The British Motor Trade Association

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  • BMTA member British Vacuum Unit production update

    We’re now supplying many of the British parts suppliers around the world with Early O.E. Distributor vacuum units.  We’re not only manufacturing all 1940s to late 1970s O.E. type Lucas distributor vacuum units we’re manufacturing many one of a kind type such as:
    • 1972-74  Aston Martin DB5 54413630  5-9-5R
    • 1986 Lotus Espit Turbo 54405132  1-6-14P  duel action advance and retard.
    • 1963-67 Lotus factory O.E. 54415088 5-17-10 and 54420293 2-4-3
    • Daimler SP250 and Rolls Royce O.E. Type tapered mount 54411675 6-17-9, 54412403 4-17-6 and 54415488 8-20-8  In the past many of these new and used units have dried up.
    We’ve produced for the first time, vacuum advance units to convert the 1971-76 TR6 retard only distributor to the early type vacuum advance ignition system. We offer three 1971-76 TR6 special units,
    advance codes. 3-7-8, 5-13-10 and 6-18-10. We can custom manufacture any TR6 special advance to any code you request.
    If it’s odd, hard to find, need your unit restored or your just looking for a new O.E. unit your car rolled off the assembly line with, send your request, we most likely have it new in stock.
    British Vacuum Unit
    Briar Bush Rd
    Canterbury, NH 03224

  • The BMTA welcomes new member Vintage Car Solutions of Houston, TX!

    Vintage Car Solutions - Houston, TXThe British Motor Trade Association is happy to announce our newest member, Michael Keith of Vintage Car Solutions in Houston, TX.  Vintage Car Solutions is a classic and antique car restoration and repair shop in the Houston area of Texas, specializing in classic Italian sports cars doing everything from routine maintenance to body work and first-class restorations.  While primarily a shop dedicated to Alfa Romeos, VCS has been recently expanding into the British car field due to customer demand.

     SERVICE & RESTORATION

    • We are a vintage car service & restoration shop focused primarily on Alfa Romeo’s.  We are experienced in all post-war Alfas from 750 series cars through the 24V 164s; including 102/106 series cars & Montreals.
    • While Alfas are at the core of what we do, we are interested in all sorts of classic cars, & through our affiliation with an avid collector, we have worked on a wide variety of cars including Fiat, Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati, Jaguar, Toyota Land Cruiser, Isetta, & even a Rambler.

    ALFISTI

    • Because we are Alfisti, we understand what it’s like to have an under-supported classic.  As much as I value our expertise with Alfas, I also value the knowledge & skills applied in gaining that expertise.  It is our endeavor to apply those same skills to support other under-supported classics.  If you have a classic car for which you have not been able to find satisfactory service & support, we would like to talk to you.
    • I have seen a number of cars that have been “worked on” but still are not fixed.  I set out to be the shop that fixes classic cars rather than merely working on them.  We keep very low overhead; so we do not have to maintain an unreasonably high car count.  This allows us to take our time, & do the job right.  If your classic has a persistant problem that no one seems to be able to fix, come see us.  Don’t accept the notion that “they all do that.”

    DO-IT-YOURSELF FRIENDLY

    • We support the DIY’er.  I started out as a DIY’er, first out of necessity to get to work every day & then in an effort to keep my race car on the track.  I discovered that I enjoyed wrenching as much as I enjoyed racing, & while I had to give up racing, I kept on wrenching.  Although I now make my living serving those who do not work on their own cars, I still firmly believe that the DIY’er is the backbone of the classic car hobby.
    • I believe your efforts keep the hobby alive by keeping cars on the road that would otherwise be scrapped, & as such, benefit businesses such as mine in the long run.  Therefore, I’m happy to share my knowledge, experience, & research material (including extensive Alfa microfiche).  Email, call, or stop by for a chat & a cup of coffee.

  • BMTA Member Moss Motors Chooses Mikuni Carburetors as Centerpiece for MGB Conversion Kit

    Goleta, CA, January 2013 – SU and Weber carb upgrades have been popular in the MGB market for years. Recently quality control and higher costs became issues associated with the SU carbs and the Moss R&D team began research for a new option. Seeing that the Mikuni brand had an excellent reputation for street and motorsport performance, Moss R&D focused their efforts there.

    Primarily used in motorcycle applications, off the shelf Mikuni carbs won’t simply bolt onto an MGB. The Moss R&D team did custom jetting work and other specific pieces like custom throttle shafts. In motorcycles the carbs are gravity fed, an MGB stock fuel system runs the same type of pressure (1-3.5psi) making the Mikuni a perfect match.

    Much of the draw of the Mikunis is in their over-all build quality. They are designed to run on today’s ethanol blended fuels without issue, unlike SUs which are prone to leak and need maintenance and lubing. Because ethanol is a cleanser and degreaser today’s fuels simply degrade the lube that SUs require, which is an added level of maintenance. Mikunis do not need lubing and therefore are maintenance-free. Other benefits of the Mikunis are their tight quality-control and use in modern motorsports environments. The Moss R&D team was impressed by all of the internals designed to not leak and also to stay in-tune once a tune is achieved.

    According to Tech Services staff Ken Martin after he did a test install, “This installation was amazingly easy, nothing at all like all of the ‘fiddlin’ you need to do with SUs to tune them. The customer should never need to retune their Mikunis, and they will not need maintenance.” And once installation is complete, the customer can expect to find these Mikuni carbs will provide 100% ease of drivability. A PCV valve kit for fumes is available for those cars not originally equipped, meaning no more “stinky old car”.

    As is always the goal when Moss builds a conversion kit such as this, everything that is needed for installation is included in the kit. The customer is not required to do any fabrication. Included installation instructions are thorough and include pictures. A person familiar with MGB engines and carburetors could expect to install this kit in 4 hours, with only 10 minutes to tune the carbs.

  • Join BMTA Member Classic Motorsports Magazine at The Mitty

    This Year’s Mitty: MGs, Minis and David Hobbs2013 Mitty

    Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty returns to Georgia’s Road Atlanta April 26-28, and the activities should be bigger than ever. While HSR handles the on-track excitement with a full slate of vintage and historic racing, the Classic Motorsports magazine staff will keep the infield hopping.  Here’s a taste:

    • MG will be the featured marque. Bring your MG, and expect lots of like-minded fanatics to chat with. The Lane Motor Museum is even planning to bring their MG Metro Group B rally machine. Bring earplugs.

    • The grand marshal will be motorsport legend David Hobbs. You may know him from Can-Am, Trans-Am, Le Mans, Formula 1 and much more.

    • Mazda is the featured marque, and they have a challenge: Who can put more cars on track: Miata or MG owners? That question will be answered during Saturday’s lunch break.

    • Classic Minis United will wrangle their members and have a meet at the Mitty.

    • Performance Racing Oils will give a seminar on picking high-performance lubricants for older machines.

    • Paul Reed Smith Guitars will award a custom guitar to the owner of the most rocking car at the event. Company President Jack Higginbotham and his band will entertain the infield crowd Saturday evening, too.

    • Calling all clubs: Looking to hold your group’s meetup at a neat and easy event? Classic Motorsports can help. Contact andy@classicmotorsports.net for details. This year several dozen clubs have committed, and another full infield is expected.

    • Meet new customers. A vendor booth can be a great, low-key way to meet new customers—and touch base with current ones. Contact Joe Gearin for details: joe@classicmotorsports.net.

    Full Mitty details—including early ticket sales and VIP package details—can be found at http://www.themitty.com.

     

  • Welcome to the new britcar.org!

    We still have a lot of work to do, but things are changing here at The British Motor Trade Association.  We’ve started revising our website and hopefully some increased functionality will follow.  Pay attention for more changes coming soon!

  • Thanks Richmond!

    Thank you, Richmond, for welcoming the BMTA with open arms. More than 50 businesses were represented at our annual conference. Missed it? Check out the photos at our Facebook page. Of course, we also need to thank our hosts, Mercer & Woodson Automotive as well Moss Motors. Next year, we’ll be enjoying On the Road Again’s hospitality in Morgan Hill, California.