I installed a '63 Olds 215 turbo charged Aluminum block V8 in the MGA with a BW 4 speed close ratio tranny that I robbed from a '58 Impala. I did this instead of replacing the cracked heat on the MGA 1600 engine. It took a year of almost every weekend, and many nights.
I removed the body from the chassis, set it aside, and mounted the new drive train. This included having the rear u-joint from the MG drive shaft welded to a length of GM drive shaft, then getting it balanced, making a custom bracket for the alternator, taking the solinoid off the starter, and replacing it with a cable, lever, cable, relay, and starter button contraption (the car was theft-proof), welding up custom headers and exhaust system, getting a radiator from a Mack truck cut down to fit the available body/chassis space, replacing the worn out and non-functioning turbo/water injection system with a four barrel Carter carb and manifold, welding up a VERY low profile air cleaner housing, building an oil filter re-location plate, moving the oil filter to a fender, and routing the oil through an MGB oil cooler, replacing the front sway bar with one from an MGC, replacing the rear gears with a differential from an MGB (3.90:1 instead of 4.30:1), making the gauges work - except the tach, had to use an electronic tach, and the speedo was way off. Then I slowly (chain hoist) lowered the body onto the chassis, cutting out the inner fenders as it went down. Built a custom tranny tunnel, a bracket to mount the Hurst shifter four to six inches further back (don't remember exactly now), and new linkage, built a new fan shroud, and used a fiberglass fan, cut down to fit under the hood, built an open frame front bumper to let more air to the lower radiator, removed the hood latch for more radiator space, replacing it with racing lock down pins, and probably more stuff that I've forgotten. I did this in 1970, drove the car about 100,000 miles through 1979, and sold it to some very adventurous soul. It was a LOT of fun. I had the engine balanced, used a "3/4 racing" cam, and surprised a LOT of vettes, Porches, Jags, etc. I built a trailer hitch for it, and towed a 16' Scow sail boat around Oklahoma with it. It felt like I was a semi-rig. The cooling was marginal - fine until you came off the highway into town, then it would hover around 220F - with the heater on full speed. Lots of fun in the 100F summer. The MG u-joint was the weak link in the drive train - I had to replace it about every six months. On Dec 12, 2007 6:48 AM, LarryT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Don, > Ho do you like the Olds/MGA conversion? what V8 is used? what tranny? > > Any other info you might care to share is appreciated - am considering a V6 > or V8 for my MGB. > > Thx - > Larry T (67 MGB, 74 911, 78 240D, 91 300D) -- OK Don, KD5NRO Norman, OK "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics." -Benjamin Disraeli and/or Mark Twain '90 300D, '87 300SDL, '81 240D, '78 450SLC, '97 Ply Grand Voyager _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
