First, the short version: How can you identify an MG engine without the
engine number plate?
Now, the long version: I finally got my hands on the Moss catalog and the
Haynes manual, and went out to get familiar with my engine compartment. I
quickly noticed that the 77 MG in the books had lots of extra bits that my
car is lacking. Every missing part turned out to be related to pollution
control. The DPO converted the car to a Weber downdraft carb, and either
used a 60s engine or fitted the 60s model exhaust manifold and the side
cover with a breather pipe from the 18G engine.
What I am missing is the entire emissions controll system, including the air
pump, air cleaner, and catalytic converter (guess I'll be looking for some
used parts soon). I had originally planned to just fix the DPO wiring job
(melted wires, some additional unlabeled systems, and very bad splices), but
this will need lots of work to get back to street legal condition, so I am
probably just going to drag this out for a year and do everything (rebuild
engine, suspension, brakes, check clutch and tranny, fix wiring, and respray
to freshen up the colour (a very lovely Damask Red, but its been in the sun
a bit)).
The only really good news is that after going over every inch of the car,
the only rust is on the exhaust system which needs to be replaced anyway.
Kimo Tichgelaar
"The rose has thorns which the poet fails to see."
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