I'm offering my MG ZT-T free to anyone willing to collect it and give it a good home.
(I’m not a member anywhere else, so I would be grateful if someone could share a link to this post on the other enthusiast forums - but please avoid places it’s likely to be found by scrap merchants looking for a free car. )
It's a facelift V6 190 in Aquamarine (also known as Goodwood Green, I think.) 81,000 miles. Reg is BX54JJF.
Car is located in Stockport, South Manchester.
I have owned the car for ten years.
The car was taken off the road about three years ago shortly before the birth of my son, and stored on my drive ever since, although it seems to have stood up to this fairly well. Not Taxed, MOT’d or insured but it starts readily and it will drive around the block.
Good points about the car:
Bad points:
The reason for taking it off the road was that the upper rear suspension arms were rusting through and one of them had begun to buckle.
During the last year, when time has allowed between work and childcare, I completed the following:
However...
Since reassembling the suspension, the car feels fine to drive but it now makes a sort of "trundling" noise from the rear when moving. I do not know why it is doing this, and I am confident that everything went back together exactly as it came apart. When I reassembled the rear subframe with its new arms I torqued up the bolts with the whole thing on my workbench before I refitted it to the car. I have since learned that you are meant to have the weight of the car on the suspension before you torque up the bolts that hold the arms to the subframe. Not sure if this is related but it might be the first thing to investigate, and you could try loosening and retightening them with the weight on the wheels. Access to the top bolts may not be easy.
So to summarise, the things that need doing, (that I know about) are:
I think that’s it…
So why don’t I just do all this myself?
My wife hates it now and that’s killed off my plan of getting it working again as our main family car. Since I can’t keep it, there’s not sufficient motivation for me to spend any more time or money fixing it, and I have a young son I need to spend my time with.
I don’t want to scrap it. It’s been a good car and could be again, hence offering it here.
If no one can save it, I will be donating it though one of those “give a car” donation schemes where they scrap/auction them and the money goes to a nominated charity. (Cancer research in my case, since my father passed away from cancer about 5 years ago.)
I don’t want to post up my main email address, but I’ve created a temporary one through an aliasing service:
7z8sdipi@anonaddy.me
^^If you email that address it should get to me…
Please email me if you are interested and we’ll talk.
Please note that if you want the car, I will be expecting you to fill in the V5C as the new keeper, just as if you were buying it.
I’m not a member of any other forums, so I would be grateful if someone could share a link to this post on the other enthusiast forums - but kindly avoid places it’s likely to be found by scrap merchants looking for a free car. If it ends up going for scrap, I’d like to do it through the charity as mentioned above. (I'll be doing this in a week or so if there's no interest.)
Photos to follow this evening, if I get time…
(I’m not a member anywhere else, so I would be grateful if someone could share a link to this post on the other enthusiast forums - but please avoid places it’s likely to be found by scrap merchants looking for a free car. )
It's a facelift V6 190 in Aquamarine (also known as Goodwood Green, I think.) 81,000 miles. Reg is BX54JJF.
Car is located in Stockport, South Manchester.
I have owned the car for ten years.
The car was taken off the road about three years ago shortly before the birth of my son, and stored on my drive ever since, although it seems to have stood up to this fairly well. Not Taxed, MOT’d or insured but it starts readily and it will drive around the block.
Good points about the car:
- Engine is good and performs as it should (or at least it did the last time I was able to drive it)
- Inlet manifold does not rattle
- Has been regularly serviced until it was SORNed. First 10 years by an MG specialist, then mostly by DIY during my ownership.
- Lots of things have been replaced during my ownership, largely by me:
o Within the last 5 or 6 years:
o Thermostat and housing
o Exhaust backbox.
o VIS (Variable Intake System) motors
o Alternator
o All 4 springs
o Rear bearings
o Discs and pads and fluid were done shortly before it was sorned, but the discs rusted whilst it was stood. They seem to have cleaned up again with me having driven it around the block 5 or 6 times so hopefully can still be used.
o HID (High Intensity Discharge) ballasts and burners about 3 years ago - Interior generally good (except the headlining) but needs a damn good clean
- Largely rust free with one exception – see below.
Bad points:
- There are no dents or rust patches on the bodywork, but the paintwork has plenty of age-related blemishes and marks.
- No MOT, and I haven’t taken it for one. My suspicion is that it may need welding around the rear jacking points, but I believe it’s early stages and the sills are still fundamentally sound as far as I can tell.
- The battery died and couldn’t be charged. It needs a new battery and you will need to bring one with you.
- There is a parasitic drain that will discharge the battery it in about a week if the car isn’t being used, but I’ve fitted a kill switch that prevents this happening, provided you don’t forget to use it… In daily use you’ll never notice there’s a problem.
- One headlight doesn’t work. I’m told this is normally due to a wiring loom fraying against the front subframe, but have not had time to investigate.
- The backbox exhaust hanger is brand new metal, but very much a bodge and needs bodging a lot better. The actual exhaust is fine.
- Throttle cable is sticking slightly.
- Headlining sagging a bit at the rear.
- Dashboard digital display has the usual issue, but still readable.
- 2 keys, one of them needs a new housing.
- Cambelt was last done 9 years (20,000 miles) ago, so technically due in another year or so.
- “Trundling” issue. See below:
The reason for taking it off the road was that the upper rear suspension arms were rusting through and one of them had begun to buckle.
During the last year, when time has allowed between work and childcare, I completed the following:
- Completely dismantled rear suspension.
- Subframe sand blasted (by a blasting place) and repainted (by me) with black chassis paint.
- Replaced upper and lower arms with new ones from DMGRS.
- Replaced anti-roll bar and drop links with new ones from Rimmers (though I later discovered I have fitted an R75 anti roll bar, rather than the slightly thicker ZT one.)
- Existing trailing arms were wire brushed and painted.
- Whole thing reassembled and back on its wheels and everything looks straight.
- During all this I sprayed Dynax wax into every hole and cavity I could find at the rear of the car.
However...
Since reassembling the suspension, the car feels fine to drive but it now makes a sort of "trundling" noise from the rear when moving. I do not know why it is doing this, and I am confident that everything went back together exactly as it came apart. When I reassembled the rear subframe with its new arms I torqued up the bolts with the whole thing on my workbench before I refitted it to the car. I have since learned that you are meant to have the weight of the car on the suspension before you torque up the bolts that hold the arms to the subframe. Not sure if this is related but it might be the first thing to investigate, and you could try loosening and retightening them with the weight on the wheels. Access to the top bolts may not be easy.
So to summarise, the things that need doing, (that I know about) are:
- Get a new battery into it (you will need to bring one with you)
- MOT, probably involving some welding at the jacking points as described above. Could be wrong.
- Work out why the suspension is “trundling”.
- Do something about the bodged backbox hanger. I think a couple of spots of welding would sort that easily.
- Fix the headlight – hopefully any easy-ish fix as mentioned above.
- Oil and filter change - hasn't been changed since before I SORNEd it.
- Grease the throttle cable.
- Fix the headlining.
- Look into the parasitic battery drain (or just keep using my kill switch.)
- Damn good clean.
I think that’s it…
So why don’t I just do all this myself?
My wife hates it now and that’s killed off my plan of getting it working again as our main family car. Since I can’t keep it, there’s not sufficient motivation for me to spend any more time or money fixing it, and I have a young son I need to spend my time with.
I don’t want to scrap it. It’s been a good car and could be again, hence offering it here.
If no one can save it, I will be donating it though one of those “give a car” donation schemes where they scrap/auction them and the money goes to a nominated charity. (Cancer research in my case, since my father passed away from cancer about 5 years ago.)
I don’t want to post up my main email address, but I’ve created a temporary one through an aliasing service:
7z8sdipi@anonaddy.me
^^If you email that address it should get to me…
Please email me if you are interested and we’ll talk.
Please note that if you want the car, I will be expecting you to fill in the V5C as the new keeper, just as if you were buying it.
I’m not a member of any other forums, so I would be grateful if someone could share a link to this post on the other enthusiast forums - but kindly avoid places it’s likely to be found by scrap merchants looking for a free car. If it ends up going for scrap, I’d like to do it through the charity as mentioned above. (I'll be doing this in a week or so if there's no interest.)
Photos to follow this evening, if I get time…
