MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build

I've finished the modifications on the dash; it's turn into a bit of a hybrid between early and late styles. I've trimmed the ends and the return under the instrument binnacle so that I can get the dash panel in and out past the roll cage without dropping the steering column. The aperture for the fresh air vents needed to be reduced slightly so that the locating tabs would fit properly. I've welded up the rectangular switch holes and redrilled them to take round switches. I've also relocated the heater controls to the dash, in the style of the early dash. The last job was to removed the choke cable bracket, widen it and reweld it the right of the column to take the bias brake adjuster.

It's been too cold to paint anything - I managed to warm the garage up to 2C after several hours of 5kW heat output - so there's a bit of a backlog with the dash needing crackle paint, and the heater flap and gearbox crossmember ready for a coat of black.

Next is to check, clean and regasket the Real Steel built engine, fit the ceramatallic twin plate paddle clutch and throw the whole thing into the car. Sounds easy when you say it quickly!

A big day today, and a long one. I've finally got her on all four wheels today. My friend Dave finished some machining for me yesterday which allowed me to complete the front suspension and steering. Irritatingly, the braided hoses, one of the few things that I've bought, have the wrong end fittings so they'll need sorting before I can finish the brakes. I'm also not too happy with the one of the front wheel bearings so they'll need replacing. I spent quite a bit of time making sure that the caster angle is the same on both uprights. I was also tempted to mess about with the camber angles, but that'll have to wait for a little while, along with a hundred and one other little jobs.

I've also put a 36-1 trigger wheel on the back of the crank pulley and made a bracket to take a Ford sensor. My pal Stephen rebuilt the bottom end on Tuesday with a newly reground crank, so there's progress on that front too!

Engine and gearbox in this week. My pal Stephen rebuilt the bottom end with a new crank, bearings and a stud conversion for the mains. Had some grief with the twin plate paddle clutch so I've put that back for a future upgrade. Need a few little bits and bobs: a metric fitting for the clutch slave cylinder, for example. Also changed a front hub bearing on the RV8 front end which was a bit of a trial and refitted the new discs to eliminate a little disc run out due to corrosion on the mounting faces of the hub.

A lot of effort has been put in over the last few weeks, with lots of help from friends, especially Stephen. The result is that the car passed the MoT yesterday and is now road legal. Stephen painted the orange stripe on the front valance to celebrate this milestone.

Still lots to do though; I've remade the expansion tank as the cooling system is struggling to purge the trapped air. The rear springs need to be softer, and the front bump stops need cutting down. The Holley 390 needs setting up, it's far too rich when the accelerator pump discharges on throttle opening - so much so that it floods and dies. Anyway, I've got an air/fuel meter to plumb in so that should give me a good idea what's happening.

Overall, I'm pleased to have got this far.

I put some new AVO spherical jointed dampers with 200lb/in 1.9" diameter springs on this evening and took it for a run around the block. Much better, it's almost civilised. Still threw some water out, but I think that the pressure cap is past its best as it didn't get past 80C on the gauge. Exhaust is still blowing a little, so that's next on the list of jobs to do.

It's 6 months since my last post, so it's time for an update. I took the MG to Le Mans Classic in July for its first long run - longer than 5 miles around town. I went with my impending son-in-law and a group of friends in a wide range of cars: TVR Griffith, Jaguar XJ8, Citroen DS and a whole fleet of Triumphs. The MG ran well, a bit down on power, the wipers came loose and the bushes on the LT77 gearbox extension gave up on the way home. But we made it there and back.

Some of the power has been restored by rebuilding the Holley several times and setting it up with the AFR meter. But, I'm losing patience with the carb. Maybe someone will tell me what the benefits of the Holley are, but it is so unreliable that it will be taken off soon and replaced with something that works consistently.

I've stiffened and lowered the front suspension - it's the RV8 set up with 550lb/in MGB springs and slotted upper arms to get 1.5 degrees of negative camber. That has removed the slightly floaty feeling at high speed.

So yesterday I took my pal Stephen and his daughter Harriet to a track day to try the car out on the limit. Used standard Avon road tyres in very wet conditions in the morning, and cold, damp track in the afternoon. Came away very happy with it. Still a bit of development work, especially on the front brakes, and it could cope with more power, and a more reliable carb. But we were not outclassed by the modern cars!

The photo is of Harriet driving with her Dad giving instruction.