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Re: Engine choice

To: Jack Levy <jack@cocoinc.com>
Subject: Re: Engine choice
From: Phil Bates <jello@ida.net>
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 18:18:30 -0600
I'm with Barney on this one.  There are advantages to puting the B motor in.
Actually - if you can get the back-plates and all (which you should already
have on your old MGA engine), it is a much simpler swap than an engine
rebuild.  My MGA has an MGB block, and an MGA trans, and then an MGB rear
axle.  It is a great freeway cruiser, as well as daily driver around town.

Jack Levy wrote:

> I'm leaning towards rebuilding my 1500 instead :-)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jack
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
> Behalf Of Barney Gaylord
> Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 4:56 PM
> To: Jack Levy
> Cc: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: RE: Engine choice
>
> At 03:36 PM 8/7/2000 -0400, Jack Levy wrote:
> >Sounds a little hairy... Can I swap tranny and all? .... maybe the newer
> MGAs have more in common with the GT?
>
> Not much.  You're getting colder.  The MGA 1600 (starting with the very
> late 1500 actually) had the higher starter position and a matching
> impression in the bulkhead and tunnel, so the MGB gearbox would be a
> beetter fit there than on the earlier MGA.  But the 4-syncro MGB tranny has
> a larger bellhousing that just barely fits, and the last one I saw had the
> bellhousing bolts rubbing paint off the bulkhead.  The MGB tranny rear
> mounts are diffferent too, and the normal mod there is to cut and weld on
> the MGA frame to allow installation of the MGB crossmember.  Propshafts are
> different too, so you have to get the right one to go with whatever gearbox
> you use.  And I think the manual shift lever is in a little different
> location on the mGB gearbox, so that requires a slight modification to the
> tunner cover.
>
> Now I haven't had the chance to verify this next bit (yet), but I get the
> idea that one could install the late MGA tranny rear case onto the early
> MGB 3-synchro tranny to get a rear mount compatible with the MGA frame.
> However, the MGB 3-syncro gearbox isn't much different than the MGA gearbox
> (slightly larger layshaft), so I don't know why anyone would bother trying
> this trick.
>
> Barney Gaylord
> 1958 MGA with an attitude (and original type drivetrain)
>     http://www.ntsource.com/~barneymg


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