British and American Technical Terms
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
"Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.
"Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall.
"Torque is how far you move the wall."
Originally Posted by Rob Connolly on the MG-Rover forum.
'Shipwright's disease':
Sailor owns boat.
Boat has dead bulb in galley - sailor decides to change bulb.
Sailor notices socket is corroded, decides to change socket.
Sailor notices wiring to socket is frayed - decides to change wiring.
Sailor notices galley ceiling slats are rotted while changing wiring - decides galley ceiling slats need changing.
Sailor notices ...
This goes on and on and on and on, and pretty soon Sailor is undertaking a major renovation of his boat because of a burned out lightbulb.
The following terms, plus a few, have been extracted from the very excellent 'Guide to Purchase and DIY Restoration of the MGB' by Lindsay Porter, republished by the same author as 'MGB Restoration Manual'. My 'Virtual Bookcase' lists these and many other MG books which can be ordered on-line from companies like WH Smith Online and Amazon.
| American to British: |
British to American: |
| 1st gear | Bottom gear | |
| Antenna | Aerial |
| Axleshaft | Halfshaft |
| Back-up | Reverse |
| Barrel | Choke |
| Barrel | Venturi |
| Car-top carrier | Roof rack |
| Coast | Freewheel |
| Connecting rod | Trackrod (steering) |
| Convertible | Drop-head coupe |
| Cotter pin | Split pin |
| Countershaft | Layshaft (gearbox) |
| Dome lamp | Interior light |
| Driveshaft | Propeller shaft |
| Energiser | Battery |
| Fender | Wing |
| Fender | Mudguard |
| Firewall | Bulkhead |
| Flashlight | Torch |
| Float bowl | Float chamber |
| Freeway | Motorway |
| Frozen | Seized |
| Gas pedal | Accelerator |
| Gas tank | Petrol tank |
| Gasoline | Petrol |
| Generator (AC) | Alternator |
| Generator (DC) | Dynamo |
| 'Gone South' | 'Gone West' |
| 'Gone West' | 'Gone South' |
| Ground | Earth (electrical) |
| Hard-top | Fast-back (coupe) |
| Hard-top | Coupe (Fast-back) |
| Header | Manifold (exhaust) |
| Heat riser | Hot spot |
| High | Top gear |
| Hood | Bonnet |
| Inside Lane | Outside Lane |
| Kerosene | Paraffin |
| Lash | Clearance |
| Lash | Free-play |
| Latch | Catch |
| Latches | Locks |
| License plate | Number plate |
| Liftgate | Tailgate |
| Lock (valve spring) | Split cotter |
| Lug nut | Wheel nut |
| Muffler | Silencer |
| Oil pan | Sump |
| Outside Lane | Inside Lane |
| Panel wagon | Van |
| Parking brake | Handbrake |
| Parking lights | Side lights |
| Pinging | Pinking |
| Piston pin | Gudgeon pin |
| Pitman arm | Drop-arm |
| Primary shoe | Leading shoe (brakes) |
| Prussian blue | Engineer's blue |
| Quarter window | Quarterlight |
| Recap | Retread |
| Recap | Remould |
| Ring gear | Crown wheel |
| Rocker panel | Sill |
| Rotor | Disc (brake) |
| Secondary shoe | Trailing shoe (brakes) |
| Sedan | Saloon |
| Sheet metal | Bodywork |
| Shift | Gearchange |
| Side marker lights | Side indicator lights |
| Snap-ring | Circlip |
| Soft top | Hood |
| Stabiliser or Sway | Anti-roll bar |
| Station wagon | Estate car |
| Tang lock | Tab washer |
| Throw-out bearing | Thrust bearing |
| Tie-rod | Trackrod (steering) |
| Tire | Tyre |
| Torch | Acetylene cutting torch |
| Transmission | Gearbox |
| Trouble-shooting | Fault finding |
| Trouble-shooting | Faulting |
| Trouble-shooting | Diagnosis |
| Trunk | Boot |
| Turn signal | Indicator |
| Turnpike | Motorway |
| Valve cover | Rocker cover |
| Valve lifter | Cam follower |
| Valve lifter | Tappet |
| Vent | Quarterlight |
| Vise | Vice |
| Whole drive line | Transmission |
| Windshield | Windscreen |
| Wing | Quarterlight |
| Wrench | Spanner |
| Wrist pin | Gudgeon pin |
|
| Accelerator | Gas pedal |
| Acetylene Cutting torch | Torch |
| Aerial | Antenna |
| Alternator | Generator (AC) |
| Anti-roll bar | Stabiliser or Sway bar |
| Battery | Energiser |
| Bodywork | Sheet metal |
| Bonnet | Hood |
| Boot | Trunk |
| Bottom gear | 1st gear |
| Bulkhead | Firewall |
| Cam follower | Valve lifter |
| Catch | Latch |
| Choke | Barrel |
| Circlip | Snap-ring |
| Clearance | Lash |
| Coupe (Fast-back) | Hard-top |
| Crown wheel | Ring gear |
| Diagnosis | trouble-shooting |
| Disc (brake) | Rotor |
| Drop-arm | Pitman arm |
| Drop-head coupe | Convertible |
| Dynamo | Generator (DC) |
| Earth (electrical) | Ground |
| Engineer's blue | Prussian blue |
| Estate car | Station wagon |
| Fast-back (coupe) | Hard-top |
| Fault finding | trouble-shooting |
| Faulting | trouble-shooting |
| Float chamber | Float bowl |
| Free-play | Lash |
| Freewheel | Coast |
| Gearbox | Transmission |
| Gearchange | Shift |
| Gudgeon pin | Piston pin |
| Gudgeon pin | Wrist pin |
| Halfshaft | Axleshaft |
| Handbrake | Parking brake |
| Hood | Soft top |
| Hot spot | Heat riser |
| Indicator | Turn signal |
| Inside lane | Outside lane |
| Interior light | Dome lamp |
| Layshaft (gearbox) | Countershaft |
| Leading shoe (brake) | Primary shoe |
| Locks | Latches |
| Manifold (exhaust) | Header |
| Motorway | Freeway |
| Motorway | Turnpike |
| Mudguard | Fender |
| Number plate | License plate |
| Outside lane | Inside lane |
| Paraffin | Kerosene |
| Petrol | Gasoline |
| Petrol tank | Gas tank |
| Pinking | Pinging |
| Propeller shaft | Driveshaft |
| Quarterlight | Quarter window, vent or wing |
| Remould | Recap |
| Retread | Recap |
| Reverse | Back-up |
| Rocker cover | Valve cover |
| Roof rack | Car-top carrier |
| Saloon | Sedan |
| Seized | Frozen |
| Side indicator light | Side marker light |
| Side lights | Parking lights |
| Silencer | Muffler |
| Sill | Rocker panel |
| Spanner | Wrench |
| Split cotter | Lock (valve spring) |
| Split pin | Cotter pin |
| Sump | Oil pan |
| Tab washer | Tang lock |
| Tailgate | Liftgate |
| Tappet | Valve lifter |
| Thrust bearing | Throw-out bearing |
| Top gear | High |
| Torch | Flashlight |
| Trackrod (steering) | Tie-rod |
| Trackrod (steering) | Connecting rod |
| Trailing shoe (brake) | Secondary shoe |
| Transmission | Whole drive line |
| Tyre | Tire |
| Van | Panel wagon |
| Venturi or Choke | Barrel |
| Vice | Vise |
| Wheel nut | Lug nut |
| Windscreen | Windshield |
| Wing | Fender |
|
The Scions Of Lucas 'SOL Vocabulary' seems to have vanished, so try these 17,951 definitions from Motor Era instead.
