75-76 MGB and 77-80 MGB differences

[mikes a40]

I have a 79 B for sale. A prospective buyer wants to know what differences there are between it and a 75 or 76 model as far as the body, engine mounts, and radiator etc. I had heard that the 77-80 models were made for the V8. Are the radiators moved forward and the engine mounts different? Thanks for the help.

[ex-tyke]

The most obvious differences that come to mind........'77-'80 rads moved ahead by about 6" with twin pusher electric fans, motor mounts are the same as '75/'76, different dash and steering wheel, 2 speed heater motor, .....& some minor differences.

[MG wanna B]

yea,

heater control, and flasher location is in the dash, vs, the console on the 77- 80, the horn is in the turn signal arm, vs the steering wheel, the headlight switches are different, column, vs, dash, and, i think the wiper is different, too.

you're also correct about the radiator mounts.

[rntanner]

Yes, the  1977  through 1980 MGBs have a wider body space on each side of the engine, for the Rover V8.

[Moderator]

Abingdon started serial production of "factory" MGB GT V8s before the end of 1973, and production of that model tapered off before the 1977 model year, so it's inaccurate to say changes were made to 1977 through 1980 cars to make room for V8 engines. It's just plain wrong to say or imply that 1977 cars have wider engine bays than 1975 cars. Go to the photo gallery and compare photos! You'll have no problem seeing for yourself that the "apron" (a.k.a. "inner fender") stamping was unchanged through all the years discussed in this thread. Compare 1974 cars with 1974.5 GT's (or 1975 roadsters) to see exactly how MG changed the front inboard corner of the footboxes (and also changed the shelf that master cylinders sit on, and also changed the steering column pass-thru details).

Yes, changes up front (radiator shelf, etc.) came later. That's no big deal. Radiator and fan mounting is something many people customize anyway, and it's easily done. MG's electric fans aren't worth keeping.

I've heard from reputable sources that MG used inferior steel in 1975 and 1976, and that's why rust seems to affect those model years worst. (That's academic now, isn't it? If a particular MGB hasn't rusted by now, it probably never will because most of us garage our cars, keep them clean, and rarely drive them on salted roads.)

AFAIK, 1975 MGBs didn't get anti-roll bars.

[ex-tyke]

AFAIK, 1975 MGBs didn't get anti-roll bars..

That's true of the '75 and '76.......both years had neither front nor rear anti-roll bars
...and I'll also agree on the inner fender configuration similarity from '75 to '80 - my '76 is identical to the '77-'80 models.

[Scott Costanzo]

This is all from memory so take it with a grain of salt. I have the MGB book by McComb from the late 80's somewhere and I seem to recall reading in it that some of the v8 inner fender modifications showed up in the '73 models. FWIW.

[BlownMGB-V8]

74-1/2 is also the same. I have one out in the shed.

Jim

[BMC]

At the moment I do not recall when the twin S.U. carbs left production which is better than a single ZS carb but the later cars (about 1976 onwards) did get the power brakes. Non-power assist brakes work fine as well.

So major changes: dashboard and gauges, power brakes, anti-roll bars front and rear and a few other bits make the 77-80 better than a 75-76.

Oh, and the stock 77-80 MGB radiator was built for the 3.4L SFI Camaro engine installation as-is!

-BMC.

[mowog1]

Brian, for the North American market, the 1974-1/2 MGB was the last to have twin HIF4s. The Home Market kept twin HIFs through the end of production in 1980.

1975 saw the arrival of the ZS175 and horrid combination intake/exhaust manifold for the MGB here in North America.

[BlownMGB-V8]

... and I think I have a complete dual SU setup off the 74-1/2 if someone wants to make a reasonable offer for it.

Jim

[mowog1]

You need to match the HIF4s to an HIF intake and exhaust manifold....the flanges differ from the HS4 intakes used in earlier cars.

This is not usually a problem...shims can be used to match the mismatched.