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MG MGA - 'Judson Special' Supercharged 1600

I saw this for sale and wanted to share it woth others dus to it's uniqueness:

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/find/4100_results.asp?bsubmit=true&lmodelflag=10434&lmanufacturer=10089&whatbutton.x=0&page=0&lCarID=1706305

John
J Harle

Personal opinion: Nearly $40K US for a modified pushrod MGA, no matter how much effort went into customizing bodywork borders on the absurd.

Steve
Steve Brandt

IMHO, that car should be worth LESS than a perfectly restored original.

Reminds me of the De Lorean on e-bay that was 'restored' (read butchered) as a replica of the Back to the Future car.......
Bill Spohn

It may be ovepriced (or maybe not) but I'd love to drive it! Can anyne comment on teh drum brake part? Did they revert to drum brakes on the lemans cars?
Steve Simmons

I like it. And one of the photos answers some questions I had about the Judson installation
dominic clancy

Steve S:

The car is listed as a 1959, even though it has Mk II tail lights. I don't remember my MGA history well enough to know the month when the MK I 1600's (with disks) came out, but my 1959 started life with drums all around.

BTW, the air cleaner on the Judson is not original and indicates that it has been refurbished.

Steve
Steve Brandt

Steve B- Cant go by title year of car. My car built on 6-1&2 1959 car # 69034 is a 1600 with discs. 1st 1600 was built in May so you can have a 1959 1500 and a 1959 1600, but then it does not matter to anyone like us, as we would know better than to pay that much for that car. Gary
gary starr

Gary:

Aside from the year, there is at least one other reason to think that this was originally a 1959 1500 and by, association, a drum brake car. If you look closely at the picture of the firewall, to the right (driver's side) of the flasher unit are two screws that are vertically located in the exact position for the 1500 flasher relay. To the best of my knowledge, no 1600's had the flasher relay and I have never seen a 1600 or a picture of a 1600 that had these screw holes. Maybe this is the rare "transistion car," but I doubt it.

Also, the coil is mounted on the generator and the 1600's had the coils mounted to a bracket on the rhs motor mount, but this is certainly a less reliable indicator.

It is probably a legitmate mistake in the description, but it bugs me to read overhype and "gild the lilly," so to speak - even if it is an MGA.

Steve
Steve Brandt

What I am referring to is this line:

"The car was restyled to recreate the 1955 Le Mans cars, including drum brake conversion, front and rear."

What drum brake conversion? Any idea what he's talking aobut?
Steve Simmons

Steve,
I think that they are talking about this car's drum brake conversion. Maybe they modified the drums as they were modified on the original car.
According to Robert Vitrikas' MGA history and Restoration, the 55 lemans had drum brakes and heat issues. Page 144: They drilled 5 holes in the backing plates, and 8 holes in the drums, covering the backing plate holes with gauze, and the drum holes with sheet metal scoops(doesn't clearly say that the sheet metal scoops are on the drums, but it is implied)
mike parker

While I am not bothered by what they did to this car, calling it a '55 Lemans recreation is quite a stretch. Those cars were RHD and BRG in colour, didn't have the headrest fairing, had altered 1500 grilles and rear lights, weren't supercharged, and the metal tonneau wrapped around the driver's side. That's just the general styling variances, I expect there is a long list of others. Why anyone would convert to disk brakes, without the airscoops, so they could make this claim I can't imagine. The scoops should be visible through the wire wheels. Somewhere I have a magazine article on a good recreation of a '55 Lemans car if anyone is interested in a scan.
John

ome to think of it, didn't the le Mans cars have the large fuel tank with filler in the middle of the boot lid?
Dan Smithers

I saw this car a couple of weeks ago - it was up for auction at Coys Auctions in London, in this sale"

http://www.coys.co.uk/auctions/lot_list.php?id=32

I see no mention of it in the auction results though, so it looks like it didn't sell - I think it had an estimate of £15,000.

It's a good-looking machine, and I was intrigued by the Judson supercharger, but it's an odd hybrid.

The body clearly carries the badge of a 1600 Mk II, and the rear lights position confirms that, but they are re-creating a 1955 vehicle?? Odd!
And despite a 1600 Mk II body, the painted dash is reminiscent of earlier models.

The good thing about seeing it at an auction rather than a museum, is that you could climb inside, and open up the bonnet.

Can anyone explain the different functions of this Judson setup. You can't see from the photo, but the valve sover is branded 'Judson'. I assume the vented chromed dome to the side of the engine is the intake for a fuel injection system? And I presume that the supercharger itself is is the black concertina-shaped cylinder in front of this? But what is the inlet in the rear of the valve cover, which appear to have a fuel line going in to it?

Looks great, and I'd have loved to see it with the engine fired up, but overall, almost certainly a bit expensive.
Richard Ross

Richard,you were correct about the black cylinder being the supercharger unit.The chrome vented dome on the side of the engine is actually a small Holley Carb and air cleaner.The unit at the rear of the valve cover is the adjustment for the oiler for the supercharger.The valve cover extends past the rear of the head and this area is the oil resevior which you fill by lifting the lid on the small square object in front of the oiler.I have a Judson on my 1600 and love the differnce it makes in performance.I have the holley carb, but I am running a weber which seems to perform much better.If you give me you address have some articles on the Judson I can forward to you.
A Dickinson

Thanks for the offer of articles - can you PM me with your e-mail address, and I can then let you have my address.
Richard Ross

This thread was discussed between 14/12/2004 and 21/12/2004

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