Project Journals

Owner: Erich Starzinger
City: Atlanta
Car Model: 1974 1/4 MGB (Mirage)
Engine: 1994 GM L32 3.4l V8

Cooling: Stock (for the moment)

Exhaust: TBD

Transmission: Toyota W58

Rear Axle: Tube axle w/ 3.31 gears

Front Susp.: Stock

Rear Susp.: Guzman 4-link

Brakes: Stock
(master)
(front)
(rear)

Wheels/Tires: 15" Nissan 280ZX Turbo

Body Mods: None (yet)

Interior: Navy carpet and panels, Fiero seats

Electrical: Advanced Autowire. Gauges are Speedhut

Here's the car. I get a lot of odd looks with the color.


The bellhousing came from a 1990 Jeep Comanche. The W58 from a Toyota Celica Supra.


The flywheel is a stock Camaro flywheel re-drilled for a Toyota Supra 3.0 NA clutch.



Here's the engine assembled. When I fitted it in my test mule the stick comes out almost exactly the same as the stock location.


Been through a couple of re-designs of the pilot bushing that will compensate for the input shaft being an inch shorter than the one the bell housing was designed for (the AX5). The one I've settled on is 1 3/4" long by 20mm wide, turn from 316 stainless steel. This in turn has been counter bored for a piece of oil-impregnated sinctered bronze of 15mm OD and 12mm ID that I got from LM-Tarbell.


I am going to use a MKIV dash instead of the Abbington pillow for the extra gauges. The gauges as all Speedhut except the ammeter which is Clasic Instruments (note - the ammeter has been replaced with a vacuum/boost meter as I can see a turbo in the medium future). The speedometer is GPS so I don't have to figure out how to interface with the transmission.


Here's the engine bay. Note the BFH work needed for the engine to fit.


The sills, floor pans, interior firewall, rear ledge and battery boxes were treated with a special rust inhibitor/treatment that cost $100/pint. After the car is painted, the pans, sills and firewall will get a coating of two-part urethane bedliner. The painter says if the pans rust, it won't be because water got to them from the top (lol).




Here's the car with one coat of paint. It's getting two more, and then three of clear coat.


Here she is on the way home.


And now the fun begins... It's hard to tell but Mirage is going to get a navy blue interior.


This is a test fit of the dash. My motto has always been there is no such thing as too many gauges or too much horsepower. One note on the console - I am not installing the heater core or ventilation controls so holes on either side of the Peachtree MG Registry medallion will be filled with a cigarette lighter and a dual USB socket.


To simplify the underdash wiring with all the aftermarket gauges, I have installed marine type busbars for switched and direct power, and ground.


To make sure I can cool the V6 on a sweltering Atlanta day, I'm looking at a fan from a Volvo S70. It will be tight but should work with some modication to the radiator support and fan shrould. Note - changed to a smaller Hayden fan so i can use the Moss shroud an need be.


Got the parts back from Custom Coaters of Atlanta. The black will really pop against the mauve engine compartment.


Here's my modified center console. One side is a cigar lighter (mostly for the GPS) and the other side is a dual-USB socket. The center is a grill badge I used to cover the hole.


Now that I've started to do the wiring, I've decided to use Delphi Weatherpack connectors for the most part. I like the idea of using water resistant connectors. I'm also running the loom to the back of the car through the passenger compartment. The engine side loom I am running through the fender well. That way the engine compartement will look relatively clean.

Fabricated a mounting plate for the washer pump and for an inertial safety switch (fuel pump cutoff). I could have found a place inside for the inertial switch but no good place stood out, and the engine compartment was the easy choice. Added a fuel pump cutoff switch and bump starter. Those were suggested as good ideas for when working on the engine.




I've decided to use a Hayden 291 remote oil filter adapter. Together with some plumbing fittings from Ace Hardware I hope the oil temp and oil pressure sensors with work in it.

Scratch the remote oil filter. Mounting the remote filter got complicated as too many things were wanting to go in the same area. A friend found a site in Canada that sold an adapter (and kits for the transverse V6's) that points the oil filter straight down so I'm going that way. The oil temp sensor moves to the block and oil pressure sensor to driver's side head.


After much heart burn I decided to dump the AC/Delco alternator. The battery post on the alternator was just too close to the valve cover for comfort. After looking around, i settled on the Nippon Denso unit fitted to a Geo Metro/Suzuki Swift 1.3L 3 banger. The unit is 2/3 the size of the Delco unit and puts out 55A. It comes with either a v-belt , 3 rib or 4 rib pulley, and best of all the battery post is on the side. Also, it uses GM style mounts (3 ears) so adapting it to the car is simple.


Mounted, the alternator fit very nicely. I did have to drill out two of the ears to fit the M12 bolts the engine required.


Decided that the stock SU fuel pump wouldn't deliver quite enough gas so I've replaced it with a Carter P4070 rotary pump using the stock MG pump bracket.


I've relocated the battery to the engine compartment. I could do this by switching to a Miata battery (Group 51R). The CCA calculators says it has more than enough CCA's for the engine. I wll ground the battery to the inner fender well. I will be adding a bracket or strap as added protection from the batter sliding forward. I will also add some packing to keep the battery from sliding sideways. Note - the thread rods use existing capture nuts.


This may be the best bodge of the build, if it works out. A Lexus SC300 crossmember is just the right size to sit in an MGB crossmember with a little judicious grinding. I'll have to drill new holes in the rails and move the nut plate down.




Edited 17 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/2022 12:16AM by EKStarzinger.

!