The following sites carry information on a variety of topics:
So good it deserves a line of its own right at the top - a set of 'How to' videos from John Twist and University Motors |
from Paul Kile | Paul Lewis | and Norm Nock all of the Sacremento Valley MG Car Club |
Barney Gaylord's 'The MGA with an attitude' - mainly MGA but some details and much general information will be applicable to the MGB. | MGA and MGB technical information from British Automotive | ||
Scions of Lucas (SOL). Technical info for MG and other marques much of the 'other marques' info will also apply to MG to some extent. | Skye Poier's 'The MGB Experience' site | ||
Rich Mason's 'Helpzone' | Tech Tips from the NAMGBR | ||
Robert Epstein's 'MGB Tech Tips' | John and Elaine Hubbard's 'MGB-GT' pages | ||
Chicagoland MG Club - Tech tips | for a variety of marques and MG models from Moss Motors (now only available by logging-in) | ||
Parts sources from (Bob?) Lundgren | Automobile Repair manuals Online (not) | ||
Robert Bentley manuals | MGB Parts List available online from Moss USA. Other MG models and marques available. | ||
Miscellaneous MGB info from AutoChart Inc. | Classic car restoration courses at UK Further Education Colleges from Restored Classics | ||
Maintenance tips, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins from SlickCar by Kris Rinson | Fuel Additives Lubricants and Coolant reference information from Stephen Ringlee's Volvo Maintenance FAQ | ||
MOT Manual from GOV.UK | UK MOT info from Haynes | ||
Using a vacuum gauge for fault diagnosis. | Les Bengtson's Classic MG Sports Car Restoration information | ||
More speedo info from Autochart | Yet more speedo info from Paul Tegler | ||
Speedo repairs from Anthony Rhodes or as a downloadable PDF | Speedo repairers and suppliers Speedograph Richfield successors to Smiths Industries | ||
Bespoke and replacement instruments from Caerbont Automotive Instruments | Another on-line Parts Catalogue from Brown and Gammons in the UK | ||
Handy Reference Information from Pegasus Auto Racing - Decimal inch equivalents copper electrical wire specs and more. | Smiths and Jaeger speedo repairs from Tigers United | ||
John Twist's Tech Tips hosted by NAMGBR, on a variety of topics. | US Mechanic EDU brings together the best mechanic training information available in one convenient place. |
Bodywork from John Elwood. | Paint Codes from Paul Tegler's 'Teglerizer' site | ||
British car keys cut in the USA by Pete Groh. | Roadster screen from Lee Daniels (updated link) | ||
MGB Chrome Bumper Conversion sites from Google | Body Rotisserie from Bob Beaupre | ||
Body Rotator from Skye Poier | 'The Instillation (sic) of Sills & Rockers' from Classic Auto Restoration Services. A commercial site but includes 'How to' and FAQs. | ||
Hood/top fitting from Washington DC Centre MG Car Club | Remanufactured parts from British Motor Heritage Ltd. | ||
Brief information on fitting a child seat in the back of a GT. The lap and diagonal static belt from Securon can be found here. NOTE: Check the legality of these in the UK following the change in UK law from 18th September 2006, although it seems that systems with an older BS approval marking will remain legal until May 2008. Other than that it is legal to have an unrestrained child (or two) in the back of a GT, but illegal to have them restrained with an unapproved system. | Herb Adler on radio speakers, door alignment, door latches, central door locking, alternative seats, fitting an arm-rest cubby, bonnet release, wheel arch liners |
Herb Adler on clutch release/throwout bearing |
'Advanced Cooling System Basics' (sic) from Stewart Components | Herb Adler on cooling system enhancements |
V8 power for the MGB from Dan Masters | MG V8 conversions from Mike Barnes | ||
V8 conversion from Glenn somebody or other | More V8 conversion from commercial site V8 Developments | ||
'MGB V8 Conversions by Roger Parker' - a noted authority | A Buick V8 conversion by Leon Zak | ||
MG Engines from the TA to the MGF by Neil Cairns | BMC engine numbers from 1952 to 1990 also by Neil Cairns. However the section on Gold Seal numbers doesn't include those for the MGB, for which see here. | ||
More info from Neil Cairns, this time on the differences between the 18V engine as used in the MGB and that used in the Marina. | Got an 18V engine with a funny number? These were used in the Sherpa van. (Note March 2007: Not currently available but I'll leave this link here for a while in case it comes back.) | ||
Rover V8 engine number ranges from Capri Racing. Doesn't actually include the factory V8 MGB (or the RV8 as far as I know) but may be helpful if you get hold of an engine for a conversion. | Oil filter study from Russ W. Knize. | ||
Engine oil bible from 'The Speed-Trap Bible' by Chris Longhurst. Also see the sections on Snakeoils and Additives. | 'More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Motor Oil ' from The Vintage Triumph Register. Biased towards the makes and grades available in the USA. | ||
Another oil filter study from SHOClub | More oil info, this time from a British biker, but mostly applicable to cars. Explanations of viscosity, detergency, relationship between gear and engine oil viscosity ratings, synthetics and additives ("Don't!" in this last case). | ||
Another oil filter study. Two words of warning though - this relates to very high output close-tolerance Ford engines, and to me at least the detailed data conflicts with the conclusions. | Compression Tests - from Puma Racing | ||
Engine weights for many marques by Dave Williams, passed to me by Bob Howard. MG 4-cylinders under 'BL', V8 and V6 under 'Rover'. Some engine dimensions, only for the V8 in the case of MG, also some gearbox weights. See here for Workshop manual info. | Cylinder-head casting numbers - a frequent source of questions - from British Automotive | ||
MGB cylinder head identification from Sean Brown's Flowspeed.com, mainly for North American spec engines. | A little more MGB cylinder head identification info this time from Paul Walbran Motors in New Zealand. | ||
Herb Adler on oil leaks, head removal, running-on, exhaust |
Carburettor Models by Year from Paul Tegler's 'Teglerizer' site | |||
Polishing SU dashpot covers by Paul Tegler | 'Living with Unleaded' from Rick Astley | ||
SU Carburettors by Scott Fisher and Roger Garnett | Tech info from ZTherapy | ||
THE S.U. VARIABLE CHOKE CARBURETTOR by Malcolm Land - what it is and how it works. | SU Carburettor Tips by Jim Taylor from the Jaguar Clubs of North America, including piston 'drop test' specs | ||
Unleaded Fuel - a technical guide from Puma Racing. | Detailed pictures of the HIF6 carb linkage pieces on the factory V8 from British Auto. | ||
Several SU fuel pump articles by Dave Dubois. | RON MON and PON (American) octane ratings explained from Wikipedia and compared by Mad Mole. | ||
Zenith/Stromberg water choke by Rick Jaskowiak. And for a picture of a manual choke conversion click here. | SU/Butec carb data from Peter & Rita Forbes' Engine Webpages. | ||
SU carb and fuel pump parts from SU Burlen. Includes spec data on things like piston springs. | 'Minty Lamb SU Needle Compare-o-rama'. Shades of Wallace and Gromit, but it is an on-line SU needle comparison and selection program. | ||
Alternatively a downloadable comparison and selection program from Scott A. Beavis. | Herb Adler on fuel pumps, carbs, using a Colortune, fuel tank sender, fuel leaks |
Heater Valve Improvements for BMC B-Series Engines from Bob Muenchausen's 'Muenchausen's Garage' | MGB Heater Rebuild and Upgrade from Chicagoland MG Club | ||
Herb Adler on an alternative heater tap |
Distributor curves from Paul Tegler's 'Teglerizer' site | Electronic Ignition Systems from Autocar Electrical Equipment Co Ltd | ||
More distributor info from Doug Jackson's 'British Automotive'. | Even more distributor info from TDC Engineering many Lucas serial numbers not just MG. | ||
Yet more distributor info from AutoChart Inc. | Tuning (as opposed to 'setting-up') Lucas distributors also from TDC Engineering. | ||
A problem and solution when installing electronic ignition systems. | Product information for the 123 electronic distributor. For installation and technical data see here. | ||
Transpo supply the electronic module for the 45DM4 distributor. Select 'Ignition Modules', 'Delco', and it is the DM1906. | Original-spec advance springs, yes advance springs, from Distributor Doctor, although unfortunately only for 25D and not 45D. Other springs available if you can quote dimensions, also all other distributor parts and a rebuilding service. | ||
Points, condensers, rotors and caps reputedly of better quality than those from the usual suspects, as well as electronic ignition conversions. | Herb Adler on the distributor |
Driveline alignment - problems and solutions from Drivetrain Specialists of Las Vegas |
Wheel hub and rotor/disc measurement points from Wheel Vintiques | See just how much a live axle like on the MGB can move about when pushed | ||
Herb Adler on banjo diff, octagonal nuts |
Steering and Suspension Links:
If you know of any sites containing technical information that you would like to see listed here (including your own of course) please mail me with the URL.
Updated November 2008: Get a Birth Certificate for your B (and other MG models and marques). Direct from The British Motor Museum, price (at last time of checking) is £40 and should be with you in less than 28 days. There are extra charges for searches on engine/body number if the chassis number is not available. There is also an expanded version with technical specification for £68, Also see British Motor Heritage Ltd. for OE shells, panels and other parts. |
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Team.net MGs mail list |
Learn
all about the role
and Frank Zappa play in owning an MG. Two versions are available -
'real time' and the digest. The last time I used the digest it arrived a day or two later
than the 'real-time' messages would have,
and the messages were in date/time order making it
awkward to follow and contribute to threads. However the digest means that if you only access
your mailbox once a week,
you only get five messages instead of five hundred! (Those were the days, probably only get about 70 per month now. (Did I say 70 per month? More like one per month now)). The Yahoo MG-MGB list seems to have replaced it, but even that doesn't generate anywhere near as much as Team.net in its heyday.
The Team.Net MG Mail List and MGB V8 Mail List archives - Retrieve past pronouncements on all MG topics under the sun, rather than asking "Why don't my indicators work?" or "What does mean?" |
The most important MG site on the Internet |
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The original MG club ... |
... and its V8 Register | ||
The MGB Register of the Car Club |
The largest one-make car club in the world | ||
The square-riggers club |
Marc Feig's site specialising in early MGBs |
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Klaus Scheuer's site |
for his roadster Emma |
MGs in the Movies and TV. Hate the term 'movies' when British people in Britain are talking about films (and particularly when it's a British film), but it does alliterate quite well. 3340 entries including 736 MGB, 173 MGB GT and 4 V8. Also a few here.
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Steve Baker MG |
A true enthusiast, even though he is now trading commercially, so well worth including here. |
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The North American MGB Register |
British Car Cottage Industries |
Devoted to enthusiasts who have developed items for British cars not normally available from commercial sources, by Barrie Robinson of Canada. | |
Scions Of Lucas |
Rendez-vous des Anglaises is the British car club located on the east coast of Canada in the Province of Québec. |
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Kentucky club site with newsletter, events, discussion board ... |
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Skye Poier's Historic MGB Race Results |
Erm, an automotive web site for geeks? |
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Paul Tegler's MGB colours - codes and examples |
PARTS SUPPLIERS |
Neil Cairns' Parts Suppliers list, mainly UK |
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'British V8' online magazine |
Not MG but not a million miles away either. Just a friendly link-swap. |
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OldClassicCar |
Austin Memories |
Commemorating Longbridge and the cars made there. Primarily Austin, with some MG |
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Car Acronyms, surprisingly 'Mostly Garaged' isn't in this or any of the other sites I looked at. |
Tidewater MG Classics of Norfolk, Virginia, including the award-winning 'Dipstick' newsletter. |
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By special request from Rachel Martin of Learning Haven in Upstate New York, for Jack who loves motorcycles. Best wishes - there is no upper or lower age limit for enthusiasm. |
Parts finder for MG and others | Motorcycle, ATV, UTV parts | ||
Dealers for MG Motor and new MGs |
| Car Guy Garage - Garage Cabinets, Storage, Flooring, Accessories, Lighting and Decor |
Services and advice for the young car driver |
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Trailer and garage cabinets and accessories |
Vintage, veteran and classic electrics components |
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Lancaster Classic Car Insurance | |
Hopefully not needed for your MG But in any event there are a number of rules that need to be followed to protect yourself and the environment, and can help others. |
Sussex MG Car Parts |
Sussex Classic Car Parts sells parts for MGs, Midgets, MGBs, MGFs, Austin Healeys and Sprites. |
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John Twist's University Motors site |
Lawrie Alexander's British Sportscar Center in Sacremento, Northern Fornicalia |
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Tends to be more 'techy' than the MGOC mag (Enjoying MG), which tends to be more 'clubby' |
MG Motor, successor to MG Rover |
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The British Motor Museum Gaydon - the No. 1 LBC museum by far. |
Beaulieu, pronounced "BEWly" i.e. with the emphasis on the first syllable only |
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Haynes - the author of all those auto manuals |
Unipart Parts Direct. "Thousands of parts for millions of cars" - service and repair. From the Magnette to the MGF |
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The Automotive and Motorcycle restorers first shop for specialist tools and equipment. With over a thousand items, products can be purchased securely online or by telephone or fax. |
SU fuel systems - Australia |
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SU and Zenith fuel systems - UK |
Parts Suppliers Prices |
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K&N Filters - Filter Facts, cleaning etc. |
K&N Europe - includes worldwide dealer list |
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Hundreds of 'MG' collectibles on eBay, and most of them are Octagonal |
Swattons Sports CarsMG Specialists in Swindon, UK |
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R&S Coachbuilts of London supply and fit complete kits or replacement parts for the original (that is, aftermarket) Webasto folding roof. |
Europe US |
Moss Motors - Europe at the top and USA at the bottom, with free snail-mail and on-line (USA only) catalogues. Also their Moss Motoring on-line magazine. |
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Fancy having a stained glass window of your MG? |
The Getaway Driver | Choose from MG, Jaguar, Aston Martin and many others in various parts of the UK |
Porsche and RV8 hire in Devon | |
UK-wide Guild of classic car hirers | |
Bespokes, Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire | |
Tunbridge Wells, on the Kent/Sussex border | |
Cornwall Classic Car Hire incorporating Devon Classic Car Hire, Bude, Cornwall | |
Clackmannanshire, Scotland (between Edinburgh and Glasgow!) | |
Self Drive Classics 01889 504040 | MGB, Midget, Healey etc. in the Lichfield, Staffordshire area |
Historic motoring relived, Scottish Borders. | |
Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. | |
Mid-Wales. | |
Vintage Classics, Wiltshire. | |
Classic Motoring, Cotswolds. | |
Scotland. | |
And finally ... | ... a link to an MG Enthusiasts news item on MG hire. |
Premier Pedal Cars | Generic classics including a hot-rod, fire engine and pick-up |
'Brum' the children's favourite, Comet racer, Chevy 55, tow truck, fire engine, police car, Ferrari 50s F2 racer | |
Links to UK pedal car sites |
Clive Wheatley. Clive specialises in V8s both factory and conversions, but can also supply parts and services for all MGBs. He has an agent in Washington DC who can deal with the transport and currency issues for North American customers, or he will deal direct. Although Clive has a web site and email I would advise you to contact him by telephone. Clive can now be contacted at: | ||
Clive Wheatley High Grosvenor Workshops Worfield Bridgnorth Shropshire WV15 5PN ENGLAND Phone +44 (0)1746 710810 (Fax +44 (0)1746 710999) |
Leacy as was, quite local to me in Brum and a huge stock as well as a good online store with many items photographed.
Solved a long-standing wheel wobble problem on the V8 with their highly specialised 'Road Force Measurement' machine which uses precision stud hole adapters rather than the centre hole.
Good rates (only 5% increase for 2011 whereas the AA indicates many providers are increasing rates by 20% or more) for both classic and modern, efficient courteous service, a months notice of renewal rate to give you plenty of time to look around, and finally a sensible approach to agreed value revaluations. In this last aspect I had had the roadster with another broker for very many years, and they always insisted on a 'professional' valuation every couple of years. This wasn't too bad when I could get it done locally by a classic repairer for a bung to his tea-club, but he eventually closed down. The broker wouldn't accept my photos and valuation, but they would accept a valuation from another insurance company if I sent my photos to them - ridiculous! By contrast for cars like the MGB Footman James will accept the owners photos and valuation, and what's more have just extended the interval from 2 years to 4.