01-05-2008, 11:53 PM
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#11 (permalink)
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Lurking footless halls
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: northeast
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MGBs were made out of compressed rust and were wired by the prince of darkness. I had one as my first car and it taught me hard-core auto mechanics. That thing always knew when it was payday: something broke. But I digress... 
Welcome to the site Beav.
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01-06-2008, 12:54 AM
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#12 (permalink)
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Chronologically Gifted
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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Thanks all for the welcome. Yep, Lucas is the Prince of Darkness, alright. I had a couple of Triumph TR-6's and an Austin-Healey 3000. All had electrical problems and they were otherwise quirky cars. They were lovable like a rebellious, high-maintenance teenaged child. I loved'em but it was kind of good to see them go "out on their own," too. The Bug has been good to me; like a Timex, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
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"Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use."
-- Linus
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01-06-2008, 01:01 AM
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#13 (permalink)
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Dartmouth 2010
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hanover, NH
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Do you have any opinions on the triumph gt6 or mg midget or mini cooper? I'm poking around for a project car (would be throwing a modern engine in there).
Thankz
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01-06-2008, 01:22 AM
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#14 (permalink)
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Chronologically Gifted
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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Old Austin of England iron...
The GT6 had a small 6 cyl pushrod engine and full independent rear suspension. They handled quite well in their day, but the running gear was fragile in my opinion, especially the rear end. You can read that "expensive to fix." And the front end gave waay too much positive camber in corners causing massive understeer (though that can be fixed...) An engine swap would take care of the expense of maintaining a vintage engine/transmission, but a rear axle swap would be a lot of work.
A MG Midget did not have IRS, so the rear axle swap would be easier, IMO. You could put an entire modern drivetrain in one. Might be a good way to go.
Now, the original Mini with a Metro drivetrain... That seems like it might be lots of fun!
But what I know of any of these Austin / British Leyland cars is that they are maintenance-intensive, and something is always coming loose and needing tightened up. For a tinkerer, that is not a big problem though.
As far as the Lucas electrical system, I think someone with some electrical knowledge could build their own full wiring harness and convert much of the electrical system to something much better and more modern. Their electrical systems were very simple by today's standards.
I think it's a great idea by green standards... Reduce, reuse, recycle and restore!
Beaver
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"Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use."
-- Linus
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08-20-2008, 06:00 PM
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#15 (permalink)
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EcoModding Apprentice
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: N.C. / USA
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BMC rules!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silveredwings
MGBs were made out of compressed rust and were wired by the prince of darkness. I had one as my first car and it taught me hard-core auto mechanics. That thing always knew when it was payday: something broke. But I digress...
Welcome to the site Beav. |
Don't degrade BMC! They built the best tractor engines in the world! LOL! 
Sorry, sorry excuse for a car! I loved the SU carbs, tho'! Simple, reliable, and MG didn't make 'em!! Baby Webers? -whitevette |
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08-20-2008, 08:34 PM
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#16 (permalink)
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Chronologically Gifted
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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Stodgy but lovable British iron...
The old BMC engineering had a far-reaching influence. Many years ago I bought an old 1967 Datsun pickup with a 1300 pushrod engine. It so happened that I was, at the time, rebuilding the engine of a friend's MGB. I couldn't help but notice the profound similarities between the MGB engine and the 1300 in my pickup. Through some research I found that blueprints for the Datsun 12- and 1300's was bought from Austin of England, and they had very many features (and parts) in common. Through the years my Datsun pickup ended up with dual SU carbs, then an MGA 1600 single cam engine, then a hopped-up MGB 1800 with dual SU's and a MG 4-speed with Leycock de Normanville electric overdrive. I had to build a new transmission tunnel out of chicken wire and fiberglass in order to fit that trans in there, but it was worth the trouble, since I had more time than sense back then.
So please understand, I love the old British iron, even while recognizing the funny twists and turns in their engineering, and even being acquainted with Lucas, the Prince of Darkness... :-)
TTFN,
Beaver
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"Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use."
-- Linus
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08-20-2008, 09:31 PM
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#17 (permalink)
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Hi-Tech Redneck
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Ashtabula, Ohio
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Welcome to the site. You will find all kinds of info on the Metro here on this board since many members who own them have become fond of the fuel efficiency.
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GeoMetroforum.com - got mpg?
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