Here's the plan...

MGB GT Vs MGB GTC

MGB GT. Produced: 1965- 1980

Body Type: Front Engine, rear wheel drive 2 door fixed head coupe with opening tail gate (hatchback)comprising:
Bolt on steel valances and front wing panels on a stressed steel monocoque.
Steel doors and tailgate, Aluminium bonnet.
Steel front suspension subframe.
Rear suspension attached to stressed members of chassis/monocoque.
Lever arm shock absorbers.
Chrome bumpers and over riders (1965 to 1973), Rubber moulded bumpers'74 on.

Length: 3915mm (12ft 10in) Width: 1525mm (5ft)
Wheel Base: 2313mm (7ft 7in)
Track: Front: 1245 (4ft 1in) Rear: 1252mm (4ft 1.25in)
Wheels: 14 x 4.5inch (usually spoked or 'rostyle' pressed steel)

Brakes: Front: 10.75in Discs Rear: 10in Drums.
Curb weight: 995Kg (2190lb)
Engine: 1798cc 4 cylinder inline. Cast Iron Block and Head.
Twin 1.5" SU HS4 Carbs. Distributor Ignition Sequencing Vacuum Advance Retard.
Output: 95 bhp @ 5400 rpm. Torque 110lb ft @ 3000 rpm

MGB GTC In build at carbonology Winter 2090/10

Body Type: Front Engine, rear wheel drive 2 door fixed head coupe with opening tail gate (hatchback)comprising:
Bolt on carbon fibre front wing panels on seam welded and reinforced steel monocoque with carbon fibre roof. Integral 6 point roll cage. Carbon fibre tailgate, bonnet and outer door skins. Selected carbon fibre interior panels.
Steel front suspension subframe. Rear suspension attached to stressed members of chassis/monocoque. Ride Height lowered 3 inches F & R. Adjustable Gas Shock absorbers.
Strut braces front and rear. Quaiffe Limited Slip Differential.
Chrome bumpers replaced by glass fibre 'Sebring' style valances.

Length: 3736mm (12ft 3in) Width: 1525mm (5ft)
Wheel Base: 2313mm (7ft 7in)
Track: Front: 1296 (4ft 3in) Rear: 1302mm (4ft 3.25in)
Wheels: 15 x 5.5 Dunlop Style Steel (TR6)
Brakes: Servo assisted Dual Circuit (Bias adjustable). Front: 10.75in Cross Drilled Discs Rear: 10in Drums uprated wheel cylinders. Perfomance Linings TBC. Aeroquip hoses.
Curb weight (Target): 863Kg (1900lb)
Engine: 1860cc 4 cylinder inline. Cast Iron Block and Stage 3 Head (unleaded) with a set of works uprated valve springs. Fast road cam. Tubular Exhaust.
Mappable electronic ignition with Electronic fuel injection
Output (Target): Circa 120bhp. Torque 130lb ft.

With a target of a 46% increase in power to weight ratio (0.139 HP/Kg vs 0.095 HP/Kg), not only should the shorter, lower and wider MGC corner better and with uprated brakes stop better, it should accelerate a bit quicker than the standard one too! A road legal competition ready car is our aim, but what we also hope to achieve is a safer, cooler looking and nicer to drive car than the original - this last bit is subjective of course and requires us to apply our own tastes - but think 60's racing sports tourer with a splash of carbon fibre and alcantara inside and you won't be far off! Colour? An original MGB colour, Midnight Blue, code number BMC 12 is intended, including over all of that carbon so you will struggle to notice it's not steel - mind you we might paint the roof very thinly so you can see the weave a little... Already had people saying the TR6 wheels don't fit... Well you're half right, they do require some engineering - but even on a 3inch lowered car they go on with a little persuasion. We think they're worth the effort and on 195/55/15's the rolling radius is the same as the original rostyles... Result!

Right, time to get on with it... Watch this space!!

Take me back to carbonology!

Way back in the mists of time...

Hi and welcome to the carbonology.com Winter 2009/2010 project... Here at carbonology we like to practice what we preach - So every year we take on a project and using our own carbon fibre materials, consumables and equipment - the very same stuff as you can buy on line from our fine website, we make something that we hope you will enjoy seeing come to life. We've always done this, but only the last couple have been 'blogged'... So here for your delectation and delight is our MGB GTC build...

A little history lesson first... A few years back we bought an old and falling to pieces MGB GT and brought it back to the works with a view to building carbon panels for it, uprating everything with second hand parts and preparing it for racing or hill climbing or whatever.

As I said before, projects of this nature aren't uncommon - we try to do one every year and if my memory serves me, we'd just finished an all carbon fibre International 14ft sail boat.

To it's credit VPB710M, a 1973 Chrome bumber shell wasn't in bad condition at all when it arrived. Bought on Ebay for about 500 quid if I remember rightly, she was nothing out of the ordinary, but there wasn't a lot wrong with it either... The main structure was very sound with only a couple of repairs to the original sills and floor having ever been needed, and just about all the panels were present along with the chrome, and glass. No interior - but hey that'd all be coming out anyway right? We even started it and DROVE it onto the trailer when we collected her from the depths of Middle Earth; from a farm somewhere South of Farnham in Surrey one dark Friday night in 2007.

Then it got busy around here and we had to accept that unless we really got ourselves organised, the 'GT would have to wait. Well, we started to get organised (honest) but I am delighted to say, business got busier and busier - but sadly there was little time for projects like the GT, so it had to wait it's turn.

In a way the GT became like a mascot. A slightly awkward, difficult to work around mascot. Sometimes we've struggled for space, but never has the GT been pushed outside - she's always just been tucked further and further back into the shop.

Well everything has it's time... We're just as busy, but we have better ways of doing things so have time for making stuff - and even though an impossible to turn down opportunity arrived in the shape of the last project - a monster 18ft sailing skiff - I am delighted to say this now out there sailing (or to be more precise, kicking our sorry arses around various lakes) so the workshop space is available and it's time we got this show on the road - literally.

Next time - We'll do a bit of 'wish listing' and show you the general concept of the finished car by comparing the standard MGB GT vs the MGB GTC (For Carbon - or indeed carbonology! - geddit?!)

Take me back to carbonology!