Silly Q

muzza3, Feb 7, 8:55am
An update.We found a recon motor located in Masterton, had it shipped up and has been installed , runs like a dream.So thnaks for all the help, will need it again I am sure .Next thing to get the small amount of rust taken out.
mrfxit, Feb 7, 9:10am
Note. If teh engine numbers of the original motor MATCH the chassis numbers , then DON'T biff it.
Store it for later sale WITH the car.
Cars of that age with matching engine & chassis numbers are worth an easy 40% more then the same condition car with odd numbers.
Same situation for diff's & gearbox's.
socram, Feb 7, 2:19pm
Cost me just under $2,000 to have MGB head removed, modifid with hardened seats, (no need for the additive) little bit of gas flowing to take it to about stage 1, including all gaskets, (Penrite) oil and filter and as I hadn't the time, labour too.

The original head was well knackered as I suspect previous owners hadn't bothered with the additive. Badly worn valve guides which is what I wouldguess was the problem with your old engine.

I don't think the value of a common MGB is affected too much by an engine swap unless it is a concours trailer queen, but certainly, parking the original under the bench makes sense.No one who enquired about mine ever mentioned matching numbers.

Once set up, SU carbs should never need adjusting, or touching, other than correct oil in dashpots and an occasional wipe with thinners on the carb piston.
hatchback, Feb 7, 2:22pm
MMM.matching numbers, I dont think thats going to make a big difference to the value of a Marina, I dont mean to insult the Marina but it's hardly a 66 Mustang which would have more value with "matching numbers".
mrfxit, Feb 7, 3:46pm
As you were sunny boy, no need to apoligise . ;-)
mrfxit, Feb 7, 3:49pm
MGBGT"s are getting a lot closer to the stage where they will increase in price.
Not a lot of them on the road these days.
muzza3, Feb 8, 9:42am
The bloke who put teh motor in has bought the old one for $300 couldn't be bothered with the hassle of storage etc.
muzza3, Nov 14, 3:00pm
Ifcar has one plug oiling up (blackish and wet) one not so bad, 2 plugs grey and dry is it posssible to get a plug which burns hotter and get all plugs looking the same.
muzza3, Nov 14, 3:09pm
Car is an MGBGT compression down , runs lovely for about 50-100kmsthen starts missing or backfiring.So original Q , is it poss to run 3 plugs with a 4th one different with a hotter spec.
thejazzpianoma, Nov 14, 3:18pm
You can but its a pretty sad patch job, why not address the actual problem and fix it properly!
Have you compared a wet and dry compression test! It might be something as simple as the valves needing attention.
kazbanz, Nov 14, 3:23pm
Muzza theres a few possible causes for your problem and a hotter plug wont fix any of em.
muzza3, Nov 15, 1:30pm
So long term , is it better to find a good 1800 Marina motor or do up this one.I guess it may be only be a valve or a seal which is cheaper .Getting the valves done would also stop the need to use lead shots in hte petrol.Any ballpark $ for doing.
pdc1, Nov 15, 5:50pm
Are you sure it is oil causing your problem! You don't mention about lots of wet carbon. You just say blackish and wet.
It's highly likely the problem could be quite simple and a service and tune up may fix.
Lead shots! I guess that you are talking about valve master or similar, which isn't lead shots. I wouldn't bother, and it could also be your problem of the plug fouling depending on how you are injecting it.
If your car is number matching, just sort your original engine.
Getting a good honest mechanic to correctly diagnose your problem will be money well spent.
lookoutas, Nov 15, 5:56pm
That's a good point - try running it without the valve shots and see what happens. You might get a bit more use, but with low compression, it sounds like rings to me.

Lexus!
gasaxe, Nov 15, 5:57pm
With cars that age it was perfectly normal to take the head off and give it a valve grind and decoke every 30 to 50k miles. Probably, with better fuels and lubricants the decoke won't be necessary but the valve grind will. The valve guides and seals may be worn too. Also, it may need a set of piston rings.
carkitter, Nov 15, 6:40pm
Also faulty thermostat masking the problem!
muzz67, Nov 15, 7:02pm
one carb out of adjustment!
muzza3, Nov 16, 7:41am
This is the car that has now had over a grand spent on it for tuning.It kept failing to start , wrong coil etc.I finally bailed up a neighbour with an old rover , asked him who he used and went to him.
Ted is an old school mechanic , and seemed to enjoy working on it.This time it was $310 for tune.Compression was down on 1 &2 but the second was oiling up.Said he would like to see it after a decent run and also added a thicker oil(diesel!) .He suggested that if it was a serious oil problem , then to look for an old Marina, as doing this motor would be around $4500.
Son seems to think it runs hairier after the lead shot thingy, he reckons that one of his teachers had his valves done for $140 seems too cheap, but a better option to start .
Appreciate all the help so , this is sons ( (16) first car and so far its been a bit disappointing for him.
muzza3, Nov 16, 8:19am
Nah not hard to start, fuel pump is I guess electric as managed to run out of gas and could hear it ticking away down hte back somewhere.Yes twin carbs.
pdc1, Mar 7, 7:41am
What planet are you on. I think you should stick to your day job!