FordCrazy said:
I know an aluminum V8 can be made to work in an MGB, how about a 302?
A number of MG Club members in Colorado have built MGB V8's using the Buick/Rover 3.5, 3.9, or 4.2 liter engines from the Rover SDI or Range Rover/Discovery. Because these engines are aluminum, they actually weigh less than the cast-iron MGB 4-cylinder engine. And all these Rover engines come with fuel injection too, which is a real advantage over my TR8's carbureted 3.5-liter engine.
If you do an MGB conversion, either the 3.5 or a Ford 302 (which has also been done, though much heavier and harder to fit), get a 1977-1980 MGB rubber-bumper car as a starting point. Because MG actually offered a V8 MGB-GT in England (not in the US, although one of our club members has one) in the mid-1970s, all of these late-model MGBs come with an engine bay, firewall, sway bars, steering setup, front cross-member, radiator location, and cooling fan setup designed for mounting the V8. It is easier to change a rubber-bumper car to chrome bumpers than to change the entire front end in an original chrome-bumper car to fit a V8.
And, if you are thinking about a V6 conversion of an MGB or Alpine, instead of the V8, see "TheAutoist.com" for Tony Barnhart's step-by-step conversion of an MGB-GT to a Chevy V-6.
Incidentally, I saw the ultimate V8 conversion of an LBC at our Triumph Club car show a few weeks ago. A Triumph TR6 with a 400-CI, 600HP Chevy small block, 18-inch wide Mickey Thompson slicks, a louvered hood, and a tubbed rear end. Whatever you decide, HAVE FUN!