MGC Weight of MGC

[rick_ingram]

Pete Mantell and I weighed my 1968 MGC tourer today. Factory hardtop, no overdrive, about 3 gallons of gas in the tank, nothing in the boot other than the spare, the jack, the mallet, and wrench. Engine compartment missing brake servoes and emissions equipment. K&R minilyte replicas in place of wire wheels.

#2446

Better than I had suspected.

I'l post a picture of the scales with four-corner weights later.

 

[Joe Reed]

Not bad. That puts it in the range of a late MGB, but with considerably more torque!

 

[rick_ingram]

#2446

Better than I had suspected.

I'l post a picture of the scales with four-corner weights later.

As promised:

 

[tony barnhill]

Interesting, the gas tank is off center to the right behind the axle & the battery is to the right in front of the axle with the spare of center to the left also behind the axle...yet the RR weight is only 2 pounds more than the LR weight!

But the LF weighs 10 pounds more than the RF - what's the difference? Carbs, master cylinders.

I'm wondering if you possibly didn't have the same amount of air in each tire.

 

[Joe Reed]

I'm sure the steering column alone would account for the 10# left front weight bias.

Exhaust system weighs a few pounds on the right rear as well.

 

[rick_ingram]

Interesting, the gas tank is off center to the right behind the axle & the battery is to the right in front of the axle with the spare of center to the left also behind the axle...yet the RR weight is only 2 pounds more than the LR weight!

But the LF weighs 10 pounds more than the RF - what's the difference? Carbs, master cylinders.

I'm wondering if you possibly didn't have the same amount of air in each tire.

The right side is missing the brake servoes...but, the left side is missing the air pump and ancillaries.

The mallet and knock-off wrench was stowed in the left side of the boot.

Surely you're kidding about the air, right?! :wink:

 

[Joe Reed]

He doesn't mean the WEIGHT of the air.....he means that possibly the car wasn't sitting quite level

Of course, you could always put helium in the tires on the heavy corners...

 

[rick_ingram]

He doesn't mean the WEIGHT of the air.....he means that possibly the car wasn't sitting quite level

Of course, you could always put helium in the tires on the heavy corners...

The floor is level and all scales were "zeroed" prior to placing the car on the scales.

 

[rick_ingram]

I'm sure the steering column alone would account for the 10# left front weight bias.

Exhaust system weighs a few pounds on the right rear as well.

Here's the percentage differential...left/right

 

[rick_ingram]

Here's the percentage differential...left/right

And the setup:

 

[Silverghost]

Hey Tony, can you imagine what the readings for Amos would be??

RF - 692
LF - 682
RR - 1735
LR - 1737

:laugh:

 

[Bruce74B]

I'm sure the steering column alone would account for the 10# left front weight bias.

Exhaust system weighs a few pounds on the right rear as well.

I think he meant LEFT rear for the exhaust? And the spare tire is also toward the left side, so with only 3 gallons of gas, the left would be a little heavier.

 

[PAUL161]

Gee, all these high tech solutions. If you guys look closely, there's a fly setting on the left front fender!

 

[tony barnhill]

Yep, I meant left...sorry about that.

No, I'm not kidding about the air - & I don't mean its weight...if one tire had 32 pounds of air in it and another had 22 pounds, the weight under those 2 tires would be different based on the delta of air in the tires (i.e., 32lbs holding one corner up versus 22lbs holding the other corner - the 22lbs corner would weigh more).

There's a way to weigh a car without scales based on the amount of air in the tires and a little multiplication!

 

[rick_ingram]

No, I'm not kidding about the air - & I don't mean its weight...if one tire had 32 pounds of air in it and another had 22 pounds, the weight under those 2 tires would be different based on the delta of air in the tires (i.e., 32lbs holding one corner up versus 22lbs holding the other corner - the 22lbs corner would weigh more).

Tony, Tony, Tony....you underestimate me.

 

[tony barnhill]

No, I'm not kidding about the air - & I don't mean its weight...if one tire had 32 pounds of air in it and another had 22 pounds, the weight under those 2 tires would be different based on the delta of air in the tires (i.e., 32lbs holding one corner up versus 22lbs holding the other corner - the 22lbs corner would weigh more).

Tony, Tony, Tony....you underestimate me.

hehehehe....but it would be nice to have those scales...makes it a lot easier than squaring where the tires' tread hits the floor, measuring between those points, multiplying by air pressure, length between tires, width, addition, etc.....

 

[vagt6]

2500 lbs. is about the same as my new MINI Cooper S.

Wow, that's relatively heavy for an LBC. However, that is probably what makes MGBs/MGCs such great touring cars. I love the way they ride (this opinion is from a Triumph guy who's only owned one MG).

Didn't know the weight of an MGC, very interesting . . . that engine is heavy!

 

[RickB]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]that engine is heavy![/QUOTE]

I still remember hulking around my MGC's cylinder Head - yes it is a heavy piece of iron. Don't get me started about that block!

:laugh:

 

[mgcsaylor]

The left side/right side differences could be the steering column, carbs and intake and that heavy, CAST IRON, exhaust manifold.

Even with steel headers there's still some weight, plus the whole exhaust system runs down the left hand side.

My two cents.

 

[glemon]

How much did the scale thingy set you back?