We try to start 2 MG BGT’s that have not run for years

We try to start the 2 MGBGT’s that were in the shop for the wire/bolt on wheel swap. The owner believes the ‘67 she recently purchased hasn’t run in 20 yrs or more. The ‘69 that she has owned for a while now hasn’t run for a little over 4 years, and she didn’t get it to start the last time she tried.
After sitting so long the ‘67 gave us some issues with crusty electrical connections and ended up having a broken distributor, and we didn’t have the key to the ‘69 and had to work around that. Were we successful in bringing these two back to life? Watch and find out!
#mg bgt #mg

[@bladerunner6282]

the distributor on my '61 mga was broken just as you indicated. clamp looked pretty much the same too. of course, being a indigent college student at the time i made do by carefully prying the clamp open and very gently installing the distributor as it was. it only popped out of the block a couple of times thereafter while i owned it. :)

[@mundanestuff]

That is an old school spark tester, LOL, I'm sure it works perfectly fine, but certainly wasn't what I expected when you said you were going to test the spark at the plugs.

[@bladerunner6282]

ya, no offense to the host, but looks like something straight out of the Spanish Inquisition. :)

[@mgbgtguy]

Yes it is an old school spark checker ( my dad had one just like it 😁 ),but it works, it’s economical, and doesn’t easily break. You can still walk into an auto parts store and buy one just like it, making it a practical tool to have in your toolbox

[@bladerunner6282]

by @9:50 i think i would be checking compression. and before that set the timing and then ruled it out as a source of the problem once and for all.

[@mgbgtguy]

I forgot to show in the video that by then I had changed spark plugs and turned it over while they were out did the old thumb over the hole and it felt pretty decent.

[@bladerunner6282]

@@mgbgtguy ya, i caught that ...later. :)

[@michaelstoliker971]

One word: Pertronix.