MG Magnette touring car info

[mk1mart]

Hello all.

I was hoping some of you clever kind people could help me out with some information rules specs etc on mg magnettes.
My dad pased away a fiew months ago and left us with 3 magnettes in various states but after alot of thourt i have decided that i want to duild the zb veritone my dad had started to restore as a classic touring.
The car was fitted with a 1622 engine and twin carbs some time ago and i no my dad wanted to keep it this style of modification. Keeps the cars charictor from back in the days it was modified and enjoied by the previous owner.

I was hoping for tome pictures of cars in period i could replicate and also find out what alterations if any thay eould of done to the cars.

Any other information would also be very appriciated. Thank you.

[Al Weyman]

Contact Andy Meesham at the CTCRC here is the contact page http://www.classictouringcars.com/pages/contact.asp The car would be at home in the clubs Pre 66 Classics and was originally formed around cars like the Magnette. I am sure he could put you on to someone who maybe able to help, all i know about them is they somewhat sadly used to make a fine banger racer which is where a lot of them went!

[MGDavid]

I have to ask what you mean by 'classic touring'?
- road runs (non-competitive)
- road rallies / regularity runs in UK
- FIA-type Regularity rallies (i.e. international)
- circuit racing with clubs like CTCRC
each will need a completely different specification....

[John Turner]

I loved those Magnettes; my Dad had one. It would be good to see another in historic racing, and I think that this might be better in the Historic Racing Today forum, so I'm moving it there.

The 1622cc was a later engine (albeit only an increase on the capacity of the 1489cc), although I think it always had twin carbs, but I'm pretty sure the Masters 'Oldies but Goldies' series would also accommodate it.

[delta]

Thanks guys Martin is a Delta race mechanic you might of guessed that with his spelling.

[John Turner]

Which begs the question, Iain, why aren't you helping him? Doesn't he trust you to give sound advice?

[zefarelly]

there are a few racers about, at a guess they're MGB's underneath, but the CTCRC and ObG regs would be the first reference point, spec the car to maximise its eligibility would be my advice, in doing that you'll inadvertantly be historically correct, and most likely uncompetitive . . . but you'll have a nice car!

[terence]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Which begs the question, Iain, why aren't you helping him? Doesn't he trust you to give sound advice?

My phone often ring's John
Iain,were you given those jet settings I phoned through?
Martin,cut out the middle man,Iain has my number.
As Zef just said,it is an earlier version of the B and most of the Mods for the B work on the Magnette.Dont try doing what the works did for Nancy Mitchell and bolt on all ally panels!.You will need to loose as much weight as possible,then you could start on the car. 1622 will respond to a 60thou bore,decent Burgess Head/Cam but you are stuck with twin 1 3/4 SUs.
1.5 Deg Neg on the front along with 660lb lowered springs,3/4in ARB,decent uprated shockers with some Rock Oil in them.
Rear end will need springs re-tempered with the same treatment to the shockers. See you in it at the Six Hour?
Not really sure but I think there was one works car with an MGA twink in it,I doubt as to it ever being homologated though. Welcome to the 'Empty Pocket Club'.

[delta]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Which begs the question, Iain, why aren't you helping him? Doesn't he trust you to give sound advice?

Of corse i am John. First he has to finnish off a Delta FF2000 that he will race next year.Im letting him out in my car at Brands next month. Im sure Gordon will be on hand for advice.

[delta]

Welcome to the 'Empty Pocket Club'. Thanks Terrance should of asked you first. Funny you should say that, Martin had a run at mallory a couple of weeks ago and we were having a bit of banter at signing on and Mr Hadfield said the same thing to him.

[MGDavid]

As Al said there's been a few in CTCRC over the years - browse here
http://www.classictouringcars.com/pages/rolhon.asp
and plenty of names to follow up...

[Peter Mallett]

Zef,

If its got a 1622 it won't be historically correct. That engine was used by BMC to get rid of the final batch of MGA twinks in 1959 (ish), they called them the De Luxe, so certainly never fitted as OE in a Magnette.

My advice is go oldies but Goldies and run it as Terry suggests. Although I think there may also be some latitude with Carb size as well.

[Al Weyman]

Speak with Andy I am sure it would be allowed to run at 1622, we are not FIA Apps K and try to be a bit more accomadating while keeping with the spirit of historic racing for example 1500cc Angleboxes allowed as racing them as a 1200 would be pointless.

[mk1mart]

thanks everybody.

So the MGB suspension is similar then terrance? That should make life easy for me.
What about brakes? Will MGB discs fit on the front if rules allow this?

Im realy looking forward to racing the ff2000 at brans and fingers crossed i dont make myself loook silly. HAHA

Thanks again.

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by mk1mart

thanks everybody.

So the MGB suspension is similar then terrance? That should make life easy for me.
What about brakes? Will MGB discs fit on the front if rules allow this?

Im realy looking forward to racing the ff2000 at brans and fingers crossed i dont make myself loook silly. HAHA

Thanks again.

HRSR, who race with the HSCC, would also welcome this car. If it was available in period with a 1622 cc engine you would be allowed to increase the engine size by, I think, 10.5%. We are considering allowing 50's cars to increase capacity by 12.5% which would nicely allow the 1798cc MGB engine plus a small overbore. We are also considering a season's end trophy for the best 50s car running with the normal HRSR classes.

[Peter Mallett]

It was built with a 1498 (ish) cc B series engine. So 12.5% would be 1685.

The blocks are, I believe, the same all through the range.

[Al Weyman]

Did'nt the B engine grow a couple of extra main bearings?

[terence]

Originally Posted by mk1mart

thanks everybody.

So the MGB suspension is similar then terrance? That should make life easy for me.
What about brakes? Will MGB discs fit on the front if rules allow this?

Im realy looking forward to racing the ff2000 at brans and fingers crossed i dont make myself loook silly. HAHA

Thanks again.

You would need to be looking at MGA [Late] for disc brakes.Slightly different from B.The same suspension mods do apply though.

[Al Weyman]

Yes I though the later engines were 5 bearing, here is quite an interesting article about putting a 'B' 5 bearing unit into a Magnette, it is of course a different block from original so doubt it would be eligible for much with the B unit fitted. http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccz/Artic...800upgrade.pdf

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Yes I though the later engines were 5 bearing, here is quite an interesting article about putting a 'B' 5 bearing unit into a Magnette, it is of course a different block from original so doubt it would be eligible for much with the B unit fitted. http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccz/Artic...800upgrade.pdf

Yes Al, but that was 1966 and waaay past the B series we are discussing.

The original 3 bearing ran fron 1200cc (in the A40 Devon I think) through 1498, in which form it was put into the Z, MGA, Farina Magnettes and of course the Cambridge/Oxford range, then to 1798cc in the MGB.

Worth checking but I think it also appeared in the Riley 15/50 and the Wolsely 1500.

Later they built the five bearing which went on to power (I use the term loosely) the MGB to 1981 and the Morris Marina.

[zefarelly]

so an 1800TC Marina is the ideal donor vehicle

although you'd want to break it before taking it home for fear of the neighbours getting onto the environmental health dept

[Al Weyman]

Also Clarkson and co may drop a piano on it from a large height.

This car in the link below (Wolseley 1500 essentially the same vehicle) is currently running with CTCRC and may well be out at Brands this Saturday, why not come down for a look and chat with the owner. http://www.snappyracers.com/album/25.../IMG_0045.html

BTW Peter knows where a Marina TC is and the man has threatened to make it into a race car!

[terence]

Why not? The works built one for rallying and pretty quick as well,once they'd dialed out the Americanesque cornering attitude.

[terence]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Yes Al, but that was 1966 and waaay past the B series we are discussing.

Try Oct 1964.

[Peter Mallett]

Ta, I'm away from my Books. But the point is still valid.