Is anyone out there using their LBCV8 as a daily driver? I have been driving my '65 B almost exclusively for over two years now and I can attest to the value of mileage when it comes to sorting the car out. It seems the more I drive, the better the car runs...
IMG_0282.JPG
If I lived somewhere like California and had a normal commute Mine would be a sunny day DD but I live in Michigan and travel all over so it really isn't possible, But there are days that I wish that I could.
Joe
Mine was my daily driver for many years, in all kinds of weather. Eventually I bought a beater to drive when there was salt on the roads, and a few years after that I painted the car. The beater turned out to be pretty comfortable and started taking over except for pretty weather, and now it's almost hard to get the MG out because the beater got replaced by something nicer, and the MG needs new tires.
The moral of this story? I guess it's, "Don't buy a beater if you want to drive your MG!" ;-)
Jim
My Midget isn't a daily driver, but it will fill in when the need arises. I had my commuter car (Pontiac) in the shop last week for 4 days and the Midget made the daily commute just fine. It's not as comfortable as the Poncho, but a lot more fun. Looks like it'll be back in use next week, the wife will need my car while her's is in the shop.
I use mine everyday. Mine is a V6 BGT with Auto trans and AC. I usually put over 1000 miles per month on it. I prefer to drive it to any other car in the family.
We only use another car if we have to carry more than the two of us and the dog, or when we tow the camper.
Steve
Now see, Steve's got it down. He's left the suspension stock or close, added a moderate amount of power, added air conditioning, and installed an automatic transmission. All of these modifications are things that a traditional sports car enthusiast might question but the end result is a car that is a pleasure to drive at any time, under any condition, for any reason. There's a strong argument to be made that this is what sports car driving is all about even though it flies in the face of all out, stripped down, race car type performance.
At the time that I made the major mods to my car I was very much in the traditionalist mode and these mods enhanced the car for that type of driving, plus I lived in the mountains and had little traffic to deal with so spirited driving was the order of the day. Now things have changed and roads are by comparison flat, straight, and congested and the car is no longer an ideal fit for conditions. The solution for this delimma? Softer suspension, higher ride height, an automatic transmission and probably air conditioning. In the process the car will get a bigger engine as well, but I just can't help that. I've gone the other way and it just doesn't last long, horsepower is addictive regardless of where you drive.
But I hope and expect the result to be a car that I prefer to drive over the other ones I have at my disposal. That's a pretty tall order considering that my "beater" is now a Lincoln Blackwood truck, but it has it's flaws as well so not an impossible task by any means. To win out all the MG really has to do is give a better ride and I think it can do that.
Jim
I purchased my MG to replace my motorcycle that was only seeing 1000-2000k a year (kids activities, rain, etc.). Since purchasing April of this year I've put over 5000k miles. Find excuses to use like running out to hardware store for one bolt, it's hot out so have to run up with one of the kids to get snoballs, going with wife for lunch and a matinee on friday afternoon while the kids are still in school or driving to my construction sites (as long as I don't have to pick up any 2x4's) ilo my 1998 Toyota T100. Still surprised at how nice this little sports car with old school suspension rides on smooth highways (although the monroe shocks and leaf springs can be like riding a buckin bronco on rough roads and bridges).
Will - You're wheels/tires give your MG a bit of that old school socal look. Different and nice! What rear end and wheel/tire sizes are you using? Appears to be 215-225/60/15? Inquiring because over the winter I want to lower mine to cb height, add torsion bar and upgrade to the widest wheel/tire combo possible.
Curtis - the format and overall look of the new forum is ... OUTfreakinSTANDING!
Regards, Tony
Tony,
185/65/14 and no fender clearance issues. The car has a Dana 44 limited slip from a postal jeep (no need to narrow) with 3.54 gears. Old school bolt pattern on the rear - 5 on 5 1/2. Front is stock B 4 on 4 1/2. The wheels are steel Chevy Rally wheels with police dog dish hubcaps to cover the different bolt patterns. You can find them at Stockton wheel www.stocktonwheel.com. They come in any size/offset/bolt pattern you can imagine.
I know automatic trannys are lame for sports cars but there is no substitute for daily driving traffic. Combining the 700r4's overdrive with a digger rearend and a motor with some low end grunt results in instant response with a flick of your right foot - perfect for the stale yellow light or the minivan that's cut you off twice already - combined with relatively decent fuel mileage and quiet cruising.
clean_B_2.JPG
Not yet, but it's getting closer... plan for it to be a daily driver when done...
Rob
Hum.... must be the angle and shadows of the photograph - as there appears to be a lot more meat on the pavement than my 185/70/14 Dunlops on 6" GB minilites!
Oops - I just happened to find the receipt for the tires when I was cleaning out the garage over the weekend - <B>195</B>/65-14. There is more there than I remember!
I sure don't run out of grip. The car sticks until the chassis is overwhelmed and things just get weird. A forty year old car chassis is a real "flexible flyer" in the turns. The doors used to pop open randomly during spirited cornering until I replaced the latches with more modern hardware.
-Will