More information for Safety Fast! readers See all the V8 Columns and V8 Newsletters V8 tacho conversion Chris Bound is carrying out a V8 conversion of his 1977 MGBGT fitted with a type RVC1414/00 tachometer, one of the last 80mm rev counters for a 4 cylinder car. It works with electronic ignition systems but needed either modifying to accept the eight cylinder signal or a replacement. But he wanted to keep the look of his existing gauge, which has a long white needle and it matches the speedometer pretty well. In V8NOTE556 he explains how he obtained a conversion. SF Mar 2019 More V8 Technical Day 2019 The event will be held on Saturday 1st June at a study centre near Watlington in Oxfordshire, just west of the M40. The programme for the day will provide a compact series of presentations on topics which will be interesting for fellow members together with refreshments on arrival, a buffet lunch and afternoon refreshments. SF Mar 2019 More V8 Lincolnshire Tour 2019 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in Lincolnshire and will include touring and visiting places on interest in the area. SF Mar 2019 Briefing and booking Classic car theft is increasing With rising classic car values, sadly thefts of classic cars are increasing. Many are stolen by determined criminals, in some cases to be broken for spares. What a fate for a cherished classic car! So how can you monitor and locate a classic car to provide a good defence against thieves? Well that's where a vehicle tracker is essential - it's a vital device for classic car enthusiasts. SF Feb 2019 More V8 Technical Day 2019 The event will be held on Saturday 1st June at a study centre near Watlington in Oxfordshire, just west of the M40. The programme for the day will provide a compact series of presentations on topics which will be interesting for fellow members together with refreshments on arrival, a buffet lunch and afternoon refreshments. SF Feb 2019 More V8 Lincolnshire Tour 2019 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in Lincolnshire and will include touring and visiting places on interest in the area. SF Feb 2019 Briefing and booking Highlight events for 2019 The programme for 2019 begins with the traditional V8 Curry in Knowle on Saturday evening 9th February not far from Stoneleigh where the annual MG Show will be held the following day. See the Rolling V8 Calendar for more details of the programme of events for MGV8 enthusiasts in 2019. SF Jan 2019 More Workshop notes reach 1,000 Our two successful workshop notes series, with servicing and spares articles contributed by fellow members, reached a total of 1,000 notes in November - an extraordinary milestone. SF Jan 2019 More Updated MGV8 Price Guide An active market over the six months to November 2018 and a recovery of Condition 1 MGBGTV8 chrome bumper prices to close to the peak in prices seen in May 2017 were features in our updated six monthly Price Guide released in November. A less active RV8 market also showed a similar price recovery to near the peak seen in November 2017. See our updated MGBGTV8 and RV8 price guides and market reports. SF Jan 2019 More Replacement Vitesse 5-speed Mazda gearbox Peter Berry relates his experience with Vitesse Global, the installation of their 5 speed Mazda gearbox, the aftersales service he received and his overall impressions with the new gearbox. Peter concludes saying "Apart from the significant cost (the kit at £2,525 and installation at a reasonable £450, both plus VAT), the decision to fit this gearbox was a no-brainer. These cars are for driving and I've just future-proofed that experience by some margin". SF Dec 2018 More V8 Events in 2019 You can follow the news on events in 2019 and booking arrangements via our Rolling V8 Calendar. SF Dec 2018 More Classic car theft is rising "One classic car a day is stolen" was the headline for the lead article in the popular Classic Car Weekly a few weeks ago. One of the best ways of protecting your classic car is to get a tracker fitted which will give you a prompt alert on your mobile phone of interference with your car with mapping information as to where the car is to aid a successful recovery. SF Dec 18 More Autumn Budget 2018 Following the Chancellor's Budget statement our usual prompt online report on the few measures announced of interest to the classic motoring enthusiast. See our report. SF Dec 2018 More Fuel duty freeze continues In October the Prime Minister confirmed the pledge to freeze fuel duty by ruling out any increase in fuel duty in the Budget later in the month. There had been speculation that the annual fuel duty freeze, in place since 2010, might have come to an end, with an inflation-linked rise used to pay for the £20bn in extra annual funding promised for the NHS. SF Nov 2018 More Bo'ness Revival - Caledonian Centre The Caledonian Centre has supported the Bo'ness Revival event since its inception eleven years ago and this year they had a large attendance of V8s of all types, MGBGTV8s, MG RV8s and MG 260s. Caledonian Centre celebrated the 2018 Launch Anniversary - 45th for the MGBGTV8, 25th for the RV8 and 15th for the MGZTT260. SF Oct 2018 More V8 rolling road day at Aldon The V8 Register's dyno day at Aldon Automotive in Brierley Hill was interesting and well attended. We had a line-up of RV8s and a single BGTV8 and everyone got a run on the dynamometer. We will full publish details later, but two interesting points emerged: one RV8 had a noticeably noisy engine when the bonnet was opened, it sounded like tappets, but it's owner said the noise was from the injectors. He had replaced them with set of aftermarket parts and the truth emerged when the dyno indicated a measly 144BHP. SF Oct 2018 More Rolling Road Session at Aldon Steve Newton reports booking rolling road sessions at Aldon in the West Midlands on Saturday 8th September have proved popular. The event will be of interest to members who want to see rolling road sessions in action, so if you would like to attend as a spectator do contact Steve and let him know you will be coming. For his contact details follow the "More" link. SF Sep 2018 More Nearly 1,000 workshop notes Our popular V8NOTES and RV8NOTES series launched in April 1979 and September 1999 are packed with spares and maintenance tips contributed by fellow members. Currently there are 986 notes so we only need a further 14 workshop notes to reach the milestone of 1,000 notes. Hopefully that will be achieved in this our 40th Anniversary year. SF Sep 2018 More Introduction of E10 fuel not good news for classic cars The DfT launched a consultation in July on whether and how it should introduce E10 fuel to the UK market. E10 contains more bioethanol than traditional petrol. The consultation closes on 16th September. See the GOV.UK link where you can participate in the consultation. SF Sep 2018 More Make sure you classic is not caught out by tax renewal and MOT tests Whilst you don't have to pay road tax for an "Historic" vehicle you do have to ensure that you either "tax" the vehicle at the NIL value VED rate or declare it as off the road on a SORN. A vehicle doesn't automatically become VED exempt when it reaches 40 years old - you need to apply for this on retaxing your car at a Post Office. You also need to renew your "road tax" annually even for a VED exempt vehicle. Many classic car magazines and servicing specialists advise having a voluntary test and with the legal duty a registered keeper has of maintaining their vehicle in a roadworthy condition a voluntary test makes sense. SF Sep 2018 More V8 launched in August 1973 The iconic advert for the "new 124mph MGBGTV8" never ceases to underline the announcement of the launch of the MGBGTV8. Launched in August 1973, the V8 powered MGB combined the popular fixed head coupe body style with a powerful three and half litre light alloy V8 engine. The Rover powerplant ran with a reduced compression ratio but an increased torque compared with the similar engines then used in the Rover saloons. The result transformed the MGB, creating a very nimble car with the luxury of multi-cylinder power which is both flexible and economical - features which continue to have a special appeal for V8 enthusiasts today! More SF Aug 2018 Options if your Dunlop composites need refurbishing The original wheels fitted to the MGBGTV8 model were a 14" composite wheel with an alloy centre with characteristic features mated to a chromed steel rim. Over time the recess, where the inner edge of the steel rim is attached to the alloy centre, can attract rust and if it's not controlled that corrosion can develop to an extent the wheels are in a sad state and need refurbishment. Now a refurbishment service is no longer available the options are: look after your wheels, advertise for a set of used Dunlop composite wheels in good conditionre, place with Clive Wheatley's 15" all-alloy lookalikes or with Minilites. More SF Aug 2018 V8 Derbyshire Tour 2018 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be in Derbyshire from Sunday 2nd to Thursday 6th September 2018. The event will include visits to Haddon Hall, Crich Tramway Village, Denby Pottery and Renishaw Hall. The event will include touring beautiful scenic routes around the Derbyshire dales and the Peak District National Park. Bookings are now full but there is a reserve list. Further information is available on the tour briefing webpage. SF Aug 2018 More Rolling Road Session at Aldon Steve Newton reports booking rolling road sessions at Aldon in the West Midlands on Saturday 8th September have proved popular. The event will be of interest to members who want to see rolling road sessions in action, so if you would like to attend as a spectator do contact Steve and let him know you will be coming. SF Aug 2018 More Important update - extraordinary development with the MOT exemption procedures An addendum issued by the FBHVC in June 2018 notes the UK Government agencies responsible for managing the MOT exemption changes have decided that it would be impracticable to introduce these changes following precisely what had previously been set out. They are therefore effectively assuming that all 40 year old vehicles are MOT exempt up to the time when their licence becomes due for renewal. See our full news report. More Also see our amended "MOT exemption procedure" flowchart. More 180628 V8 Technical Day - Saturday 14th July 2018 The next V8 Technical Day will be held on Saturday 14th July 2017 at Club Office in Abingdon. The programme includes presentations on the new Mazda replacement five speed gearbox from the supplier Vitesse and on rechipping RV8 engines from Mark Adams of Tornado Systems, a specialist in in engine management technology, with a particular focus on the Rover V8 engine. There will also be a "question time" session and a light lunch. Send in your questions now for the Q&A session. SF July 2018 Event-briefing & Update - Unfortunately this event was cancelled because of very low bookings. 180701 Donington weekend event - Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th July 2018 The V8 Register will have a mini marquee at the event on both Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th July with a welcome for fellow MGV8 enthusiasts. SF July 2018 More Aldon rolling road day - Saturday 8th September 2018 Steve Newton reports booking rolling road sessions at Aldon in the West Midlands on Saturday 8th September have proved popular. The event will be of interest to members who want to see rolling road sessions in action, so if you would like to attend as a spectator do contact Steve and let him know you will be coming. SF July 2018 More V8 enforcement car for sale When the Police Review magazine reviewed the model as an enforcement car in its August 1973 issue, it was keen on the MGBGTV8 saying it "combines a businesslike appearance with a reasonable performance, and capable of carrying a surprising amount of equipment which should make it one of the finest enforcement cars available". One example finished in "Police White" which was loaned to several forces for evaluation purposes came up for sale in mid-June. SF July 2018 Advert & More V8 40th Anniversary 2018 programme of events For our anniversary year we have a programme of events several of which are held in the week running up to the Club's annual weekend MGLive! meeting at Silverstone. Details of the whole V8 40th Anniversary programme are available via the link below. The V8 AGM is held on the Sunday at MGLive!. SF June 2018 More Substantial Change/VHI and declaration as an MOT exempt vehicle from May 2018 Clear information for MGV8 enthusiasts on the MOT exemption available for cars manufactured or registered for the first time at least 40 years previously, of a type no longer in production, has been historically preserved or maintained in its original state and has not undergone substantial changes in the technical characteristics of its main components in the last 30 years. To discuss any matter relating to the DfT Substantial Change Guidance, VHI status or eligibility for MOT exempt vehicle declaration contact the V8 Registrar for assistance. SF June 2018 Checklist of NEWS items Extraordinary development with MOT exemption. More 180628 Why doesn't the RV8 boot open remotely via the switch on the dash? A useful reminder from Peter Garton who could not get the boot to open remotely via the dash switch. He tried via the ignition, plus the switch, but nothing worked, so he got out the last resort action - the handbook! There he saw to hismy indignation that he did not have the handbrake on! See page 82, Owner's Handbook AKM7144ENG. SF June 2018 More Nextbase dash cam continues to be recommended by Which? magazine In our review of dash cams in late 2016 the best buys with a Which? magazine rating and typical store costs indicated the Nextbase dash cams were a good choice. In the latest Which? magazine for May 2018 they highlight the Nextbase In-Car Cam 312GW Deluxe at £92 continues to be a good choice. SF June 2018 More Substantial Change/VHI declaration/MOT exemption from May 2018 Clear information for MGV8 enthusiasts on the MOT exemption available for cars manufactured or registered for the first time at least 40 years previously, of a type no longer in production, has been historically preserved or maintained in its original state and has not undergone substantial changes in the technical characteristics of its main components in the last 30 years. To discuss any matter relating to the DfT Substantial Change Guidance or VHI eligibility or MOT exemption contact the V8 Registrar for assistance. More SF May 2018 More MOT changes also come in in May 2018. Article Update news item. More 180428 Data protection changes from May 2018 With the new GDPR data protection regulations in May 2018, we have briefing note on the purpose and use of the data the V8 Register collects and holds. Contact the V8 Registrar to update your data, make enquiries as to the data held on the V8 Database, have access to your data and make any corrections, or give notice if you wish have your data erased. Briefing SF May 2018 V8 launched at the 1973 Motor Show The MGBGTV8 was launched in August at the 1973 Motor Show at Earls Court in London with two V8s on display - Citron 798 on display up on a ramp with the logo "the new 124mph MGBGTV8" and Aconite 799 on the stand. SF April 2018 Motor Show 1973 & Motor Sport review & Police Review article & Looking back series Marketing brochures for the MGBGTV8 The marketing brochures for the V8 still look as exciting as ever over 45 years later. SF April 2018 MGBGTV8 brochures & Looking back series V8 Register formed in 1978 The first meeting of the V8 Register was held at the Crossroads Hotel at Weedon Bec on the Sunday evening of the Club's annual meeting at Silverstone in May 1979. By then the V8 Register's activities were well underway with the launch of the first volume of V8 Workshop Notes from contributions of useful spares and servicing tips by fellow V8 enthusiasts. SF April 2018 First V8 meeting & Looking back series V8 40th Anniversary 2018 programme of events For our anniversary year we have a programme of events several of which are held in the week running up to the Club's annual weekend MGLive! meeting at Silverstone. Details of the whole V8 40th Anniversary programme are available via the link below. The V8 AGM is held on the Sunday at MGLive!. SF April 2018 More MOT exemption, Vehicles of Historic Interest and Substantial Change Guidance After some uncertainty and speculation, the UK Government has clarified its approach to the implementation of its obligations under the EU Roadworthiness Testing Directive and how it will affect the UK MOT test as it applies to historic vehicles, and specifically Vehicles of Historic Interest (VHI). SF April 2018 Article & FBHVC news & DfT Substantial Change Guidance & MOT exemption flowchart For reference: VED exemption flowchart Time to get a tracker? Thefts of vehicles have been growing in recent years with thieves, particularly organised crime gangs, using sophisticated techniques enabling them to remove cars rapidly which make tracing and recovering them very difficult. Without prompt information that a theft has occurred together with the vehicle's whereabouts, the chances of tracing and recovering a stolen vehicle are often low. Here we have a review of trackers. SF April 2018 More V8 Technical Day 2018 This year's V8 Technical Day will be held on Saturday 14th July 2018 in the John Thornley Suite at the Club Office in Abingdon commencing at 10am and finishing at around 3.30pm. The organiser is Steve Newton. For the Q&A session, please submit your questions in advance to Steve Newton or Nic Houslip. See our briefing webpage. SF March 2018 V8 40th Anniversary 2018 - programme of events See full details of of the programme of events and the booking arrangements for each event. Briefing. SF March 2018 V8 Curry at Knowle Our annual V8 Curry, usually held at the beginning of the year, will be at the Lloyds Indian Restaurant in Knowle near Solihull in the West Midlands on Saturday 10th February 2018. As that is the evening before the MG-Triumph Show at Stoneleigh on Sunday 11th it will be convenient for fellow members travelling to the show and stopping overnight nearby as the restaurant is not far from Stoneleigh. We hope the access arrangements at the Stoneleigh site will be better this year. See an information note and booking details. SF Feb 2018 MOT exemption and substantially changed vehicles Two announcements from the DfT are of particular interest to classic car enthusiasts: MOT exemption for cars 40 years and older which secure Vehicle of Historic Interest (VHI) status but also cars 40 years and older where modifications have been made more than 30 years ago will also be eligible for VHI status and MOT exemption. More Feb 18 Replacement ducting above the hot air shroud on an MGBGTV8 Angus Munro purchased a good Condition 1 MGBGTV8 in 2017 and later, whilst working through various maintenance and refurbishment items, decided he would have to replace the ducting above the hot air shrouds on the "Lobster Claws" attached to the air cleaners. The shrouds are located just above the exhaust manifolds. In his post on the V8 Bulletin Board he mentioned that he had found replacements were "No longer available" but a tip from Tony Lake had the answer. More Feb 18 V8 Shop open again Our new online V8 Shop is open again offering a wide range of attractive goods and useful services for MGV8 enthusiasts. The online V8 Shop has been rebuilt - alongside is our shop window. Sets of workshop notes on a Twister memory stick, V8s for Sale or Wanted adverts so you can reach enthusiasts who are either looking to buy an MGV8 or considering selling, V8 Spares for Sale or Wanted adverts are free to current members, V8 Register grille badges and a range of clothing, books and other items from the Club Shop and from TopSigns. More SF Jan 18 Special six month update of our MGBGTV8 & RV8 Price Guide Usually we have an annual review with an updated price guide released in May but as our Pricewatch team felt there were indications of some interesting trends, we have produced a six month update to our Price Guide. See our market and price review. More SF Jan 18 Less information from DVLA? The information revealed by an MOT history check on the GOV.UK website seems to have changed because until very recently the check would show the test location for each MOT test together with the date of the test and mileage plus the expiry date. Now the name and address of the test location are no longer revealed. See our NEWS item. More SF Jan 2018 V8 Curry at Knowle Our annual V8 Curry, usually held at the beginning of the year, will be at the Lloyds Indian Restaurant in Knowle near Solihull in the West Midlands on Saturday 10th February 2018. As that is the evening before the MG-Triumph Show at Stoneleigh on Sunday 11th it will be convenient for fellow members travelling to the show and stopping overnight nearby as the restaurant is not far from Stoneleigh. We hope the access arrangements at the Stoneleigh site will be better this year. See an information note and booking details. SF Jan 2018 Road speed sensor for the RV8 and Reed switch The Reed Switch was invented in 1936 and is widely used in automatic telephone exchanges until replaced by the fully electronic versions we have today. More information can be found at Wikipedia but it is important to realise that it is a low current switch only, so shorting the output to ground might damage the contacts. See the full article SF Dec 2017 V8 Anniversaries Year 2018 - V8 Register 40th and the 45th anniversary of the launch of the MGBGTV8 in 1973 For the 40th anniversary of the formation of the V8 Register in October 1978 and the 45th anniversary of the launch of the MGBGTV8 model in August 1973 we have a programme of eight main events in 2018. V8 40th Anniversary programme & SF Dec 2017 We also have a "Looking Back" feature on the V8 Website with articles of highlights from the launch of the MGBGTV8 and RV8 together with the development of the V8 Register over those 40 years. Looking back - MGBGTV8 & MG RV8 Enjoyable V8 Tour in North Yorkshire Driving over the moors of North Yorkshire with the heather still in bloom was a real pleasure for members on the tour. They were on their way to visit Castle Howard and its beautiful gardens recalling their connection with Brideshead Revisited. Later during dinner at the tour hotel, Dunsley Hall near Whitby, members heard an amusing and informative talk on the Dracula connection with nearby Whitby. Another run over the moors, surely some of the most beautiful routes in the UK, visited many of the villages and landmarks seen in the Heartbeat television series. SF November 2017 Full report V8 Derbyshire Tour 2018 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be in Derbyshire from Sunday 2nd to Thursday 6th September 2018. The event will include visits to Haddon Hall, Crich Tramway Village, Denby Pottery and Renishaw Hall. The event will include touring beautiful scenic routes around the Derbyshire dales and the Peak District National Park. Further information and a booking form are available on the tour briefing webpage. SF November 2017 More MGBGTV8 coping with high temperatures on tour When Andrew Collins first started making plans to join the Club's European Event of the Year in Portugal this year, his planned route added up to about 1,500 miles in Spain and Portugal in July and August. He thought about engine cooling, and decided that at the least he needed some way of accurately knowing the temperature of coolant leaving the engine. SF October 2017 More V8 Derbyshire Tour 2018 Sunday 2nd to Thursday 6th September 2018 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in Derbyshire. The event will include touring the beautiful scenic routes around the Derbyshire dales. There will be a tour of the Peak District National Park, visiting both Derbyshire White Peak and Dark Peak. SF October 2017 More Stuart Mumby's RV8 has been sold to a US buyer Stuart's RV8 in Nightfire Red was sold to a US buyer in 13 days on the RV8s for Sale webpage and another RV8 in the same colour was sold on that webpage within 2 hours of posting the advert! SF October 2017 More V8 Roadster project out on the road for the first time Mike Macartney's V8 Roadster project emerged from his workshop in August to travel to an appointment with his local MOT test station. It was a milestone for both Mike and the many fellow members who have been following his wonderful series of over 160 illustrated reports of work in progress which started in January 2015. The detail, honesty and frequency of those reports have made them a feature on the V8 Website many have found fascinating and informative. SF September 2017 More Starkey elm burr gear knobs available again Stuart Middlemiss has been in touch to say "following the sudden and sad death of Terry Starkey, I decided to take over production of the famous Starkey solid burr elm gearknobs which will continue to bear his name. Terry's wife, Brenda, is proud that Terry's "legacy" is being carried on and the production team of craftsmen is unchanged, as is Terry's pricing which was always non-profit making of course. Last week I sent off the first two gearknobs, numbers 278 and 279, both for RV8s with one destined for Abingdon, no less". SF September 2017 More Future classic car use A controversial report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on how to tackle the increasingly choked roads in many parts of Britain provides disturbing news for classic car enthusiasts. It was the lead story in the issue of Classic Car Weekly on 26th July 2017 which reported "classic cars could be segregated on to different roads from other road users from the 2030s" with the greater use of autonomous, alternative fuelled vehicles". A letter published in the Daily Telegraph from Ron Gammons had concise and well argued comments on the plans announced by the Government . SF September 2017 More MGV8s at MGLive! 2017 MGLive! was very warm this year - an unusual experience when at Silverstone on the site of a former RAF airfield up on a normally windswept plateau at 500ft. The tasty refreshments provided by Debbie Brading and the comfort of the seating in the V8 Marquee were popular with V8 members and friends, providing an opportunity to meet up and chat. Our guests in the marquee this year were the members of the Vintage Register. Peter Jevons (alongside) arrived in his RV8, clearly enjoying his drive to Silverstone on a fine day. SF August 2017 Photo report Concerns with LED bulbs Lighting standards in modern cars have improved with the greater use of halogen bulbs and the beneficial effects have been improved visibility for drivers after dark or in poor conditions and better daytime "relative visibility". That has become a real concern for classic car enthusiasts. In his article Nic Houslip says if you are suffering with headlights on your MGV8 that are dim, all is not lost. He outlines the essential features of lamp technology and the concerns when considering an upgrade from the original incandescent bulbs originally fitted to MGBs. SF August 2017 More Mistake in the RV8 manual over setting the timing Mike Macartney and Nic Houslip believe the description of setting the distributor in the RV8 Repair Manual AKM7144 is not correct. The correction is needed on page 7 of the Maintenance section of the manual. You can download a copy of the extract from the manual and the correction here to place in your manual as a reminder. SF August 2017 RV8NOTE435 & Note for your manual Do "wanted" adverts work? There are signs that this type of advert is proving to be an effective way of attracting interest from owners of MGV8s who are beginning to think of selling their car. As many are becoming elderly tend to feel the time is nearing when they should sell their car but would like it to go to a good home. The do not want the hassle of "tyre kickers" and dealers rolling up at their home but the alternative of their responding to a wanted advert and dealing with an enthusiast who would give the car a good home seems a great deal better. SF August 2017 More & Commission sale arrangements MGV8 prices continue to rise Whilst there are signs the effects of the “alternative investment” activity in the classic car market have reduced over the 12 months to May 2017, our analysis of our online MGV8 Pricewatch reports indicates prices for Condition 1 MGV8s have continued to rise over the 12 months to May 2017. MGBGTV8 prices are up by between 7% and 10% and RV8 prices by between 8% and 11%. See our updated price chart and MGBGTV8 and RV8 market and price reviews. Our Pricewatch webpages from our two volunteers carry reports of MGV8s seen advertised for sale and listed for auction. SF July 2017 MGLive! 2017 & a short programme of events in the week before the meeting at Silverstone In the week running up to the Club's annual MGLive! event at Silverstone over the weekend 11th & 12th June we have a programme of events from the Wednesday. Full details are available on the "More" webpage on the V8 Website. Over the weekend at MGLive! we will have our usual V8 Marquee with free refreshments and seating where you can meet up and chat with fellow members. This year we have invited the Vintage Register members to share our V8 Marquee at MGLive! See details of the programme of events. More SF June 2017 Historic stumble across an aluminium Buick V8 engine It was only by chance that during a visit to the US that Rover managing director Bill Martin-Hurst stumbled over a V8 engine lying on a workshop floor. His interest in the engine led to the V8 engine being crated up and sent over to Rover in the UK. Rover developed the engine for production and use in the UK and since its UK debut in 1967 it has been installed in a wide range of vehicles from Rover saloons, Land Rover vehicles and sports cars like Morgans, TVRs and MGs. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rover's UK launch of the V8 engine. More SF June 2017 Skinners Union by Mike Harvey, published by The SU Carburettor Co. Hardback with 320 pages and many black & white and colour illustrations. ISBN 97834234-0-6 A comprehensive and well researched history of the design of a unique type of carburettor from inception to production that we still know today, the SU variable venturi carburettor. Technical and non-technical readers alike will benefit from this book, especially if they own a car fitted with SU carburettors, particularly the MGB and the MGBGTV8. See a review by Nic Houslip. Review SF May 2017 Getting information on your classic from DVLA David Worthington describes how you cn make a V888 application to DVLA for information on your car. He received copies of registration documents and notifications of changes of registered keepers over the years so he had a complete history of his MGBGTV8 with the dates of transfers of keepers. See DVLA's 30 page information leaflet MIS546 and the full article. SF April 2017 Refitting the drian tube to the fresh air intake Nic Houslip spotted the drain tube for MGBs and GTs had come back into stock at Brown & Gammons - "it's that strange shaped rubber tube device that dangles down from the underside of the plenum chamber which supplies fresh air for the heater box on MGBs and derivatives". Nic was recently working on his V8 Roadster and as he had full access to the plenum chamber he decided to fit the new type of drain tube as a replacement for the ageing original item. Here he describes the task. See the full article. SF April 2017 Gas struts for an MGBGTV8 luggage platform Have you ever thought you needed three hands when delving into the space below the luggage platform of the MGBGTV8 or any MGBGT come to that? David Worthington decided that there must be a better solution than a wooden prop he has used, so he did an internet search for gas struts and there he found the solution - two gas struts designed to support the carpet covered liftable luggage platform above the spare wheel of all series of MGBGTs. See his full article and a link to the supplier's fitting instructions. SF April 2017 RV8 self purging top hose insert Anyone who has done the job will know what a pain it is to refill the RV8 cooling system when changing the coolant, or following work on the system. Stuart McGuigan has devised an improved solution in the form of a self-purging top hose insert fitted in the top radiator hose. A prototype fitted to his car is performing well. Stuart is planning to make a batch of the self-purging inserts which should be available shortly through Clive Wheatley at MGV8parts. SF April 2017 More Links to other items in the V8 Newsletter April 2017 You can see more information at: replacing rubber fuel lines classic car insurance photos speed awarness course notification E10 in the UK and more. SF April 2017 Replacement 5 speed Mazda gearbox for the V8 Vitesse has been offering a replacement 5 speed Mazda gearbox for MGBs for some time but they now also offer it for an MGBGTV8. It's come at a time when the availability of some replacement gearbox parts and original complete gearboxes for the MGBGTV8 are increasingly difficult to find. Many owners have looked to alternative gearboxes as replacements like LT77 and R380 boxes but they too are becoming less easy to find. So the news that Vitesse now offer a 5 Speed Mazda Gearbox Conversion Kit for the MGBGTV8 is very welcome. SF March 2017 More V8 Technical Day 2017 This year's V8 Technical Day will be held on Saturday 20th May 2017 in the John Thornley Suite at the Club Office in Abingdon commencing at 10am and finishing at around 3.30pm. The organiser is Roger Aldridge who is putting together an interesting set of talks and presentations. See our briefing webpage. SF March 2017 More North Yorks Moors V8 Tour 2017 - Thursday 7th to Monday 11th September 2017 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in the North Yorks Moors. The event will include touring the beautiful scenic routes around the North Yorks Moors National Park taking in Heartbeat country Goatland, Castle Howard, Helmsley and many more interesting villages. There will be a tour of the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum and a visit to Eden Camp, a multi-award winning Modern History Theme Museum housed in a former WW2 prisoner of war camp. SF March 2017 More & Bookings RV8 25th anniversary 2017 This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the launch of the model in 1992. Event details will be announced in March. See our "Looking back" series. SF March 2017 More Concern with LED bulb upgrades on classic cars The DfT says LED aftermarket conversions are only permitted when the entire lamp unit, not just the bulb, is replaced by a Type Approved lamp. The concern for classic car owners is relative visibility on today's roads. What is clear is the regulations have not caught up with the new technology. See our recent NEWS items on concerns over lighting upgrades and our earlier items. SF February 2017 More & More & More & More & More & Information Gateway Useful hands-free speakerphone from Jabra The increased crackdown on the use of handheld mobile phones and smartphones whilst driving is overdue and necessary, so a neat hands-free speakerphone is a welcome option. The device is called Jabra Drive and is convenient to use - it's simply clipped to the sun visor overhead and when "paired" to your mobile phone they link automatically by Bluetooth. The phone can stay safely in your pocket out of sight and touch. To answer a call you simply lift your finger and touch a button on the face of the Jabra Drive - the microphone picks up your reply and the 2 watt speaker conveys the caller's voice clearly. SF January 2017 More V8 Register review 2016 This review reports we have 3,881 registered members with MGV8s in the UK, Mainland Europe and Overseas and our database has information on 4,581 MGV8s - covering Costellos, Factory V8s, GTV8 Conversions, V8 Roadster Conversions and RV8s. The report is illustrated with charts showing where our members and the MGV8s are in the UK, Mainland Europe and Overseas. See the report. SF January 2017 More V8 Pricewatch Our two volunteers, Andy Goves and Keith Belcher, spot adverts and auction listings with MGV8s for sale for our V8 Pricewatch. Ther next update of our MGV8 Price Guide will be in April 2017. SF January 2017 MGBGTV8 Pricewatch & RV8 Pricewatch Sorrento by BGTV8 John Upton enjoyed having his MGBGTV8 in Africa when he lived there for many years before returning home and then moving to France. Here he describes another adventure taking his V8 to Sorrento for his daughter's wedding. It proved to be a trip of a lifetime. See his full article and some of the wedding photos. SF December 2016 Full article & Wedding photos V8 Anniversaries coming up As we approach the 45th anniversary of the launch of the MGBGTV8 model in August 1973 and the 40th anniversary of the formation of the V8 Register five years later in 1978, we are planning events and website features to mark those milestones in 2018. Similarly the 25th anniversary of the launch of the MG RV8 model is another significant feature in our planning - the announcement of the model in 1992 and launch in 1993. We have already launched on the V8 website two series of "looking back" articles and features on the MGBGTV8 and RV8 models. SF December 2016 MGBGTV8 & MG RV8 Rebuild series reaching 100 Rebuild and restoration reports have been a popular feature on the V8 website for many years with the restoration of an MGBGTV8 found behind a garden shed by Barrie Jones and a nut and bolt rebuild commissioned by Dr Chris Ward as two examples. A current rebuild of an MGV8 Roadster Conversion by Mike Macartney has been followed closely by many members as he has produced regular detailed reports posted to the V8 website. They usually run to eight pages and appear twice a week and sometimes every two days, so it's no surprise the series is reaching the 100th report. SF December 2016 More Understanding the RV8 engine management system The RV8 had an early engine management system and in a comprehensive article Dave Morris explored its operation, fault detection and diagnostics. Assisted by John Anthistle, John Hale and Nic Houslip they outlined options for owners upgrading their RV8 by 'chipping' or 'remapping'. Some basic knowledge is assumed so anyone unfamiliar with Fuel Injection Systems should first read Nic Houslip's excellent article introducing the RV8 ECU. SF December 2016 Full article & Introduction Best buy dash cams Since we last looked at dash cams they have continued to improve in terms of functionality and performance. There has also been a surge in the popularity of dash cams, so the results of the latest product test by the leading consumer group Which? are a useful guide if you are thinking of getting one. SF November 2016 More V8 Roadster rebuild project Following a major restoration of an MGBGTV8 previously owned by Dugald McNeill, Mike Macartney met up with his old friend and as Dugald was so attached to the car, Mike generously let it go back to him! But Mike had thoroughly enjoyed driving the V8 so the MGV8 bug had bitten him! We soon heard Mike had bought another MGV8 for restoration. SF November 2016 More V8 Hampshire Tour 2016 The V8 Tour 2016 was be based at the Forest Park Hotel in Brockenhurst in the New Forest over the long weekend of Thursday 1st to Monday 5th September and included visits to a local vineyard, the famous Buckler's Hard where ships of the line were built and finished with a buffet lunch on Monday at the Museum of Army Flying at Netheravon prior to members leaving for home. SF October 2016 More V8 Curry at Knowle We have another autumn V8 Curry at the Lloyds Indian Restaurant in Knowle near Solihull in the West Midlands on Saturday 8th October 2016. Please book ahead with Nic Houslip on 07768 766315. SF October 2016 Stubborn stalks The column mounted stalk controls on an MGB or derivative are prone to stubborn and erratic smooth operation as they age. A tip Nic Houslip has found useful over the years is the application of WD-40 on a relatively infrequent basis (say twice annually) as it is beneficial to all switches in cars. See our brief but useful note. SF September 2016 More Connecting a battery conditioner During a call from an enthusiast who had just bought an RV8, he enquired whether a battery conditioner like an Accumate could be connected to the power socket in an MGV8 as a simple and convenient way of maintaining the battery condition and charge when the car is parked in a garage for a while. See our illustrated notes. SF September 2016 More Mike Macartney's rebuild series One of the popular items on the V8 website is the series of illustrated reports from Mike Macartney of the major rebuild he has underway on a V8 Roadster. See the series of reports. SF August 2016 More Modification to reduce MGV8 sump gasket leakage A thread on the V8 Bulletin Board in May 2016 discussed the suitability of several sump gaskets for the RV8. One contributor, Tony Lake, mentioned how a problem with the pressed steel sump is the light steel section used. He noted "the V8 sump is one of the best candidates I've seen for leakage, along with the valley cover". He then mentioned he had some sketches of the stiffening pieces he had made to overcome the problem and solve the leaks. SF August 2016 More MGBGTV8 has a rebuild Peter Ellis originally purchased his MGBGTV8 in 1980 - Damask 2632 - and it was used as everyday transport for two years, then as a second car for 14 years. Peter sold the car in 1994 when the bodywork was starting to show signs of needing some major surgery. In 2008 he repurchased the car. The bodywork still needed surgery and so he started the strip down. The bodywork and painting were completed in early 2010 and the rebuild took place over the following four years culminating in an MOT in November 2014. SF August 2016 More What are the likely effects of Brexit on the UK classic car market? In a lead article reviewing the effects of Brexit on classic car demand and prices in the UK, the popular weekly newspaper Classic Car Weekly noted recently that "demand from international buyers will rise, values will remain strong and classic friendly legislation will be more easily achieved". SF August 2016 More Checking a small mod on a Japan spec RV8 has been done When a Japan spec RV8 is reimported to the UK or exported elsewhere you need to change over the vacuum advance to the UK spec as recommended in RV8 Workshop Notes 60 and 258. If you buy one of these cars it is well worth checking a simple modification has been carried out. SF August 2016 RV8NOTE120 & RV8NOTE258 MGV8 concours wins at MGLive! & at the European Event of the Year 2016 The MGBGTV8 in Teal Blue entered by Howard Guiney in the premier concours class at Silverstone and came first beating some well-known previous winners. At the European Event of the Year in France another V8 enthusiast Roger Glover reports his RV8, in British Racing Green, won the Modern concours section. SF August 2016 MGLive!2016 & EEOY 2016 Reimporting an MGBGTV8 A search for an MGBGTV8 resulted in Robert Rose finding one with an enthusiast in New Zealand and then reimporting it to the UK. The car has now arrived by shipping container in the UK. Although Robert Rose eventually wishes to regain the car's original UK registration number through the DVLA Form V765 process, initially he will be submitting a DVLA Form V55 to obtain an age related UK plate. SF August 2016 More Exposed thread of a bolt through the airbox on an MGBGTV8 If you have an exposed thread it is essential you fit a nut and serrated washer as a matter of urgency. There are still some MGBGTV8s around with an exposed thread. See V8NOTE53. SF July 2016 More Replacing the HIF6 floats Victor Smith found on starting up his MGBGTV8 that petrol was running from the overflow hose which is routed to discharge below the car. It was traced to the float in the nearside HIF6 carburettor that had leaked so it was partially full of fuel. In V8NOTE507 he describes replacing the floats with a new pair from Burlen. See V8NOTE507. SF July 2016 V8 Technical Day 2016 Members attending the V8 Technical Day 2016 enjoyed a series of presentations and then following a buffet lunch travvled to Steventon near Abingdon for a tour of the Frontline Development's factory. The programme for the day covered various aspects of owning a an MGV8, with six principal speakers. SF July 2016 More Brass alternative to a plastic back axle breather Checking your plastic breather pipe is not missing from the top of the offside of your back axle was highlighted in this column in the February issue. Subsequently Richard Withington spotted a brass alternative and Jonathan Buckley then contributed some useful information on his experience with rethreading and fitting one. SF May 2016 More V8 Technical Day 2016 Following the successful V8 Technical Days in 2014 and 2015, Roger Aldridge is planning another for Saturday 21st May 2016 in the John Thornley Suite at Club Office with three speakers in the morning, lunch and then a move over to Frontline Developments in Abingdon for presentations on their activities and a tour of their new factory. There will also be a chance to look at their new MGBs. Briefing and booking details are available on the V8 website. Contact Roger Aldridge to book a place. SF May 2016 More V8 Autumn Tour 2016 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in The New Forest National Park from Thursday 1st to Monday 5th September 2016. The tour will be through beautiful areas of the forest and visiting various establishments, including a winery, the famous Buckler's Hard where ships of the line were built and finishing at the Museum of Army Flying for a tour followed by a buffet lunch prior to departure for home. Contact Mike Lane for bookings and information. SF May 2016 More Fault with the starter 6RA relay The 6RA forward of the fuse box controls the twin cooling fans and the other on the bulkhead side controls the engagement of the starter motor. Recently Steve Newton examined a faulty 6RA relay and found the contacts in the switch came together under the magnetic force of the coil in the relay but did so at an angle and not parallel to each other as they should, so there was a reduced area of surface contact between the contacts. With the large current drawn by the starter motor, the result was a fusing in one spot. Take care, there are some poor quality parts in the market. SF Apr 2016 More GTS104 thermostat - drilled vent or undrilled? Dave Morris sought clarification on whether the MGV8 thermostat is vented. Nic Houslip says "When you look for a replacement GTS104 thermostat you need to check carefully the replacement part has a vent and bobble valve". SF Apr 2016 More V8 Workshop Notes series passes the 500 milestone! Launched in April 1979 the V8 Workshop Notes series began with a note from John Dupont on removing and refitting a V8 water pump and in February 2016 the 500th note was released reporting a fault seen with 6RA relays supplied as replacement parts. The series of RV8 Workshop Notes was launched in in September 1999 and has reached 415 notes, so a combined total this month of 918 notes. With 31 notes generated over the last 12 months it's likely we will reach a thousand notes by the time we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of the V8 Register in October 2018. SF Apr 2016 News & V8NOTES & RV8NOTES Visit to the Black Country Living Museum Steve Newton has arranged a group visit to the Black Country Living Museum on Saturday 9th April 2016 meeting at 11am. Located in Dudley in the West Midlands it is one of the finest and largest open-air museums in the United Kingdom. Book a place with Steve Newton. SF Apr 2016 More - see report on the event V8 event before the European Event of the Year 2017 in Portugal For MGV8 enthusiasts planning to travel to Portugal to attend the MG Car Club's European Event of the Year 2017 will welcome the news that a preliminary event - "Visiting Portugal 2017" from Saturday 29th July to Thursday 3rd August 2017 - is being planned there for V8 enthusiasts by the Swiss V8 Group run by Victor Rodrigues and his Swiss wife Evelyne. Although he has lived for many years in Zurich in Switzerland he originally comes from Portugal and has used his local knowledge to arrange the additional event. SF Apr 2016 More RV8 Spring Run in Yorkshire Stuart Mumby is organising a Spring Run on Sunday 24th April 2016, primarily for MG RV8s, but all MGV8s welcome. This coincides with the FBHVC Drive-it-Day and will offer an ideal opportunity to get your car out and be seen on this important annual event. The route will take in Bronte and Summer Wine Country in the scenic Yorkshire Pennines. SF Apr 2016 More V8 Technical Day 2016 Following the successful V8 Technical Days in 2014 and 2015, Roger Aldridge is planning another for Saturday 21st May 2016 in the John Thornley Suite at Club Office with three speakers in the morning, lunch and then a move over to Frontline Developments in Abingdon for presentations on their activities and a tour of their new factory. There will also be a chance to look at their new MGBs. Briefing and booking details are available on the V8 website. Contact Roger Aldridge to book a place. SF Apr 2016 More V8 Autumn Tour 2016 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in The New Forest National Park from Thursday 1st to Monday 5th September 2016. The tour will be through beautiful areas of the forest and visiting various establishments, including a winery, the famous Buckler's Hard where ships of the line were built and finishing at the Museum of Army Flying for a tour followed by a buffet lunch prior to departure for home. Contact Mike Lane for bookings and information. SF Apr 2016 More Repairing an electronic key fob Finding your electronic key fob has developed a fault - for example one of the buttons has fallen out or it simply stops working - can leave you with a puzzle as to how to get the fob repaired or replaced without too much hassle or expense. In RV8NOTE399 Alan Rennie mentioned a specialist company in Peterborough, Automobile Locksmith, who provide a good quality repair service. SF Apr 2016 More Where is a V8 I used to own? An increasing number of enquiries are coming from enthusiasts who are trying to trace an MGV8 they had once owned and enjoyed in earlier years.Do let the V8 Registrar know if you do so we can help this painting pass to the current owner of the car. SF Apr 2016 More Curing a leaking heater matrix Paul Atkinson experienced a leaking heater matrix on his RV8 and found the replacement of the matrix was easy involving moving the washer bottle, carbon canister and immobiliser unit to the side (without complete detachment from the car) then undoing the hoses and the two screws which hold the matrix into the heater box. The heater box remains in situ, but I took the opportunity to clear the debris from the deteriorated foam seal with a powerful vacuum cleaner. SF Mar 2016 More V8 Technical Day 2016 Following the successful V8 Technical Days in 2014 and 2015, Roger Aldridge is planning another for Saturday 21st May 2016 in the John Thornley Suite at Club Office with three speakers in the morning, lunch and then a move over to Frontline Developments in Abingdon for presentations on their activities and a tour of their new factory. There will also be a chance to look at their new MGBs. Briefing and booking details are available on the V8 website. SF Mar 2016 More V8 Autumn Tour 2016 The next V8 Tour in the popular series will be based in The New Forest National Park from Thursday 1st to Monday 5th September 2016. The tour will be through beautiful areas of the forest and visiting various establishments, including a winery, the famous Buckler's Hard where ships of the line were built and finishing at the Museum of Army Flying for a tour followed by a buffet lunch prior to departure for home. Contact Mike Lane for bookings and information. SF Mar 2016 More MGV8 PriceWatch Classic car prices have been on the move over the last few years and several V8 members have been following the auction news and adverts with useful reports, analysis and price guide updates, not least from Keith Belcher, Adam Fiander and Andy Goves. Their research and news on auction results and MGV8s seen for sale in adverts is the key part of our MGV8 PriceWatch series on the V8 website. SF Mar 2016 More Back axle breather pipe check Derek Squires saw something lying on the floor under the back of his RV8 and found it was a plastic rear axle breather which had had sheared off at the top of the short threaded section that holds it into the top of the offside part of the back axle. With that part missing he had an open hole of about 7mm diameter in the top of the axle to let in water and grit. If it had fallen off when on the road, he would have never noticed that it was missing. He found replacement parts are readily obtainable from Brown & Gammons as ZXC5726 for the RV8 and 21H6060 for the GTV8. It's worth checking your breather pipe is there. SF Feb 2016 More V8 Curry at Knowle Our annual V8 Curry, usually held at the beginning of the year, will be at the Lloyds Indian Restaurant in Knowle near Solihull in the West Midlands on Saturday 20th February 2016. As that is the evening before the MG-Triumph Show at Stoneleigh on Sunday 21st it will be convenient for fellow members travelling to the show and stopping overnight nearby as the restaurant is not far from Stoneleigh. We hope the access arrangements at the Stoneleigh site will be better this year. See an information note and booking details. SF Feb 2016 MGV8 PriceWatch Classic car prices have been on the move over the last few years and Keith Belcher and Andy Goves have been following the auction news and adverts with useful reports and price guide updates for both V8 and RV8 models. Those reports are our MGV8 PriceWatch. In January Andy Goves reported on two RV8s sold at auction in December 2015 - see the reports and analysis. See our MGV8 PriceWatch page. SF Feb 2016 MGV8 PriceWatch RV8 coolant bleed insert Anyone who has done the job will know what a pain it is to refill the RV8 cooling system when changing the coolant or following work on the system. Here Stuart McGuigan describes a modification he has made which makes the job far easier. SF Dec 2015 More Check the age of your tyres Tyre safety is a topic we have highlighted on many occasions, not least the age effect on tyre rubber and the consequent reduced braking and roadholding performance. Over time the suppleness of tyre rubber reduces so that by around 7 to 8 years old the ageing effect will have reduced the flexibility of the rubber as it hardens and begins to take on the characteristics of wood. SF Dec 2015 More & Replacement tyres information gateway V8 Technical Day 2016 Following the successful V8 Technical Days in 2014 and 2015, Roger Aldridge is planning another for Saturday 21st May 2016 in the John Thornley Suite at Club Office with three speakers in the morning, lunch and then a move over to Frontline Developments in Abingdon for presentations on their activities and a tour of their new factory. There will also be a chance to look at their new MGBs. Briefing and booking details will be available on the V8 website from January 2016. SF Dec 2015 More Autumn V8 meeting near Zurich Victor Rodrigues, who runs the Swiss V8 group in Switzerland (SWISS-MGV8/IG), reports that they held the traditional Autumn gathering at his attractive garage near Zurich on Saturday 24th October 2015. SF Dec 2015 NEWS & illustrated report Tax class changes to "Historic" As very nearly all MGBGTV8 models are now eligible for road tax exemption, most owners will want to arrange for the tax class change from PLG to Historic as soon as the opportunity arises in April as the eligibility for the 40 year rolling VED exemption arrives. So if your car is approaching that point it is worth noting a clarification the FBHVC has received from the DVLA. SF Dec 2015 More Changes to vehicle tax rule When the paper tax disc ended some changes to the vehicle tax rules appeared - but there was confusion. After some delay a clarification has been released on the GOV.UK website which says "when you buy a vehicle, the tax or SORN doesn't come with it. But the explanation from DVLA is still not quite right. We explain why. The key point is DVLA are not notified of the change of registered keeper until the they receive the paper V5C from the seller. SF Dec 2015 More & Recent VED updates Check your antiroll bar drop links Recently there have been some failures of the front antiroll drop links. These connect the outer ends of the antiroll bar to their respective lower suspension arm. Nic Houslip feels it is probably worth spending time checking the condition of the drop links. Failure of the link will affect handling, by allowing much more body roll in corners. SF Dec 2015 More Drop links information gateway & Update on drop links article V8 Tour in Germany A prompt report on the V8 Tour 2015 to Germany was prepared by Kai and Claudia Knickmann. Kai volunteered to translate the report and prepared it whilst on a flight to the Far East. SF Nov 15 More Churches tour around Watlington With good weather the tour of six churches around Watlington in Oxfordshire was an enjoyable and interesting day. Breakfast at the Coach & Horses in Chiselhampton, lunch at the Chequers Inn at Fingest, tea at Ewelme church and dinner at the Red Lion in Chalgrove. SF Nov 15 More V8 Register Grille Badge available again soon The V8 Register Grille Badges will be on offer through the Online V8 Shop at £33.75 (UK including P&P and VAT), £39.99 (Mainland Europe including airmail P&P and VAT) and £39.99 (Overseas including airmail P&P). You can order a badge using the online order form. SF Oct 15 Order form Update your agreed value The indications are a Condition 1 MGBGTV8 chrome bumper is now around £18,545 (up 7.5% in six months) and a rubber bumper model at around £15,320 with exceptional cars at higher prices. In earlier years many V8 enthusiasts reviewed the value of their car every 2 to 3 years but in the present market it's essential you do this annually to ensure you have an agreed value on your policy which reflects the current market price of your car and are not underinsured. SF Oct 15 NEWS Classic car theft - increased security now essential Recent classic car press articles report thefts increasing to the point where one car is being stolen virtually every day. One way of protecting your car is to fit a GPS tracker which will alert you by text message of any tampering with the car and provide its location if stolen so the police will be able to recover it. SF Oct 15 NEWS & Tracker RV8 at the Castle of May Marion Quarrington was on the Caledonian Centre's Tour of Orkney and on the return route visited the Castle of Mey near Caithness on the north coast of Scotland. Marion mentioned they enjoyed good weather so had the hood down for most of the time, only putting it up overnight. The eight day tour had an overnight stop in Tain on route to the ferry at Gill's Bay, followed by three nights on Orkney and then via the west coast with overnights in Tongue, Loch Broom and Fort William before returning to Stirling. SF Oct 15 NEWS SV-R wins two cups at MGLive! John Newey reports his MG X-Power SV-R with its 5.0 V8 engine won its class in the "Pride of Ownership" at MGLive! and then went on to win the Roger Latham trophy for overall best in show too. SFSep15 NEWS & MGLive! 2015 report Tour of Churches around Watlington A tour of six churches in the Oxfordshire countryside around Watlington on Saturday 3rd October 2015. The tour will start with refreshments at the Coach & Horses in Chiselhampton from 9.30am. The first church is just a short walk from the large car park at the pub. The tour has been organised by fellow member and local farmer Charles Peers. The first church we will visit, St Katherine's, was built by his distant ancestor, another Charles Peers. There will be a lunch break at the Chequers Inn at Fingest and tea at Ewelme church followed by a V8 Dinner. SFSep15 Tour information & booking details V8 Register Grille Badges available again An initiative by Angus Munro attracted over 50 pre-orders for a new supply of small V8 Register Grille Badges. If you missed the online promotion in August then limited stocks remain available. SFSep15 More What's in a set of MGB Workshop Notes? The series for MGB owners has over 300 useful technical notes for the MGB and MGBGT with a range of service and spares tips. Sets of the notes are available on a convenient USB memory stick bearing the MGB logo. Tracing information on a topic is very straightforward with the detailed index to the series. Examples of the notes you will find in Volume 4 are a comprehensive note on waxoyling an MGB, a modification to avoid a failed bonnet catch, tips on using Jubilee clips, cleaning out the fresh air vent chamber drain tube known as "Ted's knob" to avoid wet carpets and a review of luggage rack options for MGB Roadsters. SFSep15 More & See also V8NOTES & RV8NOTES More Classic car thefts are increasing Recent classic car press articles report thefts increasing to the point where one car is being stolen virtually every day. One way of protecting your car is to fit a GPS tracker which will alert you by text message of any tampering with the car and provide its location if stolen so the police will be able to recover it. SFSep15 Classic Car Weekly report & Classic Car Buyer report & GPS Tracker & Underinsurance Crimping bullet connectors and faston terminals Whether you are doing maintenance on the electrical system on a classic car like an MGB or installing new wiring for additional equipment, getting a good crimped bullet connector or faston is essential. Using good crimping tools helps achieve reliable crimped connectors. SFSep15 Crimping article & Fastons & Video V8 Register group launched on Facebook The V8 Register has launched a Facebook group and it is already attracting members in the UK and overseas. It will enable V8 Register members to exchange views and information on enjoying their MGV8s, contact friends and exchange messages. An "Admin Trio" will run it as a "closed group" for members of the V8 Register and friends who are current members of the MG Car Club or a current member of a recognised overseas branch of the MG Car Club. Why not join the V8 Register group on Facebook now! 150721 NEWS & Visit the V8 Register Facebook group now & Join the V8 Register Facebook group Summer Budget 2015 report The headline news from the Summer Budget 2015 statement made in the House of Commons by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, on Wednesday 8th July was: no fuel duty changes this year, fuel duty is frozen, no further changes to Vehicle Excise Duty rates and bands, Vehicle Excise Duty classic vehicle exemption continues as announced in the Budget 2014, a 3.5% insurance premium tax rise from 1st November 2015 with the standard rate of IPT increasing from 6% to 9.5% and reform of the regulation of the insurance claims management sector by the Government. 150708 More Autumn V8 Dinner on Saturday 3rd October 2015 Dinner at the Coach & Horses in Chiselhampton will be a good way of ending what promises to be a most interesting tour of local churches that day. Some members travelling long distances are staying overnight at this pub which offers good bed and breakfast accommodation. Note, this dinner replaces the previous plans for a V8 Curry at the Last Viceroy in Bourne End near Marlow later in October 2015. (SF August 2015) Briefing Booking details Tour of churches around Watlington in Oxfordshire - Saturday 3rd October 2015 Charles Peers is arranging an interesting tour of churches around his home near Watlington starting with St Katherine's church in Chiselhampton built by his ancestor. Full details of the tour are on the V8 website together with an online booking form. A detailed guide book to the tour with information on each church, the places passed on the tour and information on the routes between churches will be available. The day will start with breakfast in Chiselhampton then lunch in Fingest and finally tea at Ewelme. (SF August 2015) More & Tour programme CHIPnTRAC GPS tracker - our review and guides to setting up and installing this self monitoring GPS tracker Following our review of this tracker published in the July 2015 issue of Safety Fast! we have produced two guides on setting up the tracker and installing it in an MGB, V8 or RV8. The set up guide is available here but the installation guide is not published online for obvious reasons, but a copy is available to current members of the MG Car Club who have registered an MGV8 with the V8 Register and who have provided us with the details of the invoice issued with their CHIPnTRAC tracker supplied by RBS Property Marking. (SF August 2015) More Barrie's Notes - Maintaining an MGBGTV8 in the 21st Century Many MGB enthusiasts have enjoyed reading the tips and advice on maintaining an MGB in a neat A5 sized 82 page book called Barrie's Notes written and illustrated by Barrie Jones. It sold well through the Club's online shop. Barrie has now produced a new book of his notes for the MGBGTV8 with useful information and tips on maintaining the model. Publication has recently been launched on the V8 website and copies are available on the Online V8 Shop. (SF August 2015) Review & More Successful event before and over the MGLive! weekend Visits to Nuffield Pace (home of Lord Nuffield), Bletchley Park and the Hook Norton Brewery together with lunch at the Pear Tree Inn and a well attended V8 Supper at the Three Conies near Silverstone were popular ahead of the MGLive! weekend. The annual weekend meeting at Silverstone was packed with interest and many members called in for the hospitality and warm welcome at the V8 Marquee arranged by Debbie Brading. See our reports on the events. (SF August 2015) Reports Club's Nuffield Cup presented to the V8 Register at MGLive! 2015 The President's International Dinner at MGLive! was a well attended event the V8 members present had a surprise when the Club Chairman announced the presentation of the Club's Nuffield Cup to the V8 Register for providing support and services for V8 enthusiasts, recruiting new members and assisting other registers over the years. Debbie Brading and Victor Smith received the trophy, known as the "Gold Cup" - a very valuable item which is usually locked in a bank vault! (SF August 2015) More Review of the CHIPnTRAC - a self-monitoring GPS tracker This small device monitors your car so that you can be alerted if your is tampered with or stolen with messages to your mobile phone. If the car is stolen those messages provide information on the location of the vehicle, essential when working with the police to recover the car promptly. (SF July 2015) Tracker review & Dash Cam V8 Technical Day The programme for this year's V8 Technical Day in June at Club Office in Abingdon included Mike Macartney's fascinating tale of rebuilding the V8 Roadster featured in his popular rebuild reports on the V8 website, Mark Wanstall on carrying out Hoyle Suspension upgrades and George Wilder and Chris Allan on their book "RV8 - the Manufacturing Story". The event was organised by Roger Aldridge with the support of Nic Houslip. (SF July 2015) Report V8 Summer BBQ Bob and Carolyn Owen are hosting a V8 Summer BBQ on Sunday 19th July from 11am at their home in Mortimer, SW of Reading in Berkshire. Full details from Bob on 0118 933 2533. SF July 2015) More V8 events before and at MGLive! 2015 In the week before MGLive! on 20th/21st June we have visits to Nuffield Place (Wednesday) and Bletchley Park (Thursday), and on Friday a tour of the Hook Norton Brewery, lunch at the Pear Tree Inn in Hook Norton and a V8 Supper at the Three Conies bear Brackley not far from Silverstone. All V8 members and friends welcome. At MGLive! there will be a warm welcome at the V8 Marquee where V8 members and friends can meet up and in the Club's Main Marquee we will have Nic Houslip's track day V8 Roadster on display. Full details of the events, booking forms and bookings lists available online. (SF June 2015) More V8 Technical Day on Saturday 6th June 2015 This year's V8 Technical Day will be held at a new venue, the John Thornley Suite at the Club's office at Kimber House, Abingdon. The programme for the day will cover various aspects of owning a V8 MG, with three principal speakers: Mike Macartney on rebuilding a V8 Roadster, Mark Wanstall on carrying out Hoyle Suspension upgrades and George Wilder and Chris Allan on their book "RV8 - the Manufacturing Story". Full details and a booking form online. (SF June 2015) More V8 Summer BBQ on Sunday 19th July 2015 Bob and Carolyn Owen are hosting a V8 Summer BBQ on Sunday 19th July from 11am at their home in Mortimer, SW of Reading in Berkshire. Full details from Bob on 0118 933 2533 and online. (SF June 2015) More Lunchtime Meeting for RV8 and V8 enthusiasts in the South West Peter Ferguson has arranged another meeting for RV8 and V8 members for Sunday 31st May 2015 from noon onwards at the The Dartmoor Inn at Lydford located on the A386 between Tavistock and Sourton on the western edge of Dartmoor. This follows the most successful inaugural meeting in September 2014. All are welcome, owners, wives, partners and friends. Contact Peter by email to let him know you plan to join the lunch party. Email & More (SF June 2015) Vehicle tax renewal Tax renewal or SORN online is a very convenient way of managing this routine chore. You simply go to the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk/vehicletax and type in the 16 digit reference number on your V11 reminder which starts the 4 stage process. What evidence of a current vehicle tax or SORN do you have now that a paper tax disc is no longer issued? Well you can print off the stage 4 confirmation webpage and keep a copy in the glovebox so that you can produce it for the traffic police in the UK or on Mainland Europe as evidence your car is "taxed" in the UK. (SF May 2015) More V8 Technical Day on Saturday 6th June 2015 This year's V8 Technical Day will be held at a new venue, the John Thornley Suite at the Club's office at Kimber House, Abingdon. The programme for the day will cover various aspects of owning a V8 MG, with three principal speakers: Mike Macartney on rebuilding a V8 Roadster, Mark Wanstall on carrying out Hoyle Suspension upgrades and George Wilder and Chris Allan on their book "RV8 - the Manufacturing Story". Full details and a booking form online. (SF May 2015) More RV8 cats heat shield available RV8 cats heat shields in a high grade heat resistant fibreglass are now available from Clive Wheatley. The shields are fixed between the cats and the underside of the floor of the bodyshell to reflect heat generated in the exhaust system.They are bolted to the underside of the car. In some cases the heat generated around the cats can burn the underside of the floor in the passenger compartment. The RV8 cats heat shield is available from Clive Wheatley mgv8parts at £99 including VAT plus carriage. (SF April 2015) More ECU upgrade power amplifier fixing check The remote ignition amplifier fitted to an RV8 by sticking it to the side of the engine bay fell off Paul Baker's car and landed on exhaust manifold and burnt out! The installer's aftersales support was good and they repaired the unit which Paul refitted more securely using the secondary support of cable ties as a safety mechanism so if it did come unstuck it would not fall down onto the exhaust again. The important message is if you have had one of these power amps fitted you might want to make sure you put some cable ties around the wires at each end to make it more secure. (SF April 2015) More Planning a trip to le Mans In most years a group of V8 enthusiasts has gone to the annual 24 hours sportscar endurance race at le Mans. It's an event that combines a sense of expedition, an opportunity to drive on some relatively uncluttered French roads, the enjoyment of good food and wine, and of course spectating the race! Here Victor Smith provides a guide to planning your trip. (SF April 2015) More Popular rebuild series Following a major restoration of an MGBGTV8 previously owned by Dugald MacNeil, Mike Macartney met up with his old friend and as Dugald was so attached to the car, Mike generously let it go back to him! But Mike had thoroughly enjoyed driving the V8 so the MGV8 bug had bitten him! We soon heard Mike had bought another MGV8 for restoration, a V8 Roadster conversion. As he was preparing the car to start the restoration Mike then offered to send in regular reports of the restoration which you can follow here. (SF April 2015) More Events in the week before MGLive! 2015 A visit to Nuffield Place, the home of one of the most remarkable men of the 20th century and founder of the Morris Motor Company, on Wednesday 17th June has been arranged by Ian Quarrington. The following day Nic Houslip has arranged a visit to Bletchley Park with its WW2 code breaking history and on Friday 19th June we have a tour of the Hook Norton Brewery followed by lunch at the nearby Pear Tree Inn both arranged by Debbie Brading. On Friday evening an informal V8 Supper at the Three Conies near Brackley has been arranged by James Brooks Fisher. (SF April 2015) More Tax exempt evidence when driving in Mainland Europe With the end of paper tax discs in 2014 you will now need to carry evidence that a tax exempt classic car has a current NIL value VED when driving in Mainland Europe. The main source for checking current road tax status is the Vehicle Enquiry System on the GOV.UK website where you will need to call up the record for your car and print off a copy. The first line will say "12 month rate - £0.00" and further down "Vehicle status - tax not due". (SF April 2015) More Anti-theft GPS tracker for classic cars With increasing concern over classic car theft, a self-monitoring GPS tracker that alerts you if your car is tampered with or stolen is good news. It's about the size of a box of matches and can be easily fitted in a concealed location and connected to the car's electrical system. Monitoring your car is done using your mobile phone - even a basic mobile phone will do because there are no apps to be loaded. It's all done with simple text messages. (SF April 2015) More Updated MGV8 price guide As part of our regular update of our MGV8 Price Guide released recently on the V8 website, Victor Smith and Adam Fiander highlight some of the background to the price trends over the last 12 months. The increased interest in classic cars noted in our price guide released in 2014 has continued over the last 12 months. We have seen prices of good quality MGV8s moving up, particularly for MGBGTV8s. (SF April 2015) More Cars built in 1974 eligible for the rolling VED exemption From 1st April 2015 cars built in 1974 will be eligible for the rolling VED exemption introduced in the Budget in March 2013 and made a 40 year rolling feature last year. The key date for eligibility is the "build date" and not the date of first registration. Enthusiasts with an eligible car need to apply for a tax class change from PLG to "Historic" and then for the NIL value VED at a local Post Office or direct to DVLA Swansea. Our updated guide and flowchart will help you through the process. (March 2015) More New 13 part Channel 5 series on classic cars featuring the respected motoring journalist Quentin Willson A new television series will put the world of classic cars in your front room and the promoters say there's not an overblown stunt in sight. A new 13 part series made its debut on Channel 5 on Thursday 5th February at 7pm fronted by Quentin Willson and Jodie Kidd. The first programme in the series was a patchwork of parts seemingly aimed at various groups with an interest in the classic car world. An MGBGTV8 features in the promotional video flying by on a straight country road with Quentin Willson at the wheel. We think the V8 will appear as passionate case for a £5,000 bargain classic car buy later in the series. (March 2015) More V8s sell well at auction Keith Belcher spotted three V8s in an Anglia Car Auctions' catalogue and felt it is a rare auction when three chrome bumper V8s make the rostrum in mid-winter. The three V8s sold well in January when the star was a 1975 much restored but largely standard Tundra V8 with a distinctive registration number and modified with a walnut dash and full leather interior which made £17,010 against an estimate of £14,000 to £16,000. (March 2015) More Early signs of an engine mounting failing Bob Smith from Gloucestershire has a Sebring bodied MGBGT built as dual purpose road legal and track day car with a 300bhp V8 engine. He mentioned how he traced a problem to weak engine mounts -a useful reminder for RV8 members and a few GTV8 owners with inner wing cut-outs for the exhaust. See the illustrated V8NOTE485. (February 2015) More Replacing dashboard instrument bulbs with LEDs Richard Withington posted a query on the V8 Bulletin Board seeking help in how to get at the dashboard instrument bulbs to replace them as he had had finally got round to acquiring some LED panel lights for an upgrade from Classic Dynamo Conversions near Lincoln. The first two bulbs were easy to install for the petrol gauge and lower speedo, but the others seemed more challenging. His first inclination was to lower the steering column so that he could access the others because he felt he needed to be a contortionist to get hold of them! Nic Houslip's reply proved that was the case! (February 2015) More Everyday Modifications for your MGB, GT and GTV8 A new book from Crowood Press in their "Everyday Modifications" series by fellow V8 enthusiast Roger Parker contains a wealth of useful tips on upgrades and improvements you can add with the modifications he describes. It’s a very thorough and authoritative book and one most MGB and GTV8 enthusiasts will find a useful source of information and advice. At the discounted price of £15.99 plus delivery from the Crowood Press online site it is also very good value too. (February 2015) Crowood Press website & Review Headline events for 2015 For 2015 our first event is a V8 Curry held on Saturday 28th February in Knowle near Solihull the night before the Stoneleigh MG Show on Sunday 1st March. The core events include a visit to Bletchley Park on Thursday 18th June in the week before the Club's annual meeting, MGLive! at Silverstone, and the annual V8 tour will be to Germany this year with a five day tour (plus an optional additional day at Nürburgring) organised by longstanding V8 members Walter and Brigitte Kallenberg. See the Rolling V8 Calendar for full details and links. Rolling V8 Calendar (January 15) First RV8 in Caribbean Blue sold The first of the RV8s finished in Caribbean Blue was sold in December by a longstanding member, Godfrey Barnes, to Jim Henderson. The car, a UK spec car from 1993 is in Condition 1 with a hydraulic power steering retrofit and an Optimax ECU upgrade, was car previously owned by Bryan Ditchman, the original editor of the RV8 Workshop Notes series and a regular contributor for many years. Godfrey had previously owned an MGBGTV8 in Glacier White in which he travelled with his Norwegian wife all the way to North Cape well above the Arctic Circle in Norway and back. (January 15) Caribbean Blue 0265 Emergency contact disc With the end of paper tax discs in October 2014 having an emergency contact disc or ECD on your screen in place of the old tax disc is certainly a useful idea and one which could provide essential information at the scene of a collision or medical emergency. (January 15) Download an ECD Dash cams - what are they like? it is clear dash cams are being used in all types of vehicle so why have one, what do they do, how do you set them up and how do you get one? Victor Smith sets out what he found. Review (December 14) Special offer See an illustrated seven page document with details of the Digi-Cam Action Camcorder kit (what does it look like and how do you set it up and use it) and examples of the recording quality compared with the NextBase402G dash cam. More & Legals Retrofitting DRLs to a classic car See the full article highlighting the relative visibility concern for classic car drivers, particularly at night, and an installation on an MGBV8 Roadster carried out by Vic Todman. More (December 14) Paying road tax by Direct Debit Following the end of paper tax discs in October the DVLA has introduced a system where you can pay VED by Direct Debit. More (December 14) Winter layups See our information gateway on winter layoups for a classic car. More (December 14) Major MGV8 restoration Dr Chris Ward at Applecross in the Highlands is close to finishing a major restoration of his MGBGTV8. More (December 14) MGB Workshop Notes on a USB Twister The new MGB Workshop Notes series has many useful technical notes for the MGB and MGBGT with service and spares tips contributed by fellow members since 1978. The complete series with over 300 notes in four volumes and a detailed Index is available on a memory stick with a special rate for current members of the MG Car Club. (December 14) More Seasonal Offers Presents - what can I get a V8 enthusiast? We have a range of V8 Regalia, offers from Brown & Gammons and Clive Wheatley and copies of a reprint of "RV8 - the Manufacturing Story" and a few rare signed copies of David Knowles' book "MG V8" available. See the Seasonal Offers webpage. (December 14) Avoiding a fine for incorrect number plates A useful reminder to check you have the right number plates for the year your classic car was built. More (November 14) Getting a replica tax disc for your MGV8 A small company near Barnsley in Yorkshire, Creative Tax Discs, provides a good service. More (November 14) Green Hell - V8 at Nurburgring motor racing circuit Enjoy a lap with Guy Konz. More (October 2014) RV8 enthusiasts in Devon & Cornwall - Sunday 21st September 2014 Peter Ferguson is planning a meeting of RV8 members in Devon and Corwall at the Dartmoor Inn. For full details & booking see his briefing note. Contact Peter at email. All MGV8 members welcome. (September 14) Goodwood Revival - Friday 12th to Sunday 14th September 2014 The annual three day festival of motorsport with a relaxed feel and period setting. We have an informal V8 Gathering at the event. See our outline and briefing for details of how to get a ticket, where to park, the layout of the circuit. Goodwood bookings and ticket hotline 01243 755055 and Goodwood website. Contact Victor Smith 07770 822977 on Friday 12th September to coordinate meeting up at the Circuit. See a route guide to Goodwood. (September 14) Early pre-production development V8 sold at auction Glacier White 0096, which was up for auction at the Silverstone Classic Sale on Saturday 26th July 2014, is reported to have been sold for £9,315 including auction fees and VAT. We understand the hammer price was £8,100. (September 14) More RV8 enthusiasts in Yorkshire Stuart Mumby is planning a meeting of RV8 members in Yorkshire. Do get in touch with him on 01430 871078. (August 14) V8 Garden Visit in Shropshire For Sunday 17th August 2014 Clive Wheatley is arranging a private visit to the beautiful gardens at Lower Hall, a privately owned 16th century timber house in the centre of Worfield, a village 3½ half miles east of Bridgnorth in Shropshire. Contact Clive Wheatley for bookings and more information on 01746 710810 or by email Workshop notes available on a USB memory stick We have launched the new system of distributing sets of the V8 and RV8 Workshop Notes using an easy to use, rapid loading memory stick with the V8 Register logo on the case. So you will be able to spot it easily when you need to check up on a particular workshop note.. (August 14) More Check your agreed value when you renew your insurance cover With the increase in MGV8 prices over the last couple of years now is the time to check the agreed value in your policy. See our updated price guide. (August 14) More Seat belt repair See our note on how and where to get your seat belts repaired. (July 14) More RV8 cooling problem traced to a small crack in the enck of the expansion tank See our detailed note on this cause of overheating with an RV8. (July 14) More LED lights conversion Following the article on the LED bulb upgrade in the V8 Newsletter in the April 2014 issue of Safety Fast! the Editor received a letter from Keith Hobday who offered a useful small correction and one piece of additional information. A copy of Keith's letter was published in the June 2014 issue of Safety Fast! together with a response from the author of the article via a comment from the Editor. See a copy of Keith's letter and the response from the author of the article plus an updated table of replacement bulbs. More See a copy of the revised article on LED lights conversion. More MGBGTV8 brake servo failure - caution again Fortunately brake failures from servo problems are rare but there have been 14 reports from V8 members of a near instant loss of braking. The latest report was from Barrie Jones who said it had happened to a local V8 in Cornwall. So our earlier advice to fellow V8 enthusiasts urging them to have their brake servo checked is repeated. Please do have your servo checked and better still either refurbished or a new servo fitted as a replacement. It is simply not worth scrimping on such a key safety issue. More V8 events over the MG90 weekend On Friday 20th June the traditional informal lunch at the Pear Tree Inn at Hook Norton and later a V8 Supper at the Three Conies Inn at Thorpe Mandeville. On Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd June the V8 Marquee at MG90 at Silverstone will provide a warm welcome for V8 members and friends with free tea, coffee and cakes and in the Club's Main Marquee there will be an interesting MGBGTV8 display. The Club dinner on Saturday evening will be popular with some V8 enthusiasts. On Sunday 22nd June the V8 AGM will be held at 12.30pm at the V8 Marquee. Four MGV8s will be in the MG90 Timeline display over the weekend. More Successful tax class change and free tax disc See our updated guide to getting your tax class change from PLG to Historic and apllying for a free road tax disc. See also our helpful flowchart on how to apply either at a local Post Office or direct to the DVLA Swansea. (May 14) Guide & Flowchart See our earlier "More" pages You can see the more information webpage on articles and news items published in earlier V8 Columns and V8 Newsletters.