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MGB Stuck in now, engine swap time

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drooartz

drooartz

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Now that winter has arrived (some snow on the ground today) it's time to get going on the engine swap. The plan is to pull out the engine in the car (the original one) and put in the one from this car. This gets the B back on the road, and I can do a full rebuild on the original engine as I have time. I admit that I was tempted by a full rebuilt engine and supercharger that was for sale over on MGExp, but I resisted. Need to focus the $$ on the Bugeye.

So off we go. This will not be a quick project, but I'm trying to do at least something every few days so I can chip away at it. Really tempted to strip and repaint the engine bay (stupid black paint) but that needs to wait. Goal is to have the B back on the road by spring.

Also wondering if I can get my health insurance to cover to the cost of a lift as a preventative measure to hold off back pain... :grin:

Progress so far:

mgbswap181123-1.jpg


Always exciting to have the tools out and ready for a project:

mgbswap181123-2.jpg


The parts pile so far. Oil cooler will get replaced:

mgbswap181123-3.jpg


Progress. Couple more passes at disassembly and it'll be engine out time.

mgbswap181123-4.jpg
 
Progress, indeed!

Aluminum radiator! Best thing I've done down here to keep running temps under control in July.

Keep the photos comin'!
 
Drew,
Are you going to drive your B before spring? If not, I would be inclined to force myself to rebuild the original engine and save on labor. That’s time spent you could use on the rebuild!
Rut
 
Rut said:
Drew,
Are you going to drive your B before spring? If not, I would be inclined to force myself to rebuild the original engine and save on labor. That’s time spent you could use on the rebuild!
Rut
Click to expand...

I had considered this option, but the truth is that I don't have the time right now for the full rebuild work, and this engine I'm swapping in is a known runner. I look at this as a 2-year solution; gets me driving the car again for a couple years while I devote time to finishing the shop and working on the Bugeye. Once that dust has settled I can get back to the B and dive into the engine. The donor was cheap enough (and came with a working OD trans) that it's worth the small effort. When the plan is all done I'll have a spare engine and OD trans on the shelf for future use.

This swap shouldn't be too hard. I'll throw in a new clutch, oil cooler, and hoses and back in it goes. I'm off over the Christmas break (a nice perk of working for a public school district) so I may try and take that time to get things really going.
 
Boy, time does get away from me... had hoped to button this up over the winter, but that didn't come close to happening. This morning I got motivation and got to work. The engine is now out!

Next step is to order up a few things I need and get the replacement engine set up and ready to slot back in. I'm going to try very hard to resist the urge to clean and repaint the engine bay...

mgbswap190706-1.jpg


mgbswap190706-2.jpg
 
Grantura_MKI said:
I would at least clean the gearbox and spray the motor.
Click to expand...

Plan is to clean the donor motor and trans, and pop in a new clutch. Also likely new engine and trans mounts. Don't want to go too deep on this one, just want to be driving again. The engine I pulled (the original) will get rebuilt and eventually will go back in.
 
Good on ya, Drew!

And don't you love construction scraps such as your custom OSB engine "rest"? I have several pieces here, along with some leftover log ends from the house we built. Amazing what gets thrown out/burned during construction.
 
Mickey Richaud said:
And don't you love construction scraps such as your custom OSB engine "rest"? I have several pieces here, along with some leftover log ends from the house we built. Amazing what gets thrown out/burned during construction.
Click to expand...

I've a whole stack of these OSB cutoffs from the shop build. Used them to build my work bench, and they keep coming in handy for other projects.
 
drooartz said:
I've a whole stack of these OSB cutoffs from the shop build. Used them to build my work bench, and they keep coming in handy for other projects.
Click to expand...


Yup - have two garden benches fashioned from pieces cut from logs on our home, sitting atop decorative concrete/cinder blocks. Sealed them to match the stain on the house. Also made both of the work benches all from 4X4s, 2X4s and OSB leftovers. Still plenty more pieces to play with.

But back to the build - what are your plans? Any "massaging" in the works?
 
Mickey Richaud said:
But back to the build - what are your plans? Any "massaging" in the works?
Click to expand...

Plan for now is to swap in the donor motor (from a friend's rusted out 70 GT) so that I can get it back on the road and drive it. The original engine needs a rebuild. At a minimum I'll build it up with reasonable performance parts. I'd love to go supercharged, but that may be beyond the budget.

The full reality is that once this is done I need to swap the transmission in the Morris and then work on the Sprite, so this engine may be in the B for a while -- but at least it will be driving again.
 
Grantura_MKI said:
I’ll check back in fives time when the motor will still be fitted in the car.
Click to expand...

It will likely be years :grin: but at least it'll be on the road. That's the main goal, to be able to be driving again so that I can take the time (and I certainly will) to rebuild the original engine.
 
Gotta love spell check!
Hear, hear on the road is best.
There are many inexpensive things that I would do before fitting that unit.
Good luck.
 
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