In a message dated 8/1/99 7:41:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mvheim@studiolimage.com writes:
<< Obviously, the
under-100hp B doesn't even figure in this comparison, but I would point
out that the ratios are well chosen for overall drivability, with good
acceleration, and at least with OD, a pleasant, long-legged cruise. >>
hi all,
I would like to take this poournity to say just how true tha above
statement is.
I recently took my 1976 MG-B roadster on a 5000 mile road trip. I went from
ft.collins,co out to buchannan,wv. the long way. My yellow-b never missed a
beat. It gave me 31 MPG for the complete trip. It used 2 quarts of Valvoline
20-50 oil,total. I didn't use any water,after i tightened up a loose hose
clamp in lexington,ky. The air temps were over 100 deg in the shade every
mile of every driving day..The cockpit temps, top down, were over 125 all day
long.
My 1976 MG-B roadster is one of those $500.00 units one falls into from
time to time. I bought it 7 years ago. I found it under a snow drift in a
local restruant parking lot. The top was beaten down to the seats. Snow was 3
feet deep in the cockpit. I found the owner, a watress, working in the
restruant..I negociated with her father to buy the car.
The first work that i did to this car was last Aug. I rebuilt the
engine.I bought an alloy cylinder head, a weber dgv carb and an ansi exhaust.
The engine internals were all bone stock, off the shelf Moss parts. The
machine shop ground the valve seats and installed the bronze guides. They
also re ground the crank. My reason for the rebuild was something about a
failed oil pump causing lots of metal to metal contact on the crank..yes
indeed!
I drove the car ,as usual, until June 28th of this year. It was then
that I decided to take this MG to my sisters' birthday party in Wv. I looked
at the car in depth..top ok..tyres and wheels very plain..seats..not what i
wanted to sit in for 5000 miles..paint...faded to a dishwater yellow..not
acceptable..tranny..not o/d!
I had a 1974 B sitting around..It is a daily driver but it has some rude
rattles in the bottom end..it also has an o/d tranny, a new clutch kit and
the ansi exhaust i needed.Out came the engine-tranny..My 1976 was parked in
fron tof it..out came it's engine -tranny..Wrenches twirlled for two days in
the 100 deg street . My 1976 B had a o/d tranny and the exhaust and ansi
exhaust..my 1974 had the single zs carb and exhaust and a nono/d tranny.
next came the seats..I went for a new set of seats, upholstered in
cordrouy velour, black.
Then i found a friend with a truck and the harbour freight store in
ft.collins. Next thing that happened was that I was unloading a new air
compressor in my back yard. I took my 1976 B to the paint store..The o/d
worked. I came home with a gallon of some REAL YELLOW paint. My B went up on
old tyres and off came the nasty old paint. Primer and yellow paint were shot
on, in a wind storm..A few runs, but nothing that can't be colour sanded and
fixed. Then my 1974 B went to ft.collins with some bad tyres and some unique
Enikki whels..alloy and gold. The discount tire store set me up with a set
of fine aqua tread design Semperit tyres, made in England. The 74 and
wheels-tyres came home.One wheel trade later and I was ready for the road.
I left ft.collins on july,7th. It was 5:00 in the morning, temp was 67.
I drove to Limon in two hours where I was invited to stop at The Fireside
Restruant and visit with Cathy who works ther AND drives a nice chrome bumper
BRG B roadster..I had a good meal, visited and headed east. I turned south in
Salina Ks and made Stillwater,Ok. in plenty of time to meet some fine on line
friends who had volunteered to put me up for the night. We all went out, had
a good meal, went back to the house, ..well I stayed another day..lol. 8:00
july 9th found me headed east to Memphis,Tn.
I made Memphis, met my dad and had another 2 day visit.. While in the
area, I went out to another MG listers home, a fine guy named Jay..He has a
garage..In it were a B getting a V-8, another B resting, a Porche getting
paint and a honda getting paint..JAY..I like your garage!! I didn't mention
the bug-eye sprite sitting under the tree in the front yard getting old paint
stripped..It sounded real good and was dead straight in the body dept. July
11th found me headed east..to Lexington, Ky. and my inlaws. I visited there
for ywo days and drove the final 3 hours to Charleston,Wv.
I spent 5 days driving around on roads with no pavement or names..I
learned about many different hollows and runs. I also learned about the low
hanging ansi rear mufler..i took it off until I found pavement again. And I
learned another thing..the B is one stout car..it took 400 miles of what were
laughingly called roads in stride,with a very sporting exhaust note as well..
The birthday pig roast was sweet..theBuchannan River was beautiful, if
not full of water,The party was fun, 50 friends in from all over the country,
swimming was fine. And I had to leave in order to get back to ft.collins to
go to a wedding reception on the 24th of july.
I drove US 60 all the way to Joplin Mo. I then cut down to Stillwater,Ok
for two more days of R &R. It was a 26 straight hour drive from Buchannan,Wv
to Stillwater,Ok. I spent more time in west Ky. than planned..as a backwoods
constable and I had a falling out on some fine points of road
management<g>..But that is another story..LOL
Two days in Ok. and then back up to Ft.collins,Co. Total miles driven
5214.7. NO troubles with car or me. I was drinking 12 litres of water per
driving day..My MG-B, Yello-B just ate the road and looked for more.It never
overheated, inspite of sustained 3500 rpm cruising IN o/d! The car,my B wass
the ONLY LBC that i saw out of a city limit the whole trip. The B is without
a doubt, the most roadworthy, comfortable, sure footed, reliable car that I
have ever used in this country. With the O/D tranny and the compliant
Semperit 185/70 tyres, it took rain and stone roads in stride. It is a road
going MG.
yours, H4(Howard Gentry)
1974MG-Bgt
1974MG-B roadster
1976MG-B roadster(Yello-B)
1977MG-B roadster
|