Topic

Hello again.

Having finished the uphauling of my 2003 135 TF now I have found that the head gasket is shot. It was probably "treated" with some sealant that hided the problem, but after changing radiator, PTR therm, water pump and some pipes and thoroughly cleaning the rest of the circuit, all the signs of HG failure have appeared in full bloom.

We have also discovered that the PTR had been bypassed and, as the PO didn't know anything about it, it seems that the engine has run too cold for a number of years. Adding to that the 75K miles it has on the clock, I have decided to bite the bullet and go for a new, reconditioned stripped engine.

So, which one would you recommend?

Thanks so much in advance,
Pedro

Why go for a reconditioned engine. Personally I would buy a good guaranteed 2nd hand 135 head from one of the specialists such as Darren together with the correct head gasket, cam belt etc. Spend a weekend putting it back together and then consider donating a proportion of the money saved to charity.

Based on the number of views this topic has attracted a lot of interest.
Clearly there are a number of very experienced people posting on here (I’m not one of them) and it would perhaps be helpful to have a list of companies that have offered positive experience when it comes to components such as cylinder heads where the service is more than just supply of new components.
Personally whilst I don’t wish to upset anyone what are Darren’s contact details?
It is not a name I have come across whilst dealing with older MG vehicles such as the MGB (and I have interacted with a number of companies when restoring one of my older cars).

To qualify the cryptic references to Darren or Bitz, so often referred to by a number of contributors. These are references to MGFnTFBITZ a specialist supplier who have established themselves by providing high quality parts & services to the f & tf diaspora.
I have used them on a number of occasions, have visited their workshop / store & they have always fulfilled my requirements to the letter, whilst providing good value. Their advice is offered without prejudice.
A good website illustrates their range, the telephone is answered, emails are responded to & the staff have encyclopaedic knowledge of both f & tf.
With just two models to concentrate on & few variants of each, service can be focused & standards maintained.
M

Sorry MGFnTFBITZ are at Dinting Vale, Glossop.
A very quick internet search will take you straight there, not all stock is listed & a call would avail you of “Bits around the back”.
M

I can´t agree more about Darren, Jill and their business

I have several reasons for considering a reconditioned engine.

Nowadays I can spend that money without going broke, but I plan to retire in a few years. I will be much poorer from then on and I will want to enjoy my classic cars with the smallest chances of facing expensive mechanical problems.

Also, being so careful with the motors I have, I hate the idea of an engine being driven frozen day after day, year after year (Madrid’s winters are really cold). Simply I dont want to keep that engine if I can help it. I was going to do it (with much reluctancy) but this new problem has tilted the balance.

And I am the very happy owner of 2 Land Rovers fitted with Turner Eng. remanufactured engines (2.5 and 4.0, both petrol). The oldest, a Series 2A, has already 45k miles on the clock since being rebuilt, without a single problem, and runs like a rocket (comparatively ) I’d love to treat the TF to something like that, if it is possible in the MG world.

In the past there has been a leitmotif of MG owners who also have Land Rovers, some of us more than one, hence my pseudonym “Airportable “.
A 200tdi engine gives it the grunt not normally associated with such a vehicle, transforming it into a useful everyday vehicle.
Sadly I find the “weight” of it, especially in manoeuvring, more difficult than I would like.
I have shed excess Landies over recent years, retaining just the lightweight, it’s a bit sad looking but started first pull yesterday.
Once the engine job has been rebuilt, assuming it’s done in a workmanlike manner, you will have a compact bundle of fun, whose entertainment quotient belie its cost.
In this, as in many cases, cost & value cannot be transposed.
M

I always binned the Landie engines for something with more grunt I had a series 2 88” with a Holden 186cu in 1(3.0 litre) inline 6
Another series 2 88” with a Leyland p76 4.4 litre V8, a series 3 109” with a Leyland p76 V8 and a series 3 109” with a Ford 351 cu in (5.8 litre) V8 & Ford C4 auto trans…..a bloke has gotta have grunt!

MGOC and Moss Europe both offer reconditioned engine services:

https://www.mgocspares.co.uk/parts/1_3_977_978_979/reconditioned-engines

https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/full-engines.html

The MGOC also has a workshop where they could install it. Not sure about Moss Europe.

You are not in the UK, so I am not sure if you want the engine shipped to you or if you want to travel to the UK with your car (if you can).

That P76 V8 was / is a bit of a monster, was it this derivative that formed the basis for the Repco engine that powered the F1 Brabham, or was it the Rover.
Like with a lot of escaped British kit, you Australians took the good basis & screwed every ounce of grunt that was possible & squeeze it from ever fibre.
A officially sanctioned Leyland engine that was running stuff around the antipodes for years whilst the mother country had to wait for the likes of Turner Engineering to coax the maximum from that V8.
This might need fact checking, non the less it’s good to hear that you still exhibit your pre coronary good humour.
Take care Cobb’s.
M

The Repco Brabham F1 engine was based on the Oldsmobile alloy V8 which was a very close relative of the Buick alloy V8, the difference was that the Olds engine had more head studs. The Buick version was in turn was the basis of the Rover V8, which in turn was the basis for the P76 V8 Which had a longer stroke and the block had a higher deck height.
Repco did develop a F5000 engine from the P76 engine, not to be confused with the very successful Repco Holden F5000 V8 engine that Repco also developed.