The BritishV8 Pub

Looks great Murray!

Hello everyone!

After wearing out this website and asking many dumb questions since 2014 or so, I just found this thread!

I’m Dave, I live in the Northern VA area, and am working a ‘79 MGB Rover 4.6 conversion. I’m still working full time with young kids at home, so progress is slow. Paint is done, engine parts are trickling in, garage is a mess. Total investment is more than I’m ready to contemplate.

I have a build thread going, which needs an update.

I was bitten by the MG bug before I was born, and grew up in a harvest gold (maybe bracken) 1973 MGB that my dad bought nearly new in 1974. It was painted green and nearly rusted in half by the time I drove it every day in high school, often far faster than was safe or legally permissible. My dad restored it with a BMH bodyshell to mostly stock spec with damask red paint in the late 1990s, and it’s in my garage now, in great, rust-free but road-worn, daily driver condition. Original engine has lasted longer than three speedometers (approx 150,000mi) without a rebuild, but it now has less oil pressure and runs a bit hotter than I’d like.

I absolutely love this forum, and often surf it a few times a day. I’ve learned SO much about engines and MGs, and I am forever greatful to the guys here for helping me understand it all.

Many thanks to all of you for making this such a great place to hang out.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2018 08:56PM by RDMG.

Dave,
You'll like the fact that next years British V8 meet is a stones throw away in Wytheville next June - come and say hello, kick tires and take lots of photos....you'll leave with a renewed energy to complete your project!
Stay tuned to this website for details!

Hello, I just joined this group. Look forward to connecting with more enthusiasts.

I'm in Marin County, California about 25 miles north of San Francisco. The Sonoma Raceway (which us old timers will always call Sears Point) is a scant 5 miles straight across the valley to the east of my house, and that is where Huffaker Engineering is. (I can hear cars and bikes running on the track much of the time even at this distance and on the other side of the hills).

I purchased a 1982 Canada-export Triumph TR8, VIN # ...339, which was built in September 1981, the last month of production for all Triumphs. My TR8 is on a salvage title because it was in a rather minor fender bender about 32K miles ago and the insurance company decided to write it off. It was purchased back by the owner at that time and repaired and cleared to be roadworthy again. I bought it from the shop who had worked on the car, with three different owners, since 1997, and he printed out all the service records on for me upon purchase.

The TR8 is a polar opposite of my other British car, a RHD 1972 Austin Mini Clubman saloon, and surprisingly easy to drive albeit much harder to get into and out of than my Mini!

Nice ride, Pat!

Hello, I just joined this site. I have a 1991 Marcos Mantula Spyder with a 4.6L Rover V8 and a LT77 5 speed gearbox. This Marcos has Triumph front suspension with a Jack Knight rack and IRS with Marcos arms and Ford differential. I purchased the car recently and am in the process of going through it to make sure it is roadworthy and getting it ready for the next driving season. I also own a relatively stock MGB roadster which I've driven from Seattle to Ottawa and back, then from Seattle to Louisville and through the Smokey Mountains before returning to Seattle. I expect to drive the Marcos on trips also. I recently retired after years of developing software (most recently was 20 years at Microsoft) and then I spent 3 years teaching mathematics for a technical college.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2019 07:16PM by davesell.

Great looking Marcos! Did not know they produced cars that recently..

Now there's something you don't see every day - great looking auto!

New here. Picked up a Stag. I must not learn as this is my 8th LBC. Daily fair weather is my 65B just out from me restoring it and did a 5 speed. I have also had a BGT, A, Spit, TVR, Morgan, and Sonnet, yes a Saab. It was built by Jensen. Background is in electronics computer science and manufacturing quality/failure analysis. Recently retired to a more civil location.

Welcome, Scott! What part of the country are you in?

Hillsborough NC. Just north of Durham.

Charleston eh? I went to WVIT in Montgomery many years ago. I guess it is now part of WV state. Nothing like the fly ash on the window sills, coal trains, stench from the chemical plants, and worst of all, 3.2 Strohs.

Glad you finally made it over, Scott.

Jim Blackwood & I met Scott at the Megasquirt convention in NC in 2015.

Tech actually moved to Beckley under WVU. They pretty much decimated Montgomery. My brother Jim, who you apparently met at MS convention with Carl, is a Tech grad.

Go Golden Bears, yeah? class of '89.

Jim

Scott, why not join us in Wytheville Va on June 2 for our annual gathering? Registration form available on britishv82019.org i think. :-)

On my plan. It conflicts with BCD, but I already invited my old buddies to come to the V8 gathering instead. ( One has a V8 TVR after all) I used to live in Bowie, original home of BCD. LillyPons is no where as nice a location.

Now in NC, I need to re-map what shows I get to.

Which British Car Day?

We will be hanging out in Wytheville from Sunday to Thursday AM.

The "Original BCD" Which was held in Bowie Maryland for years, moved a few times and landed at Lili Pons a bit further north in Md. I see they finally moved again. Maybe somewhere with SHADE.
[www.chesapeakechaptermgtclub.com]

It went from several hundred cars in the 80's to last time, about 20 in the pouring rain. Everyone packed up and went home @ about 11.

Stag is my second V8 LBC. I stuffed a 5.0/C4 into a TVR 2500M years ago. By the time it was done, I could not fold up to get through the doors any more and realized, I really wanted a Morgan. Years later, my B is fun for around town, but I wanted a little bigger true GT keeping that unique British car personality. If not for the Stag, it would have wound up an Accord coupe. Just could not go for an XJS ( 350/700R of course)

Oh yea, it is screaming for a MegaSquirt!

Wonder what they did with the melted down reactor in the engineering building and the cans of hydrogen cyanide in the store rooms up on the hill? I left in 75. Seems I was supposed to be studding engineering but spent a bit more time in wine, women and song. Town was not friendly to students or minorities. Did the ever put out the coal mine fire under the hill? Good riddance IMHO. It was an educational year I have to admit. Actually a very good school.

For all I know they dumped the reactor and the cyanide in the burned out coal mine, it'd be just about like them. Make the mountain glow, right? It's the school I originally wanted to go to back in '72 but ended up in the USAF instead. Eventually made it back as an older student. Things were different as you might imagine. Still had a great reputation as an engineering school though. Guess that's all gone now.

I'm done with MS, I'm moving on to the GM '411 controller. It has everything MS ever had and so much more, is built to last, and dirt cheap. Finally at the stage where it's usable by hot rodders.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2019 12:51PM by BlownMGB-V8.

We will need to stay in touch on that! As I understand FAST is also way ahead of MS. TBI should be really easy on the 3.0 Proper sequential maybe not that hard.

The real quandary is my Stag is pretty much un-touched which is rare, but a few modern features could make it so much more! The B I don't mind hacking up, they made half a million of them and mine was a DPO disaster. So I am going to try and resist, just going through each system to bring it up to snuff. Minimal mods to cooling, a bit better ignition and see how it goes. Lots of analysis and tapping everyone's hind sight before I get started. B will be done with just the hard top and new shift boot for the relocated shifter. I should get the TR into my shop in about a month I hope. Brakes, electrical, cooling, ignition, probably rebuild the carbs, see how the AC is and a bit of rust prevention so it can stay a rust free car.