Repowered Classics

[ERC]

We look forward to seeing you Mike. People have already made representations on your behalf! Good post. My car is now off the hoist and home as I try to finish off a small mountain of jobs...

A good point about fibreglass panels. As soon as I can, I'll revert to getting fibreglass front wings done for mine, as the ones I have are now just too scarce to risk on road or track. Ditto boot and bonnet lid. I have advertised for a spare bonnet and so far have only been offered two - both from the other side of the world and not exactly cheap, even without the cost of packaging, shipping and insurance, which is also a major factor when we are located so far from Europe.

As you point out, we are pragmatic about such things for very sound reasons - scarcity of originals. Once again, easy for an MGB or a Mini, not so easy for many other makes.


Well spotted. It is indeed an MG Montegeo wheel because the steering column and switches and wiper motor and delay unit are also Montego, and the column includes hazard flashers and switch. The speedo and rev counter are in fact MGB, the rev counter has been converted for a V8 and the instruments are period Smiths - of course. I'll happily move to a woodrim wheel when finances allow - and I can find one that fits!

The dash follows the shape of the original but is completely home made, as the original Magnette didn't have a rev counter or oil temperature gauge - and I can't stand "pod" or bolt on additions, so the original dash shape was simply stretched to incorporate the tacho and oil pressure gauge. Mixing mahogany and burr walnut never worked for me so it is now all burr walnut, with a padded dash top which is much safer than highly reflective polished wood.

If you have studied ergonomics at all, you'll also know that both MGBs and Aston Martins have a fatal design flaw - with hands at a quarter to three, you can't see the essential instruments... When you are doing a project like this, it seems rather pointless replicating the mistakes of the past when it is is so much easier to make improvements that are sympathetic to the whole car, hence incorporating a fan overrride switch and fuel pump switches with warning lights and a warning light for a low fuel level.

All those of us who ran Minis in our youth, went out and bought a stage 1 or 2 cylinder head, bolted twin carbs or a Weber, a LCB exhaust, added an oil cooler, dumped the grotty seats and fitted Corbeau or something similar and fitted a set of Cosmics, Dunlop or even Minilite wheels and fitted a straight through exhaust and an alloy rocker cover. Most also added a rev counter, possibly with an after market dash. Keeping a Mini bog standard just wasn't done and we accept all those mods today as period.

Hot rod? Customised? Call it what you will, but there is nothing that couldn't have been done in period and in that respect, I maintain it is rather more period than many cars we see out there.

Good debate - still - and hopefuly more will join in.