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Moderator Curtis Jacobson Portland Oregon (4577 posts) Registered: 10/12/2007 02:16AM Main British Car: 71 MGBGT, Buick 215 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
Abingdon started serial production of "factory" MGB GT V8s before the end of 1973, and production of that model tapered off before the 1977 model year, so it's inaccurate to say changes were made to 1977 through 1980 cars to make room for V8 engines. It's just plain wrong to say or imply that 1977 cars have wider engine bays than 1975 cars. Go to the photo gallery and compare photos! You'll have no problem seeing for yourself that the "apron" (a.k.a. "inner fender") stamping was unchanged through all the years discussed in this thread. Compare 1974 cars with 1974.5 GT's (or 1975 roadsters) to see exactly how MG changed the front inboard corner of the footboxes (and also changed the shelf that master cylinders sit on, and also changed the steering column pass-thru details).
Yes, changes up front (radiator shelf, etc.) came later. That's no big deal. Radiator and fan mounting is something many people customize anyway, and it's easily done. MG's electric fans aren't worth keeping. I've heard from reputable sources that MG used inferior steel in 1975 and 1976, and that's why rust seems to affect those model years worst. (That's academic now, isn't it? If a particular MGB hasn't rusted by now, it probably never will because most of us garage our cars, keep them clean, and rarely drive them on salted roads.) AFAIK, 1975 MGBs didn't get anti-roll bars. |
ex-tyke Graham Creswick Chatham, Ontario, Canada (1165 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:17AM Main British Car: 1976 MGB Ford 302 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
Quote: That's true of the '75 and '76.......both years had neither front nor rear anti-roll bars ...and I'll also agree on the inner fender configuration similarity from '75 to '80 - my '76 is identical to the '77-'80 models. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2014 09:35AM by ex-tyke. |
Scott68B Scott Costanzo Columbus, Ohio (562 posts) Registered: 10/25/2007 11:30AM Main British Car: 1968 MGB GM 5.3 LS4 V8 |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
This is all from memory so take it with a grain of salt. I have the MGB book by McComb from the late 80's somewhere and I seem to recall reading in it that some of the v8 inner fender modifications showed up in the '73 models. FWIW.
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BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
74-1/2 is also the same. I have one out in the shed.
Jim |
BMC Brian Mc Cullough Forest Lake, Minnesota, USA (383 posts) Registered: 10/30/2007 02:27AM Main British Car: 1980 MGB '95 3.4L 'L32' SFI V6, GM V6T5 & 3.42 Limi |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
At the moment I do not recall when the twin S.U. carbs left production which is better than a single ZS carb but the later cars (about 1976 onwards) did get the power brakes. Non-power assist brakes work fine as well.
So major changes: dashboard and gauges, power brakes, anti-roll bars front and rear and a few other bits make the 77-80 better than a 75-76. Oh, and the stock 77-80 MGB radiator was built for the 3.4L SFI Camaro engine installation as-is! -BMC. |
mowog1 Rick Ingram Central Illinois (1523 posts) Registered: 10/17/2007 09:36PM Main British Car: 1974.5 MGB/GT 3.9l Rover |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
Brian, for the North American market, the 1974-1/2 MGB was the last to have twin HIF4s. The Home Market kept twin HIFs through the end of production in 1980.
1975 saw the arrival of the ZS175 and horrid combination intake/exhaust manifold for the MGB here in North America. |
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
... and I think I have a complete dual SU setup off the 74-1/2 if someone wants to make a reasonable offer for it.
Jim |
mowog1 Rick Ingram Central Illinois (1523 posts) Registered: 10/17/2007 09:36PM Main British Car: 1974.5 MGB/GT 3.9l Rover |
Re: 75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences
You need to match the HIF4s to an HIF intake and exhaust manifold....the flanges differ from the HS4 intakes used in earlier cars.
This is not usually a problem...shims can be used to match the mismatched. |