mgbv8mike

Hi, I bought a VSR from the States earlier this year, it came without the vac reservoir (I'm not sure if they actually used them or if it was just the Schrick), but with:- Switch-over box (small grey box), vac valve, and actuator (black plastic, bolts to manifold) , vac pipe connection to manifold, wiring to switch over box, and to harness. I may have some pics if that helps .

There is a place in Warton which looks as though they do refurb....i'ts on the main street just inland from British Aerospace....loads of examples outside.

I thought that urban myth had been long dispelled....the only reason for the piston ring trick was to prevent carbon bits slipping between the piston top and bore. Leave 'em as they are...I'm rebuilding the top end of my Rover V8 engine at the moment, and those pistons are looking much muckier than the block pic above.

The Lombard Rally finishes on the promenade on Sunday, I'll get details.

Saturday I'm fitting new suspension , the rear bushes may take a little time !! Should be back on the road on Sunday (hopefully).

I'm game if you are Stan. !

I live round the corner from the factory.....and know several people whom work there.....the first that the workers heard of it was when the local paper sent a reporter to the factory this monrning to get their views, according to the local rag they 'stormed into the building demanding to see Russian owner Nikolai Smolensk'.......my bet's that he was nowhere to be seen. Since April when he laid off 71 staff, he has been 'persuading' the local council into giving him a deal on new premises, sounds like his bluff was called !

I've tried both on my VR6....the 'original' 2.9 gave rather more top end hp, and the 2.8 more mid range torque I thought......though the VSR I've fitted is a big improvement on both.

Frosts

We had a look at this on the MG forum. Several of us have tried to make one, the issue seems to be that Ferraris have a very long throw gear (probably the gate was made in the first place to stop the change being all wobbly), and it doesn't seem to work with modern short shift changes......I wish I'd looked into this in the days of the (real) Mini....could have made my fortune selling aftermarket shifts in place of the old 'pudding stirer'.

Bloody shame....Neil and his team built me a superb 3 litre big valve engine last year.

Walesy.. Yes....By 5% !

I did have a bit of fun with Age Concern when I went in to enquire about their discount motor insurance, for some reason they couldn't find either a V8 MGB conversion or VR6 Corrado in the cars which they quote for !!!

Pity that they couldn't afford spell-check as well as the do-it-yourself website design kit !!

I'm almost certainly the oldest Corrado owner on this forum (first car nearly new Frogeye Sprite.....and I saw the Beatles before they were famous),and my better half is only a little younger than me (probably as old as most of your mums). I have difficulty prising the VR6 keys off her...and am often relegated to my other toy, a 3.5 litre V8 MGB roadster (could be worse I suppose)...so be warned , you may have to share it with you other half !!!

Melbourne12 seems like a busy chappy......(s)he appears to spend a lot of time writing down numbers.......I hope (s)he is not driving at the same time !!

My adjusters disintigrated also, so had to get some new ones from the Stealers. The new adjusters work OK, but I've had difficulty in setting the lights, I set the dips correctly at my friendly local MOT centre, but the mains are all wrong at the moment, pointing down instead of straight.....I think I may have cocked up the left dip/ right dip setting somehow.

What about an MX5, Traditional sports car that one...engine in the correct place...driving the correct wheels,...so predictable handling in the wet.... available normally aspirated or turbo (and even a few V8 conversions out there).

The Rover V8 engine would be a better bet, it's much lighter than a cast iron 4, and even a 3.5 can put out 200hp/200ft/lbs in EFi form, new/ rebuilt ones are going (fairly) cheap at the moment as there is glut of them out there, 3.5, 3.9 4.2 even a few 4.6. The downside is that there is no room to fit one transversely (I measured when my VR6 engine blew !), so it's rear wheel drive I'm afraid which would make it a V. complicated project (4 motion rear axle/ R380 box ???), with lots of metal bashing to do to get the clutch housing & box into the transmission tunnel. :(

It's actually pretty crappy stuff.....Frost do a rather better quality product. but I've covered most of mine with split corrugated covering ( Frost's again )

I've been driving classic MG's for most of my lifetime (currently MGB V8 roadster), I must say since getting my VR6 Corrado just over a year ago, i'ts been getting nearly as many compliments as the MG, but then it's hardly surprising since it's clearly destined to become another great popular classic like the MGB

So that's 3 Corrado club members in Blackpool....I've also seen a white one around Bispham regularl.

A feed-back system like E Bay does enable people to reply to adverse comments, as Peanut has done.....quite often lack of communication is the problem.

Sorry, Iggy, bit dosey today....suddenly realised who you are. If you ring Mick on the Poulton estate (892295) mention my name, it might just get you a discount, who knows ? Mike B

Iggy, The best shop in this area is generally considered to be Car Craft in Lytham, pretty pricey however. I've also used Maltby bodies in Blackpool, they were very good. You could also try Mick Johnson at D&M Autos in Poulton, he has done work for me in the past.