I have an equal or greater amount of experience, having gone through 3-4
MGA's, probably 20 MGB/MGBGT's, Austin America's, FX-3's and Rovers. The
Lucas systems aren't perfect, but I don't find them significantly more
troublesome than Delco or Autolite. If the car has been badly abused,
though, and most are, the path to enlightenment is long and rocky.
You're certainly on the money about the alternator rectifiers, though.
They are tender. Still, my MGB's was rebuilt 12 years ago and is still
functioning. It also has a 32 year old factory original starter.
On Tue, 1 Jan 2002, Doc wrote:
On Tue, 1 Jan 2002, Merle K. Peirce wrote:
I have not had a lot of problems with Lucas
products. I do find people
tend not to give them routine maintenance and expect 30 year old parts
to perform like factory fresh items. Lucas ignition coils, for instance
seem very long lasting. Their electronic ignition bits and fuel
injection systems (NOT CAV diesel systems) are notoriously troublesome.
And their rectifiers and their voltage regulators and their generator
diodes and their headlight/taillight/signal bulb sockets....
I can't speak to anything but Lucas automotive & motorcycle components.
But I've owned a '69 Triumph Tiger, a mostly-'65 Bonnie, a '62 Norton
Atlas (with a 750 Commando engine stuck in), and a '72 MGB. The MG was
only 4 years old, and the Atlas had just been restored when I got it,
with all new Lucas parts. So I can say with a fair amount of conviction
and authority:
Lucas Ltd. sucks.
http://members.tripod.com/~tcotrel/lucas.html
Doc
M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
Shady Lea, Rhode Island
"Casta est quam nemo rogavit."
- Ovid