How to get to 54.5 MPG

Clive > wrote:
>sctvguy1 > writes
>>I had two MGBs, one for 14 years, one of the most reliable cars that I
>>have ever had. It was a 1977 model, converted to the dual side-draft
>>SUs. It would get about 30 on the highway. The 240Z stole the GTs body
>>style and its limited market.
>
>MG and reliable don't go together. I expect things might now improve
>with the new Chinese owners.

Surprisingly, MG products from the BMC era can be reliable. Two things
need to be done:

1. Replace all electrical parts in the vehicle and that includes the crappy
quality cable used. New cable harnesses with new connectors everywhere.
Some relays may need to be added.

2. Don't EVER replace any fasteners with anything not OEM. Don't even think
about it. Just because it says it's a proper replacement doesn't mean it
is.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In message >, Scott Dorsey
> writes
>Clive > wrote:
>>sctvguy1 > writes
>>>I had two MGBs, one for 14 years, one of the most reliable cars that I
>>>have ever had. It was a 1977 model, converted to the dual side-draft
>>>SUs. It would get about 30 on the highway. The 240Z stole the GTs body
>>>style and its limited market.
>>MG and reliable don't go together. I expect things might now improve
>>with the new Chinese owners.
>Surprisingly, MG products from the BMC era can be reliable. Two things
>need to be done:
>1. Replace all electrical parts in the vehicle and that includes the crappy
> quality cable used. New cable harnesses with new connectors everywhere.
> Some relays may need to be added.
>2. Don't EVER replace any fasteners with anything not OEM. Don't even think
> about it. Just because it says it's a proper replacement doesn't mean it
> is.
O.K. BMC, BLMH call them what you want. They only built junk. They
were always junk and nothing will alter that.
--
Clive

Clive wrote:
> In message >, Scott Dorsey
> > writes
>> Clive > wrote:
>>> sctvguy1 > writes
>>>> I had two MGBs, one for 14 years, one of the most reliable cars that I
>>>> have ever had. It was a 1977 model, converted to the dual side-draft
>>>> SUs. It would get about 30 on the highway. The 240Z stole the GTs
>>>> body
>>>> style and its limited market.
>>> MG and reliable don't go together. I expect things might now improve
>>> with the new Chinese owners.
>> Surprisingly, MG products from the BMC era can be reliable. Two things
>> need to be done:
>> 1. Replace all electrical parts in the vehicle and that includes the
>> crappy
>> quality cable used. New cable harnesses with new connectors
>> everywhere.
>> Some relays may need to be added.
>> 2. Don't EVER replace any fasteners with anything not OEM. Don't even
>> think
>> about it. Just because it says it's a proper replacement doesn't
>> mean it
>> is.
> O.K. BMC, BLMH call them what you want. They only built junk. They
> were always junk and nothing will alter that.

My MGB responded well to reasonable, non-heroic application
of time and small parts (such as wiring and connectors).

It went more quickly with balanced rebuild, moderate porting
and a new cam. It handled better with Pirelli radials. I
found the basic MG shop manual more than adequate for your
average guy. With no extreme effort it was enjoyable and
quite dependable for many years.

--
Andrew Muzi
<www.yellowjersey.org/>
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 8/4/2011 12:25 PM, AMuzi wrote:
> My MGB responded well to reasonable, non-heroic application of time and
> small parts (such as wiring and connectors).
>
> It went more quickly with balanced rebuild, moderate porting and a new
> cam. It handled better with Pirelli radials. I found the basic MG shop
> manual more than adequate for your average guy. With no extreme effort
> it was enjoyable and quite dependable for many years.
>

That's the same experience I had with the 3 Fiat 124 Sports Coupe that I
had. All you had to know is the idiosyncrasies of the car and you'd be
fine. Most people didn't so I got them pretty cheap for such an advanced
sports car.

dsi1 ) writes:
> On 8/4/2011 12:25 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>> My MGB responded well to reasonable, non-heroic application of time and
>> small parts (such as wiring and connectors).
>>
>> It went more quickly with balanced rebuild, moderate porting and a new
>> cam. It handled better with Pirelli radials. I found the basic MG shop
>> manual more than adequate for your average guy. With no extreme effort
>> it was enjoyable and quite dependable for many years.
>>

>
> That's the same experience I had with the 3 Fiat 124 Sports Coupe that I
> had. All you had to know is the idiosyncrasies of the car and you'd be
> fine. Most people didn't so I got them pretty cheap for such an advanced
> sports car.


So you're well skilled at rebuilding manual transmissions then!

"weak synchromesh" AKA Italian cars!

On 8/4/2011 6:10 PM, M.A. Stewart wrote:
> dsi1 ) writes:
>> On 8/4/2011 12:25 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>>> My MGB responded well to reasonable, non-heroic application of time and
>>> small parts (such as wiring and connectors).
>>>
>>> It went more quickly with balanced rebuild, moderate porting and a new
>>> cam. It handled better with Pirelli radials. I found the basic MG shop
>>> manual more than adequate for your average guy. With no extreme effort
>>> it was enjoyable and quite dependable for many years.
>>>
>
>>
>> That's the same experience I had with the 3 Fiat 124 Sports Coupe that I
>> had. All you had to know is the idiosyncrasies of the car and you'd be
>> fine. Most people didn't so I got them pretty cheap for such an advanced
>> sports car.
>
>
> So you're well skilled at rebuilding manual transmissions then!
>
> "weak synchromesh" AKA Italian cars!
>
>

I never had any problem with the second gear clashing. Just lucky I
guess or maybe I have selective memory. OK, it clashed a little but I
just learned to live with it. That's what most everybody else did.

The main idiosyncrasy of the car was that people kept hitting it with
their cars. Except for the third one in which I hit a bump a little too
hard which pulled the lower A arm off the mounting plate. This was the
last of my Fiats. So I got an Alfa Romeo - that's when my real troubles
started. :-)

Back around 1971 when I was in Hotlanta, I was doing some sight seeing.I
was walking along and I saw an early 1960s Jaguar coupe parked on a
street in front of some apartments.Just for the heck of it I stopped an
asked the guy if that Jaguar was for sale.Either himself or somebody
else had intalled a Chevrolet straight six cylinder engine with the
Chevrolet manual shift transmission in that old Jaguar car.
A heck of an Improvement it was, I say.
cuhulin

On 8/5/2011 11:14 AM, J R wrote:
> Back around 1971 when I was in Hotlanta, I was doing some sight seeing.I
> was walking along and I saw an early 1960s Jaguar coupe parked on a
> street in front of some apartments.Just for the heck of it I stopped an
> asked the guy if that Jaguar was for sale.Either himself or somebody
> else had intalled a Chevrolet straight six cylinder engine with the
> Chevrolet manual shift transmission in that old Jaguar car.
> A heck of an Improvement it was, I say.
> cuhulin
>

In 1975 or so, I saw a Toyota 2000GT coupe whose proportions mimic that
of the Jaguar XKE, in the SF bay area. I think that was the first and
last time I ever saw one on the street. It was like seeing the holy
grail parked on the sidewalk. Hopefully, nobody ever installed a Chevy
drivetrain in one of those. :-)

On 07/31/2011 12:34 PM, bob urz wrote:
<snip>

55mpg is easy - drive a 1988 honda crx hf. yup, that's from 23 years ago.


--
nomina rutrum rutrum

I remember back in the 1960s when Honda first started importing cars
into America.Little 36 cubic inches air cooled 2 cylinder engine, it
only did about 33 - 34 miles per gallon.
http://www.1stgencivic.org
cuhulin