Bill wrote:
>The things that I don't like about the Marina are mostly the weak rear end
and
>transmission. But then I had the same problem with another very similar
model,
>the Riley 1.5. Stick a B engine in one of those, and you again have close
to
>MGB power/weight, but you also have an A series diff, with axles like
celery
>sticks if you drive hard. Other than that a different and interesting sort
of
>beast.
>Unfortunately, the only B series rear end wide enough to fit is the MG
Maggot,
>and they are even harder to find these days than Rileys.
>Bill
To be fair the Marina was far from perfect and you nailed the main faults
Bill. The tranny is common with the Spitfire and TR7 I believe and is
somewhat weak. If you can live with an automatic the Marina was available
with the Borg-Warner 35 (in my car) and this is a reliable proven unit.
The rear axles have been known to fail. I think the main fault is not
snapped shafts but the diff. pin dropping out of position from what I've
been told. Again the rear end is common with the TR7 I believe.
Fred Pixley
Napanee, Ontario, Canada
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