The Morris Gazette

BMC-NO is affiliated with:
North American MGB Register (NAMGBR)
and
Vintage Triumph Register (VTR)

If you are a member of these or any other national register or club, please let us know.

Inside this issue:

Calendar (click here)

Meeting Minutes

Officers (click here)

Dorset Madness #6

Back to the Beach Show

DOT What?

Mid-Ohio Triumph Video

MGB-V8 Conversion #1

For Sale

Membership (click here)

Club Regalia (click here)

President's Message

Please note the cruise to Catfish
Charlie’s has been moved up to Saturday June 21 because the restaurant is nor longer open for dinner on Sunday. We usually have 35 to 45 people attending this event so hop in the motor car and come along! All of the fried catfish, fried chicken, baked potatoes, fries, slaw and biscuits you can consume for $13.95. This includes tax and tip.

Thanks to all of the members who represented out club at the Back-to-the-Beach car show. It was hot but nice to see 240 assorted autos and trucks and ten of them were Brits.

During the summer months, a lot of our members do not like to cruise because it’s too hot, but we are starting at 5:00 pm for our Mystery Cruise in July. Where we end up will be cool and filling so don’t miss the mystery cruise. And if the MG isn’t running, then come in the GM, but don’t miss the fun.

It’s not too early to start thinking about the club elections for 2004. Several board members are leaving the board at the end of this year and we need some new blood. Please consider being more of an integral part of your club.

Bill Breithoff, standing in for Harold O’Reilly.

May 27 Minutes

Harold O'Reilly opened the meeting by announcing that May 25th through 31st was “Drive Your British Car Week”. He encouraged all of us to participate. The Crawfish Boil was a great success with plenty of crawfish for everyone and a beautiful sunny day. Many thanks to the Northshore members who worked hard to make this a great event. Special thanks to Cliff Hughes for procuring the crawfish.

Upcoming Events: Back to the Beach, put on by the Save Our Lake Foundation is planning a car show, June 1st starting at 7:00 AM. Members who would like to participate, should meet at Kinko's at Franklin and Leon C. Simon at 10:30 AM. The run to Catfish Charlie's, originally scheduled for Sunday, June 22nd needs to be changed to Saturday, June 21st (same time) as the restaurant is no longer open on Sunday evenings. The club's web site will show this change, emails will be sent and members at large will call their list to notify everyone.

Cliff Hughes talked about the possible July club event of attending a Zephyr's game. The Zephyr's offer several packages: 1.) $8/ticket - great seating and we buy concessions. 2.) $16/ticket includes t-shirt. 3.) $30/ticket - Home Run (left field) - food and t-shirt. 4.) $35/ticket - Kenner Regional (right field) - seats in stand. 5.) $50/ticket - Private room and they cater. (Need a minimum of 44 people for this one.) Show of hands opted for number 1. Cliff will investigate further.

The American MGB Club plans on having more shows with one scheduled in Florida for Sept. 20th. The VTR regional is set for August in Pennsylvania.

Members' Projects: Billy Lehrer had his SU carburetors rebuilt by Joe Curto (sp?) and was very pleased with the results. These were unusual as they are off his 1948 HRG with no numbers on them. Roy Richardson was having problems with the temperature gauge. The engine overheated at high speed, but was fine at low speed. He suspected a blocked radiator, but others suggested a bottom hose might be collapsing. This brought out a short discussion concerning changes in rubber hose technology, elimination of wire springs to hold the hoses open and improved compounds to reduce hose collapse and kinking at bends. Water and hydraulic lines still need occasional inspection to detect degradation that might necessitate replacement.

Roger Gibson mentioned that Cort Mustgrave’s two articles for last month's Newsletter were quite interesting and highly appreciated. Everyone present agreed and gave Cort a nice round of applause.
Harold was reminded by discussion of rubber hoses, that a MGB had driven into his carport and refuses to leave. Disconnecting the clutch line produced a disgusting flow of primordial slime as a result of hydraulic fluid and hose deterioration along with metal corrosion. Neglect of the brake/hydraulic fluid can and often does result in frozen valve components in master cylinder or pistons in slave cylinders. His stuck valve resisted 40 # of air pressure and didn't release until he pressurized it to 100#; at which time the valve was violently ejected. This discussion lead to questions about brake fluid. See Floyd's article for further details.

Frazier Rice plans on flying to Oregon in July for the national NAMGAR event. Bill Harris will be going to St. Louis on the 21st for the NAMGBR event. Cliff Hughes mentioned a Saturday car show in Madisonville as a charity event. Cliff also talked about the trials and tribulations of changing an old tire on Frazier's trailer that had blown out on the road with his car on top. Moral of story: replace old tires before they blow and always keep a “4-way” lug wrench handy.

50/50 Drawing: The $23 pot was won by Harold O'Reilly. T-shirts were won by: Cathy Greensfelder, Gene Graham, Cathy Greensfelder (again), but declined, Butch Frutos and Jeannine Richardson. §

Dorset Madness #6 by Jim Jones

Things are happening fast. Ray Klackle of PmB Media Blasting has completed the blasting of my Austin of England, ‘49 Dorset body and all of its accessories, fenders, hood, etc. The blasted and primed body and various parts have been stored away in my Covington garage. Once Ray gets started, he gets the job done real fast!

I used my trailer to transport the car’s body mounted on its rolling frame. That is the easiest way for me to load and unload it on the trailer by myself. I unbolted the body from the frame after arriving at Ray’s place of business, rolled the body on its frame into Ray’s boot and removed the body using his lift and sling frame. I reversed the procedure to get the body back to my garage.

Now, Peter Brauen’s structural work begins. Of course, Peter and I will first have to make room for it at his place of business in Kiln, Mississippi.

The only guy I know that has more British cars under cover than Peter is John Roper on the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain! And John is not in any car business. He just loves building British cars and racing them on the track!

While the Dorset’s body and frame are at Peter’s place, he and I will work on getting the brake master cylinder mounted to the frame, the hand brake hooked up, etc.

More as it happens! §

Back To The Beach Car Show

BMCNO brought our own British “class”

The Back-to-the-Beach car show was a resounding success with 240 cars! They gave out 100 trophies to the “top 100” present. (No word on judging criteria.) BMCNO was represented by 10 cars. Since the show does not have classes and cars are parked in order of arrival, we met at the parking lot of the Sav-A-Center at Franklin and Leon C. Simon, then drove the block or two to the site together.

Allen Bradley

There were lots of street rods, Mustangs, Corvettes and Cameros. A half a dozen or so dragsters were entered as were a couple dozen bikes (including one actual bicycle!) Among the more unusual vehicles (not counting the street rods, which are unusual by definition!) were a 'big foot' monster truck, a Dussenburg, a turbo Corvair and a Shay Reproduction Ford Model A. Floyd Friloux says he might enter his fire truck (once it’s running!) in the future. A note for all you SUV fans, the old Cadillac DeVille is almost 2 feet longer than a modern Chevy Suburban!

Anne Friloux and "Big Foot" truck

Two of our members were among the 100 winners. Allen Bradley’s 1970 MGB and Martin Straka’s 1957 MGA were both awarded plaques. Other participants were: Bill Brithoff 80 TR8, Harold O’Reilly 79 TR7, Anne Friloux 74 TR6, Butch Frutos 93 Jaguar XJS, Rodger Talley 59 Austin Healey Sprite, Cathy Greensfelder 79 MGB, Bill Harris 80 MGB-LE and Joy Watts 80 MGB-LE. You might want to note that both winners from our group have chrome bumpers and wire wheels!!

Several members stayed for music which started right after the awards with Bobby Cure & the Summertime Blues and the Bucktown Allstairs and culminated with fireworks later that evening. §

Sailboats join the fun just offshore.	Fancy paint job

Photos by Floyd Friloux. View the originals at:
http://public.fotki.com/lubeguy/back_to_the_beach_03/

NOTICE TO MGB OWNERS! Our club is affiliated with NAMGBR, the North American MGB Registry. This affiliation provides our liability insurance for events. BMCNO must maintain 8 registered NAMGBR members in our club to be affiliated. If you own (used to own, or would like to own) an MGB, please join NAGMBR, then tell the newsletter editor, Cathy Greensfelder. (She’s the keeper of the membership list.) NAMGBR dues are $25 and the newsletter MG Driver is worth it. Cathy will have NAMGBR membership applications at the next meeting.

ATTENTION TRIUMPH OWNERS! Our club is a Vintage Triumph Register (VTR) zone. We need 10 VTR members in our club to become an affiliated chapter. There are insurance and other benefits to becoming a chapter. If you own (used to own, or would like to own) any type of Triumph, please join VTR, then tell the newsletter editor, Cathy Greensfelder. (She’s the keeper of the membership list) or Harold O’Reilly, the VTR liaison. Cathy will have VTR membership applications at the next meeting.

Dot What? By Floyd Friloux

Brake fluids have been a hot topic at recent meetings. It seems repairs to long neglected brake hydraulics have surprised some of our members as they play their part as reluctant mechanic. Modern specialization now calls for the new title of “brake technician”. Luckily most of us will never have to understand the complexities of an “ABS”, but we can at least know a bit about the fluid we put into the different systems.

Our cars utilize at least two types of breaking actions. The tension actuated, “parking” or “emergency” brakes actuated by pulling brake shoes or pads against the rotating drum or disk, is the older of the concepts, being a remnant of the “horse and buggy” and locomotive days. Hydraulic braking came later as heavier vehicles and higher speeds put increased demand on stopping capabilities.

Hydraulic braking requires a non-compressible fluid to transmit force from a single point to at least two of the wheels. Since weight shifts forward as brakes are applied, the forward wheels do most of the stopping. It is recommended, however, that rear brakes also work, in hopes that they prevent the rear of car from taking the lead in a skid. Friction converts the energy of the vehicle into heat in order to slow it down. This heat is absorbed by everything nearby, including the fluid. If this liquid begins to boil the gases evolved are no longer “non-compressible” and can cause brake fade. This usually happens at the least opportune time, such as descending a mountain. You might ask, “Why not use a hydraulic oil?”. Rubber hoses and seals tend to absorb oil, particularly under pressure. This causes softening and swelling , leading to hose failure and piston sticking. It was up to chemists and engineers to come up with an alternative.

Tests were developed to determine the resistance to boiling of the new fluids as they were being put on the market. Department of Transportation decided they would certify these new products. That explains where the “DOT” comes from. You can still find specifications for DOT 2 fluid, but I do not remember ever seeing a can of it. We are familiar with DOT 3 fluid. It is required to have a dry boiling point (DBP) of 401F which was a big improvement over the 374 F boiling point of DOT 2. DOT 4 was further increased to a DBP of 406F. DOT 3 and 4 are glycol/glycol-ether mixtures with additives to reduce corrosion and buffer the pH. These fluids are hygroscopic, meaning they absorb water from the surroundings, and boiling point is lowered as water content increases. Containers of fluid, and master cylinder, should be open for as short a time as possible. DOT 5 fluid is a silicone fluid that is more expensive and does not absorb water. Any water that does find its way into system, forms droplets than can cause spot rusting. The DOT 5 will not mix with DOT 3 and 4 and are considered “incompatible”. There is a new synthetic DOT 5.1 with a lower viscosity, but higher boiling point and better stability (extended use) that is able to be used in DOT 3 or DOT 4 systems without thorough flushing. It should be noted, however, that mixing of DOT 3, 4 & 5.1 fluids is not recommended and some adverse reactions are possible.

Remember … DOT 3 and 4 fluids eat paint. Put rags under reservoir before filling. §

(Members Floyd and Anne Friloux are chemists and the owners of Lubriport Laboratories, which provides engine fluid analysis for clients all over the world.)

Mid-Ohio All-Triumph Racing Video
The video of the All-Triumph race of last June 16, 2002 at Mid-Ohio is now available. The one hour, 23 minute video covers a description of the track, interviews with the drivers, drivers describing their cars and an entertaining lap-by-lap commentary of the race by 3 veteran vintage car drivers. Video was compiled from 5 in-car cameras and 8 track-side and paddock cameras.
Send check for $20 to Kent D. Howard
W330 S3435 Bryn Mawr Road
Dousman, WE 53118-9719

MGB-V8 Conversion #1 by Rick Huber

(This is the first installment of an article by Rick Huber, first published in MG Driver. It will run as a series over the next six to eight issues of the Morris Gazette. Editor)

This is the first in a series of articles describing some of the hows of putting a V8 engine, particularly the Rover 3.5 L, in an MGB. My son, Andrew, and I did the job between November 97 and February 99. It took up pretty much all of my free time (not his – you know teenagers) during that period. I had never done any major car work before, although owning 5 MGBs on and off since 1977, I had removed, taken apart and put back together and reinstalled many parts. We managed to do the job with routine tools in the carport at the house and only had to sub out a few tasks. If you want to add some zip to your MGB and aren’t concerned about originality, it can be a very rewarding project.

Before getting started, I recommend you read as much as you can and talk to as many people as possible before accumulating parts. There are many decisions to be made. You’re better off with more information and firm decisions based on the alternatives before you start buying and installing instead of changing your mind later. I wish I had done more of that myself, and I’ll tell you some of my poor decisions in the next article. I recommend you take advantage of the easily accessible and inexpensive information available.

There are a couple of books with which you could start. The first is “How to Give you MGB V-8 Power” by Roger Williams. You can get a copy from Moss or Victoria British, Amazon ($22.95), or through the British V8 Newsletter. I didn’t check eBay, but that might be the cheapest place to get a copy. The book describes in detail many of the things that have to be done to put the Rover V8 engine in an MGB; it’s not as simple as just dropping in the engine. Roger is British and this book is written for conversions in the UK, so not everything is applicable in the US. Still, the book contains very good information.

A second book that’s good for getting more power out of the Rover V8 engine is “Tuning the Rover V8” by David Hardcastle, available from similar sources. This book is good if you’re rebuilding an engine and want advice on engine internals, pistons, etc. for getting the most bang out of the engine. I bought my engine already rebuilt, so I really didn’t need this book.

There is a wealth of information available for enthusiasts from multiple sources. The best overall source I’ve found is the British V8 (Formerly MGB V8) Newsletter, published every four months by Dan Masters. In addition to a subscription for $15 / year, you can also order back issues. I recommend getting the back issues and reading all of them as you detail exactly what you want to do with your project. Dan’s website, providing more information about V8 conversions and the newsletter is http://members.aol.com/DANMAS4/mgv8.htm. To contact him directly to get the newsletter call 865-982-9373, e-mail DANMAS@aol.com, or write The British V8 Newsletter, c/o DMP, PO Box 6430, Maryville, TN 37802-6430. Dan was one of my “emergency” contacts I set up when Andrew and I drove “Super B” from Baton Rouge to southern New Jersey in the summer of 99, one that we fortunately didn’t need to use.

Each issue of the newsletter describes a system or two in significant detail and includes “How it was done” articles written by owners / converters describing what and how their conversions were done. There are also plenty of pictures, advertisers, and a classifieds section with cars, engines and parts for sale.

Another communication medium for people interested in MGB V8 conversions is the mgb-v8@autox.team.net email group discussion list. Send an email to majordomo@autox.team.net. In the text of the message write, “subscribe mgb-v8” to get included in the discussion list. You’ll get an email with instructions on how to subscribe to the list. You can lurk for awhile, “listening” to what’s being said, or jump right in and start asking questions. We welcome new enthusiasts.

Advertising in the newsletter are several companies that specialize in MGB V8 parts and conversions. Depending on which area of the country you’re in, you may want to choose a place that’s easy to get to and see actual engines and cars. Seeing a V8 engine in an MGB and talking to someone while looking at the car is much more instructional than reading, looking at pictures, or talking on the phone.

I’ll mention three of the companies that I dealt with during my conversion, including two that I visited before and during the work. They were Towery Foreign Cars, run by Glen Towery in Cheswold, DE. Cheswold is about 30 miles south of Wilmington. His phone number is 302-734-1243 and he’s in the mgb-v8 email discussion group. In addition to engines and conversion parts, Glen also sells turn key MGB and MGB GT V8 cars if you’re interested in just buying one. He also advertises a one-day conversion, sending a team with a complete drive train, to the place of your choice to do the conversion. I made several visits to Glen’s shop during our conversion, got most of the advice, and bought most of the parts from him.

Another advertiser in the British V8 Newsletter is D&D Fabrications run by Dan La Gru in Altmont, MI, phone number 810-798-2491. Altmont is about 20 miles north of Detroit. Dan specializes in the early 60’s Buick/Olds/Pontiac aluminum V8 engine (the rights to which were sold to Rover and became the V8 engine put into the MGB GT in the early 70’s in the UK. He sells complete MG V8 conversion kits as well as individual engines and parts. I visited Dan during our conversion and bought a few parts. It was very interesting and informative seeing his shop and talking about engines, cars, and conversions.

The third advertiser in the British V8 Newsletter that I’ve dealt with is TS Automotive, run by Ted Schumacher in Pandora, OH, phone number 419-384-3022. Ted advertises parts for sale. I bought a few parts and talked to him several times during my conversion, but didn’t get a chance to visit. He has a toll free parts ordering line at 800-543-6648. §
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5

For Sale

56 MGA. Wire wheels, Red. Engine & mechanicals redone with no miles on them. Frame & body sound. Interior in bad shape. Has been stored awhile. Tim Shrewsbury, Louisville, KY. (757) 623-3635. timshrewsbury@juno.com
7/03)

67 Triumph GT6 Mark 1. Solid California car plus similar parts car, lot of parts. Recent brake and clutch rebuild, runs good, purchased from the original owner. Fuel tank still out after cleaning. New fuel pump. Clear title on the good car. Bill of sale only on the parts car: good glass, good suspension, some decent sheet metal, no transmission. In Harvey, LA. $2,500 package deal. Dave Johnson H:(540)368-1733 W:(504)362-7373 Cell:(504) 416-3710. (5/03)

Parts:

MGB 68-74 brake master cylinder, $130, John Roper (985)893 2413, scjohn@bellsouth.net (5/03)

Wanted

MGB smog pump, must be in working condition. Keith Vezina (504)443-5056, tkvezina@cox.net