MG Sports Cars

Can I do an engine swap with a 1997 camero..3.8 motor, 6 speek tranny swap and use the wiring harness...?

If the motor will not work, can I use everything else, except for the motor..

please advise..

Drew

onebytesystems Wrote:
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> Can I do an engine swap with a 1997 camero..3.8
> motor, 6 speek tranny swap and use the wiring
> harness...?
>
> If the motor will not work, can I use everything
> else, except for the motor..
>
> please advise..
>
> Drew

No, but you can do the engine swap with a 1997 Camaro. Sorry. I had to- I used to spell it the same way.

6 speed? Nope. The 3.8L V6 came with the GM T5 5 speed right until the last car rolled out in 2002.

Wiring yes. Get ready for a chore.


A little more in depth:
The 3.8L V6 has been done in the MGB. A bit rare due to engine size and complication of wiring but yes, with the right shoe horn, money and time, the 3.8L will fit. The performance level of this motor over the 3.4L, the amount of work it takes to install and so on I don't believe is worth it since you are going to have to build everything yourself.

I have rewired a TR8 with a 1997 3.8L V6 out of the Camaro. The amount of wiring was kind of surprising, even to me. Lucky the TR* has a prety nice harness to tap into- quite modern if it were not for the glass fuses. There was quite a bit more in the wiring end of things with the 3.8 over the 3.4L but the fit into this TR8 was much better. I measured the engine bay space between the frame on the TR8- its about 10 inches wider!

You will also need to have the PCM hacked.

Long short- a 3.4L is far easier to use.

Finally, I am not sure what you mean by "everything else" but if this just means the T5 5 speed, then you can, but there are items on this such as the factory HTOB which your going to have to find someone to make a custom line and bleeder for (already looked into - not a 5 minute job) plus your going to have to use a VSS, the one that comes with it no matter what you want- not a bad thing, just locks you into this feature and different gauges. Overall, the 3.8L T5 is pretty nice but I can't say its 100% ideal with the bellhousing bolt pattern being the "Ford" type leaving only certain motors being able to connect easily and the stock HTOB which GM did a pretty good job of locking its potential aftermarket use out due to design. Can I see using these someday? Yes, for certain applications.

-BMC.

Thanks...
I could have gotten a 1997 Camero for 500 ...Guess I will have to pass up on that deal...

Thx

Yup, you may save about $500 to $1000 in the beginning but the extra work plus reprogramming and so on that you will NEED to get it up and running will kill the price difference fast.

-BMC.

You are correct....
Do you like the 3.4l conversion.....Is the car fast....Please let me know

Drew,

I am one of the guys that sells parts for the 3.4L Conversion. Yes, I like them. I am bias towards them too though!

An MG only has so much tire to put down to the pavement so unless you want to spend big money altering the car to get as fast as you can go, there is only so much useful BHP/Tq that a motor can develop.

Say from 0-50, a 150 BHP motor is going to do as well as a 1000 BHP motor with the same rear axle and tire combo.

From 50-100, the 1,000 BHP car should be able to pull away with no problems. Heck, there would be a huge difference with a 250 BHP car if Tq and EVERYTHING else is perfectly equal because besides for dealing with tires sticking to the pavement, the wind starts to hold a car back.

Top speed IF and only IF everything else is equal= torque, torque curve, tires, aerodynamics, and so on will make the high BHP car be much faster in the top end too.

A 150 BHP car will be faster than a 450 BHP car with the right tires, suspension and axle combo from 0-80 but the high BHP can pull ahead after this due to wind drag.

Definition of fast: Mine- yes, a 3.4L is fast. Its far quicker with the right suspension/axle combo. I suppose a 3.4L is fast enough to kill myself in but I always want more power. You will hear of guys claiming 300+ BHP in the MGB conversions- they still want more. This is very common in any type of car- the more you have, the more you'll want BUT you need to get the power to the pavement before considering that fire breathing LS1 conversion!

Also, one of the cars I had the opertunity to build went from a 3.4L SFI with stock V6 T5 and stock rear axle and mundane tires to a 3.42 LSD with some real nice rubber- it was better than adding 100 BHP to the car for me because you could actually use ALL the power you already had from a stop. What fun is it to say "I have 800 horse power" and then be beat by someone who has 200?

-BMC.

Rolls Royce used to advertise their horse Power as "Adequate" in their information. One of these meets, we are going to need to have a real electronic timer and time the distance and take offs between various cars- different power levels, different suspension and axles combos and so on. I suspect that the cars that will be fastest from a stop are not going to be the highest BHP but the best stick. I suspect that the highest BHP numbers may win top speed and far better 60-70-80+ MPH acceleration speeds.

I can also tell you that passing in most V6/V8 conversions are crazy fast in a short passing zone- like passing with a powerful motorcycle. Lets leave it at that.

-BMC.

doable and fun to do!!!!!!!!!! Vem

"No, but you can do the engine swap with a 1997 Camaro. Sorry. I had to-"

THANK YOU, Brian!

"An MG only has so much tire to put down to the pavement"

Yeah, but it's a BIG tire. ;)

Vem, Speak up. Did you ever post an article anywhere of the ins and outs of the 3.8L FI conversion? I think that would be an interesting article.


Carl, Thats no fair flaring!!! Cheater. I'm tellin' my Mom.

As soon as you consider flaring, you need to have a limited slip and the right gear ratios- there's a Chevrolet or Ford rear axle in your future, plus anti-tramp, a pan hard rod, potential anti-sway bar and big wheels. I am doing most of this to my car with no flares but this means that I am spending more then $20 for new brake shoes. I am spending and Carl too is spending thousands on the rear axle alone, and a thousand or so more on the rear suspension.

-BMC.

BMC Wrote:
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> Say from 0-50, a 150 BHP motor is going to do as
> well as a 1000 BHP motor with the same rear axle
> and tire combo.

As I keep reminding everyone, the accelerator pedal is not an ON-OFF switch - it can be modulated. A top fuel dragster has over 8,000 HP on tap, yet they get down the quarter in less than 4 seconds if the driver doesn't screw up and smoke the tires. Just because you CAN smoke the tires, doesn't mean you WILL!

> From 50-100, the 1,000 BHP car should be able to pull away with no problems.

Yep, and that's what I'm building for. I'm not looking for a dragster. I live in the mountains, and spaces for safe passing are usually short. My primary interest is in the 45-80 MPH range.

> there's a Chevrolet or Ford rear axle in your future, plus anti-tramp, a pan hard rod, potential anti-sway bar and big wheels

Like this?

BMC Wrote:
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I am
> spending and Carl too is spending thousands on the
> rear axle alone, and a thousand or so more on the
> rear suspension.
>
> -BMC.

Just to clarify,

That is our low-buck group project, the MG Roadmaster. The flares were donated by Rob Ficarola & Bill Young. The rear suspension/ rear axle is a Jag IRS donated by Dan Masters & modified by Jim Blackwood. The back wheels & tires pictured actually belong to Jim's personal MGB.

Hi Brian- This threads a year old, but you are right, I should be speaking up. Truth is the 2001 3.8 WITH the intact L460E pancake auto trans was not tuff to fit underbonnet. intunne. well tucked up, I used the cutdown Camaro rear axle, and cutdown driveshaft, a reflashed PCM to get off the VSS and mag key and limp mode, fabbed headers and kept the fore and aft O2, adapted the 45 pound Camaro EFI fuel pump=swirl to a new MGB tank, cenetered for the dual exhaust/Magnaflow.crossover. I adapt4ed the Camaro console/shifter between the Miata speaker headrest seats. The tunnel and FW neeeded only minor surgerey all smooted with reglassing for neat appearing, tactically rearanged, FW..
I went the 3.8 as it is underated at 200 hp out of box, and Sears rated one of the top 10 Best Engines of all times. I tried the T-56 as a maybe, but is was just too massive!, Still for sale for a song anyone wants it... maybe for a Midget application huh?. Vic

Heck- Whereas this is a 19 month old thread, is there more yak to be heard out there on the 3,8 II swap? Vic

Yeah. Where's the pics, Vic? :)