MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build

Championship Class Win

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:41:50 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

A bit overdue, but a quick update on the 2013 season. I did the four round Fuch Oils MDA Blyton Park sprint championship and won the Specialist Production and Historic classes! The car went well, despite the rattling Rhoads lifters which have ruined the cam lobes. The rear suspension works brilliantly and the brakes are pretty good once I sorted the master cylinder sizes out. Just need more power, an LSD and an adjustable rear anti roll bar...

<Start sml>

<thumbnail>

Posted 2014-07-01 15:41:50 by John Yates

First Track Day

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 14:16:52 -0600

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

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.

<P2090314>

Posted 2012-12-29 14:16:52 by John Yates

Sorting, Setting Up And De-bugging

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:13:16 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

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.

<DSC03781>

<DSC03773>

Posted 2012-06-27 14:13:16 by John Yates

On The Road!

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 13:53:27 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

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.

<DSC03763>

<DSC03771>

Posted 2012-06-24 13:53:27 by John Yates

Engine And Box In

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:58:38 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

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.

<Powertrain in!>

Posted 2012-04-22 12:58:38 by John Yates

She's A Roller!

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:48:32 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

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!

<DSC03644>

<DSC03645>

Posted 2012-04-14 12:48:32 by John Yates

Dash Mods Done

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:11:32 -0600

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!

<Dash awaiting paint>

Posted 2012-02-05 13:11:32 by John Yates

Pedals And Column In

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:43:16 -0600

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Managed to do 3 hours tonight. Bent up some more fuel pipe, bolted in the pedal box and connected all the pipes and got the MGF EPAS column in. My Momo wheel needed a boss from a mid 90s Honda to mate up to the column.

Next job is to run the fuel pipe to the tank, fit the rubber strips and bolt the tank in properly.

<Pedal box in and piped up>

<EPAS column fitted>

Posted 2012-01-16 13:43:16 by John Yates

Heater: Minor Job, Major Pain

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:00:23 -0600

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

I've finally got the heater in. It's taken weeks to do, with a sorry saga of removing rust, stripping and painting, paint reacting and wrinkling, stripping again and repainting, dismally failing to fit the heater, cutting and welding the box, repainting, successfully installing the heater and touching up the scratched paint.

I know that everyone says that it's probably the worst job to do on the MGB, but I didn't really believe them. I didn't have the pleasure of removing the heater since I bought the car as a completely dismantled abandoned project. Oh, the naivety! Who on earth is responsible for this? It has all the hallmarks of a last minute cost cutting decision by the production people.

Anyway, having failed to get the thing in, and I'm not a 7 stone weakling... I removed the little bracket on the top and welded in a captive 1/4 UNF nut to the heater box to buy a bit of space. Then I cut up the front panel and made a bevelled lower edge to help it into the bulkhead aperture. This means that the front panel is now removable for access to the fan motor and heater matrix without taking the whole box out.

Now that's out of the way, I'm finishing off all the brake and the fuel pipes, and then on to the next big task of rebuilding the engine...

<Heater finally in>

<Mods to heater box>

Posted 2012-01-14 13:00:23 by John Yates

More Plumbing

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:24:53 -0600

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

I think that I've made some progress with the engine bay. The hydraulic reservoirs are in place, with no plans to take them out... I decided that I would make a panel to seal the aperture in the inner wing rather than try and seal it from inside the cockpit. I still wanted to run the wiring loom through that space so I made an aluminium cover with a tube welded in to take the loom. I also needed to run the brake pipe to the offside caliper and the clutch pipe around the back of the reservoirs before bolting them into place. The nearside brake pipe will run across the car inside the cockpit so avoiding the problem of interfering with the heater or the bonnet hinges.

Next task is to fit the floor mounted pedal box, and then the steering column.

<Covers to seal the firewall, with opening to take the loom>

<Brake and clutch reservoirs and pipework done>

Posted 2011-12-04 11:24:53 by John Yates

Plumbing

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:53:01 -0600

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

After a frustrating weekend failing to make any braided hoses I did some more homework and realised what I was doing wrong. This afternoon I've made good progress on the clutch and brake reservoirs and the fuel pump and filter pipework. I've also run 3/8 copper pipe with a tap along the transmission tunnel, through the bulkhead and up to the pressure regulator. Mind you, it took four attempts to make the swan neck pipe up to the BG regulator!

Next is the pedal box pipe work and sorting something out for the clutch. I'm thinking of putting a dry break fitting in the clutch line to make life easier when the engine and gearbox come out.

<DSC03460>

<DSC03462>

Posted 2011-11-19 11:53:01 by John Yates

More Progress On The Engine Bay

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:18:22 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

I've got some paint on the underside and the engine bay. It's ok and will polish up, but it's not concours by any means. I've put the RV8 crossmember and rack in tonight. One of the bump stop studs had broken off and took a bit of work to sort out, but it's done now.

I have also made and welded in some 3/4" brackets to space out the steel front valance to make it look better without the bumper to hide the step under the grill.

Onwards and upwards!

<Paint on engine bay>

<Spacers for front valance>

Posted 2011-11-01 14:18:22 by John Yates

More Engine Bay Work

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:16:14 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Following the overwhelming poll result in favour of polishing out the plug welds on the inner wing cut outs, that's what I've done. Then I've blown a bit of primer over to keep the rust at bay. The engine bay will need painting properly, but that that's not my strong point so I'll put it off for a while. Tonight, I've made a little aluminium bracket to hold the hydraulic reservoirs. I'm reasonable happy with it, but I might decide to rivet in a stiffener, or learn to weld aluminium.

<Exhaust cut out stiffener and hydraulic cylinder reservoir bracket>

Posted 2011-08-22 14:16:14 by John Yates

Progress On Bodyshell Mods

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:19:04 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Been busy yesterday. Welded in RV8 inner wing stiffeners by plug welding with the MIG and also a bit of seam welding. Posed a question on the forum about grinding off the welds or not. Also made and welded in some brackets for an RV8 washer bottle and an RV8 style remote filter bracket to the inner wing. Progress with the steering too with a stiffener welded into the bulkhead to take a bracket inside the cabin for the steering quickener. Brackets for the EPAS are done too; just need to make a pair of aluminium spacers. Having difficulties finding a suitably period steering wheel to suit the MGF spline column.

<Exhaust cut out and washer bottle brackets at the top>

<Strengthener for steering quickener bracket>

Posted 2011-08-20 11:19:04 by John Yates

Exhaust Cut Outs In Inner Wings

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:38:57 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Trial fitted engine to check on whether I had cut out the inner wings in the right place. Fortunately, I had! Now to weld in the strengtheners. Picked up some Corbeau Forza seats as well, so have those mounts to make. Then I can sort the steering column length out and finish the brackets for the electric power steering.

<Exhaust cut outs>

Posted 2011-07-23 14:38:57 by John Yates

Axle In!

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:45:03 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Fitted the axle tonight. Was a bit of a struggle on my own but the single post lift helps a great deal. Need to make spacers for Rose/Heim joints, but otherwise finished, I hope. Except for setting up, of course.

<Angled lower arms>

<Trailing upper arms>

Posted 2011-07-22 13:45:03 by John Yates

Update On Rear Disc Brakes

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:29:58 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Axle painted and assembled. Braided hoses, handbrake cables and all the little details sorted. Needs an LSD but that will have to wait until the next upgrade.

<Close up of rear disc brake installation>

Posted 2011-07-04 13:29:58 by John Yates

Disc Braked Axle

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:42:40 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Axle now ready for a lick of paint. Discs are Rover 600 rears, with John Cooper Works Mini Cooper rear calipers with EBC pads. Bought standard Mini handbrake cables, so needed to make a little adapter to make them fit. Caliper brackets are aerospace grade 7000 series aluminium designed and made by my mate Han. All chassis brackets and link bars now painted and rose (heim) joints fitted. Close to fitting to the car...

Now on with the electric power steering.

<Disc braked axle>

Posted 2011-06-08 13:42:40 by John Yates

Hydraulic Throwout Bearing Update

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:37:24 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Looking back at my journal posts, I spotted the one about the concentric clutch, or HTOB. The update is that it doesn't fit. It's from a Ford Galaxy and is too small to fit over the input shaft. So, back to the drawing board. I've heard that Saab ones are larger, so maybe that's the way forward.

The photo is the rear coil spring damper bracket that I've made. It fits to the normal rear shock absorber mounts. The two sets of holes are so that I can move it back and forward to change the angle of inclination. Actually, I decided that I wanted it more vertical after I had made the lower axle brackets, so I had to modify the upper mounts with the second set of holes.

Two iterations is quite good for me; the rear leading arm brackets are the Mark 4a version. Photos to follow, perhaps.

<Coil spring and damper upper bracket>

Posted 2011-03-21 14:37:24 by John Yates

Battery Box Mods

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:43:45 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

I've finished the modifications on the battery box by trimming the lower edge to accommodate the Satchell link trailing arm. I've decided to put the Facet red top fuel pump and Mallory billet filter inside the old battery compartment, so I've boxed it all in to keep the weather out. I've also rolled the rear arches and stretched them about half an inch with a hydraulic ram. I'm intending to put 7x15 wheels in there without resorting to Sebring arches, but we'll have to see if it's feasible!

<Battery box>

Posted 2011-03-20 12:43:45 by John Yates

Pedal Box In

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:23:41 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

I've installed a floor mounted bias pedal box and a clutch foot rest. The pedal box is bolted to an aluminium plate with two set of holes to allow me to move the pedals back and forth to adjust the driving position if I need to. The foot rest I made from some steel sheet with holes that I flared with a steel ball, hammer and a piece of tube.

<Footwell with pedals and clutch foot rest>

Posted 2011-03-16 14:23:41 by John Yates

Carbs

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:40:07 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Been down to see Pete Gamble at Hi-Gear Engineering for a chat over lunch about his GT V8 build and his supercharged MGA. Collected my quad downdraft Dell'Ortos from Steve Hall at TR Enterprises who was interested in buying them for a customer, but the customer changed plans. So, maybe they'll go on my GT instead of the Holley 390.....

<Quad downdrafts>

Posted 2010-08-18 13:40:07 by John Yates

Update

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:30:50 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

No more work on the MG today, but I've been to pick up a concentric clutch slave cylinder to see if I can adapt it to the LT77 gearbox.

Thought I'd add a photo of the bracket that I made to take the trailing arm from the front leaf spring mount.

<Front mounting bracket for axle trailing link>

Posted 2010-08-17 14:30:50 by John Yates

A Bit More

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:10:43 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Done a bit of cleaning up of the axle brackets tonight. The clearance for some of the spherical bearings was a bit tight. One of the brackets has to double up as the bump stop so I've made a top piece which I'll TIG on later in the week.

Photo shows the strengthening plates for the main roll hoop and the back stays. Interestingly the FIA homologated cage has smaller mounting plates than would normally be allowed under UK MSA regulations - or at least that's how I've interpreted it. So I've extended the main hoop strengthening plate downward into the heel board by TIG welding in a 3mm thick extension piece.

<Roll cage mounts>

Posted 2010-08-16 12:10:43 by John Yates

Intro

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:14:00 -0500

MGB GT V8 Motorsport Build --

Hello, I thought that I might share some of my efforts to make a club level competition car out of a collection of MGB parts.

I bought an unfinished MGB GT V8 replica project in August 2009 and I've been slowly working on it. I've installed a Safety Devices FIA cage and added 8 extra brackets to the A and B pillars. I've also done a bit of seam welding to the heelboard and floor.

I've got a bit carried away with the rear suspension and I've made a four link and coil spring set up. You can just see in the photo that the lower links at angled inwards towards the diff housing - the Satchell arrangement - and the upper links go backwards making a Watts linkage.

It seems complicated but I wanted to use the existing leaf spring mounts and I wanted a lower roll centre than you can achieve with a Panhard rod. The front lower brackets have two bolt location that will give two roll centre heights. Whether the roll centre is too low will be apparent once we get up and running.

The engine is a 3.5 Rover with Real Steel heads and Stage 2 cam, Rhodes lifters, Holley 390 on an Offenhauser 360 manifold. Allegedly 220 bhp, we'll see. Gearbox is an LT77, but I do have an R380 from my RV8 project.

Lots still to do: there's a floor mounted bias pedal box to install; front suspension to do something with - raise the roll centre perhaps; rear discs to think about - as well as all the usual build and paint stuff.

Anyway, that's all for now.

<Combined Satchell and Watts links>

Posted 2010-08-15 11:14:00 by John Yates