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MGB MGB Performance

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EMGEBE

EMGEBE

Jedi Hopeful
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Hi guys n gals.

Im absolutely in love with my B, am very impressed with the handling of it. It outmanouvers all those drifters aka (front heavy whales) out there. But one thing really gives me the irits, its straight line performance.

I know all you purists out there are going to say, MG's are not a straight line performer, but there are alot of possible mods to do to the 1.8 and im just curious if anyone can give me feedback on any mods they'v done?

I did a air filter mod a while ago, that mod knocked off about 0.5-1 second off my 0-100kph time. Was very impressed with that mod! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
intake2.jpg


Check out this guys MGB and its mod list, has anyone done any of these mods?

Overbore - 1950cc
-Headers, exhaust
-Electronic ignition
-Piper 270 Cams
-Dual SU HIF4
-Balanced, Blueprinted
-Ported, polished
-Vinolla Reverse Combustion Pistons
-Lightweight Flywheel + Damper
-Titanium Valves, Springs + Lifters
-Custom Headbolts
-X-Flow head
-K&N Filtercharge

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers guys /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Jarrod
 
EMGEBE, That all looks good to me, so just hit the lottery and hope it's a big one. Did they say what HP they ended up with. Now if you don't have this type of backroll but do have the few bucks to up your HP, just do the simple things "LIKE TURBO". Moss sales one, I think it's ready , and they also have EFI, not cheep but bolt on power. Wayne
 
Hi Jarrod,

I don't even have a good engine yet,..so no mods so far.
But I am planning on adding the Moss supercharger in the spring.
My mechanic says it's a solid design, and adds quite a bit of power /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Good Luck,

Jerry
 
The most power to be gained by a single tweak is head modification. The B-series head is not well finished. Simply polishing the ports does wonders, and having the head ported and gas flowed can bring out oodles of hidden power. Peter Burgess is the guru on such things and sells ready-to-use heads.

For a real boost you can spend near $3K and get a Moss supercharger. Put one on an otherwise stock engine and you will gain around 40% additional horsepower. There are plenty of mods that can be done to these engines but before you go too crazy just ask yourself a few questions. How will you drive the car? How fast do you want it to go? How much money are you willing to spend to achieve that speed? Are you willing to spend a lot of time tweaking or do you want a simple power boost? Lots and lots of options out there but simply slapping a bunch of "go fast" parts on the car will not necessarily achieve the best results.
 
Well said Steve. If I were racing my B I might be interested in another heap o' horses, but for driving on country lanes my stock B (minus emissions, plus Weber) meets 99% of my requirements. Burgess's book on power tuning, ISBN: 1903706777, is an excellent resource and gives HP increases for each mod he documents.

Tom
 
After going back to view all the mods done to this "B" one thing stands out as odd, HIF4 carbs, what did he do here or am I just not with it. Were not these the leanest carbs ever put on a "B", so bad they went to a single right after these, Got a great set in the basement and if something can be done to help them out I have a freind needing a complete rebuild or going to something different. Wayne
 
Actually the HIF4s are equal or better in some people's opinion to the HS4s on early MGBs. The only change I would make would be getting rid of the emission overrun valve on the HIF4 butterfly or swapping to an early HS4 solid butterfly. This will give you a slight increase in CFM plus cause the rpms to drop quicker when shifting gears.'

The problem is when people change to K&N filters you need to buy the K&N stub stack and install richer needles. This is often overlooked by many enthusiasts.
 
David, Thanks, that's easy enough, I've fixed a few of the emission overrun valves, they are theaded so just get rid of the sping after getting rid of the solder, tap it down a bit, screw it up and re-solder, solid. The needles on a stock engine should be OK, but will check it out after he runs it for a few days. Wayne
 
Has anyone done an overbore?
something to like a 2ltr or there abouts...

even on like an overbore on a midget?
much in the way of gains?

Cheers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
There are many overvore kits available. 2-litre engines are very torquey but are prone to cylinder wall flex and cracking. 1950cc seems to be the most commonly accepted limit and MGOC sells a kit to do this. +40 is safe, +60 open to debate. I plan to do a +40 supercharged engine this winter. I recommend buying Peter Burgess' book, "How to Power Tune MGB 4-cylinder Engines".

https://www.mgcars.org.uk/peterburgess/page31.html
 
emgebe-

Had to re-read your initial post...after going through the thread, I was scratching my head as to why you would want to increase your 0-100 time. After all, I don't think my car can go 100!

Upon re-read, it's 100kph!

You really look like you know what you're doing. Anytime you're in the Bay Area and have need for an MG fix, please stop by my place as I'd be happy to hand you a few wrenches to tweak my B!
 
If you have any doubts about a MGB going over 100MPH, come for a drive with me. Mine has done it many times. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Why not just swap out the engine?,I fitted a ford cozy in 69'B the trick is to make it look like it should be there,nice smooth lines and clean wiring.
Have a look at FALLA CLASSICS web page to see the finished car, good luck in what ever path you take.
 
Replacing the engine with a modern unit loses a lot of the car's original character. Only reason to do something like that is if you want a modern performing car that looks like an MGB. If you want vintage motoring, stick with the original powerplant.
 
I agree with steve on the engine swap issue....I've been conisdering a Moss supercharger for mt B, but I think I'll get a drivers licence first! Personally I don't plan on driving extrememly fast with the car so it's not a big issue. My dads 1980 LE has a Weber Carb, Headers, elelctronic ignition and a few other small things and I don't find that much of a difference....it does have feeling of "extra power" that is kinda nice though. The way I see it adding power is a good thing as long as it doesn't compromise experience or value of the vehicle.

Zack
 
I see your point, a supercharger is always a good way to go.
but sometimes you can spend somuch money trying to get a 1800'b serices engine to perform,and by the time you put weber 45 side draft or a supercharger on it would it be the original character? A 3500 v8 is still on the lines of the true character of the car but with good performance and a graet sound from the tail pipe.
 
It's a matter of taste. If your primary concern is power then you may never be happy with a stock classic car. If you want the experience of driving a true classic then you need to stick with what could be done at the time. Supercharging was fairly common back then and many companies including Judson and Cooper sold supercharger kits for the MGB. Either way of enhancing power is good, just different. Personally I wouldn't mind owning one of each but I would never be without a fully vintage car. To me there is something special about the experience that I can't put into words, but I feel better afterwards. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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