Hi Larry:
Was your choice of the Rover engine done because there are pieces readily
available to bolt it into the B or was it because you wanted to keep it all
Brit?. I have thought about a couple of Buick engines which I wonder if
anyone has used. I am thinking specifically about the 3.8 V6 and the 2.8
V6. The old 3.8 can be a real bomb and there are lots of them around. The
2.8 was used in a rear wheel drive configuration in the Camaro and the S10
pickup.
Another interesting possibility would be the Cadillac 4.1 or 4.5 however I
don't know what would be involved in turning it into a rear wheel drive
unit. If we are really dreaming, what about one of the late Japanese V8s?
If you did any research about possible engines for a B, I'd like to hear
what you found out.
Thanks,
John
>Chris,
>
>I was inclined to answer "I'm building a V8", but decided that was too
>brief!
>
>I saw the head on a B when I went to the Red River (NM) meet this fall.
>It looks great. However I think that your recollection is right on. You
>need to make some engine modifications before bolting on the head does
>much good. It doesn't do much to increase breathing unless you change
>the cam, and add more carburetion. I figured the cost of the head would
>be about $2500. You need, at the minimum: a cam, the head (with valves
>about $1500), I figured two Weber DCOE's, manifolds, etc. I believe
>Steve Darby will sell these items directly to you at a fairly good
>savings (read: don't buy from Moss). Of course carbs are available used.
>
>His web site is gone but you can email him direct at: elan@highfiber.com.
> I have not had much success when I have emailed him. He seems to "pop"
>into the list once in awhile when he wants to sell something but he is
>not good about responding.
>
>So having said all this, I am doing a V8. I have the engine (Buick
>215/Rover 3.5), the transmission (Borg Warner T5 World Class), and am
>looking for a bell housing. Ya know where I can find a 1961 Buick bell
>housing? The V8 will cost more than the crossflow setup, I think I'll be
>into it about $3000 (I have $750 into it now). But I'll have a car that
>cruises at 71mph at 2500rpm. A calculated top speed of over 140mph, and
>zero to 60 acceleration in less than 6 seconds. All of this with no
>sacrifice in handling.
>
>This all started cause I was tired of being smoked by Miata's. I think
>my goal will be accomplished!
>
>By the way it is easy to get 185hp out of the Rover engine and 200hp
>isn't much of a trick, I have heard some get 300hp. I think the Darby
>setup got about 145hp max??? And remember the V8 weighs less than the
>stock 4 cylinder, and doesn't work as hard to do it's job.
>
>Larry Hoy (MGB.Roadster@juno.com)
>Denver, CO USA
>1969 MGB Roadster
>1987 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas
>It's not how fast you go ...... it's how fast you go fast.
>===============================
>On Sat, 03 Jan 1998 21:19:12 -0500 Chris Delling <saschris@flash.net>
>writes:
>>Larry-
>>
>>Do you have experience with the crossflow head? A while back I was
>looking
>>at the Sportcars International (Steve Darby's) website. He had some
>dyno
>>runs done on 3 MGB motors in varying stages of tune. For a stock motor,
>it
>>seemed that the crossflow head resulted in a lot less power down low,
>and
>>really insignificant gains on the very high end with a stock motor. It
>>wasn't until the motor was really breathed on (3/4 race cam, very high
>>compression ratio, and BIG carbs) that the head did much of anything,
>and
>>that was still at very high revs. Didn't seem like a good choice for a
>>street car.
>>
>>Any comments?
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Chris Delling
>>
>>At 01:21 PM 1/3/98 -0500, larry.g.unger@lmco.com wrote:
>>>I wrote ...
>>>
>>>>> IMHO, you could achieve the same results by fitting a crossflow
>>head
>>>>> andit would be 'alot' more reliable.
>>>
>>>... and Kai replied ...
>>>
>>>> But, IMHO, a crossflow head just isn't as cool as having a Judson
>>on an
>>>> MGB. ;-)
>>>
>>>The Judson is a nice period accessory and does look really 'cool' ...
>>
>>>especially when fitted to an 'A' so that the finned aluminum valve
>>cover,
>>>with built-in oiler, can be used ... but, the Judson is an expensive
>>item
>>>to purchase and maintain when compared to the crossflow head.
>>>
>>>Safety Fast! ... larry.g.unger@lmco.com
>>>'61 MGA 1600 MkII
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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