Installing the Pertronix Ignitor Electronic Ignition takes just a few minutes but provides lasting results By Leonard Emanuelson It seems like the world of electronics is moving forward at the speed of light. Just attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to be amazed at the advance in electronic gadgets from one year to…
Air filters that improve performance and looks By Matt Hardesty; photography by Shane Reichardt It’s the age-old parable: an engine is nothing more than a big, noisy air pump. It needs fuel and fire to push atmosphere down on pistons to spin a crank, the transmission, and eventually the tires. Getting that air in and…
An aftermarket CHMSL improves safety By Tom Morr Center high-mounted stop lights (CHMSLs) became mandatory for all U.S. street-legal vehicles in the mid-’80s. The Department of Transportation theorized that greater brake light visibility would assist driver reaction times, thereby minimizing rear-end accidents. Many older cars come from the factory with small, dim brake lights—some seemingly…
By Kelvin Dodd SU Fuel Pump Retrofit I want to re-install the original SU electric fuel pump in my car, but the original steel lines have been cut. Is there any easy way of doing this? —John Campbell The original SU fuel pump is a very reliable unit, so refitting it is a good idea….
Install a rev limiter to keep RPM under wraps Story and photos by Leonard Emanuelson Racers aren’t the only ones concerned with over-revving their cars. Parents of teenaged drivers who own classic sportscars undoubtedly wonder what kind of abuse their engines undergo when the kids borrow the keys on Friday nights. Installing a rev limiter…
MGB Radiator Replacement The smell of warm anti-freeze and the ’62 MGB’s right-pointing water temperature gauge indicated a serious cooling problem. Lifting the hood confirmed it: green wetness adhering to the soundproofing on the bonnet’s underside. This almost 40-year-old radiator had served well and recently survived a cross-country odyssey. However, the metal top-hose outlet had…
By Tom Morr Auxiliary fans are a relatively easy and affordable way to improve cooling performance. They keep the cool air flowing across the radiator’s fins, which can be particularly beneficial in stop-and-go conditions. The Moss catalog lists the recommended fan sizes for various British sportscars; our guinea-pig TR6 here takes a 14-inch kit (231-658)….
Motoring grace under heat and pressure By Les Bengtson British sportscars have an undeserved reputation for being coolant geysers. One of the most common fallacies is that their radiators aren’t up to the task of preventing boil-overs. The reality is that properly functioning factory cooling systems normally do a sufficient job of keeping these cars’…
By Kelvin Dodd Supercharger Stress I have a question about the MGB supercharger kit in the Summer 2003 issue: How does the use of a supercharger affect the stress experienced by the engine, piston connecting rods, etc.? —Tim Harrington The supercharger does a much better job of evenly filling the cylinders, so normal driving stress…
Fixing the friction, upgrading the flywheel By Rob Mullner The days of learning something via the “trial and error” method are rapidly disappearing now that the Internet can connect you with a person or a blog that’s done exactly what you are contemplating (no matter how strange or scintillating). Applying this phenomenon to the TR6,…
