I can say that I agree with everything that you said here Ron. I have
done many restorations on MGBs but I am attempting my first V8 conversion.
For better or worse I am getting to start over agian. I spent the summer
putting in the engine/trans and getting chassis ready but now I have to
het a new chassis because I can't do the sills on mine. This is an
extreme case of the kind of setbacks that I think everyone encounters at
some point or another. The way I look at it though, is that if a
conversion could be done without incedence then it wouldn't really feel
like anything was accomplished. There is a good amount of pride that
comes from having your own blood/sweat/tears/skin ground into various
parts of your car. And Glenn...as my dad tells me when I have problems on
my car. If you aren't enjoying what you are doing pack it up for the day
and do something else. This project has to be a labor of love not a
chore. If you are getting frustrated and you stop having fun, take a
break before you get so sick of the car that you sell it.
James Nazarian
'71 B roadster
'74 BGT with no sills
'63 Buick 215 eyeing another rolling chassis
On Wed, 13 Oct 1999, Ron Howard wrote:
> 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
> >
> >
>
|