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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: November 14, 2013, 1:28 pm 
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Joined: October 19, 2009, 9:36 pm
Posts: 2199
Location: meadview arizona
sounds like an excellent idear to me, anyone interested in persuing it further?

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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: November 18, 2013, 9:13 pm 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
Licensing step 2 of 4 completed. SB100 CoS #315 assigned, temporary registration and operating permit through February received.

So it's pretty exciting, I can now legally drive the car anywhere, although I think I still need insurance. I'll try calling Hagerty in the morning. They may need the car to be completely registered first. I'll have to see.

Bad news is, I totaled up all of my receipts for the Locost and entered that amount on the DMV registration form under value of car. So now my GAZ shocks are no longer the single biggest expense on the Locost. The registration fees edged them out by $22.


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: November 23, 2013, 10:25 am 
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Joined: October 27, 2006, 3:29 pm
Posts: 459
Location: Indiana
I like this. Congrats. If I did not build a full-on track car, I would have built mine in the more classic style. VERY NICE!

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Building a whole car from scratch is a 1,000 little tasks, done 1 task at a time, while thinking 10 tasks ahead, then redoing it anyway.
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Link to my build log:
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3356


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 10, 2013, 3:49 pm 
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Joined: December 13, 2011, 5:19 pm
Posts: 324
Location: Stratham NH
nick47 wrote:
Licensing step 2 of 4 completed. SB100 CoS #315 assigned, temporary registration and operating permit through February received.

So it's pretty exciting, I can now legally drive the car anywhere, although I think I still need insurance. I'll try calling Hagerty in the morning. They may need the car to be completely registered first. I'll have to see.

Bad news is, I totaled up all of my receipts for the Locost and entered that amount on the DMV registration form under value of car. So now my GAZ shocks are no longer the single biggest expense on the Locost. The registration fees edged them out by $22.


Hagerty insures mine for $236.00 I said it was worth about $16k. Probably in my dreams.

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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 11, 2013, 7:29 pm 
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Joined: June 24, 2007, 6:04 pm
Posts: 1521
Pretty good deal, where I live mine is for the year and cost me $1049, it was appraised at $21,000. I said that seemed a bit high as I have less than $10 in it.
They said labor to build is worth something.
So maybe you are a bit low at $16,000, the quality of your build looks like it should be worth more, at least in my area.
Now whether I would get 21 remains to be seen and I am in no hurry to find out. :)

Al

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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 11, 2013, 8:59 pm 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
I added the Locost to my regular Progressive policy. $7K value for an additional $138 a year. It's actually closer to $300 a year, but adding it qualified me for their multi-car discount. Plus none of the usual Hagerty restrictions.

I started a thread about my cooling system appropriately enough in the cooling forum. The cooling system has undergone some changes due to the fact that the original system had no overflow, except the ground, and the car overheated. The new system works pretty good, but I have to manually dump the contents of the plastic overflow tank back into the aluminum header tank at the end of the day, because the header tank won't suck it back in. This could be due to the 40-year-old radiator cap on the header tank.
Attachment:
overflow8.jpg

The car still runs slightly hot, which would be okay if it wasn't 50 degrees Farenheit outside. I believe a brand new large-core aluminimum radiator is under the Xmas tree, so we'll see if that helps.

I'm gaining a lot more confidence in the chassis after 200+ miles on the car. I find myself blasting along on the freeway with as much abandon as I do with my Miata. The engine sounds great at 4000 RPMs, and still has a lot of kick in fourth gear. A lot of kick. I go over the chassis about once a week with a bright light looking for cracks or other damage, but aside from having to enlarge the exhaust hole in the nearside body panel, I haven't found any problems.


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 12, 2013, 10:48 am 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
It's all looking mighty professional, Nick.

I wish I could be of help with the cooling, but I have nothing diagnostic to add. I was trying to remember what the cooling hook-up was on our '72. The 'Y' connector to the heater from the upper (?) radiator hose is something I do remember well because I had 2 of them fail. The return from the heater is the part I can't visualize any longer. I would guess your header tank is high enough that all trapped air should eventually migrate there. Could your radiator have some blocked tubes in it?

Your comment about checking the chassis for cracks resonates with me. I tend to remember each weld I did that was "less than perfect" and I hope I won't obsess about them too much when I'm driving the car. :x I probably will though. :mrgreen:

EDIT: Actually, after thinking about it, maybe I do have something useful to add. You are pretty mechanical yourself, probably more than me, and this may account for you "old radiator cap" comment. The pressure in the system may be too low. That might account for your excessive flow into the catch bottle and your overheating problem too. Pressure raises the boiling point significantly and helps with local hot spots in cylinder heads, etc. I can't remember what cap our MGB used. Maybe 12lb? Ten bucks sez JD will know.

Cheers,

Lonnie

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 12, 2013, 1:48 pm 
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Joined: October 6, 2009, 9:29 am
Posts: 7651
Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)
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Ten bucks sez JD will know.

Who me??? My MGB had a 16 lb cap, aftermarket. Not sure what the OEM cap was.

The lower radiator hose on an MGB had a "built in" connection for the heater hose. The second heater hose connected to the heater valve on the side of the block. That little "nipple" on the lower rad hose was famous for failing, leaking, etc. Seems like some company sold a metal "T" fitting that you could splice into the lower hose, replacing the rubber nipple.

Nick, later model MGB's (after about 77, IIRC?) used a closed system with a header tank like you are trying to use. Seems like they didn't have a filler on the rad itself at all. If you have a B shop manual handy, check out the plumbing from those later years, might help. Perhaps use one of those year's caps???

In my '71 MGB, I put a modern cap (dual seal, I think they're called) on the rad and routed the overflow to a catch bottle. (It was actually an old Gatorade bottle!) I put the overflow tubing through a hole in the cap of the catch bottle and ran it to within about 1/4 inch of the bottom of the bottle. The top of the catch bottle was about even with the top of the rad, but I don't think that matters. The trick is to use a "modern" cap from a closed system so that it can let the fluid flow back into the rad or, in your case, the header tank. I think...

:cheers:
JDK

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Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 24, 2013, 1:34 am 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
After trying every different possibility for routing the cooling system and not being able to keep the temp needle from pegging on long drives, or even short drives, I finally gave in and replaced the 40-year old MGB radiator with a new aluminum one. Cooling problem solved. Sometimes it pays to not mess around and just do the obvious thing first.
Attachment:
alumradiator.jpg

It's like a whole new car. I can take it anywhere now.


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 24, 2013, 1:48 am 
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Joined: December 24, 2007, 5:11 am
Posts: 1307
Location: Seattle area
Looking kewl to be cool! Nice looking radiator.

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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: December 24, 2013, 10:17 am 
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We are Slotus!
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Joined: October 6, 2009, 9:29 am
Posts: 7651
Location: Tallahassee, FL (The Center of the Known Universe)
Quote:
replaced the 40-year old MGB radiator with a new aluminum one. Cooling problem solved.

Class, please look around the room at each other and point and say "Duhhhh...." :rofl:

Glad you got it fixed, Nick.
:cheers:

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: January 9, 2014, 3:32 pm 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
Update on the Locost. With two of our regular cars down for repairs, my girfriend has been driving my Miata and I've been using the Locost as my daily driver. Fortunately the weather's been cooperating with temperatures as high as 70 in the afternoon and not a hint of rain. Very unusual for northern California. If this is global climate change, so far I like it.

The Locost is not a bad freeway driver, so long as I assume no one can see me. It's not too loud or too windy. Unfortunately no one can see me. I had one SUV sitting in a left turn lane suddenly pull out of line and into my lane, with me going about 55 mph. Making things worse, the loud screeching from my tires locking up caused the SUV driver to slam on his brakes, stopping dead in the middle of the road. What an idiot. Lucky for me the Locost brakes are good and the steering is reasonably responsive even under heavy braking.

With the cooling problems fixed, the Locost has been very reliable. I had a few electrical glitches earlier, which all traced back to substandard connectors on the new ignition switch I bought. I still have an occasional problem with losing the siphon in the fuel tank if I don't drive the car for a few days. The S.U. pump doesn't have enough suction to pull fuel up from the bottom of the tank on its own. As long as the lines stay full, no problem. If the lines dry up I have to break out the turkey baster.

A few other things. The mirrors all shake pretty badly between about 55 and 85. I can still make out cars behind me, but it's annoying. The steering, which is very precise with good return feel below 50, loses some of that at freeway speeds. It's still very stable, but feels more like a Toyota than an M.G. This could be due to needing an alignment, which the car has never had, or more likely tire pressure, which I have to keep at 36 psi because the tires leak at the bead at lower pressures. I should probably just get new tires.

I also need to take about an inch of foam out of the seat squabs. There's 4-1/2" of foam now, and it hasn't settled at all. Lowering the seat would effectively raise the windshield and make it easier to get in and out. But it's okay for now and other than that I'm having a blast driving this thing. I've even gotten to the point where I don't mind so much when people wave or shout at me from other cars, or wander over to talk when I'm getting in the car and in a hurry to leave. At least the reviews have been positive and so far no one's given me any grief, or explained how they would've built it differently.


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: January 10, 2014, 9:18 am 
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Joined: September 22, 2005, 8:12 am
Posts: 1879
Location: 4AGE in S.E. Michigan
Nick With 35 PSI tire pressure you are only riding on the center 3rd of the tire(s). That can't help with the stablity issue. Break the bead on the tire and spray Hi-tac gasket around the edge of the rim. If the tire pressure does not resolve the issue, add a little more toe-in. Dave W


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: January 10, 2014, 1:20 pm 
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Joined: July 4, 2006, 5:40 pm
Posts: 1994
Location: Novato, CA
Thanks, Dave. That's a great idea. I'll give it a try this weekend. The tires were brand new on the donor, with paper stickers still attached, so I'd like to get at least a little use out of them.


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 Post subject: Re: Nick's MGB Build
PostPosted: January 10, 2014, 7:53 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Unless you know for sure they were purchased close to the date you got the donor, you might want to check the DOT manufacture date on the tire. Generally, tires 7 years or older are not considered roadworthy since the materials (synthetic or natural) and binders break down. Could they have been sitting around for quite a while in someone's garage?

There are good explanations about how to calculate the age out on the web. I think Tire Rack has a decent write-up, but a Google search should give you others too.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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