The Rally Maestro project

[Piggy Bank]

Maybe the gossip fear comes from Rover 200 Peugeot gearboxes. On those we have had slipping crown ring gears on the differential.

[Guest]

Given extreme-heat (sumpguard, and very hot countries), would a fully-synthetic gearbox oil such as that produced by Millers,or Amsoil, be a good move? Anyone any thoughts on this? What grade is suggested?

Comments from G-Force above are rather comforting...thanks for that, will pass that on to the Team in the Tony Fowkes Workshop.

Tony wants to talk to MG Mal and will be calling him.

[E_T_V]

The gearbox is usually very reliable unless you run it out of oil! That is usually the only reason that they fail. A good oil change won't do any harm though as they often get neglected (not really an issue for this car though!)

If Tony needs any advice from me I think I've given you my number also.

[G Force]

What grade is suggested?

The original factory gearbox oil specification was SAE 75 grade, but SAE 80 can be used to top up. Capacity 2 litres on the 5 speed box.

regards G force

[F825 UBD]

I noticed a (very) small article in Safety Fast, the MG car club magazine about this car. I was wondering how much info they were given/requested as for such an interesting project, the article they've written is quite frankly pathetic! It is clearly worthy of a full feature.

I can feel a complaint letter coming on....

[H48HPE]

I noticed a (very) small article in Safety Fast, the MG car club magazine about this car. I was wondering how much info they were given/requested as for such an interesting project, the article they've written is quite frankly pathetic! It is clearly worthy of a full feature.

I can feel a complaint letter coming on....

To be fair though - its actually an Austin. a missed chance to shout for the Austin brand by rebadging it an MG - Just my opinion, but there it is

[Piggy Bank]

[QUOTE= - its actually an Austin. a missed chance to shout for the Austin brand ..... [/QUOTE]

Austin shattered the record to Cape Town before in 1950.

[Guest]

Richard Pape was a real hero. He wrote a book, Cape Cold to Cape Hot, on his drive from the top of Norway to Cape Town. Argumentative, impatient, incredibly rude and arrogant, stop at nothing approach, he had the right qualities to force a standard car down the jungle tracks of Africa, including a crossing of the Sahara in August (actually illegal). His navigator fell out with him (no surprise), and stomped off to the nearest car dealer, bought a Renault Dauphine, and vowed to race the Austin and beat him to Cape Town. Good job he did, as it stopped this being a jaunt.

The A90 was totally standard, out of a showroom. It broke the front left spring, and its like that today, on show at the Heritage museum at Gaydon. I drove the car like this around the Gaydon grounds for Classic and Sportscar some years ago. In the boot are all the spares, and a box of Bronco toilet paper (like tracing paper).

I tracked Pape down to a small town on the Western side of Australia, via Directory Inquiries, calling all the Papes in Australia until I found him. He died of stomach cancer four days later, and was in a bad way - argumentative to the end, he was shouting at his wife while talking to me...

He wrote another book as well as Cape Cold to Cape Hot on his wartime escapes in the RAF - amazing bloke. He made Austin a household name in Africa.
Alas, nobody over the other side of the channel has heard of Austin today so tht is why the car is badged up as an MG.

[Guest]

So, what oil would you chose to stay in the sump for the best part of 10,000 miles of hard driving? At the mo, its got ordinary Castrol GTX part-synthetic, not quiet as detergent as the Castrol Magnatec diesel oil we have put in a Rover City (the car condemned by Clarkson, which we sent to India with two students, and the Austin Maestro that Simon Ayris built for the Mongol Rally at Rally Preparation Services). Since the engine rebuild we have run two oil changes using GTX, which is 15-40 grade, but am minded to go to Valvoline 20-50 competition oil, which is pure mineral oil, not synthetic. Heard good reports that it keeps its viscocity, stays thickish, and will put up with a lot of heat. Downside is that 50 is a bit too thick? But, being non-synthetic, it will be kinder on the seals, synethic stuff can damage the seals, and, its easier to top up with whatever is found en-route...

What do the racers use...mind you, thats probably not much help, guess they change the oil after every race.

(re book reference above, a second hand dealer called Pooks of Leicester probably has copies or could get one - they are collectors items these days).

[Guest]

I have ricky here at the moment. And we are in agreement that 20/50 is not the way to go, as it is too thick for the S and was not originally used in that engine.

Quality and longevity is the key for everything on this car as...........

It may be doing 10k miles on the rally, but likely putting 20-30k of wear onto the car in the process due to constant use and differing road surfaces etc.

We think the best bet for the car is Mobile 1 fully synthetic either 5/40 or 15/40

Especially with the limited chance for oil changes on route.

Mal.

[Guest]

Yes, on that last sentence (above from Countrydude): There wont be any time for an oil change. It has to go all the way, with a top up of whatever there is to hand, a lot of truck routes so expect somebody's 40-grade will be on a forecourt.

A lot of advice - interesting stuff from ETV on the other thread. Thanks for that.

[Piggy Bank]

Richard Pape was a real hero. He wrote a book, Cape Cold to Cape Hot, on his drive from the top of Norway to Cape Town. .

Very interesting, I like to know more so I ordered the book.
The Austin in the advert is an A70 Hampshire which run from Britain to Cape Town.

[Guest]

Yes, that Austin Hampshire started off the record-breaking craze. It was milked hard by the publicity department at Longbridge. The result was that next year, Rootes took the record, (Minx), then used a big heavy Humber Snipe, three up crew etc. there were regular attempts at the record, in the end, a Yorkshire rallypair took the record in a Ford Cortina, doing it in 13 days from memory. (The 1950s, and early Sixties, were something of a golden era. Then the Daily Express came up with the idea in 1968 of the London to Sydney Marathon).

The RAC motorsport dept. clocked the Cortina crew out of Trafalgar Square, and a motor club official in Cape Town was sent to the bar of the Nelson Hotel to wait for the crew to clock in...but he spent a long time waiting, so was pretty legless well before the crew found Cape Town. The crew knew they were running a bit late, and went up and down the street in the dark trying to find the entrance to the hotel. So desperate they became, in the end they opted for driving over the pavement, and through the bushes of a rose garden, they could see the lights of the hotel...but the car got stuck, revving it up rose bushes were thrown up in the air. The navigator legged it off to the hotel and found legless time keeper, who struggled out to see the car and stop the clock. The record had been taken ...by 13 minutes.

Ripping yarns, gung-ho adventures, all possible then. The Maestro Crew are in for a life-changing drive when they set off on Jan lst.

[mgdavid]

Richard Pape was a real hero. He wrote a book, Cape Cold to Cape Hot, on his drive from the top of Norway to Cape Town. Argumentative, impatient, incredibly rude and arrogant, stop at nothing approach, he had the right qualities to force a standard car down the jungle tracks of Africa, including a crossing of the Sahara in August (actually illegal). His navigator fell out with him (no surprise), and stomped off to the nearest car dealer, bought a Renault Dauphine, and vowed to race the Austin and beat him to Cape Town. Good job he did, as it stopped this being a jaunt.

The A90 was totally standard, out of a showroom. It broke the front left spring, and its like that today, on show at the Heritage museum at Gaydon. I drove the car like this around the Gaydon grounds for Classic and Sportscar some years ago. In the boot are all the spares, and a box of Bronco toilet paper (like tracing paper).


I tracked Pape down to a small town on the Western side of Australia, via Directory Inquiries, calling all the Papes in Australia until I found him. He died of stomach cancer four days later, and was in a bad way - argumentative to the end, he was shouting at his wife while talking to me...

He wrote another book as well as Cape Cold to Cape Hot on his wartime escapes in the RAF - amazing bloke. He made Austin a household name in Africa.
Alas, nobody over the other side of the channel has heard of Austin today so tht is why the car is badged up as an MG.

A book I have read several times, a good read if you want to know what it was like to cross continents half a century ago.
His wartime book was 'Let Boldness Be My Friend' - another bloody good read and a copy also sits on my shelf. Amazing when you realise it's all true... I think of people like him when I hear the saying 'they don't make 'em like that any more'.
And yes Philip I remember your article in C&SC, prompted me to read the book again...

[mgdavid]

oil

oil- another vote for Mobil1 here, use it in all my racers, only change it once a year.
For the rally I'd be using the new Extended Life 10W/60 as ambient temps will be getting warmish to say the least once you have crossed the Med.