Same here plus upholstery. For the last 47 years the build is more fun for me than anything else. Still out in the shop everyday and enjoying life.

Same here, I leave machine work to the dedicated shops, however, I do a bit of upholstery. Recently I restored my 63 MGB, completely trashed, original steering wheel.. 40 bucks in supplies and about 10 hrs work over a few weeks.. Mean time I just helped my friend removing the engine and gearbox in his 59 TR 3, and am now into my 5th month helping a friend in a complete ground up stripped body restoration of a 71 MG Midget round arch with a tricked 1275 and a Datsun 5 speed gearbox. We are finally down to finishing the wiring, should be done by Feb or March. There is a joy and a feeling of accomplishment that is the true reward in messing about with cars; over 60 years as of Jan 2024. Add to that the education and meeting many like minded folks over the years.

It's all complete nonsense, I know I have spent most of life working on these cars, little to nothing he said is factual. Reality shows have nothing to do with reality, he is just reading a script. It is like wrestling, take it for it's entertainment value only. The only reason I even watched this video was the guys on the MG Experience forums were picking this video part and rightfully so. First off, Dan acts like getting parts for a MGB is near impossible, when it is one few classic cars in the world you can buy almost everything for, and for the most part, parts are cheap, just not found at your local parts store. Dan had to know MG people would know this video is pure nonsense.

yup. when I got my first B. My mechanic (MG mechanic for 60+ years) told me to return it and buy the restored one in his shop for $25k (25 years ago!). THAT would have been the best money spent! But he told me what I was up against. I spent far more than that restoring my first MGB. I wouldn't do it any other way! I get what this owner is doing. Literally did the exact same thing. This owner is starting off with a far better car than I did!

Yup when i had my first B restored, my mechanic gave me the same speech. I did it in stages, over a few years. Safety (brakes etc), then front suspension, rear suspension, engine, then cosmetics

It's good to know what you're getting into up front!

Love that analogy 😂😂😂

Done, properly, the MGBS are getting 30k now. You restore a B (I Have done 2) for the love of the car, not the value in the end

I have a C5 Corvette, and the entry price generally equals the resale valve, regardless of upgrades and mods. We love these cars and enjoy the journey, so to speak, knowing full well we will never get our money out of it. Still, I appreciate not everyone shares our defect, lol.

the car has overdrive. that is the OD switch (it is electric) that is the only shift he can use uless the relocate the OD switch. Can get a new one , but it will be the same, if available. I just painted mine (I have the same)

And worth every penny he goes into it

Thank you!

From what I've gathered 12-18 months on average waiting and 18-24 months for ground up frame up restoration. 36 if you want to engineer something that never existed before. Idk current but generally you are looking at 25\30‰ above (wholesale) cost on parts. Shop rate during the series was $75 per hour. The price was in the hundreds of thousands up to a few million. Even at that cost Dan has a wait list, and turns down 99% of requests. Rule of thumb. Crunch the numbers parts plus labour. Then throw it away and double the cost of parts and triple the hours.

Apparently they just installed the wire harness and did not detail the Engine bay. It does not look like it but it would be a big task. Usually removing the engine.

@@phanttomracer there is that...and then there is just running stuff loose and all over the place

​@devryndrives6623 hehe, that is how most of it is! Taking a closer look, everything looks tidy and proper. A lot of incorrect stuff, but wiring and hoses ran properly

Indeed. And this is a check-in, not a delivery. Work is far from complete!

it is what is worth to the owner. 10 years ago , top RB Bs were going for 25-30k. I personally sold one 10 years ago for 25k (for my mechanic who restored it). Yes, that would be the best money he could spend. You can't put a price tag on quality workmanship. This owner will have 50k into it, but I suspect he does not care. I have more than that into my Bs, I plan on being buried in one of them! Cost does not matter. I would put that money into a B all day long, twice on Sunday, than putting it into a 69 Camaro RS. The heart wants what it wants. Yes there is a TON of quality parts out there for a B. Don't know why Dan is having a tough time. it is FAR easier to get parts for my Bs than my 2001 Honda or 2001 Audi! My mechanic likely has all the parts Dan needs in stock. Many NOS and quality used. More valuable than that, any knowledge transfer he can give from being in the business over 60 years exclusively on MGs Yea, I saw the single SU and was not impressed. Either 2 early HS-4 SUs or a properly tuned weber downdraft (90% of owners never take the time to have them tuned, which is why the bad reputation) and early exhaust manifold. But the single SU has GOT to be better than the Zenith it replaced. Dan DID tell the owner what he was up against. I sure hope this car does not need sills.. that will double the budget! I am glad they are keeping another B on the road.. I am happy with this story! My mechanic has a turn key car in his shop that would have been a far better candidate to buy. Rust free and mechanically done, but needs paint. Good 15k paint job and that car would be done! But taking the time, effort and love to keep another B running.. priceless! My hats off to the owner and Dan. The owner will be proud of the car once it is sorted and will need surgery to remove the smile from his face

@@phanttomracer I like Dan and admire his achievements, straight shooter. And I do realize that the owner of the B is well funded and does not care. But an RBB in that condition makes no sense. RBB cars are cheap, example: a 5K mile mint condition one owner came up for sale recently for $12k. Still, to me, not worth the price. Aside from not particularly attractive, we all know the down side, weight , height, smog, low power, vinyl seats, etc. Cost to undo all that is high. I am fortunate to have the experience of working for a BMC dealer in the 60s and 70s and have owned 30 Brit cars since 1964 to include 7 MGs, currently a 63 MGB. Total of 25 years in the car biz... 11years retail dealerships, 14 as a factory rep for High Line Euro car makers. I don't count dollars when restoring a car. Where I keep costs down is doing the majority of work myself. I want things right and in a timely fashion. That is not the way the world works today; poor workmanship and high prices. Dan is an exception.. excellent workmanship justifies the price. I see no up side to restoring that particular MGB and there was no mention of sentimental value, just a fat wallet. His money, likely well earned, but on that car,,, not in my world. As the trite phrase goes, " his car, he can do what he wants".

And that is the point Dan made to the owner - very clearly, this is not an investment. But this is important to him, and he understands what it going into it. And Dan respects that.

in 2023 more likely 'refreshed' than properly restored. a top quality paint job will be half that budget today.

That is exactly why Dan was honest with him - while the expense is there with the work Doc wants done, it only makes sense for him if he MUST have this car. And that makes sense for him.

@@Fantomworks when i got my first B, it is was worse than this car. worth every dime I put into it (probably over 50k in 25 years. Although some MGB specific was incorrect., the overall budget was very accurate.

It is a MGB. for 40 years of deferred maintenance, it is a bargain!

@phanttomracer I have no complaints. It's just a gem to see fixed up and running on the road. That poor car needed all that repair was shocking. I heard stories of people buying the M.G.B. without engines and restomoded the cars with a V8 engine, B.C. COILOVERS, roll cage, 5 speed tremic transmissions, a larger rear end, WILWOOD braking system, and a new Nut behind the steering wheel.

Agree. Price is too low for all that work! That is a tremendous amount of work in only 100 hours. Also not everyone has the skill to do the work. You don't hire a plumber $1000 to do tap on a pipe, you pay him $1000 to know where to tap on it!

@@user-nh4qs6uw4e parts are likely half of that. Mechanics here are about $140+ an hour fwiw. What Dan did in this video would be a lot more than 19k here (boston area)