MY
Project!
MY 1968 Bronco Project Page
MAIN PAGE
Background:
My infatuation with MGBs began about 16 years ago
when I bought a 1971 Teal Blue MGB Roadster for $1200.00. I
have had the car ever since. It has been driven and taken apart
and driven and taken apart more times than I can remember, but despite
the MGB's nasty reputation for reliability, I have never had to
take it apart for a necessary repair. It was usually taken apart
out of my curiosity more than anything else. Recently (September 2002)
I began exploring the vast amount of information that exists on the
internet about converting MGBs to V8 power. I started searching the net
to find out what parts could be had and for how much. The first
item I found, much to my surprise, was a 1963 Buick 215cid aluminum V8.
From what I had read this was the engine that started the MGB V8
engine swap phenomenon in the first place. It pumped out 200 horsepower
from a mere 215 cubic inches and the overall weight of the motor was
very close to the weight of the cast iron original MGB 4 cylinder, if
not a little lighter. I got one for $200. It wasn't a pretty
engine
but it was the right engine for the job and the price was right. The
egine looked strange because it had been installed on a jet boat before
I bought it. Interestingly enough, I took all of the boat related
hardware off the motor and put an ad on a vintage boat web site to sell
it. About a year later, a guy e-mailed me and bought it from me for
$150.00.
Next I went to Ebay armed with the information I
had gathered from numerous internet sites and searched for a 1977 or
newer cheap MGB to build the V8 with. The 1977 or newer models do not
require much, if any, engine bay modification to fit a Buick aluminum
215cid engine. After a few days of searching, a "1977 rolling chassis"
appeared in response to my search. This was a complete
car minus the engine and transmission ! It was perfect (for the price
anyway). I really did not want to make any major modifications to my
1971 MGB I have had for so long. I felt sorry for the
poor thing once I got a close
look at it and discovered that some horribly abusive previous owner had
striped both sides with blue tape that included some profane language
(War Eagle) on each side and had painted the car with
some sort of department store orange spray paint. Once I got
the title and realized that the car had resided in the Auburn, Alabama
area when last it was operational, I knew the car had been to hell and
back. (Yes I am a University of Alabama fan).
I began looking for a model of what I wanted the finished product to
look like, and I found this boxster photo that comes very close.
Inspiration
Where I am now
(11/2005)
T
he
rest of this web site contains a cronological account of my project,
along with mistakes and just plain stupid things I tried that didn't
work.
