MG Sports Cars

That dripping sound you hear is me drooling with envy! Sounds like a lot of fun. As for all the questions, I was thinking of having a small brochure printed explaining the project and it's purpose that each of us could carry along in the car for car shows etc. Perhaps you could write something and then with a couple of photos and the group logo on the back it would be pretty slick.

David, I suspect the TOP Speed is probably not attainable. Even with 250 less HP less and comparable gearing, the car may not be controllable at 140-150MPH. My SBF is 1/2 the power of the Roadmaster and I do not hope to max it! If I remember correctly, when the early NAMGBR show was in Lake Tahoe in the 90's, several members (NOT NAMED) with V8's drove back across nothern Nevada and opended up the small Bucik V8's and attained speeds of near 140MPH. They noted the front-end got light, (wanted to wander) and backed off. The aerodynamics was the limiting factor not HP. With probably 500 HP and 500 #'s Feet torque, the BBB, would get AIRBORNE! :) The pucker marks on the driver's seat should indicate the WOW Factor. LOL Imagine a 1mile power slide or barrel rolling for a mile.
SAFETY FASTER!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2011 12:58PM by kstevusa.

You could probably hit that straight stretch near Culloden....just make sure Merle doesn't have a hot rodder pulled over before you punch it.

I dunno Kelly, that Roadmaster chin spoiler should keep the front end glued down at 150

Kelly, remember that with the air bag front suspension if it starts to get light Jim can always drop it down a bit and get more effect from the front air dam. Maybe we should include a stop at Bonneville on the car's way to California some time. ;-)

Maybe someone with extra large GONADS would try to top-end it?? not me :)

Wow Kelly, that's way more than I needed to hear about the size of your Gonads! I agree though, such antics are best left to the young guys who still think they are indestructable. ;-)

Did you get the speedo programmed yet? They usually program by either an external wire/switch that goes to ground to trip it, or by holding in the trip button when the key is turned on.

Here is an example instruction sheet:
[www.stewartwarnercanada.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2011 05:40PM by trevorwj.

And please excuse my ignorance, but what is MRRRC?

Make sure the weather cooperates with that Bonneville stop.

I didn't drive on the salt this June because the salt was wet and sloppy. The Visitors Center even advised not going out on the salt as they had called two trucks for three vehicles that morning.

Also important to go to a car wash to clean the salt from beneath the vehicle ASAP.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2011 11:54PM by mowog1.

When we got the insurance certificate for the Roadmaster, did we get a Agreed Value policy or a Stated Value policy?

At what value do we have it insured?

Would it be prudent to have a professional appraisal done on the car?

Just thinking "out loud".











Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2011 11:56PM by mowog1.

Thanks to Jim for presenting the car at the first annual Christmas party of the West Virginia British Car Club. It was VERY well received and drooled over.

The party was hosted by one of the members who is a corporate jet pilot, in his hangar..

Always lots of discussion around the car.

My daughter loved it.

Was Jamie Chenowith there? He bought the AH3000 that I found here in Champaign and picked it up a couple of weekends ago...unfortunately, our paths did not cross.

Nice looking young lady you have there Dan! First shots I've seen showing the headliner and some other interior details, Max you and your crew did an amazing job! Gary did a great job on the thermostat housing as well, it really curves around the distributor nicely towards the radiator hose. And Jim's hand formed drip pan under the air cleaner really came out nice as well. I think a lot of people never thought we'd attain that level of detail and have such a beautifully finished car. Well done all.

Yes, Rick, Jamie was there. He showed me pictures of the Healey he stole! It is most definitely in good hands though.

Thanks for the compliment, Bill. Obviously she has her mother's good looks ; )

I think it was quite mind-boggling to the members of our club. Everything is integrated so well and finished to the degree of a well-refined car. After the party was over, I had the opportunity to drive the car for a short test drive. It really is a well-mannered beast, not the brute you expect. It really is a true GT.

Good to be back home. I did get a chance to do a lap of the MRRRC late this morning while it was dry and nice. The full loop is 11.2 miles and the block is 4.7 miles. Dan, you'll be interested to hear that they've replaced the telephone pole and moved it out. (Or had they done that before the last time we ran it?) I'm pretty sure the only way you can tag it now is to go in the creek. I didn't try the jump as there was just too much traffic, and really, it's just way too dangerous anyway. Hard for me to believe that was a regular feature. Anyway, driving the GT on it was a hoot to say the least! It was a good run. Seriously, you guys have just GOT to try the 4th gear downshift to pass. It's unreal. I swear it looks and feels like you go from 55 to 90 in about a hundred yards. Didn't do that on the loop though, that was on the AA on the way home.

How fast will it go? I'd say 200 with the current gearing. It does 65 at 2 grand so the 6K rev limiter puts you at about 195 and the heads and cam will just about be peaking out. But for now as the guys say it's unattainable. Angle is wrong on the chin spoiler, steering is too loose, and vibration issues need resolved. I've had it up to 90 and it feels stable enough otherwise, but there was no time to be looking at tach or speedo, I had to rely on the GPS max speed. Things were happening quick. Passing has never been more fun. I wish we had a telltale on the tach, because I don't think I've wound it past about 4500 yet but there's no way to tell for sure. The motor seems pretty happy but I think a good session on the dyno would really pay off.

It's funny, you start out thinking about the motor a lot. But after driving it awhile you realize that what you've got there is a source of seemingly limitless power and it becomes a lot less important, and I think it's at about that point that you begin to finesse and learn how to drive the car. It's going to become a very, VERY good car once we work out the remaining bugs.

JB

David Bash sent two sets of heater control knobs. It turns out that the flat black ones with the white lettering and the extended shaft hub to the rear do fit the gearboxes. HOORAY! However, the RH defrost gearbox appears to be slipping the gear so it will have to be taken out and tweaked a bit to get it to work right. David, I hope you don't mind if I wait to return the unused knobs until this is resolved? It shouldn't take long.

Scott Costanza from Columbus, OH is coming down Saturday the 14th of January to help balance the driveshaft. Anyone else who would like to show up that weekend is more than welcome.

"Doc" Blackwood, out.

Maybe I missed it, theres no roll bar/cage? 200 mph ? I suggest an iron clad/boiler plate-"release and hold harmless", be signed by everyone who drives and rides in this rocket ship at over legal speeds. Reveiwing the carnage pictures of what "could" happen is wise here. This to protect all those involved with the car. Safer Faster, Good Luck, roverman.

Hey guys, finally home for a full day today & had time to dig around and find the heater knob controls. I have two each of two different styles...

'72-76 style (see [www.mossmotors.com]).
The posts on the mechanisms are 15/16 to 1" long. These are for the backlit style 72-76 knobs. The mechanisms & light cups I have are good; the dials and knobs are pretty far gone (although the chrome on the dials looked ok; it's the lettering & black background that are fadded out.

'68-71 pillow dash style (http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29081).
non-backlight, knob is bigger and fans out as it gets closer to the dash. Ears are integrated into it. Mechanism has a longer shaft - 1 3/16". Mechanisms are good. Knobs would be fine on a daily driver but would probably need to be reconditioned to look good next to fresh paint & new gauges. I can clean them up but wouldn't know how to restore the lettering.

Let me know which the roadmaster need and I'll get them out to you.

>I suggest an iron clad/boiler plate-"release and hold harmless", ... roverman.

Art, would you like to do that for us? I'm sure it is something we could use.
Now as to the liabilities involved, for contributors to a Charity, liability does not transfer except to the extent of their donation. In other words a suit can take your donation but that is all. As for the officers it becomes slightly more complicated but the rule is, barring intentional misconduct or ... what's that other word? Not malpractice that wouldn't apply here... oh yeah, negligence. Barring negligence liability does not transfer. I'm guessing it might be negligent to encourage someone to "See how fast you can drive it." So I'm not going to suggest that anyone drive this car over the legal speed limit and I recommend that no other officers do so either. Other than that, we are most likely held to contemporary standards in construction, and as far as I can tell we've satisfied that requirement. Just because the car may be capable of reaching a given speed does not mean it should be driven that way any more than your new car should be taken out and matted on the freeway. It is impossible to make any car completely safe, and the legal concept is well established that a person who willingly puts them self in a hazardous situation is assuming the risk associated with that activity. I dunno, maybe Will was right.

Anyhow, we can get bogged down in the paperwork, we can slow the whole thing down trying to pay lawyers, or we can make it a static display if that's what our contributors and members of the charity want to do. I'm just here to do the bidding of our members in that regard. And to be completely honest about it, I really do feel like I've pretty well completed my term of service. The car is built. It works. It is every bit as much a usable, driveable conversion as any other car out there. That was what I set out to do and it is done. I agreed to act as president until the car was built and that is finished. There is no reason why someone else can not take the reigns from this point forwards, and if I were to suggest a successor at this point I would have to recommend Bill Young for the work he is doing on the rotation plan. Maybe the safeguards Art suggests should be put into play. I'm not the right person to steer the organization through those waters. I'm a risk taker, and that isn't what we need from this stage forward. We would be better served by a more conservative approach and that's one hat that I chafe under. So, I would recommend that we all consider who we want our officers to be as we move forward into this new stage of the game. Let me be clear, it has been an honor and a privilege to lead up to this point, and I do not use those words lightly. But I am very conscious that my duty to the organization includes recognizing my own limitations, and we have reached them. I do not wish to put any of us at risk by exceeding them.

Rob, I will try to take some photos later this afternoon and we can work from those. My descriptions seem somewhat lacking.

JB