Engine "Machine Shop" Recommendations in the Midlands

[adam73bgt]

As part of me trying to pull my finger out and get my MGB back on the road for next year, I need to get the engine back together and part of that is finding a place that can do the machining work.

It's a B series, so nothing particularly extraordinary but I've not had any engine work done before and the MG is pretty special to me so I don't want to be wasting my time with places that are going to mess it up.

I've been reading up and researching what I want to do with the engine, I am trying to extract extra power from the B (I am fully aware that I can get more power with other engines but I'm sticking with the B) so places with some focus on performance work would be preferred. I've googled a bit and found some shops but want to get recommendations for shops that people have experience of, if possible.

I'm based in the West Midlands, near Coventry but am willing to travel a bit further afield for the right machine shop

Thanks in advance!

[homersimpson]

I've used Dave's Engine Centre in Studley for a few engines and general machining, he has always done a good job for me and a friend of mine who used to run a garage used him as well and had no complaints.

If I rebuild the engine in my MK2 Jag (rather than finding a running second hand one) then I will get him to do the machining for me.

[Flynn]

Ay up.

I am also based near Coventry so these are all local to you.

Nuneaton Cylinder Rebores did the work machine work (which consisted of a cylinder overbore and hone of the block and then had three angle valve seats cut in the head oh and had the flywheel refaced) on my mostly standard B series engine, the chaps there are reassuringly old and most of them regarded an MGB as a modern sports GT haha.

I have used Coventry Classic Engines up near the Ricoh for a full rebuild of a Jaguar XK engine cylinder head, they did a great job with that, apparently the tappet buckets were out of round so they had to do a bit of work to make that right again, ran lovely when it was all back together.

I have most recently used Coventry Boring and Metalling Co for an overbore and hone on my latest Daimler Sovereign engine, they also crack tested the crank before machining it to accept a more modern rear main oil seal. They decked the block and removed some well and truly stuck crank shaft sludge plugs for me and I was very pleased with all of the work.

In summary, I am happy to recommend any of the above but all machine work I have had done is mainly repair and restore of standard parts, I have never gone down the route of big power modifications.

[adam73bgt]

Thanks for those, I'll get making some calls 😊

"Performance" is a bit of a relative term where the B series is concerned haha but I've got some bigger inlet valves, new cam, Weber carb for it and want to try and reduce the rotating mass as much as possible and get it all nicely balanced.

Not going totally crazy, but just want to see how far I can reasonably take it without it costing the earth!

[mht]

I'm sure that you would have come across it already but MGB head supremo Peter Burgess has a few 'recipes' with different heads and cams that they use for engines on their site.

It is very internet c. 2003 and hard to navigate. If you go to this page:

www.peter-burgess.com/page6.html

Then the drop down on the left has the different heads and a couple have cam suggestions.

There's a bit more info here too

www.peter-burgess.com/Choosing%20an%20engine.html

Mark

[adam73bgt]

Oh yes I've spent some time on his site, bought his book as well and read through it many times haha

I'd love to get a cylinder head from him but for now I think I'm going to try and follow his recommended DIY head mods and see where it gets me