The BritishV8 Pub

WOW! Beautiful car and great story Stewart. Welcome to the group.

Hello All !

My Name is "KR" and I live in Dallas. I caught the SBC (small british car) bug a few years ago when I built a solid teak wood dash for my 2004 Mini Cooper (along with a lot of other mods). I have been lurking here for a while while working on my 1975 MG for the last year and a half. Now that I have finally purchased a 302 to go in it I have decided to make it public here on the forums.

I have been doing absolutely all my own work, and if all goes well I will get to put some paint on the car (other than primer) before the beginning of the new year. I purchased the car from the previous owner just before we moved out of the country for $300. It was a total rust bucket and completely tore down. Due to the extensive body damage (and ever growing list of missing parts) I have been coloring outside of the lines in my effort to put it back together. I have removed (and thrown away) the rubber bumpers and built front and rear roll pans from fiberglass. I have incorportated early 1980 Cadillac rear tail lights into the rear fenders. All of the exterior hardware and handles have been removed and filled in.

The front suspension has been dropped approximately 3" and the steering caster reduced to 3 degrees. The front dampers have been reworked so that the suspension now incorporates a coil over style shock but retains the stock upper and lower control arms.

The radiator for the vehicle is from a jeep cherokee and the left/right resevoirs are tucked under the front fenders out of site. I am presently working on fitting in the Ford 302/C4 and am working out the design for a pair of motor mounts.

Thank you so much for this site and the wonderful reference articles. I am looking forward to the day when I can drive it to one of the meetings!!

Kindest Regards to all ..... KR

Meet my little british car...we call her "Sid"

That's a very exciting build, KR. I can't wait to see more as it comes together! Welcome to BritishV8.

Interesting stuff and quite an undertaking! Come to Townsend this coming May for the annual gathering and meet the gang.

Mickey

Welcome KR, hope to see you and that car at a British V8 meet soon. I am sure the 5.0L Ford will be adequate. :-) Love that "out of the box" work.

Welcome KR

You should be ashamed, how could you do this to a, what did you say it is?

I like the smooth look. If you wrote I didn't see, what is the grill from?

Kick it up a notch or two and you could make it to Townsend in May 2016, we don't mind primer.

Greetings to all! Gary Kinslow here, usually hanging out on the mgexperience forum. I'm in the midst of reawakening Grover, my 1974 MGB GT 3.5 Rover V8 conversion, purchased in November 2015 in Chama New Mexico, where it had been drowsing for almost 5 long years, during which time it only clocked around 1000 miles. It's a Glenn Towery build, done in 1995. With the passage of some 20 years and 42,000 miles, Grover's a bit long in the tooth, but since it was built by Glenn, you know it's solid. I drove it home non-stop 900 miles from NM on secondary roads in subfreezing inclement weather with no major issues.

As built by Glenn, it's a BRG metallic with biscuit interior chrome bumper GT (9/73) with a pretty much stock Rover 3.5, LT77 gearbox, MGC 3.3:1 rear end and improved front and rear suspension. The PO converted the hubs to center-lock and replaced the bolt-on wheels with 15" Dayton 72-spoke chrome wheels. Somewhere along the line it acquired a Vintage Air AC with the evaporator planted on the floor of the passenger foot well, making it perfect for a dwarf.

So, I'm restarting Grover's calendar. Thus far, new 12V battery, complete fluids and filters renewal; overhauled dual electric cooling fans; new brake lines, rear wheel cylinders, shoes, EBC dimpled and slotted front rotors with EBC Redstuff ceramic V8 pads; phenolic heat insulator and new jets, springs, metering needles and bowl gasket for the Carter AFB carburetor; new NGK plugs and Magnecor wires; replaced the Lucas Sport Coil with an on-hand Crane PS20 coil; new Clark & Clark battery bins, two-compartment battery bin cover and stainless woven wire mesh grill; new front bumper light bar with Lucas spot light and fog light; new Hella E-code H4 55/100 halogen headlights.

On order: R&S Coachbuilt made-to-order Webasto sun roof

Next on list: Update the Vintage Air unit and replace the shortstack evaporator/blower with something more appropriate (Gen ll Mini?) to reclaim the foot well and add modern heating and defrosting capabilities and servo heater/defroster controls.

Planning on driving Grover to MG2016 with the AC on full blast and the Webasto wide open, the better to hear the throaty exhaust. What could be better?

Also LT owner of a 1969 pale primrose MGB Roadster, Camille.






Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2016 09:37PM by stolizino.

Hey, Gary. Been following your story over on the MGE. If you want to make a trial run in May ;-), come on over to Townsend and enjoy the scenery as well as the V8 camaraderie.

Mickey

Mickey, that's a piece of Heaven. I bought Camille in Butler TN and I have family in Huntsville AL, so I know the area well. Might take you up on that!

Good Morning and hello. I have been looking for a place to park my MGB since I bought it last summer, but lets start at the beginning. Back in 1969 I bought a MG 1100 sedan, I beat that car to death, but on the way I found the excitement of handling. I spent many hours at a local MG dealer ordering parts and drooling over the MG's, Austin Healey's, Jag's, and Triumph's in the show room. Uncle Sam sent me a letter in December of 1970 and I spent the next 2 years wearing OD Green. The longing for a family hit me shortly after leaving the service of my country and I spent the next 21 years trying to undo the mistake I made. During that 21 years I had some of the usual seats under my ass, Camaro's, Nova's, Mustang's and a bunch of 4wd trucks. I found after 5 years into that mistake that if I wanted some alone time without someone screaming at me to slow down or trying to drive from the passenger side seat I had to find something that the mistake didn't like to be in or on. Enter my motorcycle stage. I rode motorcycles before entering into Uncle Sams Army but mostly off road. Riding motorcycles I found the excitement of high power and handling again, plus there wasn't anyone sitting next to me trying to tell me how to drive, I found freedom. Riding, buying, building, motorcycles, and hot rods not only provided me with a sense of freedom, it also provided me with Real Freedom. In 1994 after 21 years of listening to "The Voice" in the back of my head, I packed my clothes into 2 garbage bags, loaded my tools into my truck, left everything else I ever owned and rectified my mistake.
I entered into a new life with a new and improved wife in 1995. This one is no mistake, I call her WAW (pronounced wah) and is short for "What A Woman", she actually enjoys the same things I do and promotes my interests in motorcycles and hot rods. I sold my hot rod in 2006 and started building a stable of Harley Davidson's. Between the years of 2007 and 2012 I had 2 heart attacks,a stroke, and 3 spinal fusions. After 2 major motorcycle accidents and the determination that I could not hold up a motorcycle any longer, I sold my stable of 4 Harley's in 2015. I still had the desire for the wind in my face, for the thrill, and excitement of carving a curve at high speed, but the question now was how to achieve the exhilaration I felt sitting behind bars.
Enter into my latest phase. After selling my last Harley I was feeling like I had lost a major portion of my life and I started reflecting back on my youth. I remembered how enjoyable it was to round a 25 mph curve at 60 mph, the wind blowing through my hair (which I have allot less of now) while driving a convertible, and all the drooling I did over those shinny new sports cars at the dealership where I bought the parts for my MG 1100 sedan in 1969. I started scouring the internet for something high powered, low to the ground, and topless. (If you type those words into your computer your going to come up with a porn site that features short muscular women with exposed titties, we won't go into how I know this.) In my search I also ran into this MGB (below), at a dealer in St Louis called Classic Car Studio. This is an amazing car built by a man named Greg Beishir (may be a member here) It starts out with 1974 MGB, with a Bessel Motorsports Ford Racing 347 stroker pushing 500 plus hp, which goes through a Tremec 600 5 spd, into a narrowed Ford 8.8 rear end.The suspension is from Fast Cars Inc. This car is stupid fast, nimble, and built to pound on.
I know that there are going to be questions and the answer to the first one is, exfed is my screen name which I came up with after retiring from 27 years in hell, the US Postal Service

Hello everyone. My name is Dave, I live in Vancouver B.C. I have loved British cars since I was a teenager. Here in Vancouver we have an all British field meet every May, coming up next weekend. I first saw an mgb roadster with a Buick 215 at the show some 20 years ago and have wanted my own ever since. I have a 1979 mgb that was brought up from Southern California by its second owner. Now that some bills are paid, child has been educated, house mortgage very manageable it's TIME! I have been looking at this site and all your pictures, reading all about everyone's car and how it was built for a couple of years now.
Thank you everyone for the inspiration. I still have a dilemma though......what engine to put in. Must be a v8. I need the "symphony of cylinders" sound that only comes from 8 cylinders. I purchased a 4.0 rover a few years back but I have read far to many horror stories about the mysterious coolant loss. Slipped liners, cracks in the block etc. My next choice is a ford 302, small simple and installed by many of you. Last thought is a chev ls series all aluminum engine.
I don't want to chop too much firewall out and 300 hp minimum seems almost frightening in an mgb. I am an auto mechanic and worked at a gm dealer for 13 years. I kinda like the ls engine but as I said I don't want to chop too much. Any thoughts..............
Thanks again everyone and if dreams do come true....I will be at the 2017 v8 meet.
Dave

Welcome David, just make that choice and "DO IT". Just returned from Brit V8 2016 in Townsend. There were examples of all the choices you mentioned. Seemed to me (I am probably biased) that the SBF was more visible than others this years. Just the tunnel/floor near the gas pedal and on right side need to be cut for a small additional width for the bell housing on the SBF. 300 HP is more than enough. The 78 B I sold had 275RWHP and 305 #'s Ft. Tq. More than I really needed but what "The Hell". GET TO WORK! come join us

Dave, the SBF is steadily rising in prominence but BOPR (Rover) is stubbornly maintaining a bit of a lead. The LS is coming on strong but that swap needs a kit, with minimal firewall cutting. And that is the rub. So far, nobody has tried to do that swap with a primary goal of changing the firewall as little as possible. SBC swaps are increasing too but excessive fenderwell cutting seems to be a common theme there. Again, a proper kit would help greatly.

Ford swaps all require crossmember and generally firewall cutting. BOPR swaps require an expensive bellhousing, flywheel, and usually the HTOB. SBC swaps have distributor clearance issues (Crank trigger is a good solution) and more weight. (not currently considered much of a problem) LS swaps so far have all involved some extensive firewall surgery but may very well be the future engine of choice.

We have seen a shift from a desire to minimize weight (BOPR is 30# less than OEM) to a desire to increase horsepower as we have realized that the car is comfortable with some rather significant weight increases and is not hard to balance. Stock distribution is 51/49. The Roadmaster with Buick 455 and Jag IRS is still at about 53/47 and has completely neutral handling without the benefit of any swaybars. When extra weight comes with significant power gains and does not adversely affect handling that changes the equation and that is what has happened with the Ford conversions. A reasonable upper limit is defined by your own experience. I would not put a teenager in a 300+ hp mgb, but someone who has driven musclecars should be ok with even more than that. Sure, the pedal can get you into trouble if you are neglectful or disrespectful. So it's up to you. My car was running 16 psi boost on a 215 Buick, which is roughly equivalent to a 430 ci engine and well over 300hp. It could be a handful, but was not dangerous. I've upgraded to a Buick 340 and a larger blower in an effort to achieve similar power levels but with more reliability. For me, less than 300 would not be enough. There are plateaus below which there are some things the car just won't do.

Jim

Hi, my name is Harold M. I'm a Electrical Contractor in Atlanta. I just purchased my first MGB, a 1977 V8 conversion. It has a Rover 4.0 engine, a T-5 transmission and a Jag (IRS) rear end. It's pictured in the 2016 MGB Calendar. I also own a '68 TR250 which will be for sale shortly.

Welcome Harold, hope to see you at one of our gatherings. you'll love the V8!

Welcome Harold! What are you looking for when you sell your TR250?

My name is Kent and I am in the mood for another British car, (without the lucas wiring of course). Back when I was young, about 30 years ago, we traded austin healeys like playing cards. I had 5 or six various types or models and we rarely paid more than $6,000. US. The seven of us had more than 15 cars over the years.

Now I want an E-type with a V8.

I want to purchase a friends car. Can anyone suggest a good price for a 64 e-type convertible with a very good ford 302, porsche metal carerra flared fenders, no interior or top, ugly wheels, great straight body but bad color?

Might consider building one myself but can't find project car 61-67 at a reasonable price!

Thank's, Kent

Welcome, Kent. Good luck with the E-type project! Cost is so subjective. Some of the guys on here have those cars. Check out the gallery. A good place for ideas

Good afternoon all, my name is John and I live in High Point, NC. One of the members of a local English automobile group steered me to your site. There are some really nice automobiles in the group ....... MG's, Triumph's, Jaguars, Bentleys, and even a three wheeled Morgan. They let me join them for their monthly breakfast meeting even though I'm a "colonist" and have done horrible things to a fine little British car. You see, I built and own a 1948 English Ford Thames 1/4 ct. panel van powered by a 377 horsepower 327 cubic inch Corvette engine.

Welcome John, appears you could "fit right in". Your ride looks great. Join us in Townsend Tn. in 1st full week-end in October.