Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and seems 
to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. than 
actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls who 
still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.

KH

On 7/9/09 8:49 AM, in article
z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
 wrote:

> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and seems
> to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. than
> actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls who
> still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
> 
> KH 
> 
> 
I believe that, at least on the western side of the pond, most people fell
off when most of the ISPs quit giving free access to newsgroups in the
misguided idea that it would somehow result in less child pornography
(according to the New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo).

Now, in addition to paying for my service provider, I also have to pay for
newsgroups. Although I haven't gone looking for child porn (not being into
that sort of thing), I'm sure it's still there as always.
-- 
Thanks!

Brian Ehni
1974 MGB (with a Rover 3.9L V-8)

Sounds like a reasonable explanation.  Hasn't stopped the guitar newsgroups 
though,  or even slowed 'em down.

Fortunately I still get the newsgroups free as part of my ordinary monthly 
net service.  We're so far in the bush I have to go to town to go hunting, 
so we're limited to poor land line service ( sloooooow) but the groups are 
free.

KH
'70 BGT, fresh engine w/ Mikuni HSR 42mm flat slides,  wire wheels and o.d. 
Always fancied doing the Rover 8 transplant,  but not on this GT.
"Brian Paul Ehni"  wrote in message 
news:C67BEED6.13C13E%behni@att.net...
> On 7/9/09 8:49 AM, in article
> z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
>  wrote:
>
>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and 
>> seems
>> to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. than
>> actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls who
>> still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>>
>> KH
>>
>>
> I believe that, at least on the western side of the pond, most people fell
> off when most of the ISPs quit giving free access to newsgroups in the
> misguided idea that it would somehow result in less child pornography
> (according to the New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo).
>
> Now, in addition to paying for my service provider, I also have to pay for
> newsgroups. Although I haven't gone looking for child porn (not being into
> that sort of thing), I'm sure it's still there as always.
> -- 
> Thanks!
>
> Brian Ehni
> 1974 MGB (with a Rover 3.9L V-8)
>

On 7/9/09 9:33 PM, in article
b6qdnZFBLv3nNcvXnZ2dnUVZ_jqdnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
 wrote:

> Sounds like a reasonable explanation.  Hasn't stopped the guitar newsgroups
> though,  or even slowed 'em down.
> 
> Fortunately I still get the newsgroups free as part of my ordinary monthly
> net service.  We're so far in the bush I have to go to town to go hunting,
> so we're limited to poor land line service ( sloooooow) but the groups are
> free.
> 
> KH
> '70 BGT, fresh engine w/ Mikuni HSR 42mm flat slides,  wire wheels and o.d.
> Always fancied doing the Rover 8 transplant,  but not on this GT.
> "Brian Paul Ehni"  wrote in message
> news:C67BEED6.13C13E%behni@att.net...
>> On 7/9/09 8:49 AM, in article
>> z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
>>  wrote:
>> 
>>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and
>>> seems
>>> to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. than
>>> actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls who
>>> still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>>> 
>>> KH
>>> 
>>> 
>> I believe that, at least on the western side of the pond, most people fell
>> off when most of the ISPs quit giving free access to newsgroups in the
>> misguided idea that it would somehow result in less child pornography
>> (according to the New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo).
>> 
>> Now, in addition to paying for my service provider, I also have to pay for
>> newsgroups. Although I haven't gone looking for child porn (not being into
>> that sort of thing), I'm sure it's still there as always.
>> -- 
>> Thanks!
>> 
>> Brian Ehni
>> 1974 MGB (with a Rover 3.9L V-8)
>> 
> 
> 
I understand. My previous MG was a 69 B-GT, pretty much stock except for a
Weber side draft.

-- 
Thanks!

Brian Ehni

Brian;  Did you do the transplant yourself?  I understand it's considerably 
easier on a rubber bumper car because of modifications to the body stampings 
made after '74 as Brit. Leyland were intending to stick the 8 in on a 
regular basis after that.

Did you swap the gearbox and diff as well?

It's hard to find a decent donor body on this side of the water.  Most have 
melted due to the amount of salt used on the roads in winter.   In the 60s 
and 70s most folks who drove MGs slapped snow tires on them in winter and 
drove them year 'round in spite of the rust problems,  same with a lot of 
nice old Mini Coopers.  As a result there are very few good,  sound original 
bodies about.  Lots of bodged-up 'restorations' with sills full of putty or 
fibreglass.  Not something a sane man would wish to apply 150 hp or better 
to as-is,  and they're very expensive to repair properly.

It probably makes sense to use a GT for the extra stiffness,  but they are 
quite rare these days and I hate to modify my current one to that extent. 
Had a number of rag-top Bs in the 60s and 70s,  but this is my first GT. 
Makes a nice little tourer,  and it is noticeably stiffer and quieter than 
the convertibles.

All the best,
KH


"Brian Paul Ehni"  wrote in message 
news:C67C153C.13C1D4%behni@att.net...
> On 7/9/09 9:33 PM, in article
> b6qdnZFBLv3nNcvXnZ2dnUVZ_jqdnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
>  wrote:
>
>> Sounds like a reasonable explanation.  Hasn't stopped the guitar 
>> newsgroups
>> though,  or even slowed 'em down.
>>
>> Fortunately I still get the newsgroups free as part of my ordinary 
>> monthly
>> net service.  We're so far in the bush I have to go to town to go 
>> hunting,
>> so we're limited to poor land line service ( sloooooow) but the groups 
>> are
>> free.
>>
>> KH
>> '70 BGT, fresh engine w/ Mikuni HSR 42mm flat slides,  wire wheels and 
>> o.d.
>> Always fancied doing the Rover 8 transplant,  but not on this GT.
>> "Brian Paul Ehni"  wrote in message
>> news:C67BEED6.13C13E%behni@att.net...
>>> On 7/9/09 8:49 AM, in article
>>> z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
>>>  wrote:
>>>
>>>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and
>>>> seems
>>>> to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. than
>>>> actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls 
>>>> who
>>>> still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>>>>
>>>> KH
>>>>
>>>>
>>> I believe that, at least on the western side of the pond, most people 
>>> fell
>>> off when most of the ISPs quit giving free access to newsgroups in the
>>> misguided idea that it would somehow result in less child pornography
>>> (according to the New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo).
>>>
>>> Now, in addition to paying for my service provider, I also have to pay 
>>> for
>>> newsgroups. Although I haven't gone looking for child porn (not being 
>>> into
>>> that sort of thing), I'm sure it's still there as always.
>>> -- 
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Brian Ehni
>>> 1974 MGB (with a Rover 3.9L V-8)
>>>
>>
>>
> I understand. My previous MG was a 69 B-GT, pretty much stock except for a
> Weber side draft.
>
> -- 
> Thanks!
>
> Brian Ehni
>

On 7/10/09 8:23 AM, in article
0KWdnb2qk78i3crXnZ2dnUVZ_oOdnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
 wrote:

> Brian;  Did you do the transplant yourself?  I understand it's considerably
> easier on a rubber bumper car because of modifications to the body stampings
> made after '74 as Brit. Leyland were intending to stick the 8 in on a
> regular basis after that.
> 
> Did you swap the gearbox and diff as well?
> 
> It's hard to find a decent donor body on this side of the water.  Most have
> melted due to the amount of salt used on the roads in winter.   In the 60s
> and 70s most folks who drove MGs slapped snow tires on them in winter and
> drove them year 'round in spite of the rust problems,  same with a lot of
> nice old Mini Coopers.  As a result there are very few good,  sound original
> bodies about.  Lots of bodged-up 'restorations' with sills full of putty or
> fibreglass.  Not something a sane man would wish to apply 150 hp or better
> to as-is,  and they're very expensive to repair properly.
> 
> It probably makes sense to use a GT for the extra stiffness,  but they are
> quite rare these days and I hate to modify my current one to that extent.
> Had a number of rag-top Bs in the 60s and 70s,  but this is my first GT.
> Makes a nice little tourer,  and it is noticeably stiffer and quieter than
> the convertibles.
> 
> All the best,
> KH
> 
> 

At the time, I had the 67 B-GT, and had been seeing the ads for how to do
it. I was stationed at Fort Dix in 1986, and came across this car with a
blown engine for $750. I snapped that up quick, then started looking for
engines. All I could find were Olds 215s, so I got one that looked OK. I got
out of the Army, and moved back to Houston, where my brother had everything
I'd need to do the work (he runs a custom metal fabrication shop). I found a
Muncie "Rock Crusher" 4-speed already rebuilt, and we started stripping the
car. Other than the engine it was in great shape, even for New Jersey. Got
the engine rebuilt to a mild tune with new cam, pistons, Offy manifold, new
bell housing, clutch, and even located some V-8 brakes in England, which I
had shipped over here. We figured a modest 200HP or so. Somewhere in there,
I found a Buick engine, which is what we used, actually.

Then I moved to Nashville. Thinking I would never finish the project, I sold
it to my brother's best friend (who also restores Pontiacs). He got the car
finished using high school shop students to do the work, with him buying the
parts. At some point, he had the engine out, and his garage burned, ruining
the motor. He went to a local parts place and got the Rover 3.9L. It's now
got a narrowed Pontiac rear end to handle the power.

Fade to 2004, and I ask him if he still has the car, and if he wants to sell
it back. He does. So I wound up owning it second time, and trailered it up
to Nashville. There's lots wrong with it. Brakes and clutch leak. No
emergency brake. No speedo. After a few months, it began to overheat
(electric fan and a bad radiator/manifold setup), and the list goes on. I
take it out for short runs in the neighborhood now, but not far. As time and
money allow, I'm doing the little things, but there's a local guy who's a
British gear head and he really wants to get his hands on it and do it up
right. That will have to wait until the economy improves some, or people pay
me the money they owe me (which is the same thing, I guess).
-- 
Thanks!

Brian Ehni

Hy,
sometimes I take a look, but nothing there
Greetings from Germany

1979 US-MGB

Micha




"Kevin Hall"  schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet...
> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and 
> seems to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. 
> than actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided souls 
> who still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>
> KH
>

Hi Brian;

Interesting history on your 8.   I do like those little alloy engines, and 
there are still a fair number of them around.   They sure make more sense 
than the great heavy lump they put in the MGC.

I hope you get a chance to finish it off the way you want it.   Saw a lovely 
one a couple of years ago at Mosport;  everything done very nicely indeed, 
and running like a watch.

So you're in Nashville now.   I've avoided a real job for over 40s years by 
building guitars and restoring old ones.   There are one or two of mine in 
Nashville,  and a bunch of old Martins that I restored.

All the best,
KH
"Brian Paul Ehni"  wrote in message 
news:C67D816E.13C3D2%behni@att.net...
> On 7/10/09 8:23 AM, in article
> 0KWdnb2qk78i3crXnZ2dnUVZ_oOdnZ2d@posted.vianet, "Kevin Hall"
>  wrote:
>
>> Brian;  Did you do the transplant yourself?  I understand it's 
>> considerably
>> easier on a rubber bumper car because of modifications to the body 
>> stampings
>> made after '74 as Brit. Leyland were intending to stick the 8 in on a
>> regular basis after that.
>>
>> Did you swap the gearbox and diff as well?
>>
>> It's hard to find a decent donor body on this side of the water.  Most 
>> have
>> melted due to the amount of salt used on the roads in winter.   In the 
>> 60s
>> and 70s most folks who drove MGs slapped snow tires on them in winter and
>> drove them year 'round in spite of the rust problems,  same with a lot of
>> nice old Mini Coopers.  As a result there are very few good,  sound 
>> original
>> bodies about.  Lots of bodged-up 'restorations' with sills full of putty 
>> or
>> fibreglass.  Not something a sane man would wish to apply 150 hp or 
>> better
>> to as-is,  and they're very expensive to repair properly.
>>
>> It probably makes sense to use a GT for the extra stiffness,  but they 
>> are
>> quite rare these days and I hate to modify my current one to that extent.
>> Had a number of rag-top Bs in the 60s and 70s,  but this is my first GT.
>> Makes a nice little tourer,  and it is noticeably stiffer and quieter 
>> than
>> the convertibles.
>>
>> All the best,
>> KH
>>
>>
>
> At the time, I had the 67 B-GT, and had been seeing the ads for how to do
> it. I was stationed at Fort Dix in 1986, and came across this car with a
> blown engine for $750. I snapped that up quick, then started looking for
> engines. All I could find were Olds 215s, so I got one that looked OK. I 
> got
> out of the Army, and moved back to Houston, where my brother had 
> everything
> I'd need to do the work (he runs a custom metal fabrication shop). I found 
> a
> Muncie "Rock Crusher" 4-speed already rebuilt, and we started stripping 
> the
> car. Other than the engine it was in great shape, even for New Jersey. Got
> the engine rebuilt to a mild tune with new cam, pistons, Offy manifold, 
> new
> bell housing, clutch, and even located some V-8 brakes in England, which I
> had shipped over here. We figured a modest 200HP or so. Somewhere in 
> there,
> I found a Buick engine, which is what we used, actually.
>
> Then I moved to Nashville. Thinking I would never finish the project, I 
> sold
> it to my brother's best friend (who also restores Pontiacs). He got the 
> car
> finished using high school shop students to do the work, with him buying 
> the
> parts. At some point, he had the engine out, and his garage burned, 
> ruining
> the motor. He went to a local parts place and got the Rover 3.9L. It's now
> got a narrowed Pontiac rear end to handle the power.
>
> Fade to 2004, and I ask him if he still has the car, and if he wants to 
> sell
> it back. He does. So I wound up owning it second time, and trailered it up
> to Nashville. There's lots wrong with it. Brakes and clutch leak. No
> emergency brake. No speedo. After a few months, it began to overheat
> (electric fan and a bad radiator/manifold setup), and the list goes on. I
> take it out for short runs in the neighborhood now, but not far. As time 
> and
> money allow, I'm doing the little things, but there's a local guy who's a
> British gear head and he really wants to get his hands on it and do it up
> right. That will have to wait until the economy improves some, or people 
> pay
> me the money they owe me (which is the same thing, I guess).
> -- 
> Thanks!
>
> Brian Ehni
>

"Micha Weidler"  wrote in message 
news:h3bur1$gkr$02$1@news.t-online.com...
> Hy,
> sometimes I take a look, but nothing there
> Greetings from Germany
>
> 1979 US-MGB
>
> Micha
>
>
>
>
> "Kevin Hall"  schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
> news:z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet...
>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and 
>> seems to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. 
>> than actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided 
>> souls who still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>>
>> KH

Now if you are looking for  a daily buzz on matters MG, may I suggest that 
you take a look at the Yahoo newsgroup MG-MGB and the much larger MGS Digest 
( Autox) which seems to have been going a lot longer. You could build from 
scratch with the wealth of info published there.
Both of these are US orientated, but as a high proportion of Abingdon 
products were designed to earn US$s that is to be expected.

Apart from my '67 B we also run a '97 MGF.
Some may not be aware of this more recent variant, it was not deemed 
exportable!
An impressive mid engined 1.8litre VVF sports roadster to most onlookers, 
owners know however that  MG-Rover stuck two Austin Metro subframes  from 
their parts bin ,front & rear on a new tub and plonked an unreliable 1.8 
motor on the rearmost engine mounting.
The power and weight balance is superb for fast cornering on shale surfaces 
:-) but we have different sized tyres & track front & rear ( an intermediate 
sized spare tyre in the front !) we have a cable operated gear change ( Ugh) 
and the steering lock of an Austin Metro- it takes 2 bites to park in a 
supermarket car park.
Unreliable engine means that early models suffered regularly from  head 
warping & gasket blowing even when not abused, often a repair costing $1500.

But then if you are an MG enthusiast, anything goes.
Cheers
P
'67B
'97F

Thanks Pointer.

We haven't had things like Metros and Fs here.  Seems to me British Leyland 
pretty much retreated from Canada in about '79 or '80 and we haven't had a 
sniff at any of that stuff since.   The only Metro I'm aware of is the Mini 
variant.

We did get the unfortunate Marina,  and some of those engines have been 
scavanged for worn-out MGB replacements.

The only N.American reviews I read about the F indicated that if they were 
brought in here they'd be so expensive as to not be nearly competitive with 
other available sports models of similar or better performance.

Those of us who lived through the final years of British Leyland sales and 
service in Canada would see the lack of a British involvement in those areas 
as a positive thing.   Service was so bad in Canada in the seventies that it 
killed any market which may have existed here stone dead.

By the time Canadian distribution ceased  even those of us most devoted to 
the marque were ready to lynch the motley assortment of arrogant, 
ill-informed,  bone idle ex-pat Brits who manned the various British Leyland 
dealerships in this country.   It was a great shame,  but most of us were 
driven into the arms of American or Japanese dealers by the sheer stupidity 
of the Canadian Leyland dealers.

For those of us anxiously awaiting the arrival of the V-8 version of the 
MG-B,  being offered the Triumph door wedge instead was the final straw.

These days owners of older MGs are better served  by the aftermarket 
suppliers than we ever were by the dealerships,  so it is still possible to 
run Bs here in spite of the home companys' best efforts.  I can't imagine 
what it must have been like trying to deal with the company by the 90s.

It would be interesting to see an MGF in the flesh though.

KH
"Pointer"  wrote in message 
news:T%G6m.75050$aC3.54126@newsfe25.ams2...
>
> "Micha Weidler"  wrote in message 
> news:h3bur1$gkr$02$1@news.t-online.com...
>> Hy,
>> sometimes I take a look, but nothing there
>> Greetings from Germany
>>
>> 1979 US-MGB
>>
>> Micha
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Kevin Hall"  schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
>> news:z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet...
>>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one,  and 
>>> seems to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff watches etc. 
>>> than actually dealing with anything of interest to we poor misguided 
>>> souls who still enjoy tinkering with leaky,  anti-social old Brit cars.
>>>
>>> KH
>
> Now if you are looking for  a daily buzz on matters MG, may I suggest that 
> you take a look at the Yahoo newsgroup MG-MGB and the much larger MGS 
> Digest ( Autox) which seems to have been going a lot longer. You could 
> build from scratch with the wealth of info published there.
> Both of these are US orientated, but as a high proportion of Abingdon 
> products were designed to earn US$s that is to be expected.
>
> Apart from my '67 B we also run a '97 MGF.
> Some may not be aware of this more recent variant, it was not deemed 
> exportable!
> An impressive mid engined 1.8litre VVF sports roadster to most onlookers, 
> owners know however that  MG-Rover stuck two Austin Metro subframes  from 
> their parts bin ,front & rear on a new tub and plonked an unreliable 1.8 
> motor on the rearmost engine mounting.
> The power and weight balance is superb for fast cornering on shale 
> surfaces :-) but we have different sized tyres & track front & rear ( an 
> intermediate sized spare tyre in the front !) we have a cable operated 
> gear change ( Ugh) and the steering lock of an Austin Metro- it takes 2 
> bites to park in a supermarket car park.
> Unreliable engine means that early models suffered regularly from  head 
> warping & gasket blowing even when not abused, often a repair costing 
> $1500.
>
> But then if you are an MG enthusiast, anything goes.
> Cheers
> P
> '67B
> '97F
>
>
>

"Kevin Hall"  wrote in message 
news:Tv2dnYrm9soqHMbXnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@posted.vianet...
> Thanks Pointer.
>
> We haven't had things like Metros and Fs here.  Seems to me British 
> Leyland pretty much retreated from Canada in about '79 or '80 and we 
> haven't had a sniff at any of that stuff since.   The only Metro I'm aware 
> of is the Mini variant.
>
> We did get the unfortunate Marina,  and some of those engines have been 
> scavanged for worn-out MGB replacements.
>
> The only N.American reviews I read about the F indicated that if they were 
> brought in here they'd be so expensive as to not be nearly competitive 
> with other available sports models of similar or better performance.
>
> Those of us who lived through the final years of British Leyland sales and 
> service in Canada would see the lack of a British involvement in those 
> areas as a positive thing.   Service was so bad in Canada in the seventies 
> that it killed any market which may have existed here stone dead.
>
> By the time Canadian distribution ceased  even those of us most devoted to 
> the marque were ready to lynch the motley assortment of arrogant, 
> ill-informed,  bone idle ex-pat Brits who manned the various British 
> Leyland dealerships in this country.   It was a great shame,  but most of 
> us were driven into the arms of American or Japanese dealers by the sheer 
> stupidity of the Canadian Leyland dealers.
>
> For those of us anxiously awaiting the arrival of the V-8 version of the 
> MG-B,  being offered the Triumph door wedge instead was the final straw.
>
> These days owners of older MGs are better served  by the aftermarket 
> suppliers than we ever were by the dealerships,  so it is still possible 
> to run Bs here in spite of the home companys' best efforts.  I can't 
> imagine what it must have been like trying to deal with the company by the 
> 90s.
>
> It would be interesting to see an MGF in the flesh though.
>
> KH

Hi Kevin,
Yup, the sub frames used for the MGF came from the Mini metro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_Metro
There was so little room under the hood once you packed in a transverse 
1100cc engine, gearbox & clutch that  you could barely examine tyre tread on 
full lock. The MGF suffers in the same way!
There are many Classic MG dealers  in the UK and spares are cheap to buy and 
usually easy to fit. The Rover body pressings for Frog eyed 
sprite/Mini/Midget/MGB and MGBGT were sold to British Motor Heritage at the 
end of their  useful 'life' so at a price even today you can buy a complete 
bodyshell on which to build your classic car.
http://www.bmh-ltd.com/bodyshells2.htm
My '67 MGB is actually a '90/91 Heritage shell, which even now is showing 
signs of the dreaded rust, but only superficially.
Many MG nuts in the Uk would echo your Canadian sentiments, the Triumph/MG 
lobbies within  the Rover company  was not only demotivating for employees 
and dealerships, but in time spelled the demise of that engineering empire.
Safety fast!
Cheers
P

I never knew they'd used the old Mini subframes for that F.  Yet another 
example of classic 'parts-bin engineering' !

The last of a long line of Minis and Coopers I had was a '75 Innocenti 
Cooper 1300,  rally prepped,  that I sold off about 4 or 5 years ago. 
Actually it was the best of the Minis I owned,  with far more creature 
comforts than the various earlier Coopers.

I've seen a couple of Heritage body shells over here,   but they're 
dreadfully expensive due in part to the shipping of course.  Very nice 
though.

Our current ' 70 B-GT spent most of it's life in Vancouver where snow is 
rare so there's virtually no salt used on the roads.   The body had been 
nicely restored about 8 years ago but no work done on the engine.    With 
100,000 miles on it it was still pulling well on the original pistons but 
was blowing a lot of smoke.   We built a fresh engine with .040" oversized 
corks,  took about 8 lbs. off the flywheel,  used a fast road cam and twin 
HSR 42 Mikuni flat slide carbs in place of the leaky old SUs.   Makes a nice 
frisky little tourer without being a hand grenade.  The electric overdrive 
makes it much nicer to use on our highways.  It's a pity that was such a 
scarce option on Bs here.

Just in case there's any confusion,  I wasn't picking on British Leyland 
reps here because they were Brits.   I'm an ex-Mancunian myself,  escaped in 
'53 when I was a tiddler.  It just seemed like being an idle pratt was a 
prerequisite for employment with the company over here.   I swear a little 
P.R. training for those folks could have saved the company.

It still amazes me that virtually all the major F-1 teams are jammed to the 
gills with Brit engineers,  but England just couldn't keep their own auto 
and motorcycle industries afloat.

At least the Triumph motorcycles seem to be making a comeback.  They are 
steadily gaining acceptance on this side of the water after many years of 
absence.

KH
"Pointer"  wrote in message 
news:gdM6m.55258$AX1.21070@newsfe20.ams2...
>
> "Kevin Hall"  wrote in message 
> news:Tv2dnYrm9soqHMbXnZ2dnUVZ_v6dnZ2d@posted.vianet...
>> Thanks Pointer.
>>
>> We haven't had things like Metros and Fs here.  Seems to me British 
>> Leyland pretty much retreated from Canada in about '79 or '80 and we 
>> haven't had a sniff at any of that stuff since.   The only Metro I'm 
>> aware of is the Mini variant.
>>
>> We did get the unfortunate Marina,  and some of those engines have been 
>> scavanged for worn-out MGB replacements.
>>
>> The only N.American reviews I read about the F indicated that if they 
>> were brought in here they'd be so expensive as to not be nearly 
>> competitive with other available sports models of similar or better 
>> performance.
>>
>> Those of us who lived through the final years of British Leyland sales 
>> and service in Canada would see the lack of a British involvement in 
>> those areas as a positive thing.   Service was so bad in Canada in the 
>> seventies that it killed any market which may have existed here stone 
>> dead.
>>
>> By the time Canadian distribution ceased  even those of us most devoted 
>> to the marque were ready to lynch the motley assortment of arrogant, 
>> ill-informed,  bone idle ex-pat Brits who manned the various British 
>> Leyland dealerships in this country.   It was a great shame,  but most of 
>> us were driven into the arms of American or Japanese dealers by the sheer 
>> stupidity of the Canadian Leyland dealers.
>>
>> For those of us anxiously awaiting the arrival of the V-8 version of the 
>> MG-B,  being offered the Triumph door wedge instead was the final straw.
>>
>> These days owners of older MGs are better served  by the aftermarket 
>> suppliers than we ever were by the dealerships,  so it is still possible 
>> to run Bs here in spite of the home companys' best efforts.  I can't 
>> imagine what it must have been like trying to deal with the company by 
>> the 90s.
>>
>> It would be interesting to see an MGF in the flesh though.
>>
>> KH
>
> Hi Kevin,
> Yup, the sub frames used for the MGF came from the Mini metro
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_Metro
> There was so little room under the hood once you packed in a transverse 
> 1100cc engine, gearbox & clutch that  you could barely examine tyre tread 
> on full lock. The MGF suffers in the same way!
> There are many Classic MG dealers  in the UK and spares are cheap to buy 
> and usually easy to fit. The Rover body pressings for Frog eyed 
> sprite/Mini/Midget/MGB and MGBGT were sold to British Motor Heritage at 
> the end of their  useful 'life' so at a price even today you can buy a 
> complete bodyshell on which to build your classic car.
> http://www.bmh-ltd.com/bodyshells2.htm
> My '67 MGB is actually a '90/91 Heritage shell, which even now is showing 
> signs of the dreaded rust, but only superficially.
> Many MG nuts in the Uk would echo your Canadian sentiments, the Triumph/MG 
> lobbies within  the Rover company  was not only demotivating for employees 
> and dealerships, but in time spelled the demise of that engineering 
> empire.
> Safety fast!
> Cheers
> P
>
>

Pointer wrote:
> "Micha Weidler"  wrote in message
> news:h3bur1$gkr$02$1@news.t-online.com...
>> Hy,
>> sometimes I take a look, but nothing there
>> Greetings from Germany
>>
>> 1979 US-MGB
>>
>> Micha
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Kevin Hall"  schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>> news:z7adncLi7bbBaMjXnZ2dnUVZ_tidnZ2d@posted.vianet...
>>> Are MG enthusiasts extinct here?   This group sucketh ye big one, and 
>>> seems to be more concerned with flogging Chinese knockoff
>>> watches etc. than actually dealing with anything of interest to we
>>> poor misguided souls who still enjoy tinkering with leaky, anti-social 
>>> old Brit cars. KH
>
> Now if you are looking for  a daily buzz on matters MG, may I suggest
> that you take a look at the Yahoo newsgroup MG-MGB and the much
> larger MGS Digest ( Autox) which seems to have been going a lot
> longer. You could build from scratch with the wealth of info
> published there. Both of these are US orientated, but as a high proportion 
> of Abingdon
> products were designed to earn US$s that is to be expected.
>
> Apart from my '67 B we also run a '97 MGF.
> Some may not be aware of this more recent variant, it was not deemed
> exportable!
> An impressive mid engined 1.8litre VVF sports roadster to most
> onlookers, owners know however that  MG-Rover stuck two Austin Metro
> subframes  from their parts bin ,front & rear on a new tub and
> plonked an unreliable 1.8 motor on the rearmost engine mounting.
> The power and weight balance is superb for fast cornering on shale
> surfaces :-) but we have different sized tyres & track front & rear (
> an intermediate sized spare tyre in the front !) we have a cable
> operated gear change ( Ugh) and the steering lock of an Austin Metro-
> it takes 2 bites to park in a supermarket car park.
> Unreliable engine means that early models suffered regularly from head 
> warping & gasket blowing even when not abused, often a repair
> costing $1500.
> But then if you are an MG enthusiast, anything goes.
> Cheers
> P
> '67B
> '97F

I keep an eye on the group, but nothing much gets posted.
'99 MGF Mk2
46K and original head gasket!
-- 
Pete C
London UK