MG Sports Cars

Hello everyone! My plan in the next 6 mos is to buy an MGB to begin a restoration/conversion project. I am trying to find out what would be a good year, or range of years to purchase that will involve the least amount of body work, in terms of firewall adjustments, moving dash etc for putting in a V6 or V8. I am a chrome guy, so I am obviously looking at pre-'74. Are there cars that you would recommend that I stay away from?
Thanks for the advice, I love seeing all of your cars, and all the info along with them. Very classy and full of character..no other cars compare!
Devon,
Oregon

A rubber bumpered MGB shell will provide more "under bonnet" room, especially at the firewall for either the V6 or V8 conversion.

Therefore, you need to look for a 1974-1/2 through 1980 MGB if you do not want to get involved with a lot of firewall prep.

Chrome bumper conversions can be done to these cars...but the amount of work there is probably as time consuming as the firewall prep on a chrome bumpered car.

Here's your rock.....here's your hard place. You choose your demon..

:)

The good news is you won't have to move the dashboard... hardly anyone does that unless they're making room to hide an air conditioning system. Rubber bumper conversion (as Rick brought up) is certainly feasible... but if you go that route you've got both bodywork (out where everyone can see it) and you'll also probably want to lower the car to chrome bumper height or even lower. Lowering the car has its own problems - you'll want to be careful not to add bump-steer. Doing it "right" costs money.

So, I guess my advice would be to shop around and weigh the pros and cons of all the available project cars - nearly any of them will work. (The "rarer" early cars with skinny tunnels and pull-handle doors will probably be prohibitively expensive anyway.)

Make sure to study all the How It Was Done articles. Lots of good information there, and as you'll see there are lots of ways to skin a cat.

Try to decide on a particular engine - and then we can give you more specific advice.

Curtis is right, everything, and I mean *everything* hinges on the engine choice. You have almost unlimited options though, from a dohc 4 up through a fire breathing big block, so choose wisely grasshopper. ;-) We are here to help. I'd suggest you consider the BOPR, the 60* V6, the Buick V6, the SBB and the SBF in that order. There is plenty to like about each of them.

Jim

My personal car is a 1980 MGB which will have the rubber bumpers removed someday to become a CB car or a bumper-less or some other system.

Take a look at dashboards, steering wheels, and other small items on the cars to see what you like. As far as dash design goes, I like the 1967 and older BUT most people find that converting those instruments costs far more so they install aftermarket gauges thus partially null-and-voiding the original dashboard appearance. My next dash recommendation is the 1977-1980 with the large gauges. This dash has quite a few aftermarket overlays and even just painted can appear very nice.

Even though you have to lower the late model cars, the 1977-1980 already have a rear anti-sway bar that doubles as an antitramp bar so if your not planning on putting money back there, this is worth keeping note.

I believe that most people who purchase an MGB to fix it up and install a large driveline are planning their own paint so why not get a car that needs to have a little external bodywork done and leave the engine bay more open- thus the later cars. I don't particularly care for the 1975-76 models. No rear and not even a Front anti-sway bar. The only years that came with none on the front. The engine bay in the rear is larger but the radiator is set further rearwards in the car like the older ones which makes it harder to use. IF you get a 77-80 and a 3.4L V6, you can use the stock radiator in most cases.

The late model cars can more readily be found without rust or less rust. California has such strict laws that you can pick late model Bs up from down there for a dime a dozen. I don't recall Oregon's laws but suspect that they are no wheres close to CA.

-BMC.

Hey guys, Brand spanking new here. been lost on the fiat forums for a while. I recently acquired a 77 mgb for 500 bucks off craigslist, complete except for interior, rear bumper and top. Even came with lots of goodies (dismantled trim) in the trunk, extra hood, and a self draining floor. The engine was just a few crossed wires from running w/ 4 spd trans. I purchased this poor soul with a 302..um no, a 347 conversion in mind and a desire to build the car to fit broad range of racing applications, mainly scca. Is there anyone who can give me some advice before I start hacking away at this car?

Welcome the the forum Phill.

The very best advice I can give you is to spend a whole lot of time working your way through our "How It Was Done" article library. Also, there are quite a number of Ford-specific articles in our searchable archive. (Look for articles by Pete Mantell, Larry Shimp, and Kelly Stevenson.) Finally, don't miss our annual meet next June. It's in North Carolina, and they'll be a bunch of Ford powered MGB's.

Re: "a broad range of racing applications"... Read the SCCA rules very carefully. Actually, you probably won't have to read their rules very carefully to figure out that a Ford-powered MGB roadster won't fit neatly into any of their class requirements. (Example: you take the car to an autocross and they classify your car as an "A-Modified" where you might find yourself competing against open-wheeled racecars on slicks and wearing wings.) There should still be a few fun places for you to race. (Hillclimbs?) But if you were building a Rover V8 powered GT you might have a lot more luck because there are already other folks racing those actively in SVRA ("Sportscar Vintage Racing Association") sanctioned races. Check out the recent article on Les Gonda's MGB GT V8 racecar for ideas: [www.britishv8.org]

Incidentally, you're our forum's 500th registered user. Congratulations!!! Sorry though, there's no prize.

Hi Phill,
I've done conversions on the early model and the later and from my viewpoint the late model like you have is a better choice. The Ford is probably a better choice as far as weight and size than the Chevys that I always use. I've used the stock suspension with an iron headed Chevy and it really wasn't too bad as far as being front heavy. The latest one has Jag rear and I'm in the process of putting a Vette front end under it. I thought about using a new Pinto style front end as the price is pretty good for what you get but wasn't sure what advantage it would have over stock or a factory engineered piece like the Vette that has proven itself countless times.
The Jag rear really made a tremendous difference in the ride and I expect the Vette front to really help the front end. Before putting the Vette front in it I was using spacers to mount the Vette wheels. Not sure exactly why but the front end felt pretty loose when getting up to any kind of speed. It was rebuilt and the shocks worked as good as something designed in the dark ages could be but still loose. Didn't like the whole idea of the spacers but the stance was exactly right. The Vette is pretty darn wide and I'll have to widen the fenders to accomodate the tires. The aluminum heads should help the weight off the front end but the Vette sway bar is about as heavy as the heads!

I was going to supercharge it now but decided I couldn't wait any longer to drive it so just the new motor and the LT1 heads on this teardown.

Good luck on your project!
Bill
[www.cardomain.com] [www.cardomain.com]






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2009 01:33PM by theonlyiceman53.

Devon & Phill,

I highly recommend that you purchase "How to Give your MGB V8 Power" 3rd edition by Roger Williams.

[www.amazon.com]

This will provide some extra insight in your early stages of decision making for the conversion.

Good Luck

Pete Mantell
www.mantellmotorsport.com