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MG TD TF 1500 - Just a dumb question

I've seen a number of "T" series MG's on youtube racing and just wondering what makes some of these cars so darn fast?
thanks,
Bill TD24570
Bill Brown

Spending about 10 grand+ on the engine helps a lot plus other goodies. Billet crank, roller cam, ported and relieved blue printed/balanced and a blower gets a little more HP out of it, plus running it around 6000+ rpms. I didn't mention a close ratio transmission. Most of those cars you see aren't something you'd use to go to the store to get groceries in. Cost a lot of money to make one competitive. PJ
PJ Jennings

I believe the factory managed to get over 200 HP out of the XPAG engine before the last war believe it or not.
JK Mazgaj

#1 Camshaft
The rest is just gravy to go with the camshaft!
I have in stock the flat lifter Full race cam that the fast guys use! It beats the B & G 102 cam on paper and on the track!(Manley Ford, Steve Konsin ETC.) ( roller lifter cams are not legal in VSCCA I believe)
Len Fanelli
Len Fanelli

Also, forged rods and pistons make a big difference in RPMs and reliability.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

Could it be the film is just sped up for effect??
John Quilter (TD8986)

No the cars are well sorted and just that fast.
W A Chasser


Don't forget titanium cam followers
All the cars in front of the cars without them, have them. They won't tell you ---but
William Revit

No. A very good question! Interesting and complex!
Am I right in thinking that the "go-fast" recipe varies between countries because of variations in regulations?

The youtube stuff I have seen from USA and UK, shows T-Types which are full-bodied, or close to it. I am guessing that is the rule over there?. In Australia, there was a trend to build "specials" after WW2. Many T-Types which race here have light aluminium bodies and no guards/lights etc. This helps with acceleration, braking and wind-resistance. To counter this, I have been told that engine restrictions are stricter here than UK and USA. (Is that right?)

However, the XPAG is a great little engine and can be made to go pretty well, even without extreme, modern treatment. If you type in "MGTC Phillip Island" on youtube, you should see the silver bonnet of a TC special "mixing it" with a s/c Lotus replica, 4.8 litre GMC special, Gemini Cosworth FJ, 2.9 litre Austin-Healey special, 4.5 litre Ford special, Cooper Climax T39 and a Lola Climax. That TC has a 1366cc motor, 1955 Laystall head, original Factory 168551 camshaft, standard TC gearbox, standard TC steering box and ball-joints, standard distributor(modified weights and stops) and original single-leading-shoe brakes (with finned drums/cooling vents). Its Marshall J100 s/c is of about WW2 vintage.

Its owner actually plans to fit road gear so he CAN drive it to the grocery store. It goes well around a car park …. type in "How to drive an MG" and hopefully you will see just that.

Cheers, Bob
R L Schapel

William, Titanium followers WERE available here in USA, but no longer are. They are now available with DLC coating (Diamond Like Coating) but are about $ 200 per follower!They could be less with a large order. If anyone is interested I can get a firm price.
Len Fanelli

Wow, all interesting stuff. I am utterly amazed how many RPM's this little long stroke engine will crank. I spun a rod bearing at 5,500 rpm's once and have never ever thought about going over 5,000 rpm's since. So, is a supercharger the easiest way to a little more power? I change the rear axle to 4.3 and would like a little more dependable grunt.
thanks,
Bill TD24570
Bill Brown

Bill That is a "Loaded question"!
For a S/C installation you first need to know the compression ratio. This can be determined if you know the cylinder head height from the head gasket face to the valve cover gasket face, and the bore size.The C/R for safe engine life is no more that 8.0:1. Also to unlock the full potential of a S/C you need a cam designed for S/C, the intake duration is LESS than the exhaust duration. For normally aspirated engines you can go as high as about 9.3:1 depending on the camshaft duration. Whether the camshaft is in a pushrod engine or an overhead cam engine, it controls the opening and closing of the valves. This, in turn, controls the flow of air and fuel into and out of the engine which determines engine performance.
Please contact me for much more information as well as Tom Lange of MG T Repair, tlange@acadia.net, for Superchargers, camshaft recommendations & MG T type engine building.
Len Fanelli
Abingdon Performance Ltd.
914 420 8699
Len Fanelli

This thread was discussed between 10/12/2018 and 14/12/2018

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