The BritishV8 Pub

Hi, just breaking the ice. I have just sold an Anglia pick up that I have been building with input from various people on and off for to many years and hit that wall and could not see and end in site.
That now sold, I am running a 1955 Hillman Husky with a bit of a play on a stock looking body (been stretched 6" so now 90" wheel base) 355 sbc 700r4, 9" and will be in the USA next month picking up some engine parts quad webers etc.

Hi Everyone, I am Relfy from sunny Curacao, dutch caribbean.
I bought a MGB 1977 on Ebay in 2008 Aug, and started one month later on this project, by selling the engine and start to
install a Buick 1961 215 engine.
I got this engine from a friend and we took this engine out of this Buick Special after not been started for 20 years!!
I started this engine, and installed it after 11 months, but decided to order another Buick 215 engine from D & D 0.40 in 2009!
My car has been running now for 1 year, and now I am going for the final touch up and final painting.....hopefully in some weeks
from now!!
I got this site from googling to get info and you guys did help me a lot to take decisions, and i have to say that because of
your experience shared, new ones like me don't have to invent wheels................God bless you all!!
More from me later......Relfy Cijntje Willemstad, Curacao

A quick introduction here. I’ve been visiting British V-8’s for the past three or four years as I have dabbled with my ‘project’. I’ve gotten the itch to get it done and on the road and think I need as much insight and knowledge (not to mention money) as the world can provide to accomplish this. I am out here in the middle of the Mojave desert in the berg of Las Vegas. Great place to be for fun and games, wasteland for automotive knowledge. I was raised in Detroit, surrounded by cars that started with “4xx” with pistons the size of gallon paint cans. For some reason I was defective, I found British cars early, became an outcast, a pariah. Now I am torn between American iron and British style. A car that really pulled me in was the Triumph Stag. Beautiful design, magnificent presentation and a V-8 that earned it a place on the Worst Cars Ever Made list. I knew that is the car I had to have. But I just couldn’t get the Big “D” out of my blood, so I needed to change the power train. Not an easy task when you have a low profile engine bay and your aesthetics would not allow added lumps or bumps that the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti didn’t provide. I also needed more horsepower than the original V-8’s 145 h.p. Enter the 1987 Ford Thunderbird’s TurboCoupe. Now all I had to do was throw them in a blender, hit the puree button and there I have it! Wrong, years later I still have the ‘project’.

The “Project” is in process. I have my 1972, Mk.I, Triumph Stag pretty well stripped down. The 2.3L, turbocharged engine is in place, mated to a T-5 WC trans, steering in place, cooling system there, all of the Ford wiring all over the passengers seat, the ECM sitting, the TC dash draped over the steering column, and….. It does run, drives and all of those necessities. I need to get it past the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, change over the wiring harness, figure out the interments, get it painted, adjust suspension for an engine that is 100 pounds lighter, re-carpet, and the list goes on. A whole lot of ‘trial and error’. Right now I am trying to figure out the clearest path to conclusion, other than the edge of a cliff.

So here I am. I thought I would go find a group of other people that just can’t leave “well enough alone”, and just know it has to be better. It’s time to delve into British V-8 and learn how to do it. I hope there is a lot of patience out there for my dumb questions, because I have a lot of them.

Pat, with a gearhead story like that, you'll fit in with the British V8 bunch just fine!

Hello to all British sports car fans, my name is Rick. Although I'm new to this forum, I'm not new to the hobby. Over the years, I have owned a'67 MGB-GT, a'73 MGB Roadster, a '74 MGB Roadster, and just a couple of weeks ago, purchased # 4, a '77 MGB Roadster ( lovingly called "the mid-life crisis mobile" ) Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this group.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2011 07:51PM by rhooper01.

Well it's about time I join the best site on the web. I found this site about a year ago while looking for ideas for my recent acquisitions. The information and photos here are incredible and I love reading through the forums.

The car that got me hooked on British sports cars was a 1972 MG Midget my dad and I restored when I was in high school. I have all kinds of fond memories of that car. Especially driving with the top down along the gulf coast in Rockport Texas (near Corpus Christi) See photos below. Unfortunately we had to sell it but obsession had already begun.

I currently have 1.5 1976 Triumph Spitfires. I was planning to do an engine swap but have been torn between a Miata (mild side) or Corvette (wild side) drive train. Although it does sadden me that I will have to sell off the Spitfires due to medical issues (shoulder surgery 4 weeks ago and pain for over a year before hand). I will have it in the classified section in a couple days. This will hopefully just be a temporary set back and I will have another chance in the future to restore/modify another British classic.

My, name is John and I first learned about this site from Ted Lathrop years ago, I'm an old guy. I gave him a ride in my car and he decided he had to have one of his own. Mine was real rough back then but you have to work with what you have and I didn't have much. Years later he told me about the Dan Masters car and all the other people who had fell in love with British cars but thought they were lacking in the power department. It's great to have a site devoted to making something you dream of come to life. I've been working on this1963 TR-4 since 1972 when I purchased it for $235, sold the engine and trans to a neighbor and never looked back. It's had three small block chevy iteratations and now has a destroked 400 down to a 358. It has a home built port injected electronic fuel injection system controlled by a Haltech F9A centered around a Victor Jr intake with a home made throttle body based on a Holley three barrel base plate. Trick Flow twisted wedge cylinder heads, home made 1 3/4 headers, too much to list. Muncie four speed w/narrowed 57 Olds rear, 3:41gears, still with the leaf springs that have been scratch built to not wind up. Has a full roll cage that was put to the test approx 2007 so I had a chance to do it over again. The rear is widened 7.5 inches and the hood and trunk are one piece fiberglass pieces that were a learning curve all by themselves. The front brakes are four piston wilwoods w 12 in rotors. The spindles are one off pieces made to adapt chevy hubs to a wilwood hat. Rear brakes are Olds 12 in drums. Still working on it and don't think it'll ever be done.



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2011 08:46AM by jdevries.

Hi everyone,

What a cool and informative site.

My daily driver is a stock MGB roadster and I recently purchased a MGB-GT to modify. I found British V8 while researching common swaps. I'm convinced that an aluminum V8 is the way to go, but I can't decide on a transmission. It's a toss-up between the Porsche 924/944 transaxle or the Corvette 6-speed transaxle. Leaning toward the Chevy though due to its HP capability and cheaper than Porsche parts prices. It will be a while before I get started, but I'll keep you posted.

It's great to meet such a friendly and knowledgeable group. Thanks.

Dan
Lakewood, CO

Welcome Dan & congrats. I recently saw an ad for a GT in your area that was prepped for a swap -- rust repairs completed & came with a couple of BOPR 215 engines... is that the one you bought? Assuming you're planning for the BOPR engine, there are good "tried & true" solutions for tranny.

Hi All,
Tracy here. All these years I've been enjoying this site and I never introduced myself, I mean really
how unpolite of me. I used to log on as bplus but it's been so long that the site wouldn't let me
back on. Well I guess I'll just have to do a better job. Anyway my car is a '71 MGB GT. It's got a
350 chevy engine stuffed under the hood, 5 speed trans and limited slip rearend. She's in total
disrepair at the moment, although I drove the car into the garage, she's in alot of pieces right now.
I really should start a project journal, but I'm afraid the modifications are moving at a snail's pace.
Just don't have enough time to do everything on the long list of modifications. Everything from a
modified hood, to 245/50-16 tires in all 4 unflared wheel wells, custom owner built suspension,
to a cusom frame to....well you all get the picture. Anyway, I've owned her and her 3 sisters, 2
mgb's, and a midget for 10 plus years. I got my first mgb in 1981 and took it to England with me
for 9 years. I've built several hot rods and muscle cars over the years, owned both sport bikes and
harleys, but I always have had the soft spot for the mg line of cars. The misses calls the GT the
other woman because I spend just about every free minute I have working on her. She'll get there
one day. The plan for her is to compete in places like the Silver State run in Nevada.....I like high
speed curvy road driving....who doesn't in an mg right? Well I'll cut it short for now. Talk to you all
in the other forums.

Tracy

Hi, I am Ian and I am in the process of spraying my 1974 MGB Roadster in order to sell it and fund a MGB GT V8 conversion. Monies gained becomes the budget.

I have just bought a 1977 3.9 EFI Land Rover Discovery engine that has done 44,000 miles and pick it up tomorrow. I have also found a Rover Vitesse gearbox and bellhousing. So all need to do is sell the car and find a doner. Hoping to get a pre 72 car with bad engine as in the UK you don't pay road tax on older cars. However, I understand the rubber bumper cars to be the easiest to convert....and they tend to be cheaper.

Not too sure about the EFI stuff as it looks potentially tricky and expensive when it goes wrong. Wondered if a Holly or Weber is a better route.

Once I get the engine the next difficult bit will to get all the front end (SD1 timing cover) pulleys fitted and lined up.

Probably will be asking the forum a few questions as my project gets underway.

Regards Ian

Hi Ian,

I was wondering, in the UK is it possible to use a later body tub to repair an earlier MG, so you would have the rubber bumper engine bay on your pre '72 car?

Dan B

Hello enthusiasts! My name is Richard but I go by the nickname "Rolly" ( a shortening of my last name.) My very first sports car was a 1958 MG A which I bought while stationed in Charleston, SC in 1961. I participated in a lot of gymkhanas and literally wore it out. Traded it in on a brand new Austin Healy Sprite in 1962. In 1964 came my first child and for a while that was the end of two seat cars.

A few years later while stationed in San Diego I spotted an E-type Jaguar on a dealers lot. Well, I just had to have that bad boy - so much so that I overlooked some of the vehicles faults - as the saying goes "she'd been rode hard and put away wet". Many dollars and hours of frustration later I got rid of the Jag. It was a fun car when it ran correctly but that was seldom the case.

Fast forward to 2011 - thanks to eBay, an individual can purchase just about anything they can (or cannot) afford. My real passion was to acquire a 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette convertible. The reality is those cars still command a premium price - low mileage examples are in the $28-34K range and will probably appreciate in value as time goes on.

I do not recall how I got to looking at MG B’s but one day (March 20, 2011) I bid $1499.00 on one and won it (much to my surprise). On April 1, 2011 I got a ride to northern CA to meet up with the seller. During the usual interchange between buyer and seller, I inquired about the seller’s comment that “the lights were a little weird”. His response: “…they don’t work.” Now I’m faced with two choices; either go home without the car or drive it without lights. My ride was not returning to Winnemucca so the go home option was off the table. Being that it was fairly early in the day I decided to drive the car home. I used hand signals but I doubt anyone under 60 knew what the hell I was doing! The trip was uneventful otherwise.

While trying to sort out the lights that were a little weird I discovered that tugging on the engine compartment section of the wiring harness resulted in some items that had worked no longer did. Occasionally items that did not work would come to life and even the starter motor would kick in (fortunately I had the transmission in neutral). A visual inspection of the wiring revealed a number of splices, wires that had been disconnected or cut, and shabby insulation. The workmanship wasn’t anything to brag about either. After tugging on the harness I could no longer get the engine started. After several frustrating hours of “troubleshooting” I gave up. At that point I decided to begin the tear-down of the vehicle. The car is now in many pieces waiting to go on a rotisserie for sandblasting and paint preparation. I have a 5.0L engine and C4 transmission to install. For now I plan to keep the original rear end.

Welcome Rolly, old cars do tend to get the wiring harness messed up from wear and tear, but mostly from previous owners hacking into them for myriad reasons, there are several suppliers making conversion kits for V8s and V6 power on this site
and of course a lot of guys with answers to your questions, good luck !!
Dave Craddock

Hey, it looks like I found a site with people that think like I do!
My name is Rex and I like hot rod "furrin'" cars.

I'm not sure how I aquired this disease, but I have had it since I started driving as a teen.
I learned to drive in my Dads Plymouth Cricket, but the first car I bought was a '71 Simca. Both suffered from extreme lack of power. I think that this lead to my love of small cars that HANDLED. I didn't swap engines on either of those cars but always wanted to.

Several years later I started autocrossing and got hooked. I first joined SCCA in 1980. My autocrossing lead to roadracing and I raced Mazda rotaries for many years. Phil McConnell('74 Spitfire) was my crew chief and I helped him with some of his projects.

I currently have a 1970 Lotus Europa in need of a total restoration. The frame was rotted(on a VBritish car?) so I will be starting from scratch. My first thought was to stick a Mazda engine in there, but they are just so loud when they are making lots of power. And I am looking for gobs of power. So I am probably going to use a V8 of some type. I was looking at Audi engine and gearbox combo's but they really don't make enough power for me. So if I can figure out a trans(mid engine) that will hold up an aluminium block Chevy LS engine will probably be the best way to go. (And I could keep up with Phil)

I would love to hear from anyone with feedback, good or bad. Rex, from the south Black Swamp (OH).

This is where I found the Lotus after sitting for 20 odd years

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the whole forum thing so bare with me. I'm building a Mark 1 Ford Escort with a Rover V8. Only 3.5 at the moment with a bit of headwork, mild cam etc. Car will be used for hillclimbs, motorkhanas and annoying the neighbours. Parts and advice for these engines are a bit light on here in Victoria (Australia) so am looking at getting as much info and advice from this form as possible.

Car is still un-finished but is slowly progressing. These things take time and not to mention money!

Regards

Jason

Hi,

Just wanted to introduce myself to you folks, I'm a Brit living in Belgium,and over the years I've had a "sprog eyed fright" and a couple of MGB's, but career and a few country changes got in the way of things and they were all sold on. However........ I'm now at a point where I want to get a car that makes me grin, and having looked at many of the ( affordable) British and Italian older sports cars, I've sort of plumped for a TR and so started the Google journey, which is how I discovered this great site.

I really love the idea of older British sport car style but with updated technolgy (ie brakes and electrics that work ) and with a big American V8, what a perfect combination especially as I want a car use for "quick" reliable long distance touring ( the autobahns are only 45 minutes away !! )

Great site, great cars and some really passionate people, ruddy marvellous !!

Cheers

Barrie

ps - apologies to the moderator for my initial mis-posting

Hi newb here. Rick is my name and great forum you have here.

Recently picked up a 80 B with a Chevy 350 in it..

Here is a photo how it looked when I bought it..

Hello, my name is Andrew. I live in Moscow, Russia and yes, i'm russian. I have ended serving in the army forces two and half month ago and now re-entering my university, MAMI - Mos. Auto-Mechanical Inst.
Haven't got any british sport car, but old USSR mid-size sedan - GAZ 2410, '88 year. Have no photo yet, i'll make them, when everything will be ok with my education and i start restoration of the car. Very soon, in october.
Sorry for my english, if something wrong, i haven't much practice

Nothing wrong with your English, or your restoration project.
приветствовать , Andrew