OK, guys -
Sorry for the length of this one but here's some stuff that I would love
your feedback on. As I prepare to embark on the "big task" sometime after
top down weather is past, i.e. pull motor, rebuild or replace bad tranny,
etc., I am putting together a list of should do's, could do's and should I
do's. One thing that I would like to achieve at some point is to bring the
car back to what I believe was it's original state of snappiness and
handling. To whit, my understanding of the evolution of the B, and please
correct me if I'm wrong, is that the car improved in little ways through the
years from it's inception until 1973 - 1974. At that time, because of new
safety regulations imposed by the Feds here in the states, the car was
modified at the cost of handling, performance and, some would argue, looks.
Specifically, to meet the more stringent bumper regs, the chrome was
replaced with rubber but, more importantly, the car was raised 1 to 2 inches
in height. As a result, any B manufactured after 1974 had more body lean
and roll. In addition, to meet emission standards, the engines were
systematically de-powered, dropping the HP steadily, year after year.
So, my first question is, am I correct in my understanding of the above?
(I'm sure that this is all detailed in one of the many MG books available,
but I don't know which one or ones, and at $30 to $50 bucks a pop, I don't
feel like experimenting to find out.) Second, if my 77 is higher off of the
road than pre-74 models, then by how much and what is the best way to bring
the height back down? I really believe that I can tell a difference in the
handling of the 77 vs. earlier models I have owned in the past. I know that
I can install new springs in the rear which will drop the car back down an
inch or so. What happens to the front end? I don't feel like driving a
"raked" B. Third and last, not being as mechanically adept as many of you
appear to be, the prospect of removing and replacing the engine is daunting
enough in and of itself. Cracking it to do an engine rebuild is not
something I feel ready to tackle. But there are things that I can do, such
as upgrade the carburetion, put on a better exhaust system and so on. What
advice can you auto sages offer a restoration novice like myself in that
regard?
Will
Yellow 77
PS. Oh, yeah. One more thing. Since I had 5 good tires until the local
garage mangled my spare breaking it down so I could repaint my wheel, I need
to revisit the tire/tyre thread. What was the consensus on best tires/tyres
for a simple but honest street B?
PPS. Since I haven't been flamed by Ed yet, I guess this is as good a time
as any. Then I won't have to go on the "not yet flamed by Ed" mailing list.
[demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type application/ms-tnef which had a
name of winmail.dat]
///
/// mgs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
|