MG Sports Cars

It ran fine for me with the stock ignition system. That is what it had when I drove it to Jim's.
Do we really need an MSD box?

Steve

Not really. We wanted a rev limiter but the way the power drops off over 4800 I'm no longer concerned about it. As far as I'm concerned you can hook the Pertronics igniter up to the coil and forget that other stuff. That would get rid of the annoying buzzing too.

Jim

Pressure in the suspension dropped from 90psi to 10psi while the car was stored the past 9 days.

I like the idea of bypassing the MSD.

If you need some help getting RM fixed, I will arrange a time to come out and help.

Progress?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2012 12:44AM by Todd McCreary.

What's happening? We're almost out of September now, if that car doesn't get running soon it's going to need to go into storage for the winter.

There sure aren't going to be a whole lot more show dates for the car to attend up north.

Rick has it. There are a couple of minor maintenance issues that need to be looked at, I don't think he's had a chance yet to do anything on it, and there hasn't been anyone local who could do it. I'm not sure what Bill is doing but I think he is distracted with moving maybe so he hasn't been on here much. AFAIK the only thing scheduled is the Buick GS Nationals at Bowling Green, KY next month but it doesn't look very much like we are going to make that at this point. So realistically maybe the car has found it's den for the cold months.

I just renewed the registration and sent the sticker to Rick. Not sure when the insurance comes due.

Jim

I would LOVE to have someone pick the Roadmaster up....I need the space back in my barn....as was mentioned....winter is approaching and I need to get an MGB out of my garage and back into the barn so that my truck can be cozy in the garage.

Roadmaster:

The insurance should come due mid-November 2012. Anticipate a premium of several hundred dollars.

This car has been a paperweight since August 13th when I rented a trailer to pick it (and P.J.) up in Mount Vernon, IL (about 3 hours south of me.) I got a Speed Camera ticket mailed to me two weeks later. I had to get an attorney to represent me (it also came with a mandatory court appearance....68mph in a 55mph speed zone...I was in the buffer zone of a construction zone but had not reached any construction.....nor any workers. Typical revenue builder for the State of Illinois.

The air bag suspension is leaking; I suspect the new bag on the passenger side. The car will drop overnight to the point where it would not be possible to drive. I have to use my compressor to build pressure back up. In my opinion, the onboard compressor is not up to the task. Jim, you say this is a minor maintenance issue...but I've never dealt with air suspensions, nor do I find anything in the car to assist n learning about the (how and where the lines were run, how they are connected, etc.. The last thing I want to do is dismantle the front suspension and have the car totally disabled to the point that I cannot move it from Point A to Point B in the barn.

There is no power going to the (+) side of the coil. The car sat outside overnight in Mount Vernon in a hell of a rainstorm...something HAD to have gotten wet and zzzzapped when P.J. attempted to start it up the next morning.

Electrics are not a strong point of mine, but I would think that the problem has to lie in either the distributor or the MSD box. Summit has a 6AL box on sale for $175....but my ticket is going to ba a minimum of $375 plus court fees plus my attorney fees. My fun money is pretty well extinguished for the time being....and...how do we KNOW that the MSD box is faulty....I hate to spend the money replacing parts on a wild goose chase.....dizzy...control box....what about the advance control box?

Soccer season is coming to an end so Pete may be able to donate some time within the next few weeks.

I'm beginning to think that we possibly went just a little too high-tech before all of the bugs were worked out of the car. Thankfully, it made the complete Power Tour without too much problem.

All in all, I'm not very happy. I had intended on taking the car up to the University Motors Summer Party to "wow" the purists, as well as up to the All British Car Show near Chicago in September (which draws 500 to 800 cars on an annual basis). We also missed the Saint Louis All British Show in September. Mr.Kirkman was upset that the car was not roadworthy for him to pick up last week as he had some Cars & Coffees in Indianapolis to attend as well as a couple of street rod events lined up.

End of rant.

Someone, maybe Steve D suggested we remove all that MSD stuff and I agreed. (Maybe that was in the other rm thread). Just hook the pertronix up to the coil and see if that doesn't work. The dyno showed we don't need to worry about a rev limiter.

I also posted a proceedure to leak check the air system, almost guaranteed it's the fittings on the new bag. That much of a leak shouldn't be hard to find. Dunking is the best method.

There are better compressors on ebay for around $75-$150 that should do a lot better job but that one works ok as long as the air doesn't leak out. I bought one to use on my car but have not had a chance to try it out yet. But I can get more info if needed.

We could always stick a set of springs back in it.

Jim

Gentlemen, I apologize for being remiss in my duties as President the past couple of months. I was not keeping up on the latest situations and working to resolve these issues. I have been very busy with my move to Wichita and other things such as the Chump Car race, not an excuse, but just things that have occupied my mind and diverted my attention from the Roadmaster problems. Please send me an e-mail directly to bkyoung@kc.rr.com describing the various problems and if anyone has room and time to either store the car or work on it. My new shop in Wichita won't be ready until mid November at least, so I can't take it until then.
We have had some issue with the bank, requiring signatures and a copy of the minutes of the meeting where myself and Bill Davidson were elected, that is being handled and then Bill can write some checks to cover your expenses incurred with the car. Please let us know what and how much those were.
I am so sorry that the car couldn't make it to those people who wanted to drive and show it this fall, we'll certainly figure out how to get it to you next year.
On the plus side, I'm in Omaha this week making arrangements for next years British V8 meet and that is going well. Meet with the management at the race track later this morning and then with the hotel manager this afternoon to tie in the final two big pieces. Well worth our trip up from KC this week.
Again, my apologies for not keeping up lately, I'll try to to a lot better now that I have some of the load off my mind.
Bill

I was tempted to put coil springs backin the front....have the spring pans been altered to the point where coils will no longer work without replacement of same?

No problem Rick, they will go right in. I would suggest using the stiffest and tallest springs you can find though if you do. The lines can be just slid back up out of the way if you want. We tried all the springs I had and it still sat a smidgen low but that was GT springs and competition springs which were shorter. Maybe you can find some spring spacers somewhere. A half inch might do it.

Bill I think we all understand. But do we get to hear about the chump car?

Jim

Maybe you can find some spring spacers somewhere. A half inch might do it.


Put in adjustable spring buckets and you can have any ride height you want with any set of springs you want to use.

There are also adjustable shims and fixed thickness rubber spacers. Here's a quick google result:
[www.speedwaymotors.com]

Of course I'll tell you guys about my Chump Car experience. Had a blast driving a modified British sports car, a Midget with a Ford Focus twin cam four and a T5. Once we got a front sway bar on the car on Sunday morning then it started to perform really well, before it wallowed so much that all the tires were rubbing on the fenders in the turns. On Sunday it was basically flat and neutral handling, if not a little tail happy. All seven of the drivers spun it at least once during the two days, I managed two spins, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, but no damage done except to my ego. If any of you ever dreamed of driving a race car this is definiitely the way to go. There's a guy in Lawrence Kansas (Clancy Schmidt, who did much of the construction on Phil Leonards RV8) that has built several cars and then rents out seats in them for $700 a race. You have to have your own safety gear, suit, helmet, and such, but he takes care of everything else, tires, entry fee, you name it. You can get 6 or 7 guys together and put a car on the track pretty cheaply, especially if someone in the group can weld in a roll cage.
One more item checked off my bucket list and something I will probably do again next season it was so much fun.
Some of you might remember one of my co drivers, Robert Maupins from Indy a few years back. Also Bill Davidson, Phil Leonard, and Don Bonar showed up on Saturday to cheer us on. Photo of the car in the pits and of some of the team, entered as Team Fright. ( Ford Sprite)






Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2012 02:07AM by Bill Young.

I'm digging them A/R Vector wheels on the Spridget! Looks like fun!

Bill, have you had a chance to check with Terry to see if he wants the car for the winter to put in his showroom? We really ought to do that considering he did so much to help move things along. So far as I know nobody has been in touch with him. I don't know if he even knows the car is finished.

Jim

No, haven't contacted Terry about that. I really need to know the current state of the car in more detail before we consider a move, will we have to trailer it? That makes a huge difference. Still not clear on the status of the front suspension or ignition systems and why the car had to be trailered to Rick's place.

Bill, you have a PM.

Hello all. No word yet on anyone willing to host the Roadmaster for the winter. We received a bill for the insurance for next year and it is being paid, but that leaves us with about $50 in the account, so we need to come up with some way to raise some funds to repair the car and get it ready for next year. Anyone have any ideas? Of course contributions are always welcome, just send them to Bill Davidson.
My shop will be ready in a couple of weeks, but with my move I won't be able to pick the car up from Rick until at least January or so. I have to get my current house cleaned up and ready to sell and on the market this fall. I am more than willing to house the car over the winter and fix the current problems if I can, just can't go and pick it up right now.
I don't have a distribution list set up for the group on my e-mail site so I would appreciate it if someone wants to copy this and put it out on e-mail.
Bill Young

Hey Bill/All:

We seem to have the following issues:

1) Car needs to be rescued from Rick's, and as soon as possible.

2) Car needs funds to be repaired (more on this below)

3) Car needs PERMANENT source of funds to be maintained.

4) Car isn't reliable enough to go from user to user.


1) I don't have any current ideas. Like Bill, I don't foresee any space availability or time until next year, and even that is subject to change. (Have My Own cars I've been ignoring/avoiding.) Also, there would likely be 5-7 people closer to Rick on the cars' way to (here). We need to find those resources and use them, perhaps?

1-a) ONE IDEA: Rick: what is the monthly cost of a local storage place where the car could be hidden? Given currrent towing costs, etc., for a few months at least this *might* be a cheaper option...

2) Undoing the complicated ignition set up and reverting to the Pertronix should hopefully be easy, and zero cost. Rubber Bumper roadster coil springs would be a good choice IF we wanted to remove the air bag system. (Frankly, I thought that was a trick item, but it has been very problematic....) I think it's quite possible coil springs would just be a temporary swap for the car to move around and get back on the road, and then the air system could be improved to Beta 2.4 and reinstalled. :-) I could probably come up with a used set of springs in a pinch, or someone else might just have some lying around in their parts?

3) We've done amazingly well on the donations front, but the car needs to have a permanent and steady/reliable amount of income so that repairs can be met and other items can be budgeted. (Been there, done this with the B-Stingers Race Team).

Some spitballing ideas:
3a) Rent a Roadmaster. He who drives it-- pays. And NOT for repairs, but for usage-- You have it for a week, say, give $100 to the kitty. (Time earned/parts donated would/should be considered to bank against this, but I think you get what I'm getting at.) This way, the car is always getting SOMETHING so as to keep itself afloat. That amount of money is NOT a lot, considering its novelty. (I'm sure PJ would have *loved* to have only had to pay $100 for His time with Roadmaster! Frickin bargain.. :-/ ) PROS: always generating income. CONS: without that immediate financial responsibility, will some people be more 'abusive" to the car? ("Like YOU were always nice to YOUR rental cars?" ;-) )

3b) Regular fundraisers. The T-shirts and other regalia come to mind here. This is income, but very slow and not always a great margin. (Given the time it takes to conduct ONE t-shirt sale, in terms of contact, payment, shipment/delivery, etc., the people involved might as well just forget the shirt and donate their time or equivalent earnings to the project!)

3b-2) A money earning event! The Raceteam do two of these a year (one is rustproofing in the late fall/the other is Detailing in the Spring). The 8 of us on the team slave away two to 3 days a year, but this generates about $3K per annum to be our racing budget. This saved our ass-- our early years were of the "donation" variety, but you just couldn't count on that and frankly-- it was only ~ $500/ year. MAKING OUR OWN MONEY MADE US INDEPENDENT.

The Roadmaster will always be a "dependent", however, so perhaps just a wealthy sponsor/benefactor will suffice? I had some ideas in the past of "special event" regalia (like those photographers on The Dragon, etc.). 'I Drove It!" T-shirts (that would sell for more money, but be unique, blah blah...) But still, these ideas rely on novelty and people spending spare cash on "trinkets". They are NOT solid $$$ earners for a long term....


SO.....

3c) "Roadmaster Regulars". A set group of people who would drive the car. (This is like the raceteam idea.) You would pay a form of dues to be apart of the Regulars and this specific set of people become the maintainers and users of the vehicle. This takes the car OUT of the public forum, but gives it a better chance of surviving. (A group of 10 people would pay, say, $300 each per year? And they would schedule maintenance and work sessions for the car, where it would go, etc.) Perhaps they each take it for just one month a year, with a two month downtime at someone's shop where the maintenance and repairs are carried out? Perhaps, also, it does NOT have to be the same 10 people each year (spots could be swapped for someone new, etc.) Likely, however, you WOULD have to have a 'core' group that become synonymous with the car and would maintain stability and regular maintenance on the car.


Lastly,

4) In a "car by committee" situation, this is tough. It's fantastic when each person involved puts their little "mark" on the car, but these often become conflicting. (Perfect example: the ignition. Very simple Pertronix/coil/distributor when it was here-- now has control box, rev limiter... and problems. :-()

4-a) The car needs to have a "build sheet". I would maybe make this Job One this off-season, even before bothering to repair it. Otherwise, each user is lost... (The "Regulars" limits the users and thus this problem, but the car was not intended to be "selectively used". So, IF it's going to have lots of drivers-- well, Dumb It Down and Keep It Simple, Stupid. I know these sound like catch-phrases, but they are true-- we have "guest drivers" in the racecar and the LESS things they have to worry about, the better!) Car has to be INTUITIVE to use, and then be backed up by straightforward documentation when it isn't!

4-b) The car needs to be Shaken Down more thoroughly. I blame myself AND Jim for this one. I let it go before I was happy with it (time constraint on it's residence, basically) and then this got everyone excited about next year and the car was pushed along and released with barely more than a FEW HUNDRED (non-dynoed!) test miles on it. (Steve DeGroat's miles, pretty much). This is just asking for trouble and we got it-- car is basically marooned at Rick's because he has no use for it going into Winter time and he wasn't the one that broke it.


The broken starters, air suspension problems, etc., are all ENGINEERING issues because they were repeated. (Carrol Smith: "A properly engineered part... does not break!") And many of our Drivers/Users are NOT Fabricators, Engineers, or mechanics. So it is poor procedure on OUR part-- those of Us who know better-- to have released the car to General Usage. (This is NOT a dig at any person, so please don't be offended. Anyone can feel out of place with a "strange car", and not feel comfortable fixing/working on it, novices Or master mechanics.... And not having any "user's manual" totally compounds the issue.)

Okay, enough cheap advice. :-/

Cheers to all, otherwise

Max



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2012 07:57PM by madmax.