Rick and Andrew Huber's 1975 MGB with TR8 3.5L V8
(originally published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume 8 Issue 1)
By: Rick and Andrew Huber
City: Baton Rouge, LA
Model: 1975 MG MGB
Engine: 1981 TR8 3.5L V8
How It Was Done
| Car: | 1975 MGB that had the engine/transmission removed for a rebuild in 1984 and left sitting since.
It had been kept in an aircraft hanger and amazingly here in Louisiana, it was virtually rust
free - a couple of little spots that repair and Waxoyl will hopefully permanently eliminate.
Bonnet was damaged and replaced. |
| Engine: | Rover 3.5L V8 from a wrecked TR8 with 15,000 miles. Rebuilt by John Roper as a spare for his
TR8 race car. Hotter cam, narrowed oil flow passages, and new rings and bearings. Bought engine
with GM water pump and distributor. Had to later buy a shorter nose water pump and different
distributor because the drive gear/oil pump tang didn't work in the Rover block. Engine mounts
from Glen Towery - non A/C version. |
| Transmission: | Rover 5 speed from the same wrecked TR8. Rebuilt by John Roper. Also purchased clutch, bellhousing,
and flywheel with the set-up. Transmission mounts from Glen Towery installed on modified MGB transmission
support crossmember. It really took a tremendous amount of work to alter the transmission tunnel
enough to fit the transmission - first two trial fittings were unsuccessful and I ended up chiseling
out the ridge because hammering just wasn't going to do it. |
| Clutch: | TR8 with new MGB master cylinder and TR6 slave cylinder purchased with adapter hose from Glen
Towery. Silicone fluid.
|
| Drive Shaft: | Rover, set up by Glen Towery.
|
| Rear End: | stock 3.9:1 MGB with Rover driveshaft flange. 1st gear is a little short and 5th turns the engine
3700rpm at 70mph. I may swap it out with a 3.09 rear end after a couple years.
|
| Exhaust: | mild steel block hugger headers from Kirk Racing, via David Griffith. Single baffle Flow Master
muffler with custom installation at a local Midas shop. Impressive sounding machine.
|
| Induction: | Buick aluminum intake manifold and Carter 500 carburetor, with electric choke, from Woody Cooper
of the Wedge Shop. Heat shield, necked down to 400cfm with Glen Towery adapter plate, Mr. Gasket
low rider air filter. Originally bought a Holley 390 carburetor, my preferred choice, but with
3/4" adapter needed to mount the Holley to the intake manifold, the hood would not close. So I
switched to a Carter which needed no adapter plate.
|
| Fuel System: | replaced gas tank with non-vented '68-'69 vintage tank and removed canisters. Drilled hole in
non-vented gas cap. Original sending unit and gauge. Borg Warner continuous run fuel pump with in line
filters before and after pump.
|
| Cooling System: | late model MGB radiator modified for V8 installation. Short nose Rover water pump with 45 degree
heater outlet nozzle from Glen Towery. Metal fan on water pump pulley. Crankshaft pulley reground
by Glen Towery to match alternator and water pump pulleys. Temperature switch to run 12" front
mounted electric fan that may not be enough to cool once the water warms up. I may switch to
the stock fans. MGB temperature sending unit adapted to the Buick intake manifold and to the MGB
gauge. |
| Electric System: | Rover alternator on a Glen Towery mounting adapter. Switched to the smaller gear reduction starter
from Dan LaGrou after the larger, cheaper GM starter solenoid failed and I disassembled it in place
to remove it. Stock MGB coil. Accel silicone spark plug wires. |
| Distributor: | Mallory electronic ignition distributor with 3-wire hookup from Woody Cooper. GM distributor needed
a longer drive gear to turn the oil pump, realized very late in project, and I switched rather than
trying to fix it. Anybody need a GM distributor? |
| Suspension: | stock MGB shocks. 2" lowered springs front and rear from Moss. Bought a used set of Addco sway bars
for front and rear but later found that they are for an earlier model car so not installed yet. I have
the traction bars/torque arms from Glen Towery but not installed yet. I don't do cutting and welding.
|
| Wheels/Tires: | 15 x 5.5" Minilites from Moss with 195/50 - 15 Z-rated Bridgestone Potenza tires. Very sticky but
probably won't last very long. I went with the 15" wheels to lower RPM a bit on the highway. They look
marvelous on the black car. |
| Brakes: | rebuilt MGB master cylinder, new slave cylinders, rebuilt calipers, new hoses, semi-metallic pads/shoes
and silicone fluid. With the car lighter than the stock 4-cylinder engine, I don't see any reason to
upgrade the brakes. Just make sure they are in top condition.
|
| Instruments: | stock speedo and tach, rebuilt and recalibrated by Palo Alto Speedo. All other instruments are stock. |
| Interior: | bought the 70-80 biscuit leather seat and interior kit from Vicky Brit through Dick Burger of the British
Parts Connection. Biscuit zip out rear window from Moss.
|
| First Impression: | the car looks stunning in all black/biscuit. Bumpers are painted to match the car color, and the lowering
and adding the Minilites really make the car look spectacular. The handling is tight and crisp much better
than I expected with a rubber bumper car. It's a little rough, but there's less body roll and it really
sticks to the road due to the lowered suspension and sticky tires. |
| Estimated Cost: | approximately $13,000, including body work, paint, leather seats, and all new interior as well as the
engine / transmission conversion. My original budget was $8,000. It's amazing how much I spent on little
bits and pieces that I didn't consider originally. More time reading and planning would have helped.
I wouldn't have started the project if I had thought it would cost $13,000, but once near the end I
couldn't stop and ended up buying the more expensive Mallory distributor and gear reduction starter
for easier access / better reliability.
Overall it's been a great project and such a thrill to have given an abandoned MGB new life, with the engine British Leyland should have provided us years ago. |
Lessons Learned:
This is a great project for me and my teenage son to do together. Like the Master Card commercials, the
time with him and the memories are priceless. We have both learned a tremendous amount about MGBs and cars
in general. If I had it to do over again, I would spend more time reading, studying, talking, and deciding
on what would and wouldn't work before starting the work. I ended up buying and installing two water pumps,
distributors, starters, carburetors, air cleaners, and sway bars. (I haven't bought the second set yet.)
That made the project much longer, harder and more frustrating than it should have been. This was my first
car work and I thought I could do the job with standard tools like wrenches, pliers, hammers, and screwdrivers.
It cost a lot more money because I couldn't do any cutting, grinding, and welding that needs to be done
to make the project work. Doing it again, I'd stic to one adviser and one parts supplier. I needed a lot
of help along the way and I had to keep up with what parts I bought from whom to ask questions about installation
or operation.
