Ray:
In it's day the MGC was badly trounced by the motoring press because it
wasn't an MGB with more power. Even in completely original condition
the car was not an evil monster, but did not compare well to the light,
balanced handling of the 4 cylinder car.
Fast forward and after the dedicated work of a number of enthusiasts the
weaker points of the cars have been sorted out. Modern tires make the
most difference as the tendency to go straight in corners was aggravated
by the skinny tires of the time. A heavier front sway bar and/or
uprated torsion bars, combined with a quicker ratio rack completely
transform the car. If allowed, the removal of the concessionary air
pump and related gear cut down some of the under bonnet clutter and
weight.
The Federal cars were required to have a dual brake system which
complicated matters as twin brake servos were specified to bring the car
down from the now much higher top speed.
>From what I have seen, most MGC accidents involved pranging the front
end, so either the cars were locking up the fronts, or more likely
failure due to neglect killed a lot of cars. The front inner sheet
metal is unique to the C and has never been readily available, so a
front hit would total the car.
My MGC GT is a perfect example of a low mileage survivor. It was
wrecked in the 80s and luckily picked up by Peter Caldwell of shock
rebuilding fame. Luckily I was able to get the necessary front 1' of
the car from Tony Barnhill (The Autoist) and am looking forward to
getting the car back on the road after 25 years.
For me, the MGC and MGC GT in particular offer a very classic balance
for long legged touring. I havn't had a chance to drive an automatic
MGC GT, but from what I have heard, the autobox is a good match to the
stock engine. No burning rubber, but a smooth unflustered ride.
For more spirit with a manual, the hot ticket appears to be shaving a
few pounds off the stock flywheel which allows the engine to rev quicker
and be a lot more fun. 7 main bearings mean that the engine is never
going to be a rocket from 0-60, but there are a lot of easy improvements
that can be made that are well documented.
In deference to Barrie's comment. A V8 conversion does make a nice car,
but it is neither an MGB nor a MGC. Each car offers a very different
feel. That's why I'm planning on building one of each : )
Kelvin Dodd
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On
Behalf
> Of Rjdisi@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, December 14, 2005 7:43 AM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: MGBGT on eBay Vs. MGCGT
>
> I would like to expand this question in order to get opinions about
the
> MGCGT.
> How do they compare?
> Has anyone owned both? Which do/did you prefer?
> What, in your opinion(s), is good, bad and the ugly on this model
> (MGCGT)?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ray Donovan
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