MGB Roadmaster

[Bill Young]

Wow!!! You guys really got a lot accomplished and it looks great. Love the stance. I agree with Curtis, Steve's photo needs to go into the photo contest hopper, talk about "fun with our cars" his expression is priceless in the second shot where he actually is holding a steering wheel. The Omni flares are really going to fit well with those tires as well. That car is going to be one bad motor.

[Citron]

Had a great time at Jim's.  We did get a lot done.
Just to let everyone know, I usually go to Jim's to repair my car.  This time it was just tires.  One flat on the Trailer and on on the car.  Good old road debris.  Had a good trip both ways though and I get to make a contribution to the Virginia Highway Patrol Retirement Fund.  He was not pleased with 67 in a 55.  Oh well.
T-Shirts:  I am going to order 15 white and 15 red in sizes M through XL.  If you need a size larger let me know by PM and I will get that ordered.
I will bring the shirts to WI and you can get them there.
Not going to WI?  I will have to find out what shipping is to your location so I can add that on.
Prices: M through XL: $12
            XXL and XXXL are $14.
PM me with all orders or just get them if WI in not sold out.
Make checks to BADASS.
If you will be in WI and tell me to hold shirts for you, you can pay there.
Steve

[BlownMGB-V8]

Well, taking the measurement Kevin recommended, we sit 1-1/2" high at the rear (Is that CB height Kevin? If so then we're at about RB height right now, plus the extra tire diameter of course.) The front tires are larger in diameter than what we will run, actually an inch larger than the rear tires. But they'll be fine for the meet. The tin is only set in place and will have to be secured. One interesting thing to note, I stood on the ends of the frame rails and jumped up and down on them as energetivcally as I could and the suspension was working very well. I could just almost get it to leave the ground but not quite and I never did get it to bottom out, so I think that Cobra suspension is going to really do the job for us. Thanks once again  to Arthur for that one, as it looks like no worries in that area! We put angle iron struts in the rear to hold the car up as specs for the coil-overs have yet to be determined, so the rear suspension is quite stiff. The tires do have a little give though but I don't think that's going to do a great deal for the ride. There are no brakes and no driveshaft yet so if we run it around the autocross course we'll be relying on people power to go and stop. Steve has volunteered to drive. The steering is quite light, much lighter than my roadster and Steve even said he thought it was lighter than his car. Rather amazing really.

I'm really sorry to hear that Steve was asked to contribute to the Virginia tax fund. They seem to be reverting to their old ways, y'all watch yourselves going through that state now. Guys, Steve should be commended for his dedication and sacrifice in seeing this project through. Do you realize that he's been the ONLY PERSON who has come to a roadmaster weekend this year? And he's done it TWICE! Being a part of this project does require some level of participation. I'm as aware as anybody that times are hard, and not showing many signs of getting better. But without member participation there is no BADASS NLC. The Roadmaster project will go on of course, it's come far enough that the car will eventually be finished somehow, by somebody. But to be a group project it has to be done by more than two people. Don't think I'm discounting the contributions of people like Bill and others who still find ways to support us despite the distance, I'm not. And I understand that the project isn't quite as much of a novelty as it was at this time last year. I also expect the appearance of the car at the meet to generate a great deal of interest. But guys, by this time last year we had at least six times as many people who had showed up to work on the car and that's just going from my memory which isn't too good. It's a pretty poor showing, and Steve is really making you guys look bad. I guess it's a little late for a call to action, but I do want to enter one cautionary note. The active participants of the group do have the ability to make whatever changes to the structure of the group is deemed advisable. Now I think it's pretty good as it is but that only holds true as long as we have participation in the project. If things pick up after the meet I think we'll be fine. But if they do not, things are bound to change and not in ways that everybody who has contributed is going to like. That's really all I have to say about it right now. I'm an optimist for the most part and I know quite well that we can pull together on this and do what we set out to do, even though gas prices have gone up and the economy has gone down. We can still do it. We're way stronger when we all pull together.

I just talked to Paul Schills about the meet. Looks like we'll be doing the Roadmaster tech session Monday morning at 10:00 am before heading out for our noon activity, so hopefully this will be a good way to kick off the meet and get things moving. I know there's been a lot of interest in the project and a lot of excitement to really see the car in the flesh so to speak, and Steve and I will be there to go over the details of the conversion. Obviously the two big areas of interest are going to be the engine/ transmission and the rear suspension, plus we'll probably field some questions about the front suspension as well. Arthur, could you see what you could find out for us concerning the specifications of those springs? The wire measures the same diameter as my old Huffaker -1" street/track springs but I couldn't compare height as mine had sagged. It's possible they could be one and the same but there's no way for me to verify that. The other thing I'm really looking forward to and I know others are too, is the chance to put the car on Pete Mantell's car scales and see what we get for the corner weights. So far I haven't heard anything from Pete as to whether or not he plans to bring his scales, but on behalf of all, I'd like to ask you Pete, to see if you can do that. It's an added burden, but one which is appreciated by many.

So in an effort to avoid this becoming another "Blackwoodian" post I'll stop now and keep it short, (It helps that I've run out of things to say). In the days ahead we have final preparations to make but only a catastrophe of epic proportions could now prevent the appearance of the B.A.D.A.S.S. MGB Roadmaster making it to Port Washington next month. In the meantime I'll keep posting updates as there is progress to report.

Jim

[Dan B]

What is this "Blackwoodian" ... ?  Something about your truck, maybe?  Can't be a family reference....

[BlownMGB-V8]

Not sure exactly, but I think it's rumored to have something to do with long windedness. Personally I always thought it was good entertainment, but at times a very few persons have been known to go to sleep...  Narcolepsy I suppose...

Jim

[accobraman50]

Jim,

The supplier for the front coil springs was a Chicago company that went out of business some time ago.  I'm doing some research to see if I can track down more info.  Will post my findings here when I find something.

I've been silently enjoying the progress you've been making.  Great to see some fine engineering and design.  And looking forward to seeing the results.

Have not touched my project since the end of April.  A scuba vacation and work got in the way.  As a result, I will not have my car ready for the July event.

Arthur

[BlownMGB-V8]

We'll miss seeing it Arthur, but you're still coming, right? I've been sitting here just gettin a buzz on, and it occurred to me things are getting dull around here. Am I right? Everybody is just being all nice and it just SICKENS me. Where are the OPINIONS?
"Well he's going off the deep end." you think. Hell yes! Let's stir things up a little! Somebody mentioned we got a lot done last weekend. Yes we did!  We literally KICKED ASS! Did we not Steve? Coupla real BADASSES here I'm tellin ya! I'm just waiting to see anybody top it. Ain't gonna happen. Let's see what'cha got! And if that ain't good enough for ya, we made it look easy. We got out and ran around a bunch, swapping trips between Steve's GT and my Roadster and having a gooood time doing it. Plus we ate good. That BBQ was FINE! We took our time, but made our time count. It was a top performance by top people and it had all the makings of a Sunday at the shop. Gentlemen, it doesn't get a lot better than that.

Jim

[Bill Young]

Jim, sounds great. I do envy you and Steve and any others who are close enough to make it up for a Roadmaster weekend. I swear that I'll figure out some way to attend one and contribute some labor to the project. I'm looking forward to meeting you all in Wisconsin as well.

[BlownMGB-V8]

Bill, when do you expect to arrive at the host motel? Considering you're bringing seats I thought I'd just leave the old ones here, but we need to be able to let people sit in the car.

An aluminum intake was sent to me by Mike C. in Atlanta from over on the V8Buick board. It's a Poston S-Divider single plane. Cost us about $20 shipping. If nothing else it would make a good base for an EFI intake. Plus shave 24 lbs off the front end, that's got to count for something. I'll be sending out a check to Mike once I get his address.

When Steve was here we swapped the steering arms side to side to reduce bump steer caused by lowering of the steering rack (another reason we can't use 15" wheels btw, interference with the knuckles and the brake calipers.) but it was too much. In the last couple of days I have modified a spare set of arms to move the ends up 5/8" which gets us very close, probably within 1/8" of parallel and I expect that's good. Modified how? An old technique taught to me by a master fabricator/machinist and metallurgist a long time ago. People are generally fearful of attempting to modify steering arms, and with good reason. If the arm fails you're screwed. But if done correctly it is safe. The steel used in these arms is quite good quality as a rule, they are forgings and quite tough. Cast iron steering arms went out quite some time ago. But even so one should be wary of creating stress cracks and otherwise damaging the arms in the process, and proper stress relieving afterwards is an extremely good idea. But it doesn't have to be overly complicated. I simply clamped the arm to a heavy steel bench using a hand held vise, heated it cherry red, bent it the required amount, reheated it and then placed it in a bucket of clean DRY sand and covered it up and let it cool off slowly. The sand slows heat loss and relieves cooling stresses in the metal. Afterwards you want to wire brush the part and inspect it carefully for any signs of surface cracks. While very small cracks may be polished out, this is a danger sign and generally means the part should not be used, as excess bending and/or heat has damaged it. You should also be careful not to heat the part too hot as burning of the metal can occur, again creating scrap. But done correctly the process results in a part as strong as the original forging, and with the geometry that you need.

So the bump steer is corrected. Next I put the car on jackstands and set it so that I get a level indication checking at the front of the engine block. No photos yet on any of this, maybe tomorrow. A quick check of the differential indicates a downward angle of 2 to 2-1/2 degrees. I will check this more closely later as I want to see what it is with the weight of the car on it.

The timing chain came in, still in the box, we may as well install it at the meet. I cleaned up the old distributor and bolted it in place (no oil pump gears yet) bolted on the damper and fitted the water pump pulley. I think I might just tack the fender flares on before doing any more with the doors and fenders, and then it'll pretty much be ready to go on the trailer.

As for Roadmaster Weekend this month, unless someone notifies me of their intent to come I'm making other plans. Matthew may be in a championship game Saturday and I'm thinking we may just have a pool party for the team here on Sunday.

Jim

[mgb260]

Jim, This is how I am doing my clutch slave cylinder. A Wilwood pull type.

[rficalora]

Jim N - is connection between the fork & cylinder just a nut on the back side?  Seems that might wear pretty fast?

Leonard Marshall has a similar set up.  He started out using the stock MG Slave but later switched to a NNN.  Similar concept -- pull slave. But, mounted flat against the tranny housing & drilled a hole through the bell housing - about where I see a circle on yours Jim N.  Then the fork is cut off just inside the square hole & a simple plate is used over that hole for a dust shield.  I don't have a good picture, but the slave he's using is WAGNER PN EW33721 which fits 56-70 Ford F100 pickups.  Available at just about any parts store & runs about $35 if I recall.  He matched that with a Wilwood 1" master (950-260-6766) w/the resovoir milled down a bit so it'd fit under the cowl flange.

[Note, ignore the "NNN" above... intended to put the PN info there... net is Leonard used the 56-70 F100 slave referenced].

[mgb260]

Rob, That slave is in a Datsun Z. Just an idea of what I plan. I've used a rocker arm ball  with a chamfered hole in the arm  on a similar setup. On mine the length of the arm will be shorter. The circle is the pivot on the bellhousing on the Z. Maybe a Chevy V8?

[Bill Young]

Jim, I should arrive around mid day on Saturday. I'm not sure the seats will fit the GT because of the shape of the upper back area, it hits the upper cockpit surround on a Midget and a MGA. The GT should be a bit wider, but can't tell until we try. It might be best to leave at least one seat in the car just to be sure.

[Citron]

Not getting many requests ofr tee-Shirts.  Remember if you wnat one in XXL or XXXL you need to let  me know before I order.  Will be ordering on July 1, 2008.  

Steve

[Bill Young]

Steve, I'll sign up for two in a XXL size. Do you need the money now or wait until we get to Wisconsin?

[Citron]

Bill,
You can wait to pay in WI.  I do need to know what color?  Rd or White?
Thanks,
Steve

[Bill Young]

How about one of each for variety. Thanks.

[Citron]

Bill,
I will have them in WI.

Steve

[ex-tyke]

Steve,
       Just confirming my intentions from an earlier post - set aside a white XL and we'll settle up in Wisconsin.

[Citron]

Graham,
I have you on the list.  See you in WI.

Steve

[BlownMGB-V8]

Hey guys. Not much going on this weekend but I did get the car ready to load on the trailer. I probably won't be able to bring tools, jack stands or anything like that but I did load the doors and rear hatch as well as a few other parts in case some of you want to play around with it while we're at the meet. I loaded the tub of old bolts and hardware too.


Dan B suggested that we work up a list of tasks that could be done at the meet.  Not a bad thought. I should have a legal pad I can bring for that. Some that come to mind are:

Install the hatch
Install hatch and hood gas charged struts (Donated by Pieces of Eight and me)
Attach doors and latch plates
Fit Bill's seats
Run the autocross course.... no wait, that would be a group effort.
Install timing gears and chain and front cover
Set pinion angle on rear suspension
Determine the position for the rear Omni flares (I'm looking for my roll of clear packing tape)
Weigh the car

Even better would be if someone wants to take the car for the next year's worth of work. I should be able to get away to come and help some.

It should be a fun time. We definitely need to have a meeting too, that'd be the 2nd semi-annual meeting of B.A.D.A.S.S. NLC, and I propose we have it in the evening after dinner one night, somebody suggest which night. Open attendance, everyone welcome, drinking encouraged. Maybe we should get Paul's input on when would be good.

Jim

[BlownMGB-V8]

Another item for the list: wash the car.

Hey, does anyone think I should bring the doors and the hatch? Does anyone think I should bring the second set of Omni flares? Is anyone interested in taking the car for the next year, six months, or even 3 months?

Jim

[Bill Young]

We could bolt the doors and hatch on for photos, but  they'd be in the way later and have to be removed, so your call. I can't see any reason to bring the flares, we can't fit them there for sure. I've never considered moving the project around, but it's certainly an interesting idea. Wish I had the room in my shop for both it and the MGA, I'd take it for a time and get the sills etc sorted out. I like that type of sheet metal work. My vacation time for this year is pretty well booked, but I would like to plan on taking a week next year (anytime after the first of Jan when the vacation time rolls over) and do a long Roadmaster weekend.

[rficalora]

Too bad KC is so far from Houston.  I have the room, but not the time (as evidenced by my 2yr project approaching year 3).

[BlownMGB-V8]

I could probably be persuaded to transport the car to another shop. Most of my area of expertise is done, about all that remains would be the headers and the intake. Really as Bill mentioned the body work will take precedence in the coming year, and I don't think anyone is going to give me any awards in that area. Just about any car you care to look at has better bodywork than mine. I think it makes more sense to move the car around anyway, since that should generate more member participation, and really the car should be where the expertise is, whether it's driveline, suspension, bodywork, interior, wiring, trim or whatever else it needs.

If we do this, rest assured I will continue to do my part for the organization, will continue to help with the car, and will continue to serve as president of BADASS until I'm elected out. (Speaking of which, when should we hold elections again? We never really set a term length.)

Now one more thing. Moving the car around like this is very likely to mean it will take us longer to finish it. I think that's a fair trade off for more member participation and probably will mean a better car anyway, but it also means we could lose one or two potential sponsors, such as Weld Wheels, as our completion date may likely slip past their release date for their new wheels. But considering that we don't have a firm commitment (their support is qualified by their promo budget) it isn't exactly fair to say we'd lose them, and we might not. And, if I'm not fretting about getting the car done I should be able to devote more time to finding sponsors anyway, so I'm not convinced it's a bad thing even at that.

There's no hurry. The plan is to take the car to the meet and bring it back here. Obviously taking it somewhere else will involve some logistics but we have time to figure that out.

Jim