Max:
Re: Alleged is a good word for it. The RH side of the tunnel next to
the starter is really close, but so far, all the installs I have done
had not required any bashing.
BUT!!!!!
If you remove the engine only, you will not be able to reinstall the
engine onto the transmission without thumping the heck out of the RH
area where the starter goes. With the transmission on it's mountings
you cannot lift the front of the trans up high enough to mate with the
motor because the starter area of the bellhousing will foul the tunnel.
The moral is to always remove and reinstall the engine and transmission
as a unit, and you won't have a problem.
Going back to my notes from the 80s, you are correct the non-OD 3 synch
box and the later gearboxes are approximately the same length. You can
use the original propshaft if the original box was non-OD.
Kelvin.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Max Heim
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 10:21 AM
To: MG List
Subject: Re: MGB overdrive
On the subject of this alleged metal-bashing: I installed a late
4-synchro
tranny with LH overdrive into my 66 B, and I did not find a need for any
"metal bashing". It seemed to fit the tunnel just fine, width-wise. The
part
that requires metal work is the top of the tunnel, since the shift lever
is
moved about 4 inches further to the rear. It would seem to be simple to
cut
a new hole, except for the fact that the 66 has a separate bolt-on top
piece
for the tunnel, and the hole would have to be located right though the
back
edge of this piece. British Automotive <http://www.mgbmga.com/> sells an
elongated plastic cover that is a tidy solution to this problem. You
only
have to cut out the back edge of the opening a little with a hacksaw.
One warning about this conversion -- you will no longer be able to use
any
fitted tunnel carpet kits, since the profile won't match either standard
configuration. For a totally tidy "factory" look, you would have to
hand-sew
or glue a complex shape. I just padded it out with extra carpet padding,
and
added a few snaps.
I don't know about the prop shaft issue -- seems to me I used the old
one.
Maybe that is because I was going from early/non-OD to late/OD. I seem
to
recall there were 4 propshaft lengths, for the different combos, and
some of
them were so close as to make no difference.
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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