Just bought a 98 1.8 non VVC in need of a lot of TLC and came across this place, which has been really helpful so far. I'm currently an breakdown/recovery driver, but previously was a Rover technician and MOT tester. I ran fiat X1/9's for years, having owned 14 of them, and was a tech advisor and regalia officer for the X1/9 club. I now have no garage, and X1/9's re getting pretty thin on the ground, so an MGF seemed like the perfect car for it replacement. I don't need a daily driver now as I have the van to use every day so the hunt was on for a sub 500 quid MG in need of TLC. I found a tahiti blue one not to far away so agreed to buy it over the phone, as it has a decent MOT and was assured it ran and drove well. I turned up to hand over the cash and it found it running on 3 cyls, brake lights (well, one of them) stuck on, poor headlamps, a scruffy roof and split rear window. So I bought it.
Turns out it's burnt a valve on number 1 cylinder, so the head'll have come off. Shame too as it had a MLS head gasket and cambelt along with a water pump about 10,000 miles ago from an MGF specialist down south. I'll get round to that on my next day off. In the meantime I went to the scrappies and picked up a lot of odds and ends, including a genuine windstop, 2 good headlights, sunvisors, speakers, window stops and a wiper motor shroud which are all fitted now and make a huge difference. I've sorted out all the dodgy electrics and adjusted the windows to get them sealing better.
I do need a good hood, or a rear window at the minimum, all 4 MG's at the scrappies had the rear windows taken, but I'd rather get a complete hood as mine has a patch. No doubt you'll hear more for me as I get into the bowels of the thing :thumbsu: