Jack Renaud's 1980 MGB-LE with Rover 4.6L V8 Engine
Owner: Jack RenaudBritishV8 UserID: kayakjack
City: Dearborn, MI
Model: 1980 MGB-LE
Engine: Rover 4.6 aluminum V8
Conversion by: owner
| Engine: | Rover 4.6L aluminum V8, built by Woody Cooper at The Wedge Shop in Raynham MA.
Ported and polished cylinder heads.
Erson camshaft (285° duration, 0.504" lift @ 220°.)
Cloyes double roller timing chain.
Chevy valve springs.
Edelbrock Performer 2198 intake manifold and 500cfm carburetor.
D&D swivel oil filter mount.
Pertronix ignition.
Rover 3.9L timing cover. |
| Exhaust: | through-the-fender headers from TS Imported Automotive,
Jet Hot coated (through Exotic Coatings, Romulus, MI.)
Dual DynoMax mufflers.
Jack constructed dual, 304 stainless 2" OD exhaust pipes with an
"H" crossover, routed on either side of the centered fuel tank. |
| Cooling: | 18" wide by 15" tall 4-row brass radiator from D&D Fabrications,
with metal shroud (fabricated by Jack) and engine-mounted fan. |
| Transmission: | Borg Warner "World Class" T5 5-speed from a Chevrolet Camaro, rebuilt
with a unique 0.80:1 overdrive by Liberty's Gears in Taylor, MI.
Buick bellhousing. 22# flywheel. 10.4" clutch. Hydraulic throw out bearing.
2.50" diameter driveshaft.
Shortened gear shift lever (7.31" from pivot to centerline of shifter ball.)
by Jack. |
| Rear Axle: | narrowed Chevrolet S-10 housing, with 3.08:1 ratio and MGB-spec (4x4.5")
hubs, from D&D Fabrications. Chevrolet parking brake cable with D&D
Fabrications adapter kit to the standard MGB lever. |
| Front Susp.: | 480 lb front coil springs, 0.75" stabilizer bar, black polyurethane bushings. |
| Rear Susp.: | standard rear leaf springs with 1" lowering blocks.
Monroe tube shocks. 0.44" anti-sway bar. |
| Brakes: | stock MGB front disks, with stainless flex lines.
Chevy S10 rear drums. Proportioning valve. |
| Wheels/Tires: | MGB LE wheels from Victoria British. Pirelli Cinturato 185-70x14 tires. |
| Interior: | Alpine radio with Sony rear (80W) and Radio Shack (100W) front speakers.
Audiovox cruise control. Sound deadener throughout interior. |
| Weight: | approximately 2340 lbs. |
| Comments: | longitudinal hat-section members were installed from the rear spring mounts
to the jacking crossmember. Fuel, vapor and brake lines are all stainless.
The lines and underbody wiring have been routed away from the righthand
exhaust, vertically stacked along the inboard side of the rh longitudinal member.
The jacking crossmember has a removable center section. |
Rover 4.6L aluminum V8 engine.
D&D Fabrications brass MGB V8 radiator. Jack fabricated the custom fan shroud.
An AutoMeter oil pressure gauge has been incorporated into the windshield washer box.
Four-into-One "RV8 style" headers.
The headers are Jet Hot coated.
Bonnet supports are from Eclectic Motors, but the prescribed mounting points weren't used.
Instead, Jack installed them with improved geometry to keep the bonnet from twisting when
closing and still makes for easy access to the engine.
Accessory bosses on the Rover cylinder heads are located differently, compared to the bosses
on earlier versions of the aluminum V8, so a new set of alternator brackets was needed.
The upper engine stabilizer bracket was combined into the alternator bracket. A lower angle bracket
was welded to the lefthand frame rail. The engine torque required that angle reinforcements be added
(not shown). The link between engine and chassis is an aftermarket sway bar link (4" long).
Remote starter switch. (The tape was temporary.)
The original MGB slam panel has been cut-out, modified, and reinstalled in such a way that
it's now a bolt-in part. This makes pulling the engine much more convenient.
Lower tube shock holes moved rearward to slightly soften ride. DynoMax mufflers.
Jack is very enthusiastic about kayaking, so he has modified his MGB to include provisions
for transporting his Nigel Dennis kayak over land. Custom brackets attach to specially
reinforced mounting points here (in the cowl vent grille) and...
...on the rear deck. There is a C shaped brkt between this panel and the top of the wheel well.
This Welsh Griffin logo is a trademark of the Nigel Dennis kayak company.
Riverside Kayak, Wyandotte Michigan
Kayak Jack with his MGB V8, during the 2009 BritishV8 Meet in Durham NC
The following "How It Was Done" describes the previous engine installation...
Engine: Jack Renaud's 1980 MGB-LE with Buick 215 V8 Engine
as published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 2, September 2007Owner: Jack Renaud
City: Dearborn, MI
Model: 1980 MGB-LE
Engine: Buick 215cid aluminum V8
Conversion by: John Twist at University Motors
| Engine: | 215cid Buick, Erson 3/4 cam, Edelbrock carb & intake manifold, D&D
swivel mount oil filter, Pertronix ignition. |
| Exhaust: | through-the-fender-apron headers (coated), dual pipes without crossover routed
down the left side of the fuel tank. |
| Cooling: | 18" x 18" 4-row brass D&D radiator, with steel sheet metal shroud
(fabricated by Jack) and an engine mounted fan. |
| Transmission: | T5 Camaro with 0.63:1 overdrive and shortened gear shift lever (from the
pivot to centerline of the shifter ball is 7.31".) Buick bell housing with
removable cover. Lightened flywheel, hydraulic throwout bearing, 10.4" clutch. |
| Rear Axle: | narrowed Chevrolet 10-bolt from an S-10, with 3.08:1 ratio and standard (4x4.5)
MGB lug pattern. Chevrolet parking brake cable with D&D adapter kit to
the standard MGB lever. |
| Driveshaft: | 2.50" diameter. |
| Front Susp.: | 480 lb front coil springs, 0.75" front stabilizer bar, black polyurethane
bushings. |
| Rear Susp.: | standard rear leaf springs with 1" lowering blocks. Monroe tube shocks. 0.44"
stabilizer bar. |
| Brakes: | stock MGB front disks, with stainless flex lines. Chevy S10 rear drums. |
| Wheels/Tires: | MGB LE wheels (from Victoria British) and Pirelli Cinturato 185-70x14 tires. |
| Interior: | Alpine radio with Sony rear (80W) and Radio Shack (100W) front speakers.
Cruise control. |
| Weight: | approximately 2340 lbs. |
| Comments: | the initial V8 installation was done by University Motors, Ltd. (John Twist,
Ada, MI) using a complete powertrain from D&D Fabrications, Inc.
(Dan and Mark LaGrou, Almont, MI provided radiator-through-driveshaft.)
Many modifications have subsequently been made to improve the installation,
including specifically: the shift lever, shifter seal, electrical wiring,
radiator, heater hoses, fan shroud, lower shroud, the dual exhaust system,
the Chevy rear axle and parking brake, the Monroe rear shocks and lowering
to chrome-bumper height, etc. The transmission is presently being modified
to a 0.73:1 overdrive. |
Notice the short shifter lever, and how the cruise control switches are neatly recessed into the center console.
Jack Renaud with his 1980 MGB and his Nigel Dennis "Romany" kayak
