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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - I hate my car

Just kidding! ;) I like my car a lot, and what a long strage trip we've had together. *But* Yesterday, I drove Steve Carricks gt-40 302 mgb for the first time, and all I can say is WOW. That kind of power in an mgb is absolutely incredible! For those who don't know, it dynoed at 292 rwhp which is about 355 at the crank. I think the 302, and Ted Lathrops front crossmember together are amazing. That combination was absolutely WICKED, and made for an extremely fast, extremely well mannered car. Even when you got on the gas, it still was extremely elegant in how it moved, and reacted to things. Thanks Steve, and thanks to everyone else at Ted's yesterday. It was good seeing you guys again!


Justin
Justin

Justin, I lost your email address, and I was going to send you a photo of the spindle blanks I got cut out.

Any news on where Ted currently is on his crossmember? Last I heard he was sourcing a different steering rack, and was going to do some strength testing.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Jim,
I have put more than 2500 miles on Ted's front end since installed and I can't say enough to compliment
him. It does everything very well.

Sorry Justin, didn't intend on spreading the blue oval curse.

Steve
Steve Carrick

:hex: :hex: :chant: :chant: All will succumb to the Blue oval virus!! :hex: :hex: :chant: :chant:

I wish I was closer, I would really like to see other 302's and how they perform. Mine remains on the IR list with EFI stuff and no time or energy to move farther. I have missed this summer and may very well bag it over-all for the year. I am leaning strongly towards pulling the K-member and getting a new one to start from scratch, keeping the steering in stock location.
Larry Embrey

Don't apologize Steve! I'm grateful that you let me take it out. That thing was scary fast! I was just going over my recipe again today for 455 hp at the flywheel from an na302..... You made some good points about the crate motor, and I still have to digest everything and see where it takes me.

Watch out for the blue oval bug, it's very contagious!
Justin
Justin

I got to drive Steve's 302 from Wayland to Caldonia (MI) and back on Saturday nite...All I can say is "WOW!" (I still have a SEG on my face; my hair looks like a BOSE commercial! The power was unbelievable, the steering very responsive.

Good job, Steve and Ted!

BTW...it was great seeing Carl Floyd, Steve, Justin, Dan Masters, Pete Mantell, Ted Lathrop, and others this weekend at the "spur of the moment" tech session in Wayland.

rick ingram
rick ingram

Justin,

Glad we converted you over :)

It was great to see everyone again at Ted's.
Thanks Ted for your hospitality, thanks Steve for the drive of your 302 B.

Dan M,
Great to see you are well on the road to recovery !

Cheers

Pete (another Blue Oval powered MGB)
PJ Mantell

Sounds good Steve. I was just curious, I had loaned Ted an MGB crossmember and we had discussed methods to do torsional rigidity comparison testing and load testing in an essentially non-destructive manner and I was just curious if he had been able to find time to do that. If he can demonstrate torsional rigidity that is anwhere close to the stock crossmember then he has my wholehearted endorsement of his design. It really is an excellent upgrade from everything else I can see. The rack change he was considering was an attempt to bring the cost down, and I think he was looking at an alternative shock as well for the same reason. Has he gotten it to a point where he can establish the retail price?

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Justin!

Can you send me your e-mail address OFF-LIST?

Thanks..

rick
Rick Ingram

As always, it was a real treat to drive Barney. Also was great to see all the attending V8'ers at Ted and Judy's. Good also to see Dan Masters mostly recovered from the his fall.
A 302 is a no-brainer, insofar as the bang for the buck, for an MG V8 conversion EXCEPT for the current unavailbility of a comprehensive installation kit. It still takes more fabrication ability than the average Joe possess (either skills or equipment), particularily exhaust headers. That said, I would drop a 302 in my MGA project if I did not have a garage full of aluminum engines and a 289" stroker Olds already in process.
I did get some great ideas for the rear suspension of the MGA by looking over Matt's Lotus7 project. A three or four link rear seems the way to go.
Thanks again to Ted and Judy!!
Kurt Schley

Justin,

I knew that was coming when I saw you climb in "Barney". :) :)

It was great to see everyone again, especially since my time was cut short at the Townsend V8 meet.

I must be getting old. The 750 miles straight thru to the house wore me out, even in my "Tennessee Cadillac".
Carl

Hi gang
Too bad Im so far away--but I took my 302B to Kingston Ont Canada Boot & Bonnet Club day in the park on Sunday.Talked to lots of ppl and am sure the Blue Oval curse took hold.Two guys I talked with are now doing conversions and after looking mine over decided to go to 302 instead of Rovers and another doing a V6 said hes going 302 !
These cars are just plain fun.
Im meeting up with Dale Spooner this week so he can look at my clutch set up cause hes ditching the C4 for a T5.
Hope that the V8 convention next year is in MI so I can go
Gil Price

Yep...

British V8 2004 will indeed be held in Grand Rapids, MI the weekend of August 12-13-14-15 along with the UML Summer Party Reunion. Coordinator Steve Carrick is working hard to make this yet another memorable event for us "spurious types".

British V8 2005 will be held in Terre Haute, Indiana in June 2005. We are looking at strip time at the Wabash Valley Dragway, and some track time at Putnam Park. Hotel is a Holiday Holidome just a stone's throw away from the drag strip!

Cheers!

rick ingram
rick ingram

This thread was discussed between 24/08/2003 and 25/08/2003

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