<<*If* MGBs were rare, and *if* there was a huge demand for them,
I'd agree. But, that ain't how it is. Sure, there are some folks
that go out looking for a 'B for a V-8 conversion project, but
usually it's the other way around. Folks have a 'B, then find
out about the V-8. If they convert a car that has a running
1.8 in it, well, that means more parts for the rest of us
when our cylinder heads crack or whatever.>>
Have to agree with you here. There are more MGBs than just about any other
single sports car model. They are fairly uninteresting to many people in stock
form, and a few certainly won't be missed if someone wants to play with
different engines.
It sounds like you are doing the conversions in a pretty sensible way, and to
good effect.
In a sense the B is the opposite of another car on another newsgroup I
subscribe to - the Jensen Healey is pretty uninteresting from a styling point
of view, but has a real jewel of an engine. In that case, I wouldn't like to
see engine swaps - you'd be throwing away the best part of the car, leaving
yourself with a hybrid that doesn't inspire anyone with it's looks.
I get the same flack you have experienced in regard to my daily driver, an 88
Fiero GT. They built about 6000 of these making them a bit scarce, and many
owners like to keep them dead stock. I am more concerned with enjoying the car
while I own it than preserving it for posterity, and have redone the engine
from the stock 140 bhp to 300 bhp, still with pretty good mileage and no
increase in emissions. A lot of the purists don't like it, but as I'm the one
paying for the car and using it, I don't really care.
Besides - all of the guys who have put boring MGB engines into their Twincams
over the years just means that the parts are available for me to keep mine
running and racing for a few more years.
By the way, one of the guys in my Jensen group has a B that he fitted a Miata
driveline to, and he says it worked out very well.
Bill S.
|