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miata engine swap

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I do know that when you order a crate Hemi from Dodge, you do get a brand new engine!!! I also know that if you order a Boss 302 from Ford it is brand new!!! Although I doubt an MGB engine would be brand new, it would be built to factory spec's!! Unfortunately, factory specs are not the very best you can get!!! You would be better off to send it to Tom Bedenbaugh and tell him you want an engine that you can do whatever you 'specially want to do, and he will build it!! GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
 
This is my first entry to the forum.
My wife and son fell in love with a 76 MGB and bought it. Being in California I need to pass smog until 06. I now have the engine almost ready to reinstall (smog legal). So, I have been following your suggeations with interest.

When 06 rolls around I want a less than 3 liter, dual overhead cam engine to put into the car. Bolt in would be nice and a five or six speed tranny. Keep talking. I am listening. The machine shop in northern Calif is not 250 bucks.
 
IIRC, small block Chevy crate motors are usually new as well, as are the Miata mills available thru Mazdaspeed. Original MG replacement engines were known as "Gold Seal" engines, having been rebuilt, and given special engine numbers as well.
-William
 
if you want to go Old OHC ford 4cyl you can drop a 2.3L turbo "lima" motor into them. I know a guy who is making 205Hp, 265tq in an MGB. Same swap i am doing with my mustang but it could be applied to MGB's quite easily. I dont think think it will fit in my midget though.
Heres his site.
https://www.geocities.com/gocartmg/

Dr.
 
Dr_E....if you want to improve your times, put that B on a diet...replace the heavy rubber bumpers with lighter fiberglass ones that you can paint black or body color...I've got 'em for sale by the weay!

[ 10-22-2003: Message edited by: tony barnhill ]</p>
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by tony barnhill:
Dr_E....if you want to improve your times, put that B on a diet...replace the heavy rubber bumpers with lighter fiberglass ones that you can paint black or body color...I've got 'em for sale by the weay!

[ 10-22-2003: Message edited by: tony barnhill ]<hr></blockquote>

thats not actually my car, its a guys on the turboford webboard that i know. I just posted it cause i thought it might have some relivance.

Dr.
 
There's a rebuilder/racer of Caterhams near me who sells rebuilt Ford Type 9 gearboxes, both the "semi-close" and the standard type 9 box. The "semi-close" is the stronger of the two and may be purchases, fully rebuilt and warrantied for $1,500 or less.

The Zetech ford engine is used worldwide for racing applications and easily produces 170+ HP with minor modifications. Not sure of a price. The parts are easy to find, very durable and relatively lightweight.

It's not as "sexy" as a V/6 or V/8, but it's a good choice for LBC engine upgrades.
 
Gary, William...you guys are probably correct - I don't know much about US engines...do know that when I went to buy a crate motor for my Sonoma the dealer quoted me the price & when I questioned it becase it wasn't much more han Advance Auto's rebuilt units, he confirmed he had quoted a rebuilt engine price!
 
"a less than 3 liter, dual overhead cam engine to put into the car. Bolt in would be nice and a five or six speed tranny."

Once again, such a thing does not exist. Not as a bolt-in. Not on a carb'ed car that was never intended to take it.

Once again, here's the choices:
1) Build the stock B motor up to respectable HP levels.

2) Got the tried and tested Rover V8/V6 routes, where everythings been figured out.

3) Spend your time and money on your own conversions. You can put most anything in there, if you want to bad enough. All it takes is time and money. My personal top candidates in this category would be a Toyota 2.2 or the BMW M20 baby six.

4) Sell it and buy a Miata. you'll come out thousands cheaper in the end.
 
If you don't mind my asking, who it that?

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by vagt6:
There's a rebuilder/racer of Caterhams near me who sells rebuilt Ford Type 9 gearboxes, both the "semi-close" and the standard type 9 box. The "semi-close" is the stronger of the two and may be purchases, fully rebuilt and warrantied for $1,500 or less.

<hr></blockquote>
 
A crate motor is simply that, a motor in a crate, fully assembled and ready to go. If you buy one from a remanufacturing company like ATK guess what? It's a rebuild. If you buy one from an OEM manufacturer like Ford, Mopar or GM it will be brand new.

Many of our LBCs' original motors haven't been manufactured in many years. Any of these motors will obviously be used and/or rebuilt unless you find a NOS unit hiding in someone's attic.

Here's an idea for somebody, make a bolt in conversion kit. There are obviously a lot of people interested in it. If you do it for a car that is pretty popular and available like the B or Spit there will probably be enough customers out there to make financially viable.

Choose a vehicle/engine combination that doesn't require any cutting on the car and can be implemented with as many stock parts as practical. The rest should be a fairly small number of simple custom fabricated components, brackets and harnesses.

Sell it as a complete kit, crate motor included, and you should be able to make a reasonable profit with a very modest capital outlay.


PC.
 
Bill Guzman is doing pretty close to that...he provides everything a guy needs to put a V6 in an MG except for the engine;&, Dan at KillerBeeV6 even provides the engine!

So, from either of those guys you could get everything you need for an MGB V6 conversion! Bill is a litle less expensive, Dan is more comprehensive

[ 10-23-2003: Message edited by: tony barnhill ]</p>
 
I have seen 5 spped kits for B's that use a type 9 Ford box, too. Of course that would also bolt on to the Cologne (Ford) V6 that the I believe the Killer B kit uses. I know there used to me a kit to plug in the Cologne V6. I also believe that American versions of the Cologne have been poked and stroked to 4.2 liters for F-150 pickups, a long way from the 2.6 liter German Capri it showed up in first.

To be honest though, I have never considered that engine to be all that great.

[ 10-23-2003: Message edited by: Super 7 ]</p>
 
&, chuck, that may be why he's a bit higher in prices than Bill - more complicated conversion!
 
just an oddball thought here....why not take a FWD unit, and mount it in the rear of a midget. some cutting and fab work, trunk removal Kinda figure cut the car in half behind the seats, and then in half the long way....fab a frame underneath to bolt the eng/trans unit to . .. rear wheel steer?...hmmm or fix the spindles in some fashion, widen the rear but leave the font standard width. would make for some great air scoops behind the doors...... kinda wild...

Mark
 
Or just go buy one of the little mid/rear engined Japaese 'pocket rockets'!
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Chuck Cougill:
Killer B uses a sideways chev v6 converted to rwd<hr></blockquote>

The new Malibu uses a 3.5L version of the venerable 60 degree GM, pushrod V6. It puts out 200hp from the factory. That sounds like a good starting point. All you need is a thoroughly wadded up '04 Malibu.
 
the 3.4 in the late camaro also puts out 200hp and is very available in salvage yards
iagree.gif
 
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