We use a data-driven approach to tune and update classic cars. Inexpensive instrumentation - such as temperature measurement by thermocouple, and mixture ration measured by an off-the-shelf oxygen sensor. Watch out for updates on a regular basis as we try to extract useful data to drive improvements in performance and fuel economy.
for some reason i've never run across this video before.... it's an excellent explanation of how SU's work. of course, it's even of more useful, if you've had some familiarity with them in the past.
I’m sure this new Moss cool air intake helps to some degree but the MGA was manufactured with a cool air system from the factory. Those “circular things” you refer to that you ran your air hose through for your system were designed by the factory to have 4 inch flexible air ducting tubes on both sides of the car to provide fresh cool air. One ran from the grill to the carburetors and one on the other side of the car ran from the grill to the heater box. So these two air tubes would provide fresh cool air to both the carburetors and the heater. You have to keep these factory tubes in place and in good shape for them to work correctly which isn’t a problem at all if the owner just pays attention. On my MGA I run a Moss provided MSX cross flow aluminum head. This solves some heat producing issues for my car. First the carburetors are no longer right above the exhaust manifold which produces a lot of heat for the carburetors even with the heat shield and your cool air system. The carburetors on my car are on the passenger side of the car with the exhaust manifold on the driver side. That by itself keeps the carburetor temperature lower and I keep the factory produced cool air system in place and in great working order. Secondly the aluminum MSX head dissipates heat faster and better than the original cast iron head. The MSX crossflow head has been on my car since 2004. It has performed fantastically and provides great performance for the street. Why don’t you run a test on your MGA with the factory cool air system properly installed and see if the Moss system you have installed really gives you any real benefits over the factory system?
I had a red 59 back in 65. Didn’t,t like the maintenance needed on the wire wheels so prefer the steel wheels, with fake knock offs. Got to know Herbs wheel service on Aurora in Seattle quite well. Darn, I’d love to have another MGA!
Wow ! Beautiful car , I had a 1961 MGA as my first car back in 1966 , loved the car had the side windows with Aluminum frames, new top and wire wheels , the 1961 car had disk brakes and the 1600 mark 1 engine sold the car with 50,000 miles for $700.00 back then sorry to this day , but I was only 19 at the time ? 🤷🏻♂️
Great car and very cool AFR you built. I am attempting to do something similar. I did pick up the same dataq 2108 data logger. Can you post what settings you used on your logger to collect that data?
I have drastically reduced the engine temperature and engine bay heat on my MGA from running in the 90s fahrenheit which gave unbearable heat soak cockpit temperature to running in the 70s. This is what I did. 1)Replaced the rubber foam on the underside of the bonnet that squeezes onto the top of the radiator, therefore forcing more air to go through the radiator than over the top of it.This part is usually never replaced after restoration. 2)I fitted a radiator shroud around the fan again forcing more air to be dragged by the fan through the radiator. These parts are easily found at MG suppliers. 3)I had the exhaust manifold ceramic coated. Suppliers state this can reduce under bonnet temperature by 30%. 4) The MGA twin cam had under bonnet louvred panels to aid cooling and access to the engine. I had these fabricated and installed to vent out the under bonnet heat. These 4 things changed my car I hope it works for you too
Hi enjoyed the video about parts to the carburettor. In fact I have just fitted a vacuum line too and from the carbs to distributor never had one fitted a previous owner had cut it off for reason unknown. Just one thing which I had only just found out is the filters in the top off the fuel bowls where the fuels runs through might be worth mentioning? Otherwise I would have loved to have found this 14 years ago when first bought my Mga 1500. In fact I have just found out my carbs are from a 1600, dont think it affects the running of the engine. Regards Tony
As to driving without oil in the dash pot. Some early MGBs had SU carbs where the brass nobs on top spontaneously loosened, especially at speed. Mostly it caused rough running. Pull over, tighten down and go. Without oil in the dashpot the engine will just stall out. BTW - if you need SU service and can't find anyone, try a custom motorcycle shop. Harley engine builders love them!
At 18, in 1965,, I bought a 1957 MGA as my first car, for $500! It looked in great shape, but had a 'hidden' rod problem, which caused me to have to prematurely sell it for parts, because I didn't have the $200. to $300. repair bill! 57 yrs. later, I still wish I had kept & repaired it!
For all the changes to this particular MGA, there does not seem to be a significant gain. The original MGA as delivered new was already capable of 100 mph . The MGA raced at the Le Mans 24 hour race and was very successful in European rally events (with driver Pat Moss) so was very competitive in standard form. This particular car looks very nice , but it only LOOKS like an MGA and most of its drivetrain and wheels are non standard. Whatever lights your candle I suppose. In UK we tend to appreciate the originality of classic cars, appreciate the design and engineering of the time, modifications only reduce the value of the vehicle.
I owned a 1960 MGA Twin Cam for several years in the mid 1960s and I found myself chuckling while watching this video and reading the comments. Before I bought it the car had never been driven on the road as it was used as a SCCA racecar (E Production if memory serves). It was a hard luck car from the onset. The plywood floorboard on the passenger side caught on fire in one race and the flames lept up and melted the wire insulation on some of the wires under the dashboard. A few months later the driver over reved the engine and blew a hole in the block. End of racing career! The racing team had had enough by this time and they sold me the engineless chassis for $450. Quite a deal since the body was in mint condition and the car was equipped with a roll bar, an oil cooler, race shocks, and an almost new set of Goodyear Blue Streak race tires. As it was a Twin Cam chassis it also featured 4 wheel knock off hub disc wheels and 4 wheel Dunlop disk brakes adapted to the Twin Cam from those on Jaguar at the time. I bought a junk yard MGA 1500 engine which I totally rebuilt and installed in the chassis. So why was I chuckling? Well because I often drove the car long distances at 70 mph without hesitation. And living in New England I often drove at temps as low as 10F, also without difficulty as I simply dressed warmly. Eventually I moved to a 1965 MGB with an 1800 cc engine which I once drove from Boston to Miami (1,530 miles) in total comfort. All this said I would have to say that your gearing setup seems way too high for the 1800 engine. My car had no speedometer as it was raced and needed only a tach. I calculated the rpm/mph ratio and if I remember correctly in 4th it went like this: 2000= 37.5 2500= 45.0 3000= 54.0 4000= 72.0 I can't recall the numbers above 4000 rpm...it has, after all, been more than 50 years. Anyway I think the rpm/mph ratio was the same in the MGB and the numbers you report are considerably higher. With 112 lbs of torque I would think the 1800 would really struggle with your gearing setup. Is that the case?
Connecticut guy here. My first car was a 1962 MGA MK2 1600 (1622) CC engine, bone stock. I was stationed at Naval Station, Key West, FL, and bought it from a Shipmate who was ready for transfer. I had the car for about a year. The car was a blast to drive and back then, the Keys were pretty unpopulated. My buddy and I used to take the car up to key largo and back on liberty after work once a week (on weekends) and usually to the collapsed 7 mile railroad bridge that the hurricane wrecked. I had a hell of a lot of fun with that "A". I think it was one of the last cars made because it had a "jumble" of non standard parts like discs all around and other parts that were leftovers from the twin can cars, sitting on wire wheels. Everything you said in your post I agree with. If I get another MGA, and I'm looking, the one thing I would change is an MGB dual diagonal brake master cylinder. I sold the car when I was transferred to Italy for the same price to another Navy guy. $300 is a lot of money when your monthly pay is $134. I had no problems going 80 mph with two guys in the car. Your post brought back good memories.Thanks. Cheers!
