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steveb
Steve Beckham

(1 posts)

Registered:
01/05/2012 03:07PM

Main British Car:


Complete MGB V8 except monocoque
Posted by: steveb
Date: January 14, 2012 01:50AM

For Sale—Complete MGB-GT conversion except monocoque

Summary of components for sale—

Everything but the body—ready to bolt in and run pro-built Buick engine, bell housing, transmission, all mounts, cooling and electrical, complete front subrame, rear axle, custom panels, interior, wheels and tires—everything. Body/monocoque stays with me for a race car project. Spares include Olds 215, narrowed 8” Ford with new Currie limited slip never installed, and more.

Background and details—

The car was initially inspired by my friend Jim Stabe’s seminal MGB BuickV8 roadster he built 40 years ago when we lived in Denver. Years later I built and raced an SCCA E- Production MGB roadster for five years. It won Regional championships in SCCA and ICSSC and a berth at the SCCA national championships at Road Atlanta. During the last couple of years racing I was running against Joe Huffaker’s MGB and he built and started running a Triumph TR-8 with the Rover/Buick. That rekindled my interest in building a highway MGB-GT with a Buick/Olds configured with a nice wide power band and a stout overdrive transmission.

After selling the race car I bought a rust-free MGB-GT with no engine, hauled it to the shop and built the car seen in the photos.

The engine was built by Everett Hatch and Fred Lembkie at Hatch Engine Service where my race car engines were built. Everett built many SCCA national championship engines for SCCA door-slammers and formula cars alike for EP (Porsche), two pro Formula B titles (Ford); A Sedan (Chevy), IMSA (twin turbo Chevy) and Trans-Am Mercedes Benz for Neil DeAtley who eventually won the title with David Hobbs driving.

Everett and I eventually went into the aircraft engine business designing, building, dyno and test flying prototype aircraft engines. The upshot was that with business, there was never time to play with the MG. It has been carefully stored and tended in the hangar with the airplanes. My best guess is that it has approximately 10k miles on it since the V8 conversion.

Compared to a race car, the build objective for the configuration of “Little Red” was to combine components that provided exceptional tractability from idle upward with a broad power band.

The engine started as a 215 Buick and is now 220.4 cubic inches, with Forgedtrue pistons, Erson Cam, flow improved cylinder heads with degreed valve pockets and large intake and exhaust valves; align honed; balanced and blueprinted with lightweight McLeod steel flywheel with HD clutch; MSD ignition box.

Everett designed the Tri-Y header/exhaust with primary tube area equal to the port. This maintains highest possible velocity through the 2-in-to-1 primaries that feed through the inner fender panels and in to the low back pressure side pipes shown. The side pipes built by Steve Tepper at Performance Engineering have integral straight-through mufflers and tunable Super Trapps. No more hassles trying to route and fit mufflers and exhaust under the car. Sounds superb with just the right amount of cam overlap at idle and improved aerodynamics as well.

Uses either super or regular fuel. Wonderful no-fuss combination of torque and tractability for street and highway work. Pulls away non-plussed from a full stop in either second or third gear. It is so good throughout the range, from idle on, feed it throttle at low rpm in any gear and it just pulls away, even on regular gas.

Steve Tepper also built the 4-speed planetary overdrive Saginaw transmission that is switched using the standard MGB overdrive stalk on the steering column. Electric operation provides clutchless upshifting from the direct drive selected. Due to the wide power band, the transmission technically provides 8 forward speeds.

As shown in photo, positive pressure cold air induction by front plenum feeds Carter four barrel.

Nice engine set-back with low engine location and c.g. puts Olds pan flush with bottom of front subframe and hood closure with no need for hood bulge.

Large diameter driveshaft; complete MGB rear axle/diff and springs included with r side panhard bar attachment, lower rear trailing arms and heim-jointed anti-roll bar.

Complete front sub-frame assembled—Nylatron suspension bushings; brakes, springs; steering, large dia anti-roll bar with heim attachment and engine mount.

Complete cooling system with sealed/polished front plenum feeding thick dual-pass radiator with both puller and electric front pusher fans; custom composite rear radiator shroud and Corvette Harrison recovery tank.

Recaro driver’s seat; carbon-composite center console cover with MG logo; all wheels/tires.

Everything goes.

Spares include disassembled 215 Olds engine hot tank cleaned, extra Saginaw four speed overdrive, new annular throwout bearing in box, new MGB tube rear shock conversion in box and narrowed 8” Ford housing--shortened Dutchman axles with new Currie third member/differential limited slip-- never installed.

Located Canby (suburb of Portland), Oregon.
Make reasonable offer. Steve Beckham, 503-704-7560
Little Red 1.jpg
Little Red 2.jpg
Little red 3.jpg


weinerdog500
lonnie kinser
portland or
(9 posts)

Registered:
02/14/2009 01:43PM

Main British Car:
1974 mgb buick/rover 305 ci

Re: Complete MGB V8 except monocoque
Posted by: weinerdog500
Date: June 24, 2012 03:45PM

Hi Steve, we talked a few times years ago. I saw your ad and am interested. I was just looking for a motor. Do you still have these parts? Lonnie


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: Complete MGB V8 except monocoque
Posted by: Moderator
Date: June 24, 2012 04:01PM

Lonnie, you might want to try using the forum's Private Message system. At the bottom of Steve's initial post, look for the Options line and click on the words "Reply via PM". The message board software will then send Steve an e-mail, so he'll know he has a message from you. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait and hope that he checks back here. Good luck!


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