MG Sports Cars

engine swaps and other performance upgrades, plus "factory" and Costello V8s

Go to Thread: PreviousNext
Go to: Forum ListMessage ListNew TopicLog In


robert1839
Tristan Cook
5579 Timber Ridge Dr, Mt Vernon, Skagit, Washingto
(118 posts)

Registered:
05/06/2013 11:11PM

Main British Car:
MGB GT 1972 Buick 215

recommendations for parts
Posted by: robert1839
Date: March 03, 2017 01:49AM

So i am starting my v8 project again, i have more time and money now we will see if it gets done this time round.

Im looking into radiators. I want a good one that will cool the engine really well as i don't want overheating issues. I can find a ton of ebay radiators but i question their quality and how they will hold up. No point in buying the cheapo then drive over the pass and over heat. Plus it looks like the radiator will have to determine how i cut and fabricate a mount for it in the car and i don't want to spend hours fabricating just to tear it apart and build a new one when the cheapo craps out. So a good sized one for the space that we don't have that's made by a good brad. If anyone has one they recommend that be awesome. I plan on running an electric fan on this system if that makes a difference.

Radiator hoses, does anyone know a company who makes custom hoses formed to fit your set up? I hear of companies that do that, they send out a kit of plastic bits and u make your hoses. then send in your plastic lego hoses and they send back a formed hose for your car.

After taking my olds 215 to the shop for work i later found out on a different project that mechanism was a good guy back in the day and now he just does awful work and has had many problems 3 of which i found out the hard way. So i haven't assembled my 215 yet so i took it to a different shop in which i found out 4 cylinders had low vacuum on the valves which i just spent 400$ on new seats, valves, valve stems and stem seals. Oh well having them redone with this new shop. the block also inspected by the bad shop i was told was in perfect health, after talking with the new shop the cylinders are all worn past their specs and one even has pitting that .040 over may not fix. No way to tell till we bore it out for sure but another 100$ for a block inspection down the drain. Oh well i'll take the losses over assuming the engine was good and blowing that up to.

So any how the question i have is there a sleeve you can install if .040 isn't enough? Are there pistons available in .060 over? I saw on D&D there was but i have no idea if they are in stock or even made anymore. Is it even a good idea to run up to .060 over? They are just sleeves i have no idea how the different expansion rates will affect this if they do at all. The shop is still going to check inside the water jacket and see if there is excessive pitting on the outside of the sleeves. Any options? Should i run anything that over if i have to?


Note: I have gone over this to check the grammar and punctuation to the best of my abilities to make it as easy to read as possible, however being dyslexic and knowing what im trying to say i do miss things so bare with me.


tr8todd
Todd Kishbach

(390 posts)

Registered:
12/04/2009 07:42AM

Main British Car:


Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: tr8todd
Date: March 03, 2017 06:53AM

Granted you are on the opposite side of the country from me, but I have a couple of Oldsmobile engines in pieces. They came with a project car I picked up last summer. One of the engines has all new go fast parts still in boxes along with a prepped block and worked heads. The engine came with a dry sump system that was suppose to go onto the prepped engine to gain ground clearance. The car is basically a 2 seat aluminum monocoque race car thingy built to receive a custom body for the street. Its a real high tech piece, albeit late 70's early 80's high tech. Previous owner passed away before it was finished and it sat for a long time before I picked it up. It also came with another block and heads that were used to mock up the engine inside the car. If your willing to pay cross country shipping, I'll let all of it go for a very reasonable price. At the very least, I can ship you the bare block that was used as a mock up engine. Certainly cheaper than doing sleeves.


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

authors avatar
Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: Moderator
Date: March 03, 2017 10:02AM

Tristan, it's great to see you back!

With regard to radiator hoses... It's very like you'll be able to use off-the-rack hoses from your local auto parts store. Once your engine and radiator are bolted in, mock up the required shapes by forming and trimming pieces of coat hanger wire so they show the centerline of the shapes you need, then take those models to the store. Many of the hoses you find at the store will seem way too long, but that's a good thing because you're looking for hoses you can trim to usable sections.

Just as an example - since my radiator ports are probably in a totally different place than yours will be - I found that the following hoses fit my needs nicely: Dayco hose #70635 for 1970-1979 Camaro and Monte Carlo (for the top) and hose #71013 for 1969-2006 Ford Mustang (for the bottom).

If you're less lucky and you don't find hoses that fit nicely from port to port, you can buy two hoses and make them work with a splice in the middle. There are lots of examples in the Photo Gallery. Here are two examples of good splices:

(to see video about Gates PowerGrip splice, click here)
BrianLaine-BU.jpg

(here's an example splice with a port for venting air from the top hose... you can buy these)
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/RobertMilks/RobertMilks-E.jpg

more info on splices here: [forum.britishv8.org]

With regard to radiators... I'd recommend studying the Photo Gallery. Lots of alternative suppliers and even part numbers are shown there, plus pictures! Three clues: (1) maximizing airflow through the radiator is the key to good cooling system efficiency, (2) any radiator will work a whole lot better of you block air from flowing around it rather than through it, and (3) Buick 215s are relatively easy to cool, so you don't need a particularly large or exotic radiator. (Good, clean, original copper/brass MGB radiators fitted with oversized ports have been used successfully.)


robert1839
Tristan Cook
5579 Timber Ridge Dr, Mt Vernon, Skagit, Washingto
(118 posts)

Registered:
05/06/2013 11:11PM

Main British Car:
MGB GT 1972 Buick 215

Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: robert1839
Date: March 03, 2017 10:58AM

How much are u willing to part with some of those parts ,todd?


robert1839
Tristan Cook
5579 Timber Ridge Dr, Mt Vernon, Skagit, Washingto
(118 posts)

Registered:
05/06/2013 11:11PM

Main British Car:
MGB GT 1972 Buick 215

Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: robert1839
Date: March 03, 2017 11:01AM

Curtis, thanks i had some schooling i did in arazona for 1.5 years and im back now with a good job that can afford to finally finish this project.

i have thaught about going to the parts store and looking at there stock i just didnt think id get close enough. Ill definitely give it a shot. As for the rads in the galleries i see the brands and such im just wondering how they lasted over time most the pictures i see they are bran new.


tr8todd
Todd Kishbach

(390 posts)

Registered:
12/04/2009 07:42AM

Main British Car:


Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: tr8todd
Date: March 03, 2017 10:33PM

All the go fast stuff has to stay together as a package because it seems that a lot of thought went into how to do the heads to match the lift on the cam etc. Heads have what I think are Volvo adjustable rocker arms, and double row valve springs. There are also ARP bolts, lightened rods, brand new +20 Egge pistons, new high lift cam and lifters. Honestly the 2nd block is just in my way and might get melted down soon. There were 4 or 5 Buick engines that somehow found their way into my garage last summer as well. There is basically a pickup truck bed full of Buick/Olds stuff I'll never use. I have zero interest in putting together a full tilt 3.5L. Did just rebuild a 4.6 for one of my TR8s, but that very well may be the last one I ever do. One guy came to buy it all and left overwhelmed rethinking his V8 conversion plans. You know how it is. People think that once they have an engine, the rest of the parts are easy. Once they understand the scope of all the parts they have to acquire, they bail. If you seriously think you might want to ship a bunch of this stuff or just the spare block, send me a PM with your email. I can send some pictures. Talked in length to a couple of board members about this stuff. Nothing ever came of it except for lots of my time spent making lists and taking pictures... Time I honestly don't have to spare. If I had the time, this stuff would have all gone on Ebay one item at a time.


TC
Thomas Canty

(14 posts)

Registered:
04/25/2017 02:02PM

Main British Car:


Re: recommendations for parts
Posted by: TC
Date: May 28, 2017 05:54PM

Depending on what you find for a radiator, you can maximize the hose splice by fitting a remote aluminum filler neck and pressure cap. Often times with a radiator swap they end up sitting low and at an angle making filling and burping the air out of the system difficult. With the remote filler neck splice, you usually have it a higher point.

Forget about any more work and money put into that engine. The bad cylinders might just be the tip of it all. Work a deal with Todd for a bare block at least. If you know anyone in the area who can drive by and get the parts for you, pick up more than the block. The best bet is to grab up a big lot, you'll need much more than you realize. Even the tiny stuff like an oil pump housing with the right angle to fit and not hit or the water neck that points in the right direction can add up and be difficult to find. The parts are most likely cheaper in bulk and more numerous than you'll come across anywhere else.

Aluminum radiators are available everywhere these days for short money, They all work well, but often you have to re-work the brackets even if they say that they're a perfect replacement fit. Measure what you need and what will fit, hit Ebay or Amazon and grab the one that nest suits your needs. Pay attention to the outlet/inlet size and positioning. I thought that I'd found the perfect radiator for my MGA project until I hit some of the forums and read that the bottom outlet would almost hit everything up front. No room to attach the hose.



Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.