MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - cross member difference

hi,

just converting a chrome bumper roadster to V8 and hit a problem while trying to fit the rubber bumper/v8 engine mountings. I cannot get them to fit far enough back from the mounting bolt as per Roger Williams book. I am using the chrome bumper cross member - will this effect the postion of the steering rack because there is no way the mounting is going to fit at the moment.
The rack shaft is also about 1/4" clear of the chassi leg and this is not help and I have that it is need to dress the chassis leg to clear? please see picture

any help appreciated

S Danson

Cut the hole bigger.
On mine there is no joining bridge of metal on the near side, It is welded at the top and bottom with a gap.
Actually, before you cut it, I was recently at plus four , a place that specializes in hotted up MG's, and they routinely set their mounts much lower on the rail than standard. At least an inch or so lower than usual so they can get the rear RV8 style exhaust outlet under the standard chrome bumper steering. That way they don't have to change the steering. Plus they also don't need to machine the plenum on the EFI. Makes it all much easier. Lower centre of gravity as well. The distance betweent he steering rack and the balancer neck then becomes the limiting factor, not the distance between the mounts.
This also brings the mounting bolt down clear under the steering shaft, which makes that easier as well.
I don't know if they weld a bit to the bottom edge of the rail to make this stronger, I couldn't see, but it would seem reasonable and not all that difficult to do.
I also have heard that some people mount down on the front crossmember.
Peter

Peter, I don't understand how they can mount the engine 1" lower and not have the front edge of the sump pan striking the steering rack. I am using the chrome cross member and I mounted my engine brackets as per Mr Danson's photo, and the front edge of the sump is only about 1/8" above the rack. Mind you, I'm using the forward engine position which Roger Williams suggests in edition one of his book, but not in the latest edition. The advantage of this position is that the gear lever on an LT77 box comes almost in the right place, and not an inch too far back.

Mr Danson (wish you had given your first name) I decided to use the chrome bumper column as well as the cross member, so that I can keep the old style dashboard and 4" instruments. The steering shaft is quite a problem. I ended up putting in a second UJ right down at the rack. Like Peter I trimmed the engine mounting and this UJ is half inside the mounting. I also had to lower the cone in the bulkhead by an inch or so, so that the upper UJ didn't foul the exhaust manifold.
Mike Howlett

I found a picture.


Mike Howlett

Your engine must be much further forward than mine (or the plus four people). With mine the rack tucks in under the long balancer neck, well forward of the sump.
Peter

Mike thanks for the picture it is exactly what I am hoping to achieve - keep the nice early chrome bumper dash.

I would appreciate any other photos you have of your engine bay conversion or advise.

I have just bought the rubber bumper cone to fit in the bulkhead but I was hoping to use the chrome bumper steering column.

I was considering using a rubber bumper rack as it has a longer shaft and then shorting the chrome bumper column and using that to keep the dash. problem is though that it slightly moves the wheel out of alignment (square to the dash).

I too am hoping to use the chrome bumper cross member and have the mountings slightly forward. Did you need to modify the rack mounting or the cross member to clear the sump?

thanks
Steve
Steve Danson

Steve,
I haven't used the rubber bumper cone. I simply cut out the existing cone and welded it back in 1" lower, giving loads of clearance for the exhaust manifold without having to tuck the UJ into the bulkhead. This means you have to extend the under-dash column mount a little, and of course the angle of the wheel to the vertical alters slightly - but it is so slight, you would never notice.

I have used all chrome bumper steering components. As I was cutting the lower shaft anyway to fit the extra UJ, I haven't any issue with steering wheel position. I could tailor the system by adjusting the length of the lower shaft. I got the extra UJ from the USA company Flaming River via a UK-based racing tuning outfit. I can look up the details if you think you might take the same route.

I haven't had to alter the cross member at all in relation to the sump or the rack. The angle of the rack on mine is no longer critical, as the second UJ takes up any out-of-alignment.

What other pictures would be of use? I'm happy to photograph anything you like. The engine is still out of the car, so now is a good time. You can see from the previous picture above how I have cut-and-shut the cone. You can see that the inner edge of the cone has been removed for clearance. It took me a lot of thinking to end up with what I have now got, but it all seems to work well.
Email me off the board if you like on mikeAT balcomie.nadsl.net
Mike Howlett

Steve, you have mail.
Mike Howlett

Steve, I converted a '71 CB rdstr in '98. I used all the original parts.The steering column part in the engine bay was lengthened about 2.5" from memory & the part under the dash was shortened accordingly. This was to move the later type uni joint away from the #8 manifold. The engine mount had a bit ground away to clear the steering column & the crossmember had extra pads fitted. This gave a bit more steering shaft clearance. The rack had a few washers (shims) under the lower holes to give it a slight tilt, creating more clearance. Shortening the steering shaft is not a DIY job unless you are a competent machinist with the right equipment. Mine was a non collapsible column. Whether a collapsible column would work this way ,I'm not sure. I'm using block hugger headers. As mentioned earlier , get the cone section in the firewall as low as possible. Mine could be lower, so I might not have had to do so much alteration had I gone this way. Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

Barrie, I have stripped down my steering column and it has a weld in the middle - looks like it is made up of 2 pieces. I was going to cut this weld out, shorten the shaft on a lathe, drill and tap a hole in each section and then fit a hardened stub to join the 2 together and them weld around the outer edge. what do you think?
I like the idea of the extra pads if clearance is close

cheers
Steve
Steve Danson

Steve, the guy who did my shaft chopped it in two somewhere about the middle. He drilled a 5/16" hole in each piece about 1" deep. Then he turned a piece of rod down to the same diam. as the shaft. This was about 4.5" long with 1" each end turned down to 5/16". This then joined the two pieces of shaft together. He created an interference fit of about 1.5 Thou then welded it up. Similar to what you've suggested. Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

Thanks Barrie,
I will definitely shorten my column now
Steve Danson

Steve, thse instructions were to LENGTHEN the shaft not shorten it! You have to work out how to shorten the under dash part of the shaft depending on what type you have.Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

This thread was discussed between 02/09/2008 and 08/09/2008

MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical BBS now