Rover expert needed

Right!

The K-series 1.4 came in a number of flavours (8v and 16v heads, carb, single and multi point injection).

Power ranged from about 75 bhp for 8v carb to ~100 bhp (103 iirc) for 16v MPi.

The issue with the throttle body was that an 'insurance friendly' 80 bhp varient was introduced - this was exactly the same as the 103 bhp 16v MPi but with a 'stop' built in to the TB that stopped it opening beyond about 75%. Cheeky but very simple!

Anyway, if you have a 16v head and MPi injection it is relatively simple to 'upgrade' to 103 bhp. A search on Rovertech or MG-Rover forums will quickly show you how to check the exact TB you've got. IIRC you need to change the throttle cable as well.

Regarding the 52mm TB, apparently on the 1.4 they are a waste of time, in fact can be a negative addition as it messes throttle response. I don't have personal experience of this as the TB is a 'restricted component' on the rally formula I compete in, so can't be changed.

I believe it is possible to get 120 bhp out of the 1.4 with just a change to induction, exhaust (but not manifold) and a change of ECU.

As for the track day, the best £20 you'll ever spend on the car is swapping the front TCA bushes for poly. Makes an AMAZING improvement. After that, a swap for vented discs/calipers at the front (assuming you don't have ABS already) is about £75 (new discs/pads, breaker sourced calipers). You can get thicker ARB but they are a pig to fit (need to drop the exhaust and even the front subframe). Some people reinforce the rear beam axle and fit poly bushes there too; I've not done that so, can't comment.

Depending if you want this to remain as a road car or just be a track toy, the best thing is strip out the interior. LOTS of heavy sound proofing under the carpets, the seats weigh a ton too, especially the rears with the built in middle seat belt.

If you want to know more, let me know.

Well it looks like you've got the 'full fat' 1400cc engine already.

As for stripping the interior, for the rallying I do, I need to keep the dash and pretty much everything from the back of the front seats forward, so haven't had any issues. FWIW I have removed the OEM seat belts and replaced with 6 point harnesses - no MOT issues. I changed the seats for lightweight buckets fixed in to position - no MOT issues. All the rear trim, seats and rear seat belts removed - no MOT issues. This was on a number of cars at different MOT stations, so not a one off, nor a special competition friendly tester.

If you're only interested in smooth track stuff, it might be worth looking for some MGZR suspension - there's one particular model that has lower and stiffer suspension, so if you can find it in a breaker it is only an hour job to upgrade. I've no experience of that as I need to go the other way and *increase* the ride height! I'm currently running Streetwise struts (+30mm) with Koni Purple springs and dampers (-30mm) to bring me back to OEM, and I'm about to install additional spacers to bring the ride height up to +40mm! Such are the joys of running with a sump guard on some seriously rough stages!

Not sure about rallies in the Midlands as I'm 'down south'!! I recommend you sign up on the British Rally forum (www.britishrally.co.uk/) if you haven't already.

You might want to have a look at Endurance Rallying - here's a promo vid:

It is almost as much fun as stage but a LOT cheaper per competitive mile than almost any other form of motorsport.

My mate/co-driver is over this weekend and we're finishing installing the roll cage in ours. I'll get some pics up if you're interested?

The OEM seats are VERY heavy, especially the height adjustable ones. We used the very 'bottom' of the seat rails as a mounding 'base' to attach the bucket subframes.