Yes, that looks like an interesting, time consuming and probably expensive project. Perfect for keeping a retired person out of the recliner and away from unhealthy expensive food! 😐 If you are a member of NAMGAR ( North American MGA Registry ) they may have some records of previous owners, also I wonder if your province keeps and will share records of previous owners? My 58 roadster at present is in worse condition due to lack of dry storage and lack of money to restore it. I bought it in April 1967 with wire wheels and all manuals for $300.00 and drove it home. I still hope to save it but as each year passes the hope dims. Good luck on your expedition back in time, seeing new places is what we older folks are supposed to do, right? I like watching your progress, hope I can do as well someday. Thanks for including us in the repair and thinking behind it.

look forward to hearing more and hope you can reunite car and engine. I own YD/643, which rolled off the production line in Abingdton not long after yours! Was originally Old English White with a back interior. Had been off the roadd for over 25 years, painted a nasty red, with a B series replacement push rod engine. Now back to OEW with a red interior and has been reunited with a (different) twin cam engine and a close ratio gearbox. All the best with yours - they are wonderful to drive as well as the rareness. Would be great to have another one back!!

Greetings from Brandenburg 🇩🇪 Udo 👍👍🚙🚗

Great Saturday morning story. If it was Vancouver, maybe not the same MGA but there, yes I bet it is. All the old stuff here is either sold to USA or gone to make Asian cars. On the prairies time seems to weather better. Your chances are probably pretty good. In 2012 I bought a 1954 T100 motorcycle basket case in milk crates. I thought a first I would never find all the rare, one year only parts for this bike but as chance has it, one day on Craigslist there was a picture of a rear swinging arm with a caption "does anyone know what this is?". I would have had better luck finding hen's teeth! He ended up trading it for a couple of BSA parts that were of no use to me. MGAs and TR3s are dream cars of mine. I'll follow along as I do my MGB resto. Good luck finding the engine.

You got a brilliant deal for only $1,700 looking forwards to watching the progress on this iconic MGA

Your car is heart-breaking. Your ambition is heart-warming. I wish you every success with the project. (and good luck with the Lottery).🙂

Definately an interesting story and being Saskatchewan there is at least a chance! I hope you have a good trip!

I had a 1956. My first car in 1968. What a trip.

My Twin Cam story: Around 1959 I was still in high school and very interested in cars My grandparents had renters who bought a brand new Twin Cam hardtop coupe, white with left hand drive. When he started it up in the morning he would leave it on fast idle for at least 10 minutes, seemed like a bad idea to me. The engine compartment was incredibly packed - the only car I ever saw more packed was a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, no room to fit a hand in anywhere. This was in Tujunga, California which is a very long way from Mother England!

Well worth doing up will.be great running around in the summer and paint it light blue.

Hi Wayne. This brings back a lot of memories I bought a 56’ for 500$ in 84’ and respired it. Absolutely a fun car, been looking for a project and wondering if you want to sell it Dave

I miss my old MGA (1961 1600). I had it when I lived in Regina (91 - 94). I didn't know there was a Brit car club there at the time or I would've joined it. I jumped around the video and might have missed mention of it, but the grill on that car is wrong as well. At some point, someone replaced it with a Mk II grill from the last year of production.

I have been down a similar road. I found an abandoned Twin Cam that had been wrecked in a race (front end crushed) and left to rot under a tree for years. I restored it (after much work) and used it as a commuter car to work for years. One day a boy and his father came and asked about it and I ended up selling them the car. YD3 1870. I have no idea what happened to it. I lived in California then.

Hi Wayne, what a fascinating story. Someone has obviously shoved a MK11 grille in it. Shame the cost to restore would far outweigh the value. It is possible to find twin cam engines here in the U.K but very expensive. So many of them were issued with replacement engines one with its original would be very rare indeed. I found a Coupe twincam once with a pushrod engine, still asking too much money because it was originally a twincam. Best way to sell would be to locate someone with just an engine.

What a great find!! It's a gem in the rough for sure. Great, great story. I think you should definitely cruise the area where it came from. You never know if the original engine is just sitting there next to a shed somewhere waiting for you to find it. There have been so many coincidences so far with the car, who's to say you can't connect one more dot and find the engine! Let's go Wayne!!

My brother found a 59 Twin Cam in a field abandoned back in 1970 in Massachusetts. It was all original and ran very well until a valve broke and pretty much ruined the aluminum head! It was black with I believe a red interior. Later, my brother put an 1800 B engin in.

Wow how amazing, twin cam

It looks like it might be a real twin cam to me. Its got (most) all the 1958 stuff. I was heavily involved w/ MGAs at one point. All, and that's only a couple, Twin cams I have seen were 58s. Does it have disk brakes? All twin cams do, (Dunlop I believe). Finding a motor, rad. etc., will be very tough.

It is a great story though… the dots do seem to connect as the twin cam cars are very rare. Hope you can get confirmation or run into someone that has something additional to add… maybe the missing motor???!!!🤞🤞🤞fun adventure regardless!

Hello Wayne, Greetings from the Netherlands. Hope you are able to find out more about the car's history. I would not sell it off as a part's car, as it is restorable, and you are not in it too deep financially. Either do it yourself and try to find a TC engine. Or find a good owner for it, who has the funds to bring it back to its former glory. Consider a helping hand from the internet community, in order to find out the history and maybe find out what happened with the engine.

Still I can't help thinking it's a Mk.2 De-Luxe, twin-cam chassis, disc brakes etc with a pushrod engine - the grill says it. Did US dealers fit a pushrod engine if the TC failed within the warranty period? The front side lights appear to be what was used on the 1500 cc MGA (which was the basis of the TC) not the MkII though. I understand that some De-Luxe models used TC chassis and others a standard MGA chassis? It was all about using up the left over TC components. Still a fascinating story, all the best with it.

You really do have to try finding that original engine. If you did, it would be a great story to tell.

It appears to be a 1962 MK II (mark 2) grille, but the tail lights are pre 1960. That motor would be a 1500 or 1600 as shown in the video it is certainly not a twin cam. It is a great find, NAMGAR can help with the original specs.

Looks like a great project……..

With having and knowing the info on that car that you do ----- it would be kind of nice to find out the --- REST --- of the history since you have so much now ----- Don't know where you live ---- so I don't know how far you would have to travel ---- it could be just a nice little vacation ---- So --- one begins to wonder ---- Why was the Twin Cam removed --- did it blow a hole too ---- if you are lucky talking with the old Timers --- maybe you find out who had it ---- are they still there and if so --- maybe the engine is there also ---- and as you said --- doesn't cost too much ---- maybe they would be glad the car is still around and give you whatever was still there to keep a unique car alive ----- Either way --- looking at what you can show us ---- looks like it would be quite a project ----- It might be an -- INTERESTING -- vacation ----- Gotta find out ---- Good Luck ---- Hope you have a Good Week ---- Rodney

A 59' running TC engine would cost you probably set you back around 20 K , if you can find one . Nice story.

That would be a project for someone with deep pockets for sure, all hinges on getting a twin cam engine.

I still think its likely real twin cam. The 58 would not have any holes behind the MGA vents , for mk11, 1600, etc., trim. Its got the earlier lights front & rear, and the 58 style dash. I believe the twin cam , used a different steering rack, or mtg? Not definitive, but likely clues. Doe it have matching paperwork?. If so, that would make a project much more viable. Keep researching the car first.,,,,Love,,,DUBS,,,,,

Nice catch... NOW GET TO WORK

Just make it a reliable driver,and leave the body as is ! Fix the floors & trunk of course. The story is fantastic! Also be cool to find the engine

The only value left on that car might be the knock off wheels which are probably worth more than the rest of what’s left…sad to see it like this

Onward!

As much as I love MGAs, that looks like a money pit. My recommendation - sell the good pieces and recoup your cost with the scrap value.

Such a shame the twin cam was swapped out

You got yourself a money pit think carefully before proceeding The acquisition of a running twim cam engine is going to be difficult as they were not the greatest Might consider dropping in a MG 1800 motor bored to 2 litres or maybe the Rover V 8 most body panels can e obtained but it will be costly

You have to put some effort into finding the engine. I do know someone who needs a Twin Cam wheel though....

I owned 62. Not twin cam