MGB V8 Conversion
Discussion
paoloh said:
How much would I be looking at to fit a V8 to a 79 MGB?
Been done many times. Also the Rover turbocharged M16 and T16 motors have been slotted in a few MGBs ~ 200bhp turbo performance...
Best to ask that question over on the MG BBS and other MG enthusiasts' web sites.
The MG BBS archives are a mine of excellent information on all aspects of the MGB.
Here's a starter for you:~
http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgb...
Good luck.
Depends on how much work you do yourself. To give you an idea, bodywork wise, the inner wings usually need altered and the transmission tunnel needs widened. You'll need a thicker propshaft. The brakes will need upgraded. The advantage of a rubber bumper car is that at least the engine mounts are there and the crossmember is the right one. You'll probably need another bonnet with a hump in it, depending on what carb / fuel injection system you're looking at. You'll need another gearbox, as the torque wrecks the overdrive unit even on a detuned V8 (and what's the point in that?)
Ball park figure would be about £5k for a reconned 3.5 V8 tuned to 200bhp and all of the work outsourced.
Ball park figure would be about £5k for a reconned 3.5 V8 tuned to 200bhp and all of the work outsourced.
Rover V8? I wouldn't bother. Hoyle Engineering do a complete IFS Crossmember for the MGB with 302 Ford small block mounts, and a complete IRS system that bolts onto the original spring and shock mounts.
If you're on a budget I recently helped a friend fit a Lexus IS400 quad cam' V8 with a Supra manual box to a 72 Roadster £1500 all in. My B GT has a 200SX engine that produces more power (BHP) than most production Rover V8's.
How about a V6? The Vauxhall Omega was built to transplant into a classic. More central location means better weight distribution and the Courtney (Police Special) Turbo conversion would be awesome.
The 302 Ford block shares the same stud patern as the Essex V6 so the Scimitar gear box will give you the traditional four plus overdrive set up.
If you're on a budget I recently helped a friend fit a Lexus IS400 quad cam' V8 with a Supra manual box to a 72 Roadster £1500 all in. My B GT has a 200SX engine that produces more power (BHP) than most production Rover V8's.
How about a V6? The Vauxhall Omega was built to transplant into a classic. More central location means better weight distribution and the Courtney (Police Special) Turbo conversion would be awesome.
The 302 Ford block shares the same stud patern as the Essex V6 so the Scimitar gear box will give you the traditional four plus overdrive set up.
I happen to know someone who has cut the body off a wrx, semi-spaceframed the floor and stuck a moggy 1000 shell on top. More areodynamic than the original, should be a hoot when it's finished. As for the B and GT I think the engine bay could be wide enough for the flat four. Have a look for the "Outlaw Warrior Four" series of dragsters amoungst the air cooled beetles there are a couple of wrx powered Fiat 126's that make everything else look stupid. Personally I would go 2.5 Forester they're cheaper not thrashed and anyone who knows anything about Subarus drop the 2.5 lumps into wrx's to make them quick, ditch the transfer box and keep the old girl rear wheel drive. The 2.5 Ford/Mazda V6 fits the six speed MX5 box (Caterum dry sump kit), or the Honda Legend 3.7 V6 fits the S2000 box NSX sump, cams and a blower you can get 600bhp out of one of those (so I'm told) and all of these weigh less than the Rover V8.
Robert060379 said:
If you're on a budget I recently helped a friend fit a Lexus IS400 quad cam' V8 with a Supra manual box to a 72 Roadster £1500 all in.
I was thinking about this as a possible conversion (in a purely abstract sense) while searching Autotrader for GS430s, reading the latest PPC, and wondering why Buick/Rover V8s are still so popular.Given that you can (for the moment) buy a complete, usable, V8 Toyota Soarer for less than a grand, the 1UZ-FE seems to be a much easier route to 250bhp.
How does it compare size- and weight-wise?
.
Edited by gareth_r on Wednesday 27th May 18:43
gareth_r said:
Robert060379 said:
If you're on a budget I recently helped a friend fit a Lexus IS400 quad cam' V8 with a Supra manual box to a 72 Roadster £1500 all in.
I was thinking about this as a possible conversion (in a purely abstract sense) while searching Autotrader for GS430s, reading the latest PPC, and wondering why Buick/Rover V8s are still so popular.Given that you can (for the moment) buy a complete, usable, V8 Toyota Soarer for less than a grand, the 1UZ-FE seems to be a much easier route to 250bhp.
How does it compare size- and weight-wise?
Robert060379 said:
Smaller, lighter, more reliable and a list as long as your arm in performance parts (HKS 600bhp conversion!!!!!!!!). Only problem is the slush box. Get hold of a Toyota Supra manual box and you're away.
Interesting. I wondered about the size because of the DOHC heads on the 1UZ-FE. It's certainly a strong engine (although the later ones have thinner rods), even if, as denoted by the "F" in the engine code, it's not a "performance" engine. Not cheap to get more power, however. Still, 250bhp should be more than enough in a B.
Edited by gareth_r on Monday 1st June 10:35
Attractive though the Lexus V8 is, it doesnt seem to be that cheap to mate it to a manual 'box.
The Supra boxes are fairly readily available but the adaptor kits that you can purchase seem to be elaborate and expensive. Not just a case of mating the bellhousing to the engine.
I'd love to know how it can be done cheaply and easily. The Toyota/Lexus V8 does look like a good, reliable, powerful engine for not much money.
The Supra boxes are fairly readily available but the adaptor kits that you can purchase seem to be elaborate and expensive. Not just a case of mating the bellhousing to the engine.
I'd love to know how it can be done cheaply and easily. The Toyota/Lexus V8 does look like a good, reliable, powerful engine for not much money.
Talkwrench said:
Attractive though the Lexus V8 is, it doesnt seem to be that cheap to mate it to a manual 'box. The Supra boxes are fairly readily available but the adaptor kits that you can purchase seem to be elaborate and expensive. Not just a case of mating the bellhousing to the engine. I'd love to know how it can be done cheaply and easily. The Toyota/Lexus V8 does look like a good, reliable, powerful engine for not much money.
If you fancy some DIY, you can buy, from the www.v-eight.com forum, CAD files for adaptors to mate the Toyota/Lexus V8 bellhousing to the Toyota R154 and W58 gearboxes.Edited by gareth_r on Tuesday 2nd June 09:26
I posted this on a specific thread, but was pointed here.
Has anyone considered the current Audi RS4 V8 as an option. Maybe with a TDi gearbox to get drive to the rear. Just pie-in-the-sky thinking here. I love the sound of the RS4 and am aware that that would change should it be placed with different exhaust systems, but, it appears to be a smaller engine with a higher specific output than 'standard' alternative V8 conversion options for the 'B'.
I'm also aware that yoou could do anything with a blank chequebook, but is it a realistic option (there's a damaged RS4 Avant on eBay I think that was going for about a grand, and was running).
Dr Rick
Has anyone considered the current Audi RS4 V8 as an option. Maybe with a TDi gearbox to get drive to the rear. Just pie-in-the-sky thinking here. I love the sound of the RS4 and am aware that that would change should it be placed with different exhaust systems, but, it appears to be a smaller engine with a higher specific output than 'standard' alternative V8 conversion options for the 'B'.
I'm also aware that yoou could do anything with a blank chequebook, but is it a realistic option (there's a damaged RS4 Avant on eBay I think that was going for about a grand, and was running).
Dr Rick
Dr_Rick said:
I posted this on a specific thread, but was pointed here.
Has anyone considered the current Audi RS4 V8 as an option. Maybe with a TDi gearbox to get drive to the rear. Just pie-in-the-sky thinking here. I love the sound of the RS4 and am aware that that would change should it be placed with different exhaust systems, but, it appears to be a smaller engine with a higher specific output than 'standard' alternative V8 conversion options for the 'B'.
I'm also aware that yoou could do anything with a blank chequebook, but is it a realistic option (there's a damaged RS4 Avant on eBay I think that was going for about a grand, and was running).
Dr Rick
Unless it''s a Quattro TDi- it'll be front wheel drive- engine mounted longitudally with a transaxle box.Has anyone considered the current Audi RS4 V8 as an option. Maybe with a TDi gearbox to get drive to the rear. Just pie-in-the-sky thinking here. I love the sound of the RS4 and am aware that that would change should it be placed with different exhaust systems, but, it appears to be a smaller engine with a higher specific output than 'standard' alternative V8 conversion options for the 'B'.
I'm also aware that yoou could do anything with a blank chequebook, but is it a realistic option (there's a damaged RS4 Avant on eBay I think that was going for about a grand, and was running).
Dr Rick
No good to you i'm affraid.
Stick with Longitudally mounted engine & box layouts & you'll be much better off in the pocket.
Edited by Vidal Baboon on Friday 5th June 10:24
Robert060379 said:
A writen off 300C has just been dragged into my local breakers. MG/Hemi B GT V8?!!!!! Where's my tape measure?
Don't bother- engine weight & dims here 
http://www.bacomatic.org/~dw/library/txt/engfyi.ht...
Robert060379 said:
If you're on a budget I recently helped a friend fit a Lexus IS400 quad cam' V8 with a Supra manual box to a 72 Roadster £1500 all in.
I agree with all your points. Although only £1500 to get in an running and usable??I'm not so sure, at least not everyone could do it for that money.
What other mods did it need in terms of brakes, axle, diff, suspension??
Quite interested though.
EDIT:
BTW - what sort of power is it making?? And if I had £1500 would you be able to do something similar for me? (seriously...)
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Friday 5th June 10:42
I only helped with the Lexus V8 conversion. The engine was standard apart from the exhaust that had to be custom made to fit around the cross member. The front susension set up was similar to mine with Princess calipers (blah!) and he was using an RV8 rear. He fabricated the manifolds and bell housing adapter himself and Reco-prop did the Prop' shaft. This kept the costs down, the gear box was £60 from a breakers and the Lexus was £400 from a well known auction web site. The car is up and running more of a smooth cruiser than a B road baiter. Should be ready for M.O.T by the end of the month.
Audi transaxle bell housings come off (six bolts) and can be adapted to fit Volvo gear boxes apparently, retaining the Audi clutch and fly wheel. Have a look at the PPC Westfield Diesel project. I don't know if the guy's finished it yet but he used the power (?) plant from an A4 Wagon. Audi V8's have been used in a number of Lotus Esprit conversions and I have just seen a BMW 740 engine in a Cobra replica!!!! I think it was a 520 Diesel manual gear box. Sounded weird but went like heck.
Robert060379 said:
Audi transaxle bell housings come off (six bolts) and can be adapted to fit Volvo gear boxes apparently, retaining the Audi clutch and fly wheel. Have a look at the PPC Westfield Diesel project. I don't know if the guy's finished it yet but he used the power (?) plant from an A4 Wagon. Audi V8's have been used in a number of Lotus Esprit conversions and I have just seen a BMW 740 engine in a Cobra replica!!!! I think it was a 520 Diesel manual gear box. Sounded weird but went like heck.
Excellent- worth looking into then!Providing the A4 TDi has the same bolt pattern as the 4.2 V8- likely so, as they seem to like to swap parts between the VAG group...
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