Product Image
    Product Details
  • 176 Pages
  • 494 Photos & Illustrations
  • Paperback
  • Colour
  • Published in 2008
  • 2nd Edition
  • Part of the SpeedPro Series
How to Improve MGB, MGC & MGB V8
By Roger Williams

Covers all aspects of improving these cars for today's road conditions and for higher performance generally.

    Features:
  • New updated and revised second edition
  • Applies to hundreds of thousands of MGBs, MGCs and MGB V8s
  • How to improve performance, braking, handling, reliability, appearance and comfort
  • The author is a production engineer with real practical experience of improving these cars
  • Step-by-step illustrated procedures

Covers all aspects of improving these cars for today’s conditions, and for higher performance generally; in the areas of power, braking, appearance and comfort. This updated and revised edition includes information on numerous new subjects such as V6 engines, air-conditioning, ignition improvements, engine management, and weight reduction. There is also an individual chapter on the various engines involved, and, in particular, some original and unique research on (four cylinder) cylinder head performance and comparisons.

Table of Contents
  • Planning an upgrade | Conversion
    Plan conservatively | Starter upgrades | Conclusion
  • More powerful four-cylinder engines
    The capacity | Incremental bore sizes | Cylinder heads | Weber carburettors | DGV | DCOE | Supercharging | Exhaust manifolds & systems
  • The MGC 6-cylinder engine
    Engine out of car | Improving the breathing | Upgrading the camshaft | Balancing | Breathing | Weber DCOEs | Increasing the capacity | Engine upgrade summary | Engine assembly tips | Unleading/porting a cylinder head
  • Upgrading V8 engines
    Introduction | Improving your 3528cc engine | Oil pressure/flow | Speedier oil return | Priming the oil pump | Sumps and gaskets | Flywheels | Compression ratios (CR) | 4.0/4.6 replacement engines | 3.9-litre/243ci – 94.04mm/3.7inbore + 71.1mm/2.8in stroke | 4.0-litre/243ci – 94.04 mm/3.7inbore + 71.1 mm/2.8in stroke | 4.2-litre/258ci – 94.04mm/3.7inbore + 77.0mm/3.03in stroke | 4.6-litre/283ci – 94.04mm/3.7inbore + 82.0mm/3.22in stroke | Oil filters/coolers | Oil pump variations | Turnkey uprated engines | Other tips | Camshaft/followers | Transplanting EFI engines | Starter motors | Crankcase breathers and filler | Further reading
  • V6 engine conversions
    Introduction to V6 engines | Bodyshell alterations | Front-wheel drive donor engines | Rear-wheel drive donors | Common issues | Cooling the beast | Engine management | Rev counter/tacho | Exhaust routes | Sump/oil pan clearance | Power steering | Rear axle ratios
  • 5-speed gearbox improvements
    Alternative MGB gearboxes | Gearboxes for MGC 3000cc | Gearboxes for V6 engines | Gearboxes for V8 engines | T5 5-speed | Toyota 5-speed | Rover SD1 & Triumph TR7 | MG RV8 gearbox | Clutch actuation | Master cylinders | Slave cylinders | Automatic gearboxes
  • The rear suspension, axle & prop/driveshaft
    Tweaking the current design | Telescopic rear dampers | Anti-tramp/traction bars | Rear spring changes | Lowering | Stronger Composites | Parabolics | Upgrading live axle suspension | ‘3/4-link’ located suspension | ‘4/5-link’ method | Live rear axles | Independent rear suspension | Drivetrain detail | Limited slip differentials (LSDs) | Prop/driveshafts
  • Front suspension & steering
    Stiffening the front suspension | Lowering | Anti-roll/sway bars and handling kits | Improving steering | Negative camber wishbones | Caster angle wedges | Polyurethane suspension bushes | Power-assisted steering | Quick racks | Bump steer | Shock absorber/damper improvements | Asymmetrical/offset dampers | Symmetrical/central damper | Coil-over spring/damper combinations | Moss-Europe | Hoyle Engineering | Replacement front crossmember assembly
  • Upgrading the brakes
    What’s important | Front caliper options | Rover SD1/Vitesse calipers | Hoyle Engineering kits | Princess four-pots | Radial-mounted calipers | Hi-Spec Motorsport | AP Racing calipers | Wilwood | Front discs/rotors | One-piece rotors | Two-piece discs | Brake servos/boosters and master cylinders | The rear brakes | Proportioning/bias/balance/pressure-reducing valves | Residual pressure valves | Rear disc brakes
  • Wheels & tyres
    Wheel diameter | Rim widths | Road wheel offsets | Central wheel patterns | Wire wheels | Tyres | Profiles | Tyre diameter calculations
  • Heating, cooling & air-conditioning
    Heater improvements | The full implication of cooling The radiator | Coolant flow | Radiator fans | Bonnet louvres | Insulation | Reflective foil | Exhaust wrapping | Metallic-ceramic coating | Oil cooler | Fitting air-conditioning | The basic components | MGB/C/V6/V8 fitting specifics | MG evaporators | MGB/C/V8 condensers | Other suggestions | Kit of parts | Wiring up air-con
  • Bodyshell, interior & trim changes
    Bodyshell changes | Widening the wheelarches | Rubber to chrome-bumper conversions | Front and rear valances | Fibreglass bumper upgrades | Headlamp improvements | Improved fittings | Smaller spare wheels | Increasing a Roadster’s capacity | Extending the GT’s rear floor | Comfort and security | Screen washing | Door locks | Glove pocket Windstops | Interior trim and carpets | Seats | Cabriolet hoods | New Heritage bodyshells | The 3-synchro shell | New V8 bodyshells | Corrosion protection
  • Improving the sparks
    Low-tension system | How it works | Retro-fitted breakerless systems | Optimising the timing | Performance distributors | High-tension components | Distributor caps/arms | Sparkplugs | The plug leads | Charging the ignition coil | Saturating the coil | A final consideration | Computer ignition management
  • Carburettor induction
    Carburetor designs | Fuel atomisation | The SU carburetor | Types of SU | Road tuning, stage 1 | Road tuning, stage 2 | Road tuning, stage 3 | Track day/competition tuning Larger/more SUs | Insulation | V6 and V8 Induction Improvements | Holley/Weber comparisons | AFB inlet manifolds | AFB air filters | Fuel pumps, filters & pressure regulators
  • Electronic fuel-injection & engine management
    How EFI works | MGB/C/V6/8 fuel supply | ECU triggers | Controlling fuelling | TPS inlet manifolds and throttle bodies | Lumenition | Omex | Webcon-Alpha | ‘V’ MAP engine Management | Programmable ECUs | Further reading
  • Electrics, lights & instruments
    Electrical power requirements | New alternators | Connecting an alternator | Replacement/upgraded wiring looms | Power distribution | Connectors | Safety considerations | Halogen headlights | Xenon lights | Modern Volkswagen Beetle lights | Fuses | Rear light improvements | Emergency flashers | Audible warning/flashing direction light | Windscreen washers | Aftermarket starters | Instruments and controls | Overdrive logic controller Wiring routes | Instruments | Electrical security measures
  • Weight watchers
    Unsprung weight | Weight outside the wheelbase | Weight located high in the car | The engine
  • Conclusion
  • Supplier index