Classic/Antique Car Repair: 67 roadster clutch, front brake caliper, radiator fan

Question
My dad rebuilt most of the car before giving it to me.
Old World Motor cars have installed some newer components - fule pump and pressure regulator, elec ignition, radiator fan, billet alum front brakes, move orig front brake caliper to the rear. The clutch engages high, and I'm thinking about replacing. Any opinion regarding OEM vs. performance.

Thia car is a driver, but not a whole lot of miles, and I don't know if a light weighth flywheel and perfoance clutch would be worth it.

Thanks,
James

Answer
Hi James,
A clutch that engages high is a clutch that releases well and as long as there is a little free play when the pedal is released and it don't slip, it's usually not a problem.

A light flywheel is ok as long as it is not too light. You didn't say but I assume this is a "67 roadster MGB" ? A 4 cylinder engine needs a heavier flywheel than a 6 cyl and a 6 cyl. needs a heavier flywheel than a 8 cyl. because the function of the flywheel is to store the energy produced by the combustion and transmitted to the piston to rod to crank. This stored energy is used to turn the drive shaft in-between power pulses so if you go to a flywheel too light you may gain a little in power to the driveshaft during a power pulse but then you will loose momentum between pulses. Thus you can loose torque when under acceleration and climbing hills. Car manufactures usually try to hit a compromise between too heavy and too light. I do believe the MGB can gain a little performance with a lighter flywheel but I would not advise an alloy flywheel. As far as the clutch goes, that should match the engine and what kind of driving you are doing. If you have hopped up the engine and auto-cross the car I say "Yes". if you just drive the car on the street and have not hopped the engine up, I would say "Why bother?" your pedal pressure is going to be raised so it will be harder to depress. It wouldn't hurt to go to the replacement ball bearing release bearing instead of the carbon one that came with the "MGB".
A good test of a clutch is to drive the car on a straight dry road at a good cruise speed in high gear and without moving your foot on the throttle, quickly stab the clutch pedal to the floor and release it in one quick movement. The engine will rev up momentarily and you should feel the car jerk when the clutch is released. If it feels like a smooth automatic transmission shifting a gear you probably have a clutch problem coming in the near future. The most strain on a clutch is in high gear.
I hope this helps, let me know.
Howard