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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Rear anti-roll bars



I have a 1978 MGBGT to which I have fitted an old ex-Rover P5B 3.5l engine, driving through an MGB gearbox to an MGC rear axle (all the bits came from a rusty Costello).

The 1978 GT had a rear anti-roll bar but the MGC rear axle has no mountings to connect the rear anti-roll bar to the axle. My car has been lowered, using one of the spring sets marketed by the MGBHive for the purpose, and has Spax telescopic dampers at the back – sold with the spring kit. At the moment to anti-roll bar is still fitted to the car structure but not connected to the axle; it is tied up safely out of the way.

There has been discussion as to whether it is a good thing to re-connect the rear anti-roll bar or not. I’m looking for refinement rather than ultimate handling performance. I reckon that’s due to a mixture of me getting old(er) and the need to transport my wife in comfort!

Any thoughts would be very welcome.

Regards

Peter
P L Hills

re: (all the bits came from a rusty Costello).

Do you happen to know the VIN number of the donor car?

rick
rick ingram

Hi Rick,

My donor car was GHD52766065, a red (originally Glacier White)1972 MGBGT. It was first registered in the UK on 18 Apr 72, as COV676K, already fitted with Rover V8 engine 4000508.

Unfortunately the rusty remains were destroyed by fire on 4 Apr 03. But I was already transferring the bits that seemed useful into a '78 MGBGT.

Hope this is of interest. Are you putting this sort of informatgion into a historical database?

Regards

Peter
P L Hills

Peter,

I assume you have a stiff arb at front and if you feel the car rolls too much for your liking then adding a rear bar will give flatter cornering. The downside is slightly less rear grip and more oversteer than you have currently which you may notice in wet.

If interested in Costello history then a phone call to Tim Fenna at Frontline Costello may provide a few more details but he is also an expert in handling, and his rear traction control link may be a better option than rear arb but of course at a cost.

Paul
Paul

Peter,

My 79 V8 also has an MGC rear axle fitted. Before installing it I brought the B axle and C axle to a welding shop and asked them to duplicate the roll bar mounts, which they did.

My car handles reasonably well even without the front bar fitted (I'm working on that). I've never had a problem with extreme oversteer, although I'm sure the front bar will improve the balance.

Regards, Allan
Allan

Allan

Eeek - Only rear bar!

Take care mate.....

I'd take the rear bar off until you sort out the front first....unless you drive like a jessie ;?)

Stoo
Stuart Robson

My V8 came with a Ron Hopkinson kit consisting of a rear anti-roll bar and an uprated bar. Having driven it with and without the rear bar, and other cars without, I can confirm that it locates the axle better - I can't feel the axle moving about under hard acceleration and cornering as without, and it does roll much less. However even with the uprated front bar the rear still tends to break away sooner in the wet, although tyre differences can make as much of a difference if not more. The rear bar is all about stability under hard cornering, which isn't a lot to do with comfort of one's passengers - stabilise the car under those conditions and the bits inside feel it even more. For 'normal' road use it makes very little difference at all, comfort is usually to do with springing and damping, and unless you have adjustable Spax on their softest setting you will never regain the softness of the original setup. My V8 also came with Spax which I had to replace at huge cost, compared with lever-arms, even though they had only done a few thousand. They have begun to feel a bit too soft and bouncy, and thinking I could use the adjustment to stiffen them up a bit I find they they have both siezed! A waste of money, I'm laying in all the bits to go back to lever-arms before I have to replace them again.
Paul Hunt

Thanks for the Costello VIN number, Peter.

No, I have no spreadsheet at this time...interesting concept, though!

I know of two Costello V8s here in North America; one in Canada and one in Virginia. (I'm sure that there may be others!)

Ken and I exchange correspondence periodically.

Regards..

rick
rick ingram

This thread was discussed between 18/10/2004 and 19/10/2004

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