I hadn’t planned on removing the MGB headlight assemblies this year but with the delays in getting the GT back on the road I finally gave in. Once again I’m glad that I’m not taking shortcuts as the headlight area is a lot uglier than I thought.
This is what the area looked like from inside the fender when I started. At this point I’ve cleaned years worth of dirt and oil from inside the fenders.
The headlight buckets once removed looked quite good but at this point it was very clear that lots of small parts would be needed. What else is new?
The headlight to body seals look terrible but they are of course 50 years old. Fortunately they are inexpensive at about $2.00 each, very reasonable.
I will have to deal with minor body rust where the headlight assembly came out. I guess the body seals leaking for so long caused a little damage. Fortunately this rust is all on the surface and not a big deal.
Overall the buckets look good. For less than $3.00 I can replace the spring, adjusters and other small parts so that will happen. Refurbishing both headlights will end up costing around $10.00.
There is rust pitting on both headlight buckets but being an area that nobody sees I’m not going to spend time filling the pits. Primer and a good paint job and they will look good.
The MGB headlight bucket primed with lots of other MG pieces.
The parts cleaned up and painted, ready to be reinstalled once the bodywork is finished. These parts will live in my office for the winter, a true conversation piece!
The pretty new rubber headlight bucket to body seals.
