BritishV8 Forum

Since this is a new engine break-in, I would certainly use a good break-in oil.  With the roller cam it does not need to be high in ZDDP.  My understanding is that a roller cam does not require any break-in.

Quote from: BlownMGB-V8 on July 25, 2026, 06:54:40 AMI also added the break-in oil, anyone care to offer break in advice for a roller cam engine?

Jim, I used Valvoline VR1 10W-30, which is high zinc, on my new GM 3.4L V6 with roller cam.  It wasn't a smooth path to get the first 20 minutes at 2500 RPM but everything seems to have turned out alright.  It's also available in 20W-50.  I'm onlY one data point but FWIW.

John

Yesterday I flattened the sides of the glove box liner by heating them and clamping between two pieces of plywood until they cooled, that worked well enough. A bit of spot putty in the seams and it'll get some paint before going back in.

I also added the break-in oil, anyone care to offer break in advice for a roller cam engine? I added the antifreeze but that didn't turn out so well. I seem to have a leak in the radiator but with the sammy still on the lift couldn't sort out exactly where it is.

Then I made a new button for my AC compressor switch. Here is what the original button looked like. It's glued back together after it had split down the middle into two halves.



And here are the two buttons after I had made the new one out of some blue acrylic round stock.



I thought it turned out rather well, I used an old school method to make it shiny referred to as flame polishing that works well with acrylic if done properly. Here the part was spinning in the lathe which turned out to be critical as the heat partially melted the part and it would have sagged otherwise. It was heated until shiny and than left spinning until cool.



Last shot shows the illumination. It's an old switch so it uses an incandescent bulb rather than an LED. I could swap that out but it ain't broke so... The acrylic will carry the light out to the edges of the button, making it just visible from the driver's position without being too bright.

Jim

I'm putting off the console until I decide if I want to do anything with the sound system but I may wait until winter. The rest is done other than the throttle cable and programming.



Guess I'll make a cover for that hole also. Nuts and bolts for the strut pivots as well. As all of us who do these things are painfully aware, at the end there are always unexpected items that pop up and often cascade into bigger jobs. Such was tidying up the wiring bundle under the hood and putting things in order generally. That blown fuse? Turned out to be caused by a fat diode I put across the relay terminals for the AC clutch. It didn't like 12v and decided to conduct both ways. Since it was one of the last 2 wiring changes I made that wasn't too hard to find. Replaced it with another surplus unknown fat diode and all is well.

I ended up having to modify a support bracket for the relay panel as it was hitting the re-routed plumbing for the surge tank drain. Tedious but not difficult. And so today I think I will be able to add oil and perhaps even coolant.

I do need to go back and research this thread to see if I made any mention of actually putting oil in the compressor. I'm pretty sure I did but I really wish I'd made note of it with a sharpie to remove any doubt. I dislike the uncertainty.

So that's it for now. It was surprisingly difficult to find bulk throttle cable in the right size but it's likely I just never went about it right. I ended up calling Speedway and ordering a 48" cable from them and hopefully it'll be the right stuff.

Here is another example of unobtainium:





This little bugger seems to no longer be in production. It's a shame too, it's a lot nicer than the alternatives. Lights up when blown, has a clear epoxy top with a nice organic rounded shape. They do become dull with age but still look better than the squared off ones.

Jim

Looks great!

Hello all,
After 8.5 years of customizing my MGB, it's finally getting close to being completed. Here are a few pics. Interior and final assembly to go. Hopefully, back on the road in a few months

I had really hoped to complete the wiring yesterday but at least I got close. A blown fuse had me locking up just before I finished. That's OK, I'll do it today.

I just realized, that teflon insulated cable I've been using for sensors reminds me strongly of the sensor wires they use in jet aircraft engines, I wonder why I didn't recognize it earlier? Probably just left over ends somebody is selling on ebay.

So if all goes well today, I can put the console and radio back in, check off the wiring and go on to fluids.

Jim

I did a coat of clear in the engine bay and will do another light coat tomorrow. I'm happy with the look so far and fingers are crossed that the paint will stick. Cleaned the crap out of it, but I've read that the base coat should be sprayed 12 to 24 hrs after spraying the primer or it may peal after 3 to 6 months. I may have missed that window by a day. The point that they make is if you spray within that window you will get a chemical bond. After that window you're supposed to scuff the primer to create a mechanical bond. Did I mention I'm not a paint and body guy?
I did get the Flywheel resurfaced (Horsepower Machine, Bremerton) and it looks like we should be getting the clutch installed pretty soon.

Gotta be about the slowest race on record if it is. I was hoping to finish the wiring today but a new honeydo popped up so maybe not. Spent some time yesterday on wire routing and sleeving, down to the last 4 connectors. STILL waiting on my brake hoses for the sammy. Memphis FedEx SUCKS!

Jim

Not a paint and body guy by any means, but I did get the first coat of base color on and it  needs another to cover everything. Hope we cleaned it and scuffed it enough! We've got the clear coat ready to go.