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MG MGB Technical - What is this? (on B racing engine)

There's a rather nice vintage racer '64 B on EBay. I'd like to know what the silver box with big hoses (see image) is? Some sort of crankcase ventilation?
David

David Steverson

That's a helluva big catch tank if it is! Dry sump lubrication system?
Paul Hunt 2

That's exactly what it is.

It's a crankcase vent catch can - otherwise known
as a "puke" can.

Some race sanctioning bodies look very dimly
at oil being dripped and sloshed on the track with
so many cars whizzing by at high speed, and so
"open" crankcase venting are mostly illegal under
their rules.

They also regulate the minimum capacity of those
vent catch cans, too.
Daniel Wong

I agree with Paul, that tank looks big, but then again the minimum capacity for spring/hillclimb in the UK is one litre... And the pipes are too big, too. You only need a catch tank if you run open breathers, which don't really work with an MGB.

Is it perhaps an Evacupan system? That would require a connection to the exhaust manifold (for the vacuum) and a connection to the crankcase (for the breathing). It looks like you might have both here?

Or perhaps more likely a fancy cooling system with electric pump? The front pipe looks like it joins the pipe coming up from the bottom of the radiator, and I cannot see a mechanical water pump...? And the smaller tube coming out of the radiator neck (overflow) goes to that stainless steel box thing.

I don't know where the second large pipe is going - looks like to the breather connection on the rocker cover.

So maybe it's an oil catch tank and a water catch tank in one casing???

FWIW

Neil
Neil22

Looks like a fairly straightforward catch tank to me.

The minimum size for circuit racing in the UK is 2 litres for engines of less than 2 litres capacity and 3 litres for engines in excess of 2 litres.

It does look as though the over flow from the radiator is plumbed into it too.
Dave O'Neill 2

Looks like a catch tank with three sections. He has a vent line from the front tappet cover, a vent from the valve cover both going into the left side (as facing it). A overflow line from the filler neck to the center section and he should have the carb vents connected to the right side.

I prefer using a water recovery system for the cooling system with a catch tank for the recovery system.
Leland Bradley

This thread was discussed between 17/02/2008 and 20/02/2008

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