Obie-
The Ford is a good fit. I have seen a couple at the V8 conventions over the
past 3 years. If you can find one, the 1964 Buick 300 is only marginally
larger than the 215, that year has aluminum heads, to minimize the weight
penalty. Rover V8's of course, are virtually identical to the 215, come in
various sizes up to 4.6L stock, & are a modern engine, not too difficult to
find.
For the most part, MGB V-8 conversions have been limited to the Buick
215/Rover engines for several reasons. 1, the original Costello conversion was
a Rover, then Buick/Olds when Rover cut off his supply. The Factory V8 was a
Rover, so similar conversions seem to be more acceptable to the general MG
fraternity.
2- All the engineering has been done for the 215/Rover swap, & an abundance of
swap parts & info are available, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.
3- Its hard to beat the power to weight ratio of an all aluminum engine, plus
they run so much cooler, an important consideration if you consider the lack
of room in the engine bay, poor air circulation, & a very narrow place for a
radiator.
4- The weight reduction of the 215/Rover swap improves handling with an almost
perfect 50/50 balance, while heavier engines will require suspension work,
spring & shock changes, bigger sway bars, etc, or you will loose one of the
MGB's best qualities- great handling.
Depending upon your choices, you may wind up with a hot rod built upon a MG
body, not the same in everyone's eyes as a "V8 conversion", & not necessarily
a salable item if you should need to part with it sometime in the future.
On the other hand, its your car & money & time. I am sure all on the list will
help you in any way they can. If you want to go "way out", how about a Rotary?
Very compact, lots of power, no weight penalty, & I have never seen one done.
Lots of RX7's around.
Obadiah Fayth wrote:
> Hi folks,
> I have been lurking on the list for a while now gathering info on
> v8 swaps and given the seemingly rarity of Buick 215s I was wondering if
> anyone had swapped in any other kind of engine. I was looking at some
> general engine dimention specs and though it is heavier, the ford 5.0 is
> almost the same size-wise as the Buick 215. Anyone ever fit one to an MGB?
>
> -Obie
> Tacoma, Wa. USA
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