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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - a few quick questions

I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions for me, as I'm considering an MGB project.

1. what's the maximum width of the the stock seats in the MGB?

2. Does anyone know if a DOHC 4.6L Ford V8 has ever been fitted to an MGB, and if you've done a V8 swap do you think it would be feasible to put a Modular Ford in an MGB. Likewise, would a Toyota 1UZ fit?

3. Will a T-56 fit under the existing transmission tunnel?

Cheers,
Bryan
Bryan

Bryan
I am surprised no one from Stateside has not popped in by now - conversions tend to be more adventurous on your side of the pond. We generally stick to the Rover V8, but there have been several others.

1. The MGB seats are some 49''. A really good fit I will tell you is the seat from the current BMW 3 series - I tried one from my wife's car and its a perfect fit. Unfortunately she came home earlier than planned.

2. Is Mr Schulte's car not this engine? See the thread above this about Wiring Harness. Dan masters has put a photo of it in there. Basically any engine will fit into an MGB - depends on how much pnel cutting you want to do! What age is the MG? The later ones are better for conversions. Places to watch out for and are the general nuisance area are the steering and cross member.

3. Again any box pretty well will fit in. I am sure there are plenty of cars I have seen using the T56. Again, it depends if you are ready to make the necessary body mods.

Best thing for ideas is to trawl through all the conversions that are posted in BritishV8:

http://www.britishv8.org/Photos-MG-Conversions.htm

hth, regards
H Adams

"Is Mr Schulte's car not this engine?"

The engine in Schulte's car is a 302 Ford, the old pushrod design. Still, though, good for about 375 HP.

The DOHC 4.6L Ford engine is W-I-D-E! As always, if you are really determined, it could be fitted in, but it would be a nightmare.
Dan Masters

Brian, seat width varies depending on where in the tunnel you measure. At the base you're safe if you take a maximum of 20". Seats from a Fiero, Miata, and Honda S2000 are know to fit pretty well, as well as many aftermarket seats. One thing to watch for is later seats with the wide shoulder areas. Some of these will interfere with the side of the cockpit near the rear edge of the door.
The OHC Ford is very wide and you will run into problems with head clearance as well as having to cut into the footwell areas a bit to clear. I don't know about steering clearance, but I'd think that you'd have to reroute the shaft using multiple u-joints and intermediate shafts. As previously stated the 302 is a much better fit. The T56 is way too big. The T5 barely fits the tunnel and the T56 is much larger.
Can the engine and trans be made to fit, of course, but it's going to be alot of work and you might not like the results once it's completed. The B is a pretty roomy car, but reducing the footwell area or widening/raising the transmission tunnel will make the cockpit feel quite cramped and not as pleasant a car as it can be.
Bill Young

Sorry - I meant 49cms for the seats..

I am poor on Fords, as you might realise, what modern car has the DOHC V8 fitted? What does the new Mustang use?
H Adams

Thanks to all who replied.

I had assumed that the 4.6 Dohc would be too wide for it to be worth while, but thought I'd ask anyway.

I'm not shy of panel cutting and space, within reason, isn't really a problem for me at 5'7" and anything but wide.

I'm not hell bent on the DOHC Ford, not even hell bent on a V8. Basically, I'd like some veriety of classic sports car with a modern powerplant and respectable performance. The MGB and Ford 4.6L came to mind because they are readily available for very little money and I don't have any qualms about cutting into an MG.

If anyone has any suggestions as to modern engines that I am more likely to be able to fit without delvoping stomach ulcers and loosing my hair, I'd appreciate your ideas. I have no experience with MGs so I honestly have no clue what would fit other than the Rover/Buick 215 and the Ford 302-both great engines, but not really what I'm looking for.

Thanks again
Bryan

Bryan: As alternatives, there have been MGBs built with the GM Quad4 engine, Ford SVO turbo 2.3L, Volvo 2.3L Turbo, Jaguar V12, and, last but not least, the B-Series diesel from a mid 1980's Case trencher (this is actually a diesel sourced from British-Leyland that is based on the B-Series gas engine in your MGB, so it bolts in).
John Perkins

A toyota supra gear box fits without any tunnel mods.
Very strong and light, very smooth. Yes I have one.
The W58 is the best option, this has a 0.78 fifth gear. W55 is next best at 0.85. You need the 21 inch , or longest, gear lever extention.
Geoff Dellow sells adapter kits worldwide. Not just for supras.
http://www.dellowauto.com.au/main.html

The easiest engine swap is of course a rover (or rangerover) V8. or Buick 215.
Post '75 cars are a straight bolt in.

Peter Sherman

Hi Bryan,

If you haven't been totally scared off the 4.6 yet then here is more to ponder. The incution system probably won't clear the hood. and aftermarket manifold are not available for this engine. With so many other good engine choices, this one falls into the why bother category for me.
M Mallaby


Quote: "If anyone has any suggestions as to modern engines that I am more likely to be able to fit without delvoping stomach ulcers and loosing my hair, I'd appreciate your ideas."

I'd like to see someone fit the Toyota/Lexus motor.

But the SHO motor might be a better idea. It's a 60-degree V6, so it's not too awful wide. Overhead cams! 4-valves per cylinder! Variable length induction! EFI and electronic ignition! The SHO engine will pull strongly past 7000 rpm, and it's already been shown to work in an MGB:
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/LeRoyBarton.htm

The best place to take a census of what's been tried before is definitely, by far, the "British V8" site. You can surf through about 150 MGB engine swaps one-by-one and get detailed information about each person's experience. Lots of big, clear photos. The only weird thing about it is that the British chaps seem to be shy about sending in their photos. I'm hoping that'll change.
Max

re: The SHO engine will pull strongly past 7000 rpm, and it's already been shown to work in an MGB:
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/LeRoyBarton.htm

*****

Drool.
rick ingram

This thread was discussed between 01/11/2007 and 03/11/2007

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