Glenn...I hear you,guy...this is a good time for you to come to terms with
several facts of life, or you are not going to enjoy this adventure of
building your dream car. I'm guessing you haven't done a project of this
magnitude before...Why would I say that?...Only because you sound exactly
like I did before actually realized how much work, trouble, blood, sweat,
and tears this would take. Everybody's experience is not the same of course,
but based on 20 years experience of owning/maintaining MGs, total rebuild
and modification of one 1970 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, and the
conversion of B-GT>Buick 215, I suggest the following: However long you
think your project will take...triple it, and be prepared to extend that
shedule as well...it is a conservative estimate. The financial costs will
increase by about the same amount...2 to 3 times. The project will grow...as
you see, it already has, and you haven't hardly started. (I put ALL my spare
time and energy into my conversion. It took me nearly 2 years to build my
Buick 215 motor at a cost of many thousand dollars...I had expected
hundreds. I spent 6 months getting it into the car, and another 6 months to
fine tune it. This is not to discourage you at all. Just accept that this
thing is going to take as long as it takes. There are many things you cannot
hurry...other people's actions and service. I waited 6 months to get a cam
ground...I was originally told it would take a couple of weeks. Following
professional advice, I totally ruined the valve spring seats, and had to
have everything welded up to cut new ones. Nobody took responsibility for
anything. I spent way too many sleepless nights wondering if $6000 worth of
parts would ever actually be anything else. By the time you finish, you will
think of several things you did in the beginning that you wish you could do
over again a different way. But at some point, you have to stop planning and
start doing. In doing you learn new things and it becomes impossible to be
totally happy with the things you did before you got so experienced. Look at
it this way...now you will build a new motor and you will know everything
there is to know about that engine....much better than some unknown motor at
any price. Hoping I don't come across as too much of a know-it-all.....
ron howard
----------
>From: Wake074@aol.com
>To: mgb-v8@autox.team.net
>Subject: Disappointment for the day
>Date: Mon, Oct 11, 1999, 8:40 PM
>
>Some of you have been following (or at least reading my constant barrage of
>questions) my quest to turn my B into a V8 over the winter. As you have all
>read, I'm still just into the buying parts stage.
>
>Well, the good news is my Buick 215 arrived today from Oklahoma, from a
>gentleman that collects Buicks. It was supposedly pulled 3 years ago (and
>running), and stored inside protected since then. Well, upon examination
>tonight, the intakes and exhausts were left uncovered, and only some plastic
>was stuffed in the spark plug holes. So I took one of the cylinder heads
>off, and found just what I was expecting, 3 of the 4 were completely filled
>with animal debris. So obviously the cylinders show major signs of pitting
>and rust damage. The engine will obviously not budge, big surprise there.
>
>I guess I will end up paying big bucks for machine work. Anyone care to
>throw out a good estimate of what this is going to cost to repair.
>
>Very disappointed from the setback, both in financial terms and trust of our
>brethren in the collector car hobby.
>
>Glenn
>
>
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