Good advice, and Fascinating too! So that's what happened to Slick50.
I've always been suspicious of guys who call themselves "Slick".
I once read that if one were to buy all the gadgets advertised in the old J. C.
Whitney catalog claiming to increase horsepower 10% or more, and installed them
on a stock MGB, the engine would produce enough power to lift a Boeing 747 off
the ground.
The auto aftermarket has always thirsted for more power, and has allowed itself
to be a very willing victim of the Slick50's of the world. A good rule of thumb
might be to buy a performance mod only after receiving a good recommendation
from
another owner, and then only after you actually witness his car soundly
outperform yours. In all my MG'ing years, and with all the other owners I have
crossed paths with, I'd expect that by now I would have seen something in
between
the power of my stock MGB-GT and a full-race "B". I haven't. If I had, I would
have bought it.
Jim
Johnmowog@aol.com wrote:
> I recommend, no BEG you to procure Peter Burgess' "How to Power tune MGB
> 4cyls" from Moss or other vendor. You'll learn the what, and more
> importantly, the WHY, of cam replacement and other performance mods. Going
> down this road without more education than the brief snips that "the list"
> can provide you with will find you wasting lots of your time and money.
> (and the Fun Police must add here that being a late, cat.equiped car, you'd
> better check your state regs. before playing with it)
>
> RE the lubricants: our B motors have relatively "loose" clearances, ( to say
> nothing of gasket systems...) Synthetics will not lubricate properly because
> of this, being too "thin". This is why Syntec and other synthetic type
> products are "dis-recommended"
> Further, changing with an already built and broken in motor would be likely
> unseat to your rings. "Proceed with Caution"
>
> As for "One shot treatments", they are just that. ONE SHOT at your WALLET.
> For example, Slick50 now is living under a federal court injunction for false
> advertising. Other additives that claim to inject moly or graphite into your
> system have a logic problem: if the particles are big enough to do any good,
> your oil filter is going to catch them. If they're small enough to escape the
> oil filter, they won't be effective. GOOD old fashioned high grade oil (eg
> 20-50 Castrol) a QUALITY oil filter (NOT from FRAM,GRAND, OR SPAM!) (get
> one from a "specialist") and frequent changes are still the best protection
> there is.
> If your motor is tired, your motor is tired. There is NO magic formula in a
> bottle that will take care of this problem!
>
> original message
> ------------------------- ---------- -----------------
> Subject: Rebuilding engine on '78MGB
>
> I am considering putting a "mild" cam in my engine. Can anyone tell me
> why I should/shouldn't. I would like the extra horsepower but I don't
> want to spend the summer adjusting the tuneup.
> Also I don't want to have to do this rebuild again. I have been told not
> to use Syntec. What do you think about these one time oil additives.
>
> Doug McLaren
> 78 MGB
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