Preparing the MG for the season at Restoring a Pre-war Riley Special

29.01

Preparing the MG for the season

Posted on Friday 29th January, 2010 in Uncategorized • No Comments

As well as trying to keep the Riley restoration moving I`ve been getting prepared for using my standard MG Midget 1500 in the MG Car Club Luffield speed championship. … This is a series of sprints & hillclimbs open to MG`s of all ages in various classes. Standard, roadgoing modified, fully modified, etc. My MG will compete in the standard car class, up to 1500cc, and be driven to and from events. … The events I intend doing are: Loton Park hillclimb, Curborough sprint, Anglesey sprint, Aintree sprint, Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, Wiscomb Park hillclimb, Harewood hillclimb, Castle Combe sprint.

The Midget is taxed & MOT`d and getting occassional use in these winter months. It will see much more use as the spring arrives. … It is running very well, with mildly tuned suspension & running gear but the engine is a little rattly on start-up and I doubt if it will stand up to competition use. …. As a result, I`m building a better engine ready to go in soon.

The engine in the 1500 midget does not have a good reputation amongst the MG fraternity! The same engine was fitted to later Triumph Spitfires. …. The regulations for the Luffield standard class allow very few modifications. (No gas-flowing, standard camshaft, standard valve size, etc, etc). So not much can be done to improve performance/BHP however, plenty can be done to improve reliability! … The two “must do” mods to help the engine stay in one piece are to fit an oil cooler and to baffle the sump. Keeping the oil temperature down helps with oil pressure, and fitting baffles in the sump prevents the oil surging away from the oil pump pick-up pipe resulting in momentary loss of lubrication on right hand bends. (Did you know that all uk motor racing circuits run clockwise direction? .. Lots of right handers!).

Today I have made a baffle plate in aluminium plate and fitted it to the sump/oil pan. I took the design from a well known tuning book and it is apparently tried & tested. … I have had to drill the sump to fix it into place. I have used a system of fibre washers and bolts with nyloc nuts, to ensure no oil can leak. I will monitor it to make sure it has worked! … If I had used a steel plate I could have spot welded it into place and not needed to drill holes. If I have oil leakage I will weld a plate into a spare sump I have.

The other things that fall within the regs are, fit a tuned, 4 into 2 into 1 exhaust manifold and a good, well set-up, pair of HS4 SU carbs, and good air filters. This should ensure much improved air-flow through the engine and improved power. Remove & blank off the mechanical fuel pump and fit a electric type. Use a cylinder head that gives a 9.5 :1 compression ratio, (some heads were 7.5 :1 compression).

There are a few other little mods/adjustments that fall within the rules. I will touch on these later.

crude looking baffle plate waiting to be fitted.

Baffle plate fitted

Baffled sump fitted

Now for head, etc

Trial fitting exhaust & carbs

Oil cooler kit

About the Author

Phil Smith is a vintage car enthusiast with many years experience of owning, restoring and using vintage, PVT and classic cars. A longstanding member of The Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC), The Riley register and The MG Car Club. Makes he has owned include Alvis, Bentley, Lagonda, MG, Talbot and Riley, of course. Now retired, Phil satisfies his 'old motor urges' by competing in the MGCC Luffield Speed series in MG Midgets from the 60's and 70's. This blog will chart his return to vintage/PVT cars.

Contact

philsmith432[at]hotmail[dot]com

Restoring a Pre-war Riley Special

riley restoration diary