|Date: 6-14-93 12:33am
|From: Dean Zywicki:dcrt:nih
| To: {british-cars@autox.team.net}:INTERNET
|Subj: MGB engine rebuild
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I was musing over what to do with my MGB engine last night.
Currently, I'm rebuilding the front suspension and waiting for my
kingpin/front suspension kits from Special Interest Car parts. I was
reading through the Lindsay Porter book an purchase and DIY restoration
and was reading the section on building a 1950cc motor. I half want to
find a Rover V8 and do the conversion and half want to stay with the
stock motor. Legality has something to do with it. I spoke with
someone who has done a few and he says the only solution where there are
emissions checks is to keep a different address where there are no
emissions tests. I'm talking about Northern Virginia here.
The 1950cc engine seems pretty reasonable too. I have a 1980 B, so
it has the strongest block and meaty head needed for the boring. It
just seems so sad that such a great car has to be stuck with suck a weak
engine. It seems to have so much more potential than it delivers.
Anyone ever built one of these. Porter gives pretty thorough guides for
building one.
One problem has me really bothered is replacing the oil seal on the
front of the diff. This is a tube type axle and I keep reading about
not doing this oneself because the DIYer cannot set the pinion backlash.
I've read other posts about this waiting for an answer and I haven't
seen one. Anyone know what exactly the deal is? The oil seal on mine
is leaking and I'd like to replace it now, while I'm doing some other
stuff.
After I get the front suspension back together, I'm going to take
it to a guy who builds cars all day (his wife works). He loves building
B's and would show me how to weld my car for $15 an hour. I'll probably
just end up going with replacing the whole sill structure on the drivers
side and just the outer sill, verticle membrane and castle section on
the passengers side.
It's really strange how the car ended up after 13 years. The
drivers side suspension was considerably more worn out and the sills
are much worse. Its almost like it the PO parked the drivers side in a
huge puddle all the time.
Later,
Dean
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