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MG MGA - interesting item for sale on ebay

hi all don't see these very often
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vintage-RARE-Judson-Supercharger-Blower-for-MG-MGA-b_W0QQitemZ220159656538QQihZ012QQcategoryZ34202QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


gordon
g c pugh

Had one. Ho hum - sold it. Nice eye candy when spiffed up but not a serious performance piece. That one is missing the special valve cover that incorporated the Marvel Mystery Oiler......
Bill Spohn

I wonder if he asked permission from Barney to use a link to Barney's site in an attempt to help sell said device.
Bob (robert) Chairman north lincs and district pigeon fanciers society

Bob - Anyone can link to a site for extra information, nothing wrong with that. I know some people get very anal about it, but ethically and legally, if he doesn't copy the info and just places a link to it, the only remedy if Barney doesn't like it is to take down the material from the guru site. There's no copyright infringement in a link.

To the Judson itself: the SC seems to have all the important bits. The oiler cover is not there, but a standard external oiler can be used too. The pulley is an easy job, George Folchi will be able to provide, or I have a spare one that I don't need as I had a custom pulley made.

It will need a recon, and again George is the (very nice) man.

It's a rare beast, and it does transform an A into a very different machine. I can recommend it heartily, as can one or two others here....
dominic clancy

Dominic and Bill,
Dominic--Do you have any tests as to the increase in horse power that the Judson gives? With the oiler, do you experience any exhaust smell or smoke?
Bill, You seem not to like the Judson as it is not a serious performance piece--can you elaborate?
James Johanski

When I was restoring my A back in 87, I went to a import junk yard in Columbus, Ohio. Triped over a judson sitting on the floor in the isle inside the warehouse, which was VERY dimly lit. I am sure I broke a toe on it as it was just a dark shape sitting in the dark. The guy want $1000 for it then. I told him he should give it to me for compensation for my expected medical bills for my foot. If I had actually fallen down, I would have been cut to ribbons by all the rusty jagged metal on either side of the isle.
It is probably still sitting here.

Dennis, Az
rtoys

TO say it is not a serious performance piece does a great injustice to a Judson. It is noticeably faster than an equivalent SU equipped car, and even faster than a TC. The difference in torque is amazing. In fact a normal engined MGA feels like a tractor in comparison.

The oiler does not lead to smoking if it is properly adjusted and a suitable oil is used (I use Sihl chainsaw oil as MMO is unobtainable here in Europe).

I have never regretted adding the Judson, and all other MGA owners who have driven my car are overwhelmed by the difference it makes (there's another candidate coming from Germany in about an hour to collect a front fender....)

That's a good enough set of tests for me to stand by, but most important is the fact that I love driving it too. It's definietly not about "eye candy" as with the bonnet closed you see nothing, but when driving, the "ear candy" is very obvious - it does soound completely different.

dominic clancy

This one will definitely need some work, by George (Folchi). I'm with Dominic, the Judson adds a new dimension to MGA. Performance curves are a little behind the Moss unit, but you retain that original flavor. Mine has the Marvel oiler, and has been easy to adjust and operate. At car shows most attention is paid to the oiler, not the blower. People love to watch the oil drip through the little viewing window. To be honest, one of the things I like best is the Holley carb ... only two screws to adjust !

-Chuck
Chuck Mosher

My dad's best friend put a Judson on a 60 1600. He claims that with the blower he could keep pace with a masaratti. He complained about the oiler because it was never set correctly because of temperature changes.

Dennis, Az

rtoys

These were low pressure superchargers putting out around 5-6 psi. They gave a welcome bump in torque and raised the power output of a 1500 engine to around 90 BHP - more or less like putting in a 1622 engine.

They dropped the 0 - 60 time a couple of seconds, but with respect that is still nowhere near a Twincam. The boosted 1500 would do about 12.5 secs. (see Barney's site) while a Twincam in proper tune was an honest sub 10 second car. The only way you could possibly say that a Judson 1500 was faster would be to quote the erroneous Autocar tests of a badly tuned Twincam. Road & Track tested the Twincam a few months after their Judson test in 1958 and got significantly better times as I recall (don't have the article at work).

Frankly, aside from the eye candy aspect, I'd rather simply install an MGB engine in an MGA.

I had a Judson on a 3 main MGB engine in my 62 coupe, and while the improvement was very nice, it was less than a moderately tuned normally aspirated engine would be.

Judson made all sorts of claims for their kit but actual tests on other engines showed that results were more modest.

I think that the kit is a really neat period piece and GREAT for shows, but no one in their right mind would race with it except in slalom or low key racing. Some people did actually race with them in days gone by and had to contend (successfully as I understand it) with vane wear at higher than normal RPM.

I have also played with a more serious unit - a Shorrock, but frankly the Moss unit currently offered is way ahead of either of them. Personally I prefer turbo, but no one has stepped up with a kit for that yet....

Bill Spohn

There was an Australian company that made a turbo kit for the 1800 motor a while back. I haven't heard anything about them in a few years.
Mark J Michalak

Has anyone ever tried bolting on a supercharger from another car? Is this even doable?
Darian Henderson

Bill

Maybe the fact that I have a 1622 engine and stage 2 head and fast road cam plus the Judson makes my car a bit faster than the 1500 TCs I have compared it to.... It's definitely faster. And in hily country or mountains, the extra torque low down is great.

And no I wouldn't (and don't) race with it. Nor would I want to drop in an 1800 engine.
dominic clancy

This thread was discussed between 16/10/2007 and 20/10/2007

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