British-Cars.org

Welcome to the DMR Site for British Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MG Y Type - YB 1547 For Sale (for real this time)

I put YB1547 on the market a while back but I just couldn't bring myself to let it go. However a serious lack of storage space has convinced me to find the car a good home where it will be driven and enjoyed. Currently this YB does not get very much exercise because it's so difficult to get in and out of the garage with the other cars in the way. I don't have the space nor desire to run a car museum, so there is no good reason to let this fine car sit unused.

History of YB1547:

This particular car was the fourth from last Y-Type built. It is the youngest surviving pre-war style MG Saloon car in the world. I am the third known owner. The second owner bought the car during a trip to the UK in the late 70's. After touring the UK for a couple weeks, he shipped it home to Canada and parked it in the garage. It remained there mostly unused until I bought it 25 years later.

Description:

This car is an unrestored survivor. Nearly everything is original including paint, interior and mechanical. The original log book with every repair ever made is still with the car as well as the original British number plates. There are 78,000 original and documented miles on the odometer. Everything works with the exception of the jackall system which is currently dry.

The good, the bad and the ugly:

While the paint looks good for being 55 years old, it is far from perfect. The photos make the finish look much better than it it does in person. There are paint blemishes, some very minor rust in the usual areas of the steel body and a bit of spider-webbing on the boot lid. With enough care, the car will survive for a long time without restoration, which has always been my intent. There is a large dent in the right rear quarter that happened when the car was being shipped from the UK to Canada back in the 70's. With some care, this dent should pop out. I've always been to chicken to do it myself.

The front seats show typical wear but the rears look nearly new. The walnut wood is in great shape throughout the cabin with slight lifting at the edge of the dash panel. The clock is inoperable, but I have never seen one that worked for more than a month. The clockwork in the trafficator control mechanism is not functioning, however the switch works fine without it.

Mechanically the car is solid and runs well. The lower engine was gone through 12,000 miles ago according to the maintenance logs. It does have some of the usual issues with a 78,000 mile vintage M.G. but nothing that prevents it from being driven daily. The syncros are a little slow which may produce slight gear noise if you shift quickly. There is some smoke at times produced from the tail pipe, most likely from the valve guides and because I like to run a little rich. It could use new suspension bushings and possibly brake pads. The brake switch needs to be cleaned. The distributor was professionally rebuilt recently.

A couple times the clutch has slipped a bit under load on a hot day, mainly climbing a steep grade. I believe this may be the rear camshaft seal leaking which would also explain the "larger than usual" oil spot when the car is parked after a run.

There is a brand new custom aluminized steel exhaust system installed. The tires were installed a few years ago and look brand new. The battery was replaced right around then. The fuel tank has been removed, cleaned and painted in POR 15 even though it turns out it was spotless inside already. The fuel sender was rebuilt at the same time. The generator has been rebuilt. This car has needed nothing else in the time I have owned it.

Other projects I planed to do were a restoration of the jackall system, (which is currently dry) and replacing the engine pads (crank starter just barely lines up).

I'm not setting a hard price and I will not sell this car unless it goes to a good home. I don't want to resort to eBay because it deserves better, so I will let this YB go to the "best fair offer". If anyone is interested, feel free to come by and take a look, and we can discuss it. Or, I can provide additional photos upon request. I feel the value of this Y-Type is somewhere around $12K.

Photos on my web site here: http://www.mgnuts.com/mgyb/

A couple additional photos and some extra info for the non-Y-Type-savvy here: http://www.socalbritishmotoring.com/viewtopic.php?t=374
Steve Simmons

Sale Pending.
Steve Simmons

The YB has been sold.
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 29/07/2008 and 14/08/2008

MG MG Y Type index

This thread is from the archives. Join this live forum now