Well, there was a lull in my day after a work-sponsored day
at malibu grand-prix. A co-worker and I got to thinking
about what we could do with the '72 MGB bodyshell in my garage.
Oh, I know that bodyshell! I've pushed it on and off a couple of
trailers in my day...
The MGB is complete except for the engine and transmission which
were used in constructing Scott Fisher's EP MGB race car. The
bodyshell has not rust at all (really!) and only a few dents.
He's right. If I weren't a complete and utter predatory bastard
when it came to going racing, I would have spent a little money
on rebuilding the car and sold it for a profit. It's really almost
complete.
Our most outrageous idea so far is to convert it into a diy
$45 000 sports car/autocrossing monster. That's right, we could
add an Aluminium V8 of some description along with a robust
transmission and thumb our noses at British "Phlegmsucking"
Leyland's latest error in judgement.
Does anyone have any information regarding this kind of conversion?
As a '72, it is about two years too early to make an easy V8 conversion.
You'd need to do some cutting and welding on the firewall to get the
back ends of the cylinder heads to fit. It can be done; after all, MG
got the idea when Ken Costello put V8s in customer cars in the early '70s.
What kind of engines would be best?
Buick/Rover V8?
Easiest, torquiest, there's a $1395 kit available that lets you put this
engine into an MG. Of course, you also need the engine... The biggest
problem with this conversion is that the MGB components have a shorter
life when used with the extra torque of the V8. Of course, since you'd
be getting a new transmission too, that's not much of a problem, and the
later B diff (the one in the car) is sturdy. Biggest problems on that
car are the firewall and the wire wheels.
RX7 engine?
Also easy. The rotary is lighter, smaller, and more compact. You can
get an easy 150 bhp out of one, more if you're willing to play with it.
Use a Mazda transmission as well. The problem then will be the rear end
ratio; rotaries get their power out of their ability to run lots of revs,
and they're most pleasant to drive with a numerically higher rear end
ratio. The 3.9 in that car will be borderline; a 4.3 or higher will make
it much more fun to snap your neck with the hummer.
something smaller?
There is currently nothing smaller than the RX7 engine that would be
worth putting in. Sure, you could use a three-cylinder out of a Geo
Metro but...
Other alternatives:
Ford 2.3L ohc motor. Potential for 175-200bhp with appropriate
ancillaries and lots more low-end torque than the rotary, with more
weight and cost.
Chevy 2.8L V6. Having seen one in a wickedly fast formula car at
the last Sacramento autocross, it has potential, especially the one
we saw with the pair of 48IDA3Cs stuffed into the valley between the
heads. Find one with a T-5 from a wrecked Camaro and have fun.
The problem with this is that it's not going to be a cheap conversion,
no matter what you do, at least if you want to do it even halfway
right. On the other hand, you need a transmission as well as an
engine, no matter what you get.
The cheapest solution would be to put the car back to its original
state. Rebuilt engines are still areound $1500, or you can get a
rebuildable core from East 14th (or whoever they are these days),
add a rebuild kit for about $600, a decent transmission, and make
a nice new/old B out of it for a little over a thousand bucks. There
are worse combinations than a '72 chassis (with its improved dashboard
and rustproofing) and a '65 engine with a later head, right, Danny?
And I've got the original HIF carbs that came out of that car if you
want to go that route. Or if you're building your own engine, you
can put in some mild hot-rod bits while you've got it open, enough
to make it fun to drive while still being invisible to the folks you
mention below:
How would the CA DMV appreciate this kind of activity?
It's the smog folks you have to worry about. Talk to Charlie Rockwell
before you undertake the project to see what he has to say about it; he
would be able to tell you what is a good idea and what isn't.
Or should I just try to sell the bodyshell?
Now why would you want to do that? :-)
Anyone interested?
Be sure you talk to Miq about Frankensprite no matter what route you
take. It is tempting to consider even a relatively mild rotary conversion,
a 2000-lb MG bodyshell with a 150-bhp street-ported 12.5B engine would
make a fine commuter. Or you could just swap in a late-model RX7
engine with full emissions gear and have a classic MGB with 100% more
power than the stock '72, *and* exhaust that even a Sierra Clubber could love.
I know. If someone buys my black car, I'll buy back your '72 chassis
and make a rotary B out of it with that money. Then the money I was going
to spend upgrading the black car I'll spend making the GTI competitive in
ITA...
Hey Sam, wanna rub fenders with Andy this year? :-)
--
Scott Fisher/sfisher@wsl.pa.dec.com/DEC Western Software Labs/Palo Alto, CA
|