My MGB GT V8
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:17 am
I got the bug to do an MGB with a RV8 after driving my friends V8 roadster, and lo and behold I was talking to my nephew who said he was emigrating to Australia and had to sell his 1975 MGB GT, so you can guess what happened.
Any way it turned out to be a rock solid shell, with only a couple of bit of surface rust and grotty black paint, I acquired an engine and box from a late SD1 together with a pair of 4 pot calipers and we set about the conversion. The 3.5 engine was rebuilt to fast road spec with stage 1 heads 9.75/1 compression a Hurricane cam, steel timing gear Edelbrock 500 carb anf performer manifold, MGRV8 exhaust system and the bottom end was treated to an ARP mains studs Kit to keep the crank in place,
Thats how it stayed for a couple of years because unfortunately sfter finishing the initial conversion I got Cancer and had a major operation and it took me nearly a year to recover, so the MG was just parked in the garage apart from a short run every couple of weeks to keep it in good order.
In the last year with renewed enthusiasm,we rebuilt the front suspension with a fully adjustable double wishbone and coilover system and the rear was given a pair of reverse spring eye rear springs which have lowered the rear 2" and transformed the ride and handling. I also ditched the rear anti roll bar as this made the back end too stiff and caused sudden oversteer.
Finally the car got a new, back to bare metal paint job, and Sebring valences front and rear. the colour is Jaguar Alpine Green metallic two pack and I am absolutely delighted with it, it took me about three months of looking at colours to make a decision but I think I got it right.
And of course I went and bought a pair of Buick 300 heads which meant I had to build a bigger engine!!!
Heres a few pics of the car from the early days and how it looks now.
Kevin Jackson.
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e258/castletine/
Any way it turned out to be a rock solid shell, with only a couple of bit of surface rust and grotty black paint, I acquired an engine and box from a late SD1 together with a pair of 4 pot calipers and we set about the conversion. The 3.5 engine was rebuilt to fast road spec with stage 1 heads 9.75/1 compression a Hurricane cam, steel timing gear Edelbrock 500 carb anf performer manifold, MGRV8 exhaust system and the bottom end was treated to an ARP mains studs Kit to keep the crank in place,
Thats how it stayed for a couple of years because unfortunately sfter finishing the initial conversion I got Cancer and had a major operation and it took me nearly a year to recover, so the MG was just parked in the garage apart from a short run every couple of weeks to keep it in good order.
In the last year with renewed enthusiasm,we rebuilt the front suspension with a fully adjustable double wishbone and coilover system and the rear was given a pair of reverse spring eye rear springs which have lowered the rear 2" and transformed the ride and handling. I also ditched the rear anti roll bar as this made the back end too stiff and caused sudden oversteer.
Finally the car got a new, back to bare metal paint job, and Sebring valences front and rear. the colour is Jaguar Alpine Green metallic two pack and I am absolutely delighted with it, it took me about three months of looking at colours to make a decision but I think I got it right.
And of course I went and bought a pair of Buick 300 heads which meant I had to build a bigger engine!!!
Heres a few pics of the car from the early days and how it looks now.
Kevin Jackson.
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e258/castletine/
