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  #11  
Old 08-25-2018, 01:12 PM
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Jim Stabe Jim Stabe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cliffrod View Post
Very impressive build, Jim. I'm a lifelong TR3B fan (now owning the car I grew up in) and have seen far too many hacked up, poorly done Triumph/MG V8 "poor man's cobra" hacks with wheel flares and a hood scoop.... Yours looks really great. Nice to see one done properly for a change. Very cool.

I bet it's a blast to drive. The wider track and longer wheelbase must help a lot. Do you have a approx or measured final weight?
It is fun to drive. The car isn't light, it weighs 2900 lbs without driver and full of all fluids. It gets pretty good traction with 50% of the weight on the rear wheels, 315-35-17 200 treadwear rear tires and 535 hp/550 ft lbs torque. It takes freeway on ramps fast enough to make me very uncomfortable and never get close to the limit of traction. I took it to the Good Guys autocross in April but it still had the 17 year old tires in it and it wasn't very impressive. I do plan to do some more autocrosses now that it has decent rubber - should be a lot of fun.
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Jim Stabe

MGB roadster widened 11.5", Corvette C-4 suspension, 535 hp supercharged LT1 V8, T-56 6 speed.
Pictures here: It goes to Part 6 now
Part 1
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581
Part 2
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
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  #12  
Old 08-25-2018, 01:36 PM
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Jim Stabe Jim Stabe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry Pinkerton View Post
Is it what you hoped it would be? Probably most important question is what would you have done different?
It is what I had imagined. I can't draw nor do I know anyone who can so I never had a Foose type rendering to go by. I used a lot of chipboard to model the sheetmetal changes so I didn't have to remake too many of the sheetmetal parts because I didn't like the way they looked. I would also have some of my friends with "good eyes for that sort of thing" make comments and/or suggestions along the way and I used or modified most of their ideas. I was finally happy with the way it looked at the end of last year so I started the paint process.

What would I have done differently? Given the time frame when I made the decisions I made, I wouldn't change anything. I used the LT1 engine because the LS engines were very expensive in 2001 and I like the looks of the LT engine better anyway.

If I were starting the project today I would get a rolling chassis from a 2008 Corvette and use that drivetrain. You can pick up the entire chassis and running gear for less than $10k. The width of the car would be the same but the torque tube would have to be shortened to fit the wheelbase. With the trans in the rear weight distribution would probably be around 54-55% on the rear wheels and the car would be lighter due the aluminum engine. I would get a chassis with the 8 speed automatic and paddle shifters. The LS3 engines had 430 hp but a cam and headers get you to 500 hp easily. Probably not going to happen though.
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Jim Stabe

MGB roadster widened 11.5", Corvette C-4 suspension, 535 hp supercharged LT1 V8, T-56 6 speed.
Pictures here: It goes to Part 6 now
Part 1
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581
Part 2
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
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  #13  
Old 08-25-2018, 10:23 PM
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Gojeep Gojeep is online now
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Well done on doing such a great job and finishing it.
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  #14  
Old 08-26-2018, 08:44 AM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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Jim, I read through part 4 of your saga on the British Car forum. I have no idea why I have not read it before because I found myself seeing LOTS of parallels with the things you went through and what I'm dealt/dealing with on my roadster. We're also using the same Corvette C4 suspension. It really is amazing to me how parallel the issues you/I dealt with and described. Probably due to a similar writing style too. Kudos on a masterful job and fantastic result.

A few questions if you don't mind.

1- I notice three master cylinders. One is breaks, one clutch, what is the third one for?

1A- Are you running manual brakes? I did not see a booster. I saw later in the thread where you changed to different bore calipers. Can you elaborate? My roadster is a good 1000 lbs lighter than your B. I'm currently running a hidden power brake booster.

1-B- Are you running manual steering? I filled my Vette rack with fluid and made a loopback so the fluid moves and am manual. Seems plenty easy to turn in a parking lot and nice and firm at speed.

2- When you put the car on your rotisary, how did you keep the rear end from leaking fluid when you flipped it? I have not yet put mine on the Auto Twirler I traded an Ewheel for but that day is coming soon.

3- I learned a lot regarding the windshield frame. Again, we're both using the MG Midget posts and I had not yet figured out how I would complete them. I'll be stealing your process.

4- I'll also take advantage of what you learned about cutting windshields...another thing I've been noodling about for years.

5- I'm also using a mechanical parking brake. It's pretty pitiful. Does yours hold worth a darn?

I realize these are not metal shaping questions but they are significant because it is part of an end-to-end build.

On a metalshaping note, An Eckold with NOMAR shrinking and stretching dies would have made short work of your hood problems.

Thanks again for documenting your build. I understand all too well the effort and commitment it takes. Please know that you've saved me, and I'm sure a lot of others, a lot of time....not to mention the enjoyment and education from reading your successes and learnings (failures)
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  #15  
Old 08-26-2018, 08:49 AM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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Jim, I read through part 4 of your saga on the British Car forum. I have no idea why I have not read it before because I found myself seeing LOTS of parallels with the things you went through and what I'm dealt/dealing with on my roadster. We're also using the same Corvette C4 suspension. It really is amazing to me how parallel the issues you/I dealt with and described. Probably due to a similar writing style too. Kudos on a masterful job and fantastic result.

A few questions if you don't mind.

1- I notice three master cylinders. One is brakes, one clutch, what is the third one for?

1A- Are you running manual brakes? I did not see a booster. I saw later in the thread where you changed to different bore calipers. Can you elaborate? My roadster is a good 1000 lbs lighter than your B. I'm currently running a hidden power brake booster.

1-B- Are you running manual steering? I filled my Vette rack with fluid and made a loopback so the fluid moves and am manual. Seems plenty easy to turn in a parking lot and nice and firm at speed.

2- When you put the car on your rotisary, how did you keep the rear end from leaking fluid when you flipped it? I have not yet put mine on the Auto Twirler I traded an Ewheel for but that day is coming soon.

3- I learned a lot regarding the windshield frame. Again, we're both using the MG Midget posts and I had not yet figured out how I would complete them. I'll be stealing your process.

4- I'll also take advantage of what you learned about cutting windshields...another thing I've been noodling about for years.

5- I'm also using a mechanical parking brake. It's pretty pitiful. Does yours hold worth a darn?

I realize these are not metal shaping questions but they are significant because it is part of an end-to-end build.

On a metalshaping note, An Eckold with NOMAR shrinking and stretching dies would have made short work of your hood problems.

Thanks again for documenting your build. I understand all too well the effort and commitment it takes. Please know that you've saved me, and I'm sure a lot of others, a lot of time....not to mention the enjoyment and education from reading your successes and learnings (failures)
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  #16  
Old 08-26-2018, 10:06 AM
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Jim Stabe Jim Stabe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry Pinkerton View Post
Jim, I read through part 4 of your saga on the British Car forum. I have no idea why I have not read it before because I found myself seeing LOTS of parallels with the things you went through and what I'm dealt/dealing with on my roadster. We're also using the same Corvette C4 suspension. It really is amazing to me how parallel the issues you/I dealt with and described. Probably due to a similar writing style too. Kudos on a masterful job and fantastic result.

A few questions if you don't mind.

1- I notice three master cylinders. One is brakes, one clutch, what is the third one for?

1A- Are you running manual brakes? I did not see a booster. I saw later in the thread where you changed to different bore calipers. Can you elaborate? My roadster is a good 1000 lbs lighter than your B. I'm currently running a hidden power brake booster.

1-B- Are you running manual steering? I filled my Vette rack with fluid and made a loopback so the fluid moves and am manual. Seems plenty easy to turn in a parking lot and nice and firm at speed.

2- When you put the car on your rotisary, how did you keep the rear end from leaking fluid when you flipped it? I have not yet put mine on the Auto Twirler I traded an Ewheel for but that day is coming soon.

3- I learned a lot regarding the windshield frame. Again, we're both using the MG Midget posts and I had not yet figured out how I would complete them. I'll be stealing your process.

4- I'll also take advantage of what you learned about cutting windshields...another thing I've been noodling about for years.

5- I'm also using a mechanical parking brake. It's pretty pitiful. Does yours hold worth a darn?

I realize these are not metal shaping questions but they are significant because it is part of an end-to-end build.

On a metalshaping note, An Eckold with NOMAR shrinking and stretching dies would have made short work of your hood problems.

Thanks again for documenting your build. I understand all too well the effort and commitment it takes. Please know that you've saved me, and I'm sure a lot of others, a lot of time....not to mention the enjoyment and education from reading your successes and learnings (failures)
Let's take your questions one at a time

1. Two of the masters are for brakes and one is the clutch. I run a Wilwood pedal setup with a balance bar between the masters for the front and rear brakes. The balance bar allows you to adjust the split of pressure applied to the front or rear brakes for balance. I run mine with a slight balance to the front.

1a I started out with 3/4" masters for everything but the brakes were too heavy and there was very little pedal travel. I use the 5.1:1 ratio pedals instead of the 6:1 ratio which makes the pedal pressure required higher. The clutch released at the very top of the pedal travel and was quite light. The switch to 5/8" masters made the braking better and moved the clutch release point just above mid travel. I still have to really stand on the brakes to get them to lock and would like a little assist. Tell me more about your remote booster.

1b. I have power steering. I use a pump from a Pontiac Grand Am but put the largest pulley I could find in the junk yard on it. The feel came out just the way I wanted. With the weight of my car and the tires I have on the front the car would not be fun to drive with no assist in the rack.

2. I had the entire drivetrain installed with the car on the rotisserie. Much easier to make exhaust and the like that way. I did all the fabrication I could before I put any fluids in the car. It would make a real mess if I put it on there now.

3&4. Go for it.

5. Parking brake works well. Do you have the 84-87 or the 88 on rear end? I have the later one with the caliper mounted parking brake and it works pretty good. I got cables from Rock Auto for a Camaro (I believe) that had the same caliper ends and shortened them to use with my modified MGB handle.

Thanks Kerry. Do you have a build log of your car? I would like to look through it. I'll PM you my phone # in case you want to talk about anything on your build.

Jim
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Jim Stabe

MGB roadster widened 11.5", Corvette C-4 suspension, 535 hp supercharged LT1 V8, T-56 6 speed.
Pictures here: It goes to Part 6 now
Part 1
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581
Part 2
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
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  #17  
Old 08-26-2018, 05:33 PM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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Thanks for the answers.

My booster and clutch systems are similar to these from Kugel.

http://www.kugelkomponents.com/zenca...ndex&cPath=4_5

However, I got mine at the street rod nationals in Louisville from one of the vendors there. I don't recall the brand but it may be in the thread...somewhere. Like yours, my build is quite long and I've slept a few times since it started.

My build is here: http://allmetalshaping.com/showthrea...highlight=Deco I've made most every mistake that can be made...sometimes multiple times.
One more thing. What is the story behind your avatar GM?
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  #18  
Old 08-26-2018, 08:57 PM
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Jim Stabe Jim Stabe is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerry Pinkerton View Post
One more thing. What is the story behind your avatar GM?
Just a play on the MG badge reflecting the drivetrain origin. By weight, the car is a lot more GM than it MG. There is probably less than 200 lbs of MG left in the car.

Name:  MG logo_1.jpg
Views: 804
Size:  12.4 KB Name:  MG Logo GM.jpg
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Jim Stabe

MGB roadster widened 11.5", Corvette C-4 suspension, 535 hp supercharged LT1 V8, T-56 6 speed.
Pictures here: It goes to Part 6 now
Part 1
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581
Part 2
http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,22422
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  #19  
Old 08-27-2018, 10:06 AM
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heinke heinke is offline
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Great job on the car Jim!

The body work and clean look are fantastic. What I also appreciate is that you strengthened up the frame as well.

I had a Triumph TR6 that I swapped a 351 Cleveland in without modifying the sheet metal frame. It was a beautiful car, appeared to handle decent enough and accelerated like a rocket. Give it a bit too much throttle in a turn and/or if the turn had an uneven surface, the car rewarded you with a quick 360 view of your surroundings. I didn't realize it at the time but that TR6 frame had enough give to cause this phenomenon. After the first couple of spins, I learned to keep a light pedal on the street. On the autocross course, the car was sideways more than straight.

My fix was to sell it and build a Cobra (which is still my daily driver 20+ years later). My only regret in making this change is that I lost the "sleeper" British car look. Nobody's surprised when a Cobra blows then away but they are shocked when a TR6 does it. I bet your's is fun that way
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  #20  
Old 08-27-2018, 10:11 AM
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Well done Jim!
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