Has anyone taken a stab at dropping the V8 into an MGA? <waves of nostalgia
wash over me>
Ken Cory
kencory@lvcm.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Hoy" <larryhoy@prodigy.net>
To: "Julie Ann Phillips" <jphillips@cvalley.net>; "v8 list"
<mgb-v8@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 4:35 PM
Subject: RE: RV8 header/steering modification
| Well Greg I feel qualified to answer that question, I just went through
that with my B. I have a
| 1969 MGB, I used the RV8 headers that Ted Schumacher has manufactured (I
bought them from Glenn
| Towery). These are the "through the fender" headers that have the slip
joint after the collector.
| I used the late MG chassis engine mounts, the V8 rubber mounts, and
Glenn's engine mounts.
|
| There will be some modification required on your steering shaft, but very
little. You will need a
| new u-joint to replace the stock one. I purchased a Borgeson u-joint,
(Flaming River makes one
| too), a hot rod shop will have one. It would be best to bring the old one
with you to the shop, but
| if you can't, just tell the guy/gal its a Jaguar u-joint (3/4" and 48
spline). The reason you need
| the new j-joint is for space considerations, the old one is much to "fat".
If you don't have a
| local hot rod shop a place like Jegs or Summit will have one.
|
| You have no choice where the steering shaft goes, as you proceed you'll
understand what I am saying.
| The shaft obviously will have a "starting point" at the rack and has to go
through the engine mount
| that is attached to the frame. When you line things up you'll see he
angle will be wrong so the
| shaft won't go through the engine mount. Here's what I did to solve the
problem. I installed the
| frame mount, slid the shaft through it, I set the rack on the rack
brackets and put the rear bolts
| through the rack to the rack brackets for alignment purposes. At this
point you'll see the problem
| with the angle of the rack and the rack brackets. I made a cut through
the rack bracket, the only
| way I can explain this is to have you visualize cutting a piece of pie in
two. Now you can "lever"
| the upper part of the bracket up to meet the rack. When the bracket is
parallel with the rack you
| weld it at this new angle. I just plated both sides of the bracket.
|
| Of course now you have to lower the hole where the steering column goes
through the fire wall so it
| will meet the steering shaft. I cut out the cone in the firewall,
loosened the two bottom bolts on
| the steering column, connected the shaft to the column with the new
u-joint and then welded the cone
| back into the fire wall.
|
| During this process I test fitted the engine with the headers installed to
check clearances. (by
| the way, by the time your done doing this conversion you will be an expert
at inserting and removing
| the engine)
|
| Once everything was welded in place I found the left rear lower header
manifold bolt interfered
| slightly with the u-joint. Carefully grinding on the u-joint, and the
bolt, solved this issue (but
| it turns out it wasn't as necessary as I thought). After I installed the
engine and drove it, I had
| to remove the engine again (don't ask), when I put the engine in the
second time I had less
| interference with the u-joint. It has to do with the MGB V8 engine
mounts, they are rubber and sit
| at a 45 degree angle, and fit in a slot on the chassis brackets. So you
have a little room for
| "clocking" the engine. My engine sits VERY low and back, a little higher
would give a bit more
| clearance (however may cause other interference problems).
|
| When you're all done you will be amazed that anyone could have ever
conceived the engine will fit at
| all (thank you Ken Costello).
|
| Good luck, have fun.
|
| Larry Hoy
| >-----Original Message-----
| >From: owner-mgb-v8@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgb-v8@autox.team.net]On
| >Behalf Of Julie Ann Phillips
| >Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2000 10:59 AM
| >To: v8 list
| >Subject: RV8 header/steering modification
| >
| >
| >I recently read in the mgcars site that NO steering mods are needed when
| >running the RV8 header in the chrome bumper B.Does anyone know if this
| >is true?
| >
| >Greg
| >
|
|
|