1974 MGB Remodeled as a ’64

When asked to think back to when he first became interested in the collector car hobby, Bill Brown had to take a moment.

“Well, let’s see…,” he begins. “I got into the car business in 1965, and I’ve just always been interested in cars. My first collector car was a 1947 Chevy that I bought in 1960. I rebuilt that, but didn’t remodel it, if you know what I mean.”

“Then you need to fast forward…”

Bill goes on to say that he was distracted from the hobby, by his career, for some time. But, by 1967, he bought a ’52 Chevy and dibbed and dabbed in the hobby until selling that car (before he had the chance to customize it).

“I was young and married, at that point,” he explains.

“Then, you have to really fast forward,” Bill adds.

In 1978, when he was 37-years-old, Bill made a commitment to dive into the hobby and put some serious work into a collector car. He purchased a 1957 Austin Healey and jumped right into the restoration.

He says that he did a ton of work, himself. And, on top of the hands-on efforts, Bill says that he also did a lot of “detective work.”

“There were a lot of special parts that I had to find for the Austin Healey,” he explains. The top bows were missing, and they were very rare. It took $300.00 worth of phone calls before I found them for sale in California. I bought them for only $75.00 plus the cost to ship them to me.”

Bill says that he continuously worked on the Healey for 10 years.

“I called it a ‘work in progress’ during that whole time,” states Bill.

But, a point came at which Bill received a job transfer from Georgia to Florida, and he needed some money to purchase a new house. Unfortunately, that required that he sell his prized possession.

“About a year and a half later, once I got settled, I tried to buy it back,” says Bill. “But, the man who I sold it to was going through some financial difficulties, himself, and sold it to a guy who shipped it to Germany. And, it hasn’t been seen since.”

But, regardless of the vanished Healey, Bill was not prepared to give up on his passion for collector cars— specifically that love for British cars.  In 1998, he purchased five MGs. (Yes, five.)

“They were all junkers,” he explains. “I thought I was going to be able to restore the first one I bought. But, the mechanic who I took it to told me that it was too ‘over the hill.’”

The car didn’t stand a chance of being restored, but Bill saved some of its parts. And, he continued to gather parts from the other MGs— parts that would soon become the pieces of his 1974 MGB that he owns today.

“It’s a ’74 remodeled as a ’64,” says Bill. “There were some interesting twists and turns with restoring the old car, but we perfected the car. It looks perfectly original. And, it’s very very reliable.”

When it comes to his 1974 MGB, Bill says that he is particularly proud of:

• Mechanically perfecting and improving the car.
• Rebuilding the suspension— every spring, shock and (urethane) bushing was replaced.
• Rack-and-pinion steering.
• Stainless exhaust.
• Rebuilding the engine and overdrive transmission.
• Reliability via the concealed Ignitor electronic ignition.

Bill takes his MGB to local British Car Club and MG shows in the Indianapolis area, from time to time. He is a member of the Hoosier MGB Club. And, while he says that he is fascinated by British cars in general, Bill adds that his interest in the hobby goes beyond the cars.

“It’s the people,” he says. “The people in the English car clubs are just very interesting to be around. They are great people, and the shows are very low key and laid back. I can’t put it into words.”

Bill adds that he also enjoys mingling with hotrodders.  He currently works in the car show industry, selling sponsorships for shows such as the Woodward Dream Cruise, Hot Rod Power Tour, Car Craft Summer Nationals Auto Show and the Americruise.

Bill also notes that throughout his lifetime, he has been heavily influenced by the Indianapolis 500 and has been to over 30 races since he moved to Indiana as a junior in high school.

Story by: Becky McLaughlin

To our readers: Don't forget! Grundy Worldwide wants to learn about your car club! E-mail us today