MGB ENGINE SWAP IDEAS
Discussion
HI my first time on here,i feel like a virgin.
i have a problem, i own a 76 rubber bumper mgb gt and an thinking about something a bit different up front. i dont want to go down the v8 route or any thing to complex really(ecu,fuel injections etc)
because i want to do most of the work myself,you know self pride.
ive been thinking i could fit a o series engine but it seems a little dated now and parts are hard to find. so i thought would a tr7/dolomite sprint engine fit in pretty easy. i know i could fit a lt77 gearbox to this engine and mods to fit this gearbox are on the net. i fancy the triumph slant 4 cyl engine cause its different and i know the sprint engine is quite nippy. if any one could help this would be great
i have a problem, i own a 76 rubber bumper mgb gt and an thinking about something a bit different up front. i dont want to go down the v8 route or any thing to complex really(ecu,fuel injections etc)
because i want to do most of the work myself,you know self pride.
ive been thinking i could fit a o series engine but it seems a little dated now and parts are hard to find. so i thought would a tr7/dolomite sprint engine fit in pretty easy. i know i could fit a lt77 gearbox to this engine and mods to fit this gearbox are on the net. i fancy the triumph slant 4 cyl engine cause its different and i know the sprint engine is quite nippy. if any one could help this would be great
nice choice but i think its abit to complex. i really fancy the dolomite sprint engine, i heard some where that its the same half engine as the triumph v8 version, the lt77 5 speed engine gearbox fits it too which will be a bonus. so in sense it should fit apart from the engine mounts
steve-V8s said:
If you are looking for a period engine how about the one that was used in the MGC, 3000cc 6 I think or a 2.5 triumph straight six as per the TR6 / Herald Vitesse If not period how about a bike engine, or better a pair of bike engines.
Sorry wouldn't choose either as they are both only suitable for boat anchors, especially the C.I believe K Series has been done, the other one would be a Zetec with a Type 9. Not sure the sprint would fit because it tilts over & the B was never designed to have a wider engine installed unlike the much better all round TR7.
tr7v8 said:
steve-V8s said:
If you are looking for a period engine how about the one that was used in the MGC, 3000cc 6 I think or a 2.5 triumph straight six as per the TR6 / Herald Vitesse If not period how about a bike engine, or better a pair of bike engines.
Sorry wouldn't choose either as they are both only suitable for boat anchors, especially the C.I believe K Series has been done, the other one would be a Zetec with a Type 9. Not sure the sprint would fit because it tilts over & the B was never designed to have a wider engine installed unlike the much better all round TR7.
While the C engine suffers from the same issue that all the "series" engines (a,b,c) are crippled by I.E. Breathing it is in itself a very nice engine, it must be remembered MG intended the C to be a grand tourer so the engine was never intended to rev or the car to be overly tight and nimble (and indeed from new it wasn't) however with a bit of work an MGC makes an incredibly potent tool blessed with a very strong engine which responds well to tuning and a very good suspension system which responds well to being correctly set up.
However.........You can't fit a C engine in to a B I'm afraid.
There are plenty of engines out there which make good transplants in to a B from the engines mentioned here already through to Saab and Nissan turbos.
It is worth pointing out that the electronics involved on fitting a FI engine while daunting isn't as bad as you may think, other options are tuning the B engine or going the route I am with a good solid standard B engine with a low pressure turbo installation aping the MG owners club specials built at the end of production.
rev-erend said:
Now about a Jag 4.2 V8
The engine bay is very small, a Rover V8 is a very tight fit, a lot of which is the suspension turrets on the morris oxford derived suspension. I suspect the LS1 would fit as it's slightly smaller than the RV8 but you'd then have to squeeze a gearbox in that could cope with it. This is why the TR7 is so much better it was designed for a V8 day one & has decent suspension & driveline to boot.Why not just stick a modern 4cyl engine....either blown or n/a ?
they are compact, and if you dont go for a mainstream performance model, could be fairly cheap.
Or if an 8v is preferable...the old VW Golf GTI engines while not superbly powerful....were quite torquey, and quite economical.
Or for a laugh, throw in a Honda V-tec motor :P
they are compact, and if you dont go for a mainstream performance model, could be fairly cheap.
Or if an 8v is preferable...the old VW Golf GTI engines while not superbly powerful....were quite torquey, and quite economical.
Or for a laugh, throw in a Honda V-tec motor :P
The B series engine block is almost identical to the O series and T series so it's very easy to put in a T16 turbo mated up to an LT77 5 speed with a Sherpa or SD1 2000 backplate and clutch. Then its pretty easy to end up with a 300- 400 BHP MGB for not much money. Even the engine mounts are in the same place IIRC.
I have done it last year in a Vauxhall Magnum and it's about as straightforward as an engine conversion gets.
Extensive thread here http://rovertech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&...
but you will need to register on the forum to read it.
I have done it last year in a Vauxhall Magnum and it's about as straightforward as an engine conversion gets.
Extensive thread here http://rovertech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&...
but you will need to register on the forum to read it.
fatjon said:
The B series engine block is almost identical to the O series and T series so it's very easy to put in a T16 turbo mated up to an LT77 5 speed with a Sherpa or SD1 2000 backplate and clutch. Then its pretty easy to end up with a 300- 400 BHP MGB for not much money. Even the engine mounts are in the same place IIRC.
I have done it last year in a Vauxhall Magnum and it's about as straightforward as an engine conversion gets.
Extensive thread here http://rovertech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&...
but you will need to register on the forum to read it.
I was going to say M/T series...either N/A or turbo'd for some more "go"..I have done it last year in a Vauxhall Magnum and it's about as straightforward as an engine conversion gets.
Extensive thread here http://rovertech.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&...
but you will need to register on the forum to read it.
steve-V8s said:
If you are looking for a period engine how about the one that was used in the MGC, 3000cc 6 I think or a 2.5 triumph straight six as per the TR6 / Herald Vitesse If not period how about a bike engine, or better a pair of bike engines.
if you want to be a little differnet, and a straight 6 will fit, how about a BMW 2.5 turbo Deisel????? i have seen one in PPC that was swapped into something and they said it was great! with some tuning i recon 150bhp should be easy and it will make loads of torque. also you'll gtet over 30mpg even when thrashing it! loljust an idea.
Chris.
i must say i have heard alot of other routes to go down,some intresting and some a little complex. thanks for the info thou
i have recently bought a dolly sprint engine and i think i will give it a go. i think it will be a big difference to the lump i have currently in my mgb.
i will bore it out,add bigger valves,striaght through exhaust system,twin weber carbs,balance and lighten the engine as much as possible to gain some power to weight ratio and finally fit it to a LT77 5 speed tr7 gearbox.
it should fit,abit of work i think but im postitive.
one more question do you think the rear axle will be able to withstand the increase in power or will i have to change it like the v8 conversions do.
i have recently bought a dolly sprint engine and i think i will give it a go. i think it will be a big difference to the lump i have currently in my mgb.
i will bore it out,add bigger valves,striaght through exhaust system,twin weber carbs,balance and lighten the engine as much as possible to gain some power to weight ratio and finally fit it to a LT77 5 speed tr7 gearbox.
it should fit,abit of work i think but im postitive.
one more question do you think the rear axle will be able to withstand the increase in power or will i have to change it like the v8 conversions do.
Just found this old topic. Has anyone on here actually stuck a a rover M or T lump in a B? It's something i would love to do or get some one with more technical know how to do. Is it easy enough for a amateur mechanic to take on? Seems the parts you need from the Sherpas are pretty hard to come by and joining the looms looks like a thing of night mares. I know frontline are very experienced in playing around with K-series lumps but are there any garages who have done B's with M/T's before? They seem to be a more natural choice than a K or a silly heavy V8.
Hoping some one could point me in the right direction of a good DIY guide or recommend a garage who wont tear my legs off to cover the costs.
Hoping some one could point me in the right direction of a good DIY guide or recommend a garage who wont tear my legs off to cover the costs.
http://www.kewengineering.co.uk/upgrades4mgs/Engin...
the O, M and T engines are the same from the head downward. just the ancilliaries that are a bit different. The backplates from SD1s and Sherpas bolt up easily as do the flywheels, clutches and an LT77 box. The right size spigot needs sticking in the end of the crank as the FWD engines don't have one in at all, but the hole is there and the right size as the cranks never changed right from the B series foward.
As they go it's a pretty easy conversion. I found the easiest way to deal with the wiring is to dump the rover ECU and use megasquirt or some other aftermarket system. Main reason for this is that the conversion needs a sherpa or SD1 flywheel and the MEMS (rover) system uses a pickup that relies on a tooth pattern on the flywheel. Also the MEMS system is is limited to about 250BHP for the turbo engine and can't be reprogrammed. There are those who will swear they get over 300BHP on MEMS, they are self deluded as the injectors don't flow enough to support this, and of course if you fit bigger injectors it runs WAY to rich off boost and can't be reprogrammed.
The backplates are like rocking horse pooh now. I had a spare one but some pikeys stole it from the garage for scrap. Not rocket science to make one though. Just a flat lump of 10mm thick steel plate with the holes in the right place and a big cutout in the middle for the big D shaped T series read oil seal. Beware if you do find a backplate that it is the one with the starter hole on the drivers side, the one with the starter hole on the passenger side fouls the turbo, assuming you go for a turbo engine. If not then it wont matter .
Tip of the day: The earlier M series engines are a bit friendlier in terms of where the acilliaries are bolted on when using the engine for a RWD car.
the O, M and T engines are the same from the head downward. just the ancilliaries that are a bit different. The backplates from SD1s and Sherpas bolt up easily as do the flywheels, clutches and an LT77 box. The right size spigot needs sticking in the end of the crank as the FWD engines don't have one in at all, but the hole is there and the right size as the cranks never changed right from the B series foward.
As they go it's a pretty easy conversion. I found the easiest way to deal with the wiring is to dump the rover ECU and use megasquirt or some other aftermarket system. Main reason for this is that the conversion needs a sherpa or SD1 flywheel and the MEMS (rover) system uses a pickup that relies on a tooth pattern on the flywheel. Also the MEMS system is is limited to about 250BHP for the turbo engine and can't be reprogrammed. There are those who will swear they get over 300BHP on MEMS, they are self deluded as the injectors don't flow enough to support this, and of course if you fit bigger injectors it runs WAY to rich off boost and can't be reprogrammed.
The backplates are like rocking horse pooh now. I had a spare one but some pikeys stole it from the garage for scrap. Not rocket science to make one though. Just a flat lump of 10mm thick steel plate with the holes in the right place and a big cutout in the middle for the big D shaped T series read oil seal. Beware if you do find a backplate that it is the one with the starter hole on the drivers side, the one with the starter hole on the passenger side fouls the turbo, assuming you go for a turbo engine. If not then it wont matter .
Tip of the day: The earlier M series engines are a bit friendlier in terms of where the acilliaries are bolted on when using the engine for a RWD car.
Just spotted this:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FREIGHT-ROVER-SHERPA-2-0L-BR...
if thats an O or O2 series engine get it quick if you are going to do this conversion!
Another tip, the inlet manifold on the FWD T and M series has the throttle body at the wrong end for a RWD conversion. The Discovery MPI has it at the other end, perfect!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FREIGHT-ROVER-SHERPA-2-0L-BR...
if thats an O or O2 series engine get it quick if you are going to do this conversion!
Another tip, the inlet manifold on the FWD T and M series has the throttle body at the wrong end for a RWD conversion. The Discovery MPI has it at the other end, perfect!
tr7v8 said:
rev-erend said:
Now about a Jag 4.2 V8
The engine bay is very small, a Rover V8 is a very tight fit, a lot of which is the suspension turrets on the morris oxford derived suspension. I suspect the LS1 would fit as it's slightly smaller than the RV8 but you'd then have to squeeze a gearbox in that could cope with it. This is why the TR7 is so much better it was designed for a V8 day one & has decent suspension & driveline to boot.
Linked from http://www.coupers-cars.com/sprite_restoration.htm
Also. don't tell anyone on http://www.britishv8.org/Photos-MG-Conversions.htm as they seem to fit anything they have lying around.
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