MG BGT fuel economy

G'day! I've just picked up a (ahem) cherry '72 Leyland special ... runs and drives fine but the body is in serious distress. Anyway, I'm curious what kind of fuel economy I can expect from it. I'll be using it for a 60-mile (one-way) daily commute ...

Is there an alternative carberettor setup I can stock it with that will make it less thirsty? I'm not too concerned about going fast -- it's got a straight four-speed transmission, no overdrive, anyway.

Cheers! And thanks for having such a cool Website. I feel well supported.

--Finn

Hi Finn, welcome to the website and to the MGB arena. Is this your 1st LBC (Little British Car--see you already have a Large British Car)? My 71 BGT with o/d was my daily driver for 6 years before I retired a couple of yrs ago. 60 miles a day, 30 each way. 20 freeway unless I decided to take the hilly curved route on backroads (same distance) which was much more fun. Averaged 25-27 MPG (still do). Have a roadster which has been 'built' and quite a bit peppier, but still gets close to 25 MPG both on 91 octane. Never felt the need for alternative carbs as mine have treated me well and I don't diddle with them. Good luck with your B and you will find the folks on this website more than ready to share their expertise.

Hi Finn and welcome to the board and to the subgroup of MGBGT fans.
I get around 30-32 mpg on freeway driving and lower 20s around town with a 5 speed transmission and 15" tires and a lumpy cam (VP12). I use the car mostly for trips, not around town driving. Using the stock HIF carbs.

Welcome!

OD, or 5sp conversion and a tweaked dizzy should get you over 30. There's folks with v8s that can get 28 on the hwy.

Hi. good choice on the car. I also have a '72 BGT and even though it is only partly finished it gets about 27-30 mpg. Mine has the SU carbs and keeping them tuned is a must.

I usually get about 30 in mixed driving and 32-34 on the NY highways with the overdrive. If your SU carbs are in very good shape they will give you the best combination of power and economy, but if they are worn and you are looking to replace your carbs I think the Weber 32/36 is the best economy carb out there. Its progressive throttle opening makes it a little easier to drive with a light foot, and I would guess it would be worth quite a few mpg over a set of worn carbs. This is all assuming that your ignition system is fully sorted out and your timing is spot on.

Thanks everyone, for the warm welcome. Yes, this is my first LBC although I am now in the process of getting rid of my second and probably last LIT (little Italian car -- a Lancia Beta that I thought would make a great commuter -- nice and safe, it's at the top of my list of of 2,600-pound cars I'd want to hit by a log truck in, but I just can't keep it running -- and if you know any crazy Fiat people in the Portland, Ore. area, it's on the Portland Craigslist site). I basically decided to switch horses and the big British car has been really good to me so far. Went out looking for a Morris Minor pickup and found this! Well, it has almost as much cargo space and will soon be quite a bit nicer.

Chap I bought it from sandblasted all the Bondo out of it, leaving big rust holes all over the bodyshell ... except on the important parts, the floors and sills. How do you do that? It must have spent most of its life parked under a gutter downspout or something. Oh well, the drivetrain is rock solid and I won't feel a bit guilty for polluting it with more Bondo to make it look good again, this time with fiberglas cloth behind and all the rust gone so it's done right.

I'll use the ample resources of this site and tune up my Skinners carbs, then see what I get. It's a bigger engine than I was after, but hey, acceleration is good ... even if the Jaguar is rather dignified in that respect ...

Cheers!

--Finn

FinnJohn Wrote:

True, but "fixing it right" means obtaining a new bodyshell, which isn't something I can do right now ... Since the one that's on there is basically scrap steel, I'm not too worried about ruining it with substandard repair techniques.

BGTs will take lots of abuse rust wise (you would not believe my 73GT daily driver). If you have access to a simple welder you can do some good patch welding. It is not hard to do and makes you feel better by fixing the car 'more right'.