MGB Register Summer Picnic & The Midget Register Road Run.

The advice from the MG Car Club, as you will probably have gathered from their website, is that no social events should be happening as yet. Even with the restrictions relaxed somewhat, social distancing and group sizes are still fixed at 30. Gatherings over 30 are still illegal. Larger venues can offer Covid19 Secure events once risk assessments have been carried out but the club is still not advising attendance as groups. 

MGCC has also had information from MSUK whilst they were discussing the race events that it is unlikely that any permits will be given for road runs, possibly for the rest of this year, so we are also unlikely to get the necessary permit from MSUK in any event!

Both events have been cancelled for 2020 and they will have to happen in 2021.

Hopefully things will improve further during the rest of 2020 and allow us to return some sort of normality in 2021. Our events should restart in February with Stoneleigh all being well.

Take care of yourselves, Stay Safe and hope to see everyone in their MGB's in 2021.

Having had to cancel most of their activities this year, the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, have announced that they will hold a combined Mini/Metro and BMC/BL day on Sunday, 6th September.  https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/bmc-leyland-show

The all-singing, all-dancing Abingdon Works Motorsports Celebration that was due to be part of the BMC/BL day has been shelved until 2021.  However, we are pleased to announce that we will present a display of BMC, BL and associated Works competition cars as part of Gaydon’s event on 6^th September. The Historic Marathon Rally Group will also be present with a fascinating and varied collection of other makes of Works and privateer- entered cars.

1968 London - Sydney Private Entry #47 Jean Denton / Tom Boyce MGB
Owned by the MGB Register will be on display

BMM are constantly reviewing how to make best use of their facilities during the current situation and updates can be found on their website https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/  Whilst access to the inside of the Museum may be restricted by numbers on 6^th September, they will provide toilets and refreshments outside too. Admission will only be allowed with a pre-issued ticket which is £8 per car, though there may be a small number of complimentary passes, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

BMM need an indication of numbers of drivers, volunteers, and 'special guests'.  If you’d like to be part of what could turn out to be the highlight of 2020’s classic car scene, please email 'davidscothorn@hotmail.co.uk', giving details of the car, name and address for a pass, and a mobile number.

For advice on accommodation we suggest you visit the Warwick Tourist Board website: https://www.warwickdc.gov.uk/info/20247/tourism_and_travel/515/tourist_information_centres

Coming soon in Safety Fast

One of 200 Specials produced in the Midlands during the 70's

+

Delivered in 1980 - First Registered 2020

Can you tell what they are yet?

Look out for the full stories in Safety Fast or in our News pages once published.

Do you have a Jubilee or LE 

MGB Lighting Upgrades – Ed Harvey

Although I don’t drive the MGB very much after dark it does happen, and away from streetlights I find the standard lights a bit dim by modern standards. I’m also a bit wary of old switches and wiring, following a failed headlight switch and short circuit causing a fire behind the dash of a previous ‘77 roadster. Not nice on a cold wet night miles from home.

Upgrade one: In September last year I added a battery cut off switch and relays to the headlight dip and main beam circuits. Adding relays is a well-documented modification which I did on my last B; it reduces the load on the light switch and voltage drop in the circuits so increasing the life of the switch and increases the brightness of the lights. I used a pre-wired kit comprising of two relays, a main fused feed and the required cable to join the existing wiring behind the grille. This was simple to fit with the relays fitted next to the existing fuse box in the inner wing and the feed taken from the brown supply wire to number 4 fuse. All the bullet connectors were cleaned or replaced and to me there was a noticeable improvement in light output.
With lockdown and my need to practice shielding for 12 weeks I wanted to do something on the car. I started looking for things to do and upgrade two was to replace the standard H4 bulbs with Philips extreme vision 130% brighter bulbs (half price and free delivery from Euro Car Parts). Another simple change, luckily all the screws around the headlight retaining ring were in good condition, which has given a more modern whiter light. How much better they are in real life will have to wait until I get the chance to take the car out for a good nighttime run.
I have always liked the look of spotlights on a B and for years have looked at the best way to fit them without drilling the bumper. So after looking at various cars and badge bars etc. the need to keep busy led to upgrade three:

Ebay provided a set of new Ring Rally Giants and I set to work. I originally looked at the badge/lamp bar from Moss but apart from the (to me) high price, noticed the small print which said the grille would need alteration. So I decided on fabrication of my own brackets. I started with a plan for a somewhat ambitious and complex bent bracket made from 4mm steel bar from the bumper iron bent around the back of the bumper to a couple of inches just inside the over-rider but a vice, gas torch, various bits of bar to use as formers and a big hammer showed my lack of ability at fabricating tight bends at odd angles. So plan B.
Simple plain flat brackets were made and fixed to the flat panel behind the valance and the cross-member in front of the radiator parallel with the spot welds of the chassis and passing under the grille. Only problem was not much room to get the drill in and one slightly oval hole.

Plenty of Dinitrol should prevent rusting.

The lower edge of the grille had to be bent slightly to give clearance for the brackets but this isn’t visible once fitted to the car. The short length of the brackets and the rigid panel seem to be strong enough to prevent too much vibration.
Wiring the lights was easy but a bit fiddly especially accessing the wiring behind the dash. The lights are wired with their own switch powered from the main beam circuit, via a relay and separate fuse so as required by law can only be used with the main beam on and go off if the headlights are dipped.
I didn’t want to use an illuminated rocker switch so found some toggle switches with an LED indicator similar in style to the Lucas switches on the car. There is a handy bullet connector in the main beam circuit behind the dash and changing this to a double connector allowed a feed to be taken to the switch which I mounted next to the speaker in the centre-console. This was then wired to the relay.

Due to the lack of spare terminals on the standard fuse-box I fitted a new six circuit blade type fusebox (not for the purist I know). A supply was run from the starter motor terminal to the fuse-box and the fuse-box mounted on a stainless steel panel on the inner wing. This panel also provided a good place to mount the relays. (Note: old stainless steel fridge shelves are a pig to cut and form, use of an angle grinder and cutting disc was essential.)

The new fuse-box allowed separate fuses for dip-beam, main-beam and the spotlights with spare capacity for future use. It also gives a power point for connection of my timing light and Gunson Test Tune. The only issue I have with the fuse-box is it didn’t have an insulated cover for the power terminal and so a rubber cover originally covering the end of some brake pipe was pressed into use.
Overall I’m pleased with how it’s turned out and I’m just looking for some spiral cable wrap to tidy up the under-bonnet appearance.

Other jobs:
While doing the above I noticed the anti-roll bar mountings had perished so they have been replaced by SuperPro poly bushes.
A leaking drain tap on the radiator, noticed when doing the antiroll bar bushes, has led to it being replaced with one from my box of bits. Since the cooling system was drained it seemed daft not to give the radiator a good flush, clean-up and free the blocked heater tap, descale and flush the heater radiator and replace all the hoses.
One job always leads to another, electric cooling fan next?

Ed Harvey
Thank You to Ed and the Tyne Tees Centre for sharing this article.

Peter Cook has kindly translated an article in the
French heritage publication on UMD534F.

To read this story – Click the image above or Click here

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