MGB GT V8 Service Schedule

The periodical maintenance tables show the maintenance schedule advised by the MG Car Company in their technical publications at the time of MGB GT V8 production. It therefore relates to cars in regular use, as they would have been at the time, and does not account for occasional use or cars which are stored for some time. Some interpretation may therefore be necessary to account for typical V8 use today. It is suggested that for cars covering low annual mileages, the 3000 mile (3K) service should be carried out at 3 month intervals while the car is in use, the 6000 mile (6K) service at 6 month intervals, and so on.*

In addition to the periodical maintenance described in the table, the following checks should be made weekly:

• Check oil level in engine and top up if necessary.
• Check water level in radiator and top up if necessary.
• Check brake fluid level and top up reservoir if necessary.
• Check battery electrolyte level and top up if necessary.
• Check windscreen washer reservoir and top up if necessary.
• Check function of original equipment: exterior lamps, wipers, indicators and horn.
• Check tyres for tread depth and any damage, including cuts in fabric, exposure of carcass, lumps or bulges.
• Check tyre pressures, including spare, and tightness of wheel fastenings.

The V8 gearbox and overdrive take EP90 gear oil, not the 20W/50 engine oil used in four-cylinder MGB gearboxes.

* Low-mileage cars: the intervals in this schedule are the factory's, written for cars in regular everyday use. With many classic MGs now covering fewer than 3,000 miles a year, Roger Parker suggests a pragmatic alternative based on long hands-on experience: on very low-mileage cars the lubrication service can be carried out once every 12 months, pumping each grease nipple until fresh grease emerges rather than giving the usual three or four strokes, with an intermediate greasing every six months as a belt-and-braces option. Both approaches are sound. Read Roger's full reasoning in Classic MG Lubrication Part One and Part Two coming soon.

MGB GT V8 12,000 Mile Service Kit

The 12K column above calls for a string of separate consumables, and ordering them line by line leaves room for one wrong part to hold up the whole service. The V8 service kit collects them into a single boxed pack matched to the car, and suits both factory V8 GTs and V8-converted MGBs running the same Rover-derived engine.

The MGB GT V8 12,000 mile service kit (V8SK1C) contains:

• Castrol Classic XL 20W-50, 1 gallon – 1925
• Castrol Classic XL 20W-50, 1 litre – 1925/7176
• Sump plug washer – 6K431B
• SU carburetter damper oil, 125ml – BDR125
• Fan belt – GCB11125
• Contact points – GCS2117
• Condenser – GSC2111
• Air filters, pair – GFE1054
• Oil filter – GFE121
• Spark plugs, set of eight – GSP4376
• Rocker cover gaskets, pair – AJM436B
• Castrol decal and service sticker – STR700, STR701

MGB GT V8 Cooling Hose Kit

Cooling hoses harden and crack with age, and a hose that looks sound on the outside can be soft or collapsing inside. Our cooling hose kits renew every flexible hose in the circuit in one go: the top and bottom radiator hoses, heater hoses, bypass hose and, where fitted, the overflow and expansion tank hoses, with clips. The hoses are polyester-reinforced and rated to 135°C.

• MGB GT V8 – cooling hose kit (CHK8)

Browse the full range of cooling hose kits.

Workshop Tools for MGB GT V8 Servicing

A grease gun is needed from the 6,000 mile interval onwards for the swivel pins, lower links and handbrake linkage. Feeler gauges cover the distributor points gap, though the V8's hydraulic tappets mean there are no valve clearances to set. Beyond that, three items in the schedule need proper equipment: dwell angle and stroboscopic ignition timing call for a dwell meter and timing light, carburetter mixture setting is best done on a gas analyser, and wheel alignment needs a set of tracking gauges. Our workshop tools range covers servicing equipment for classic MGs.