MG Sports Cars

Hi im thinking about picking up a 75 mg midget ( im pretty sure dont know to much about these cars yet its a 4cyl though) I was wondering whats involved in dropping a 302 small block ford out of a mustang with a 5 speed into one of these cars? Will it fit ? the cars going to be hot rodded so I just care about being able to get the engine and tranny in and have the steering work. Do they make kits that come with everything you need to do the swap or is it all costume fabrication ? and are there any websites that cater to these cars in after market performance and body? thanks for youre help I'm just trying to find out if my dream of a convertable mg with a 302 and a bm blower is possible.

Mike, welcome... not sure about a 302 in a midget, but a bunch of 302 MGB's have been done. Both are small 2 seater, 4 banger convertibles, the B is a little bigger. Take a look at the photo galery link at the top; lots of pics of both B's & midgets. Up till recently there's not been a kit for the 302, but Pete Mantell (Mantell Motorsports) has been working on one. Not sure if he has it ready yet or not but you can contact him through the sponsors link under the Magazine link above as well.

Mike, anything is possible, but not everything is reasonable. I've owned a Sprite at one time with a Chevy V8 in it and now have a 73 Midget with a Chevy V6. V8s will fit but they require a lot of cutting on the firewall and chassis and really intrude on the passenger compartment which is very limited to start with in a Midget. There are no kit's available for the Midget chassis for any engine swap as far as I know, you'd have to fabricate everything yourself. The Midget front suspension and brakes are marginal for the weight of a V6 and in my opinion not up to the weight of the 302 even with alluminum heads so all that would also have to be fabricated. Basically you'd wind up with a complete custom chassis and frame under the Midget body panels. If you have lots of money, time, and experience then I'd say go for it if that's what you really want, but the 302 into an MGB body is much easier and would give nearly as good performance while still being very comfortable to drive. If you like the Midget size and handling then consider a smaller engine such as the ones shown in the various photo pages in the newsletter, both Midget and Austin Healey Sprite which share a common chassis. You'll still get amazing performance from these without having to intrude on the passenger compartment so much as to make the car uncomfortable to drive.