I was reading my clutch of car magazines that arrived in the mail and noticed
two items from Brown and Gammons, one silly and one useful.
The silly one? The alloy reproductions of the BMC heads (the original
non-crossflow style) that are touted as improving handling due to the
lighter material used. Pull the other one. If anyone can tell a difference in
handling when they take out 20 or 30 pounds, more power to their imaginations
- I assume that they always make their girlfriends walk, as they weigh about
the same as the savings on a whole bootful of alloy heads.
I guess they have to say something about those heads to try and sell them at
rather significant prices to gullible owners, but personally, I can't see the
point unless you first use up the vast North American pool of rebuildable
heads from deceased MGBs. They also tout them by talking about hardened
valve seats, while any silly git knows or should know that ALL alloy heads
must have seat inserts, so again, a non-existent selling point. Might as
well advertise by saying "Send us lots of loot - we'll send you a new SHINY
head." Baubles for Bozos.
Then they go and do something rather clever and remanufacture the early banjo
style diff gears (though not, sadly, in the 4.88 ratio which is my favoured
choice for the race car). The range of 3.9 (MGB) 4.1 (MK 2 MGA), 4.3 (MGA
1500/1600), and 4.55 (T series and A competition) is useful and the price of
around 180 pounds fair if you need them.
So one thumb up for reproducing a useful part at a sensible price, and one
down for making a head that no one really needs and then trying to convince
them that they do.
Bill Spohn
PS - I know the weight saving on a C would be greater, but the effect on even
that porky MG (I can say that, I own one), would be small on the street.
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