MG Engine Swaps Forum

I think it's interesting to see so much disdain on some of the other forums when someone asks a question about a modification/improvement or shows what they have done to improve their MG. Keep in mind that I have a stock MGBGT, however, I have a Morris Minor and a Magnette that have both been modified/improved. I've gotten feed back like the engineers 50 years ago knew what they were doing then so it must be perfect today to certain death will result from a modification/improvement. Haven't died yet.

I suppose it's just jealousy and there is no other way to express their thoughts.

Now I may not engage in the modifications I see on this forum, however, I am fascinated by the creativity I see here. I say bravo for thinking outside of the box!! It gives me inspiration.

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CAUTION!!

Information in my journal may not be suitable for those who are sensitive. View at your own risk.

Know the rules well so you can break them effectively. Dalai Lama

That is why I always say, who cares how the factory did it, they did so many things so wrong, they were never the example to follow. Hap Waldrop

I like original spec old cars; they are like a time capsule to me of better times.
When a modified car appeals to me, it has to be done well. Thing is, not that many old cars are modified tastefully or with attention to detail (my opinion anyway).

There are always going to be purists. Enthusiasts that want to keep a vehicle as OEM as possible, no mater MG, Detroit Muscle, or Model T. That's great. We need some rolling time capsules.

Some owners are not gearheads or hotrodders. You have just been hanging with the wrong crowd.

Ha, beat me to it. Slow typer (not a typist).

Some guys are a little too creative with their interpretations. I've seen some gawdawful creations cobbled together, some of them here.

It's ok to add your own personal signature to things, but not everyone is going to like it, no matter how well crafted it is.

Personally, I tend to like the modified cars that look and perform like something the factory could have done. Phantom body styles, factory looking engine swaps, good ergonomics, and with form following function.

This is a modified B GT that I have seen at shows in this region. It is an improvement over factory cars. Rare that a car is modified this tastefully and this well executed. And rare for me that I would find a modified car preferable to one that is original.

http://www.britishv8.org/MG/RobertMilner.htm

There were a great many MG's made. Modifying a few will make no difference. I had to "fix all the bungles made by British Layland to comply with nonsense put on the US auto market.

Aside from the stock vs. modified polarization, I think a big part of the disdain we see for modifications is what Jack said - many are so poorly carried out that they invite disapproval.

I've never had any problem admiring the workmanship on a car that I would never create, and I think a lot of car guys share that appreciation for creativity and good workmanship.

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Bill Spohn www.rhodo.citymax.com/carstuff.html
Current: 1958 MGA Twincam (race car (170 bhp)),1962 MGA Deluxe Coupe (98 bhp)
1957 Jamaican MGA (200 bhp)1965 1971 Jensen Interceptor (350 bhp)
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe (375 bhp)
2007 BMW Z4M coupe (340 bhp)
Recent: 1969 MGC roadster (175 bhp),Jensen CV8 (375 bhp),
1969 Lamborghini Islero S (350 bhp), 1988 Fiero GT turbo (300 bhp)
North Vancouver BC

Do you have to be an Engineer to safely modify a car? No, but it might help. Do you have to be an artist to make your modification appear tasteful? No, but again it might help.

So what is it about those two professions and others that is so helpful in modifying a car? Simply two things: Training and experience. Well, training need not always be formal to be effective and all you need to know can be learned on the web. Most of it here in fact, lacking only the most involved theories and calculations. As for the experience, that is gained by doing, and relying on mentors. Mentors we have here in abundance. The doing as well. So it is not just possible, but encouraged for a neophyte to jump right in, frequently at the deep end I might add, and rely on those here to save him. They will, if at all possible.

In the final analysis, modifying a car is not a whole lot different from designing one in the first place. Even a brand new design has a starting point based on older designs. The thing to watch for is cascading changes. You change one detail and it's like a row of dominoes falling over. You must be sure you address everything affected by the change, and that you haven't accidentally elbowed one of them off the table where it's gotten lost under the carpet. Those are the times that get you into trouble.

Jim

Yes it is! Robert did an outstanding job.

Those pics of his car was taken here in East Tennessee, BTW. Robert & his wife drove it from CA to Townsend, TN (& back) for the British V8 Meet & MG2006. As did Bill Guzman & his wife.

Modified cars are the realizations of someones fantasies and dreams. Chances of those being the same for any two people are slim. But certainly no reason to stop dreaming!


I will step out on a limb and postulate that people who are into restoring or maintaining original classics tend not to be very creative. There is a certain security in being able to maintain a vehicle to a manufacturer and peer dictated standard and then flock to meeting with like minded individuals.

The other side of the equation is that the onus for proving solid engineering and or performance improvement is up to the builder. In the 40 years I have played this game, I have never seen anyone do baseline data to then measure against the finished project. Most people quote the component manufacturer's claims for performance improvement.

In some cases, in addition to the reasons mentioned earlier, it could be envy.
If all I knew how to do was adding grille badges and Armor All, I might well become a little miffed when I see a car that has been made to perform better.
Look at Carl's B, for example. What is there not to like?
Well, other than the rubber bumpers, of course.

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All my vehicles are green. They run on recycled dinosaurs.

When I bought my 64 MGB I was always disappointing in the car that it was. I put 100 miles on it in 4 years. I threw it in a warehouse for many years toying with an engine change and upgrades or selling it. Either way I had no use for the stock car, as was. Life eventually got where I could address it and did an engine conversion with some other changes. The car looks stock but is anything but.

It is now the car I wanted when I bought the original MGB.

I can't say that I'm a purist by any means as I've made non original changes to my car. I believe that some people may feel that certain changes that although may be safe, do not sit with the original concept or "feel" of the car. Eg ... 1200 cc to 6 litre V8 (crazy example). I believe in live and let live. It's your car ... enjoy it your way.

Happy motoring all,
Andy M