Thread: Hello from an old member

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Good luck with the block findings!

Thanks for the update..

So the block testing looks good now
I have some Chevy rods on their way from the USA, I have a crank being offset ground the same as the old one. When the Rods arrive they can be machined to match my old rods. Then I can get the block back together, and that will be the point at which the Rover V8 goes up for sale as complete blown Drag Race engine
I was going to put it back in the MGB and bed it in with some test runs, but that will just waste time as I want to move on with the SBC build now. I figured that anyone who was buying my engine for drag racing would want to tear it down for inspection and a freshen up anyway. So I will save them the trouble and let them buy it as a fresh build that needs assembly. That way the new owner will be able to see whats inside before final assembly


The shopping list is growing and next week I shuold be ordering some of the big items for the SBC. A forged 383 crank and forged rods. I wont order the pistons until the SBC block has been gone over and a bore size and compression ratio decided upon. My friend with the digger is doing some sums for me while he is off work awaiting his surgery. I want around 700hp on the carb (s) only. But the internals must be capable of handling 900-1000hp with nitrous for short bursts on track.
As there will be no blower I want a dual quad tunnel ram inlet with two Holley 600 double pumpers fitted with a street scoop (bug catcher ) on top.
I already have a new MSD Digital 7 ign system on the shelf.

I'm hoping that the car will end up in the 8's with no nitrous. I dont think its a big ask as the old Rover was 9.6 seconds time after time with 600hp. I'm hoping the extra 100hp will offset the weight of the SBC engine and keep me on my old numbers or slightly better.
I have been reading so much on the SBC since Christmas. I dont need to waste time doing any R&D / development on the SBC because its all been done before by you guys over there for years. Unlike over here with the Rover where there are lots of experts but most of them are all into higher rpm circuit engines. And the sheer cost of Rover V8 performance parts over here now is becoming prohibitive. Hell! A set of stock OEM Rover V8 rockers are $78.00 each. So over $1200.00 for a set of OEM stock rockers in the UK?? The Rover engines are still fairly plentiful, but their second hand prices are creeping up.

Its a no brainer now to be honest. The MGB project was originally built to accept a SBC engine as it developed. Hence the Chevy pattern TH350 and the rear end upgrades etc. Now I just need to see how I can obtain parts from your side of the pond while keeping shipping costs and import duties at a sensible level.

So this is the end of the Rover V8 era for my MGB. But the start of an exciting new Chevy era for the MGB

AND I CANT WAIT TO SHAKE IT DOWN

Thats the Drag Racing bit over...

Now onto the other love of my life. My Grand Daughter Faith !
This little lady is growing up so fast its frightening.
She is 17 months old now. Where did that go ?? She is very vocal and has learnt lots of words and responses. Her latest words are NO and STOP. When she say's NO she shakes her head and looks away. When she says STOP she holds up a hand like a traffic officer. She got that from watching us talk to the dogs
She knows what a CAR is and she insists on going out at weekends in her Bug so she can drive it in the park. We took her to a photgrapher to get some 2015 pictures done with her mum. These are a few of my fave proofs from last week









Pel

Good stuff on the SBC conversion in the 'B, but the pictures of Faith are GRAND! She's a doll, and it sounds like she's a pistol! Our littlest grand daughter, Avery, has also picked up some new words, with the most often being "Me TOO!!" whenever her twin brothers are getting anything from treats to attention! Grand kids are special, and your Faith seems extra special from this side of the pond!

Thanks Roger !
This whole Grandparent thing is great eh ?
It has given me a whole new lease of life to be honest. Almost like I'm a new father again, but somehow better because I have the time to appreciate the child while not being stressed about learning to be a new parent which means I can appreciate Faith all the more ? I guess you know what I mean eh ?

My youngest Daughter Paula just came in for a stopover tonight. She is a soccer coach and wants faith to learn about soccer + a host of other sporty stuff. Faith knows her as aunty P. When Paula came in Faith ran over to her for her hugs. What happened next made me howl with laughter. Paula asked Faith for a high five, and Faith responded by slapping Paula's hand a few times. Then Paula said to Faith "safe" and she held out her hand with her fist clenched. Baby Faith then clenched her hand and fist bumped aunty P I was laughing and almost weeping at the same time ?

It was a great moment Happy Grandpa !!

I think you'll love the SBC in your B. It sounds like a real good plan to me, good luck with that! Faith is a beauty for sure! Our 21 month old son's new word is No. I can thank his older brother for that. They do grwo fast. I still can't believe my daughter just turned 4. Time flies.

Hi Ryan
I think the SBC is going to make the B light up on the track
Faiths Mum (my eldest Daughter) is 30 now. I can still remember the day she was born like it was yesterday and often wonder just how fast all those years have gone by. But hey ! Faith is the newest member of the family pit crew and she already loves her cars

OOHH!!
My Comp cams Pro Mag roller rockers just arived
They seem to be good strong items, but boy are they heavy !!
And less than half the price for Kenne Belle rollers for the Rover V8

That's nice to hear. How's everything else going over there?

Hi Ryan!
Things over here are good for me at this time mate. The weather has been almost tropical this last two weeks with temperatures soaring to 68F with average temps hovering around the 62F area with blue skies most days.

I have been told by my engine guy that the Rover will be almost done by tomorrow. So I guess that means it will be done sometime next week. I'm in no rush and David Knight (my engine guy) is very busy with doing stuff for pro racers. David has been off work for a lot of last year after having surgery to remove a cancer in his neck. I'm glad to say that all is well now and he is in remission and has decided to do sensible stuff now like only work 5 days per week while his staff take up the slack and he has also decided to take a full 2 weeks off at Xmas and also take a proper 2 week vacation in the Summer now while his staff do their stuff. God bless him, he is a great guy. So some of my work was put back as he was busy taking on some work from 4 other guys I know who's cars are ready to roll as they are in proper competition classes and need to be racing. I'm just a weekend warrior in the MG so I told him to put my stuff on the back burner. One of the guys he is working for is my mate Andy Frost. Andy is reworking his Vauxhall car to run 5's now. Andy has no doubt been in the Drag Race press over your side of the water as he wants to regain his crown as the quickest street legal car in the world as Larry Larson took the crown last year. But over here wheelie bars are not classed as road legal ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMr1p7w5F9I

Then he backed this up with this pass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6bW1zc9F_Q

The reaction from over here and over your side of the pond regarding street legality is a firey debate for sure. But Hey Ho!! I'm just happy to be running my MGB at RWYB meetings. Andy However has now got the bit between his teeth and is prepping the Vauxhall for a serious 5 second assault on the 1/4 mile. So I'm happy to wait a few more weeks for my old Rover to be finished so I can sell it and buy the rest of my SBC stuff for later this year.

Family wise I'm enjoying my Grandpa Duty and took Faith out twice today in her little car. Only 30 mins around the block as she enjoys talking to folk and insists that she gets out to pick flowers from the grass on the pavement. We have just has a concrete base laid in the back yard for a conservatory. The conservatory arrived last Tuesday and is piled up as a flat pack on the base. Now I need to find a guy to build the dwarf walls for the kit and then find someone who can erect the kit and bolt it to the house This will give us an extra room sized at 11 feet wide by 13 feet long just outside the sliding doors to the garden so Gill can move her workstation out there and Faith can have all of her stuff out there as well. This means i can have my lounge back and move my sofa back in front of the fireplace ready for next winter

Work wise !!
The two owners of my company have decided to employ a new guy to run outsourced project work which we normally do via subcontractors. And they have also decided that this guy is now to be in charge of me and my team of in house engineers and what we do. The guy is 20 years younger than me and has Honours degree's in engineering. He is a nice lad but he cant actually fix much stuff when it comes to getting the spanners out on site to figure out why a water booster set has failed or get his electrical test gear or gauges out to find out why an AC unit is not working? The other guys in my team are up in arms about the new management change. I'm very happy about it because it means I have to do less work now while the new boy attempts to do what he was doing before he came to our company as well as trying to run an engineering team. I will just let him do his stuff until he stumbles. Then I will offer my help if he wants it. I'm hoping that he does not want my help to be honest. That means I will be spending more time hanging around the workshop drinking tea and waiting for instructions as opposed to organising my team to make sure they are bust every day. The owners of my company agreed that I can do my 8 hours per day based on my starting time each morning. Normal work hours are 8.30 to 5.30 with a 1 hour lunch break. I get to the office or site at 7am and dont bother with a lunch break as I eat on the drive in and on the drive home. So my work hours will now stick to 7am to 3pm as usual. You may have guessed from my comments that I am a little pissed that the bosses have somewhat overlooked me in the next phase of the companies expansion. But I am now laughing all the way to the bank as the new guy is on a salary that is $24,000 less than mine ? Happy Days
Sorry Ryan... You did ask how everything else is going over here !!

I am hoping to be back here in 4 weeks or so to say that I have sold my old engine for $8000 so I can buy more stuff the new SBC engine
Wow!!
That was a bit of a read eh ?
Gill and I are hoping to spend her birthday week next October in Las vegas. Well maybe 4 days to be honest. I have already paid for a week in the Canarie Islands in August for me and Gill + Faith and her Mum So we can have some fun in the Sun with our Grand daughter while I get involved with teaching Faith how to swim etc... and also doing some snorkleing.

Regards and respect to all you folks over there.

Perry

As I have no car to race I went to the track today to crew for some friends. I have been filling baby 12 ounce nitrous bottles for my friend with his suzuki Bike so he could PB with some 10.2 passes. I have been helping a friend to tune and test his little MX5 drift car. I have also been helping another friend with with finding out how to tune his rear suspension on his Ford Capri. I think we got it right today as he ran two 8.6 PB's with the car
Then when I got home I was the perfect Husband who spent two hours laying new vinyl flooring in the downstairs Dunny

Here is the back up run 8.6 from the all motor Capri with its 598 big block ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icn_jZFu3Os

PB???? Dunny????? what the???? LOL..


sweet Capri too!

PB = personal best, time on track.
Dunny= toilet, throne, outhouse, bog, loo, shitter and I dear say there is many more names I haven't heard yet.

Originally Posted by Whiplash23T

PB = personal best, time on track.
Dunny= toilet, throne, outhouse, bog, loo, shitter and I dear say there is many more names I haven't heard yet.

What he said.
Crikey but you Americans can't speak English as well as the Poms and Kiwis can!

(Just poking the bear mate, just poking the bear...don't get septic on me.)

Thanks for sharing the video! Nice run.