Topic

I went to a hillclimb event recently, as a spectator, and now I find myself regularly thinking about finding an cheap MG TF to have go at the hill. LOL

It looks like a lot of fun.

Anyone like to share their experiences racing an F or TF on the hill or other tracks?

Sometimes I come across MG’s like this, so cheap, why wouldn’t it be a good choice of car to fix-er-up? Get my first time on the hill and aim to improve on it. Put TF subframes on it so not to outlay AU$2800 on a MGF coil-over kit.

Unfortunately this car was 1800 km away, too much time to go get it. But there will be others. 😁

Hillclimbs are a shitload of fun, as your on the track by yourself, you don’t have to worry about someone else running out of talent and including you in their big monumental moment!
Any such monumental moments of decorating the landscape with your car, will solely be of your own doing!
We had an MG Midget that won the Victorian Hillclimb Championship back in the early 70’s

My brother was one for hill climbs & was getting good times in his Morgan. He involuntarily adjusted the steering geometry one day & found getting home a challenge. The new chassis he required was also a challenge, there’s a lot of wobbly bits on a Morgan. Not many cars suffer dry & wet rot, woodworm & deathwatch beetle, rust & galvanic corrosion all in a compact if somewhat antiquated package.
He hung his helmet up after that which became a nest for a thrush family. Every cloud had a silver lining.
M

Living in the U.K. has one advantage, I bought aTF with an immaculate interior for £467 it needs new sill ends at some point and the starter motor was no good.
A few days later another one made £510 (only forty miles away) again it looked in very good condition, came with 11 spoke alloys , a hardtop and MOT
I am still deciding what to do with mine, it’s far too good to break for parts. Yesterday we had our grandson with us and being seven years old he said turn it into a monster truck. When I pointed out the low ground clearance he said “just put another engine in it”

It's worth reading the build and racing exploits of "Flying Bannana" and of Rob Bell's "The Shed" on the other F/ TF forums.
( They are by far the best things on those other forums so do make sure you return to the fold here for general enlightenment. )

Notanumber wrote:

It's worth reading the build and racing exploits of "Flying Bannana" and of Rob Bell's "The Shed" on the other F/ TF forums.
( They are by far the best things on those other forums so do make sure you return to the fold here for general enlightenment. )

I fully agree with Notanumber's suggestions above, but I am surprised that no-one has suggested the excellent, well-written (IMO) and technically informative articles in "Safety Fast" (The MG Car Club monthly magazine).

A Dorset Publican Steve Jackman bought a cheap MGF in February 2019, and has progressively modified it for Hillclimbing. He describes this work, hillclimbing successes (&failures!) and illustrates his story with lots of pictures and results tables, in the February 2023, April, June (I think: wife has binned my copy:rant: ) and August editions.
WELL worth a read, could save you some time & money avoiding the blind alleys he perused and mistakes he admits to.

Good luck if you do buy (anything) and take-up hillcimbing. Braver man than me!
Get hold of copies if you can!

P.S. Just received my October edition of "Safety Fast" Part 5 of Mr Jackman's tale of Hillclimbing MGFs is in it. Things are getting EXPENSIVE as rules change.
Airportables comments about "Enough Money" seem very apt!

Also it WAS the June edition with part 3 of the Steve Jackman story.

From observations a hill climb vehicle needs as much grunt out of the engine as you can squeeze, without throwing a rod through the block. (Leg out of bed).
As much traction as can be managed within budgetary constraints.
Have had as much weight as you can manage removed & still remain safe within what is left of the car. (Add less weight, Colin Chapman 1928 - 1982).
Have balls of steel, other than those in the engine & transmission.
Have an understanding wife / partner, preferably one who is interested in coming with you as you wander from hill to hill in search of that better time.
Money enough to fund the addiction.
Probably a trailer & draft vehicle as by the time you’ve finished working on the car it won’t be road legal.
This is not an exhaustive list, those with a track record (!) in the sport will, I’ve no doubt be able to add others.
M

Hey all, last night I had started to reply to your responses when upon sending for some bizarre reason I was locked out. Things are a bit hectic at the moment with farm-life and super dry conditions. I'll be back to replies soon I hope. I hope this message works this time?

Seems to be working now

“Super dry conditions” !
You can have some of ours, no you can have all of ours. I was in the workshop until nine last night, not doing anything urgent, but if I’d come in I’d have been pisssss wet through & it’s not a great distance at all.

Yes alone on the track appeals as you said Cobber regarding others' talent, or mine. LOL It totally looks like a shitload of fun. Your Hillclimb talent is clearly well honed, well done Cobber. Do you still race?

The track periodically allows two days, with Motorsport day licence, for anyone to have a go at the hill. I'll one day run the Volcano to see how much I like it.

MGB281, you have the opportunity with cars to put one to use on the track, I say go for it.

Thanks notanumber, elisojo, for the reading suggestions, it sounds very useful and interesting.

Airportable, I like your tips on approaching racing a car up the hill and the considerations, particularly the need for all the steel balls of car and of driver! LOL. I consider myself somewhat capable of controlling fast acceleration, speeds, obstacles, corners, and on-road cars randomly getting too close. I ride an WR450R, my paddock bike is a XR400R. Have been riding various off road and road motorcycles for 45 years, since a teen. I'm sure I'll find hillclimb fun, a shitload of it.

M, I'll take all your precipitation I can get, it's dangerously dry here. It's like this, looking at weather forecasts twice a day with fingers crossed, and hopefully no dry thunderstorms.