Jim Stuart's 1973 MGB-GT with Buick 300 V8
as published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XIV Issue 2, August 2006Owner: Jim Stuart
City: Montgomery Village, MD
Model: 1973 MGB-GT
Engine: Buick 300
Conversion performed by: Owner
| Engine Mods: | 0.060" over bore (to 308cid), 9.8:1 compression, built by D&D. Big valves & lots of head work. |
| Ignition: | stock Delco dizzy with Pertronics conversion. |
| Intake/Carb: | 500 CFM Edelbrock. |
| Cam: | 50232 Crower, lumpy. |
| Cooling: | oversize aluminum radiator made possible by cutting & boxing frame per Mikel Moor's example.
("I used 16ga galvanized to make a "C" channel which lined the frame cuts & became a bottom
channel for the rad to sit in.") |
| Exhaust: | custom dual exhaust (exiting on either side of centered gas tank),
Rv8 style headers, 1 5/8" tubes. |
| Transmission: | Borg-Warner T-5, 0.063:1 5th gear. |
| Clutch: | McLeod HTOB, stock Chevy S-10 clutch. |
| Driveshaft: | custom. |
| Rear axle: | Ford 8", 3.55:1 gears, Auburn limited-slip. |
| Front susp.: | stock MGB. |
| Rear susp.: | fiberglass springs, traction bars, tube shocks, Panhard rod (all supplied by "British Automotive".) |
| Brakes: | (front) big brake conversion from TSI, (rear) stock Ford, with Locar cut-to-fit parking brake cables. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Datsun 280 Z Turbo 15" x 6.5" wheels. Yokohama tires: 195/65/15 (front), 215/60/15 (rear).
Rear wheel arches radiused to clear without using flares. ("I took my trusty Sawzall
and cut the arches round instead of flat topped. This allowed larger tires to clear
without flares, and for the front & rear wheel openings to match like on the '73-'74
round wheel arch Midgets.") |
| Electrical: | Autometer Ultralite gauges including electric speedo, air/fuel meter. LED third brake lamp. |
| Body & interior: | bumpers & side trim removed, Sebring rear valance, ST front spoiler. Miata seats,
custom dash made by stripping a 1977 dash, figured Anigre veneer over bending-plywood
commercially spray-glued to metal dash. Air conditioning. |
| Comments: | after completing the conversion, an oil cooler was added as oil temps were
approaching 240 degrees. Cooler dropped oil temp to 200-210 degrees. |
| Completed: | 2003. |
| Miles Since Conversion: | approximately 35K (as of the British V8 2006 meet) |
