Healey Sports Cars

Have obtained a 62 3000 BT7 less engine & trans. Mostly complete, needs floor & trunk panels. I am considering using a GM atlas I-4 or I-5 with wiring harness from donor vehicle. But have a few questions regarding the steering. I would like to switch to rack and pinion steering. With the narrow track options are limited. I am considering a non-power unit out of a chevette. The track is almost identical and both have front steer. Not looking for a speed demon, just a reliable driver. Any comments regarding the engine & trans swap, or the proposed steering.
Looking forward to any and all comments

I just googled the I4 I5 engine and they look like they might be a good choice. Being that both are DOHC you should check out engine height issues if you do not want to modify the hood. I have no idea how tall these engines are.
I am wondering if an MGB rack and pinion unit would work in the Healey.

I4 185 hp and 190 ft/lb torque
I5 242 hp and 242 ft/lb torque

You might as well go for the I5 and enjoy the extra 57 hp!

Cheers
Byron

Welcome to BritishV8!

You're definitely one for thinking "outside the box" and I'll be excited to see what you come up with. I didn't know GM made five cylinder engines until this thread. As an enthusiastic owner of two Volvo five cylinder engines, I'm not prejudiced against that format. As Byron advised, you'll want to check height carefully.

It would never occur to me to use anything from a 'vette. It might work fine, but in any case I'd start by having a look through our Photo Gallery to see what other Healey owners here have used for their rack-and-pinion conversions. I know Richard Wright used an MG Midget rack and Norm Rest used an MGB rack. You'll find photos of those and others. One small advantage of the MGB rack is that it came with two different gear ratios depending on model year, although I believe all aftermarket MGB racks use the later ratio. The earlier ratio is quicker.

Thanks for the input. I will have to check out the height. by the way gm also makes a I-6 engine. As far as the steering goes i'll check into the MGB rack unit. Will keep you all posted on progress with obtaining an engine and steering options.

You all were so right, the GM I series engines are very tall, in fact I will not be able to use one as it would be 6" above the hood. I don't want to do all the modifications to the body, so I guess I will continue my search for an alternative engine. Still would like to go with a straight 6 cylinder rwd engine v/s a v engine. But may have to go with a v-6, possibly 4.3 gm.

If you want to go with a straight six go and check the project called "poor man's Healy" this thread is the oldest thread in the project journals on page 4. Bill Young just passed away a while ago and this engine and transmission may be for sale. This drivetrain would be in Kansas. If an 87 jeep straight six fits under the hood of an MGA then you could go with a newer one (mid 90's to early 2000's) and go with fuel injection. These motors are very good and put out around 200 horses with lots of torque.

Cheers
Byron

If you're going to do a unique swap, be prepared for all the trailblazing that goes along with it like figuring out and fabricating motor and tranny mounts, etc. One I6 swap that has been done pretty often and is almost a bolt in (IIRC the original motor mounts can be used) is the Nissan motor and transmission: [bringatrailer.com] Finding a motor not needing a rebuild might be a bit hard, though. If I were doing a six cylinder swap into a Healey I'd look hard at the BMW "M" motor as done in this TR6 swap (don't know of anyone who's done it yet on a Healey, though)
[www.davintosh.com]

Here's some info on using an MGB rack: [www.modifiedhealeys.org]

Aluminum cylinder heads are available for the small Ford 6's (up to 250 ci). These engines are already light weight with a cast iron head. To use the aluminum head would require inlet manifold fabrication, maybe for 3 SUs, 3 Webers, or FI. Heads are available from Classicinlines. Their dyno results show over 300 ft lbs torque is possible...

Another vote for the Ford six, There is also the Aussie crossflow head. I had a few threads on the mgexperience board. Very compact motor for a six. The Fox body Mustang had the 200 cu. in one.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2014 05:11PM by mgb260.

Hey Dave,
I just happen to have a 62 3000 in the shop right now.
I totally agree that you need a straight six in that car.
It looks like you have 20'' from the crank centerline to the lowest part of the hood.
That allows a lot of engine choices. My favorite would be the Jag six. An eyeball measurement says it would fit. I can check it further if you are interested.
# 2 would be the Toyota Supra engine/s in all of their many guises. They are absolutely bulletproof and powerful. The standard trans is small enough to fit and aftermarket support is huge.
#3 I think would be one of the BMW sixes, although they are a little sensitive to overheating.
No really sure that I would consider a pushrod mill. Seems like a lot of work just to emulate the original engine. At this point it's not a restoration it's a hotrod so might as well get on with it!
Cheers
Fred

Under "dare to be different", there are slant 4's and 6's., to clear that bonnet.

Just though of another contender.
The old pontiac OHC six.
Good looking powerful engine, and any GM trans that you want.

The Pontiac OHC 6? Sounds like the good old days of Car and Driver when they used to do crazy stuff (and it was fun to read) like drop that motor into an E-Type: [www.curbsideclassic.com] My Dad had the Sprint version of the OHC 6 in a '67 Pontiac LeMans. 230 C.I., 215 hp with a 4 bbl carb. 10.5:1 CR and it hated anything but Sunoco 260. Cool motor, though: [www.curbsideclassic.com]

I found the perfect rack and pinion for a big Healey,an Opal GT or Manta from around 1973 era. The inner pivots are narrow enough to get no bump steer. and the tie rod ends are the same taper and diameter as the stock steering arms. it is a front steer rack. Be carefull there is a lot of math to putting in a new steering rack and getting it right. I lowered all the control arm pivot points on my BN2 and replaced the lever shock with a tubular A-arm. My calculations will not work for your application. The way to figure it out is to plot all the pivot points of the control arms and draw lines across the car to a point they intersect. Call this the instant center. Draw a line from the pivot point on the steering arm to the instant center. Draw lines between the upper and lower control arms inner and outer pivot points. Where this line crosses the line from the steering arm to the instant center is the point that you want the inner pivot point of your rack.

Have been a little busy lately and had almost forgot about my earlier post. I have little progress to report at present. I didi manage toget a complete jeep. It is a 99 model with 4.0 I-6 with fuel injection. Plan is to use engine, trans, and electrical. Still havn't settled on a rack & pinion unit. With the weather cooling down a bit should be able to get outside and do a little on the Healy. Will try to take a few pics and keep you up to date on my progress Dave