modded MGB ROADSTER

[hot metal]

HI A FRIEND OF MINE HAS A MODIFIED MGB ROADSTER,FULLY RESTORED SHELL LOWERED ON MINILITES AND IS FITTED WITH A ROVER VITTESE ENGINE.ITS AGREAT LOOKING CAR BUT IT SUFFERED WITH SOME ISSUES WHEREBY THE STEERING FOULED AND HE LOST INTEREST AND TOOK IT OFF THE ROAD.THIS WAS 10-12 YEARS AGO.THE CAR HAS BEEN KEPT DRY STORED AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION . I HAVE TRIED TO PERSUADE HIM TO GET IT ROADWORTHY AGAIN BUT HE SAYS HE WOULD RATHER SELL IT.SEEMS A SHAME TO ME AFTER ALL THE HARD WORK.WHAT WOULD IT BE WORTH? ITS A 1972 K.

Edited by hot metal on Wednesday 23 April 20:18

Edited by hot metal on Wednesday 23 April 20:19

[dannodj]

I presume by Vitesse engine you mean the 3.5l Rover v8? I have a v8 conversion, 72 as well so I presume that the same issues apply. There are several issues with the routing of the steering column as it needs to pass through the same area as the offside exhaust manifold, that is if the exhaust manifods being used are the same as the MGBGT v8, i.e they pass down between the engine and the inner wing, not through the inner wing as in the MGRv8. The set up is similar to the first Ken Costello conversions, the ones done on early MGs, where the front cross member is the 'chrome bumper' type. The later rubber bumper cross members were different in that they provided a greater ride height by having an extra section welded in to the chassis mounting points, and different steering rack mounting angles to take into account the difference. v8 conversions are easier with the rubber bumper cross member, but not impossible with the chrome bumper type. The compromise is that with the chrome bumper cross member, two universal joints are needed to route the steering column past the exhaust manifold. There are 2 points where these can foul (and have fouled on my car); 1 is the bottom UJ can foul against the engine mount, 2 is the top UJ can foul against the rearmost exhaust manifold mounting bolt. This was highlighted when I took the engine out, finding that the engine mounting bolt had sheared, and the engine was pressing against both points, and also rubbing the steering shaft against the exhaust manifold - a warning, possibly a failure on an MOT. This was fixed by replacing the engine mounting bolt and inserting a shim on the nearside mount to take the engine away from the column. The rearmost manifold bolt has a flat head socket to allow the top UJ to clear, and the engine mount has a 1" cutout to allow the bottom UJ to clear (done by the guy who converted it).

I would suggest checking those details, here is a photo to show the engine bay with the engine out and steering rack removed. You can see the cutout on the mount on the left, sorry the picture isn't great, its only a mobile phone pic



Hope this helps, let me know what you find out about the car, it sounds like it will be an engine out job to sort the engine mount if thats the problem. If you need advice on how to wriggel a v8 free from an MGB then let me know

Good Luck,
Dan

[dannodj]

p.s. in terms of worth, a good v8 conversion, with immaculate bodywork, attention to detail, all the 'proper' work done to upgrade brakes, suspension, 5 speed gearbox conversion, rear axle upgrade to lower ratio diff, an fetch well in excess of £10k. a reasonable conversion like mine where I will need to do further work to get it up to spec is between 6 and 10k depending on what is needed. A full assesment of the cars spec would give you a better idea. I would recommend getting a report on the car (£100 to £200) from an MG garage with v8 conversion knowledge.

Regards,
Dan

[hot metal]

Thanks for the reply Dan.I think the main problem with this car is that it has been lowered 4inchs YES 4. My friend knows this but as I said he has lost interest now (seems to be into mountain biking now ) The car has also been under a dust sheet in his garage for the last 10+ years.
Andy.

Edited by hot metal on Thursday 24th April 20:16

[Texpis]

Hi I am looking for a project I have sent a PM

Mick

[dannodj]

4"!! the car must be running on the ground! Mines has the standard lowering kit (1" or so) and I think that's enough!

[hot metal]

maybe it was only 2" . Mick i will have word with my mate and give him your e-mail if thats ok

Edited by hot metal on Friday 25th April 17:23