FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Not a great ride for the cat or the poodle!

spaceworm

My ';64 MGB did not have an oil cooler, was yours added on?

In the mid sixties Donna Mae Mims pink Corvair had a humongous oil cooler mounted on top of the rear fender. It helped keep the Corvair ahead of it's SCCA class, but only for a lap or so, then the engine blew anyway.

Don't/didn't some bikes run the oil through the frame tubes to help cool the oil?

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think I remember seeing some bikes when water cooled engines started coming into vogue having small oil coolers as well. Automobiles have had a transmission cooler built into the radiator from the factory for more decades than I can remember. I can't remember seeing a car that didn't have it.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

You were luckier than I was. The dog got caught between the front wheel and fairing, twisting the front wheel full lock to the left. My wife was riding behind me (on her bike) and said the bike did a front somersault, then landed on me. Four crushed ribs, a demolished collar bone and bruised spleen. Took two hours to get to a hospital crammed in the front of a little Toyota pickup with a guy and his wife who happened to come along. Got my first helicopter ride as a result. Yes, I'm still riding but it took five months to get back on as I needed surgery a couple of months later to patch the collar bone.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

I miss my '68 MGB. It was stolen in Montreal in the late '70's and never seen again. As I recall, the oil cooler was there because of the overdrive.

Oops! Almost forgot the required Saito note. I have a 100 inverted in a WM Chippie. Runs great and starts so easily. It came with a heavy smoke muffler which required lots of lead in the tail. I never use the smoke so will probably go back to the stock muffler and lighten the plane.

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Nope, they were factory options, some MGBs had them and some didn't. If there's no oil,cooler, the engine is fitted with a bypass hose. Most that I saw in the desert southwest had them. I've owned two MGB tourers, both had them.

Interesting about the Corvair racer. I owned three different Corvairs. Too bad GM never figured out how to keep the oil in them. Dunno about the bikes.

CR

the pope

Did you hear them complaining ?

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Bummer on your B! Neither of my Bs had overdrive when I bought them but both had oil coolers. I added the overdrive trannies. Maybe it was up to the dealers.

CR

blw

My Feedback: (3)

RC-Fanatic- that was a bad one!

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Don't live in the desert anymore. I live in south TX now. I added the overdrive to my MGB. We used to make long trips in it and I wasn't comfortable with that long stroke engine turning over 4,000 RPM for hours on end. It was made easy by the fact that all the Bs with the OD switches on the column or dash had the body OD wiring already installed and the tranny harness was easy to fabricate.

CR

Rudolph Hart

Hell no but thought i heard a hissing sound normally associated with tubed tyres going flat quick.

RC i never talk about that,hospital food leaves a lot to be desired nowadays and it's depressing to be stuck helpless and flat on your back/side etc (don't popey).Back in the day you would get three course dinners at night to help you sleep,specially straight after it happened and if you could use a knife and fork without help you wer'nt doin too bad.If it hurt getting gravel rash pebbles scrubbed out with disinfectant by the ugliest ward matron you ever saw you knew you were fit enough to be riding again in a week if you had a second bike.After that it's all good again

Charley you need long body stands just to get the mgb's e types and xj6's up to waist height where it's comfortable to work on them.Beautifull cars i'm too lazy to keep one running now.Oil coolers are handy where it's hot.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

My TR-3A had the electric OD (0.8 to 1 I think) as well but I don't remember it having an oil cooler. Then again Standard used a modified version of their tractor engine so it probably didn't need it. I had the convertible soft and factor hardtop. I still have my factory service manual and I believe it shows the installation process for the hardtop so that leaves me to believe it could be added by the dealer as well. Even with the hardtop on the heater still did nothing in winter.

I knew a guy who owned a MGB he installed one of those 264 CID V8s Buick designed back in the 50s that Leyland, Saab, and assorted others licensed for decades. It made a nice sleeper just like when the TR8 came out and everybody would mistaken them for those puny TR7s.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

My TR-250 with overdrive had a transmission oil cooler. Had to buy universal joints by the case as the IRS (Independent Rear Suspension, not the tax guys!) ate them at a great rate.

Saw a couple of big Healeys retrofitted with V-8's. Lots of fun but even the 72-spoke wire wheels could not take the torque for long.

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

I suppose the axle twisted up & down because they didn't have traction bars.

No surprise. Most of the MGB V8 guys run alloy wheels. What wheels did they use on the Le Mans or 3,000?

CR

blw

My Feedback: (3)

My dad had a white Frogeye when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I remember it well because he was always working on it.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds about right for owning a British sports car! I loved to tinker with my MGB, the TR-250 and the Healey 3000. They were definitely not as reliable and trouble free as my Saito 100.

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

It wasn't work, it was fun. Back in those days, fiddling around with them was part of the fun. Never mind that most of them didn't know what they were doing.

CR

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

It's what you get for tinkering. My MGB has been trouble free since I restored it over 10 years ago.

CR

AIRHAMMOND

Does a os61fx underpower,compare to saito 91? Thank you leh

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think what made them fun to tinker with was the simplicity of design. There was much you couldn't fix yourself provided you stay away from trying to adjust the Lucas voltage regulator. I loved the piston carbs, easy to work on, and you could fiddle with the air/fuel ratio by swapping needles. The solid brass fuel cutoff was gorgeous to look at until the natural cork packing died and you have to make a new on. Even the clutch and brake hydraulics were easy to work on compared to American cars.

RC_Fanatic

My Feedback: (1)

The reliability comment was thrown in there to keep "Saito" in the discussion. (After all, this is supposed to be a thread about Saito engines, not British sports cars. ) My MGB never let me down; the exact opposite of my BMW motorcycle. (Oops, am I about to start another digression?)

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Ok in spite of my best efforts I must go back on topic, I have a VK Models Fokker DR1 kit I needs a power plant. This plane flies a lot smoother with an OS .40 or .46 than the recommended .60 as recommended back in the 70s when this kit was designed. The weight comes out to about 5.25 lbs and I was looking at the Saito FA-40A, I am looking at opnions with this airplane engine combination.

acdii

It's a Saito, why would it NOT work!

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

But is the power output comparable?

blw

My Feedback: (3)

The Saito 56 may be just right for you. I would lean more towards the extra power for windy days, etc. The weight up front would help you out too.