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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Straight 6?

Has anyone put a straight 6 in a B? Also, any idea what type might fit?

Yes, I know what an MGC is but I'm curious what options there would be to make a "better" MGC, perhaps what the factory would have done had the budget not been so limited.
Steve Simmons

Hi Steve,

You might get drummed out of the MGOC but - here comes the heresy - one can fit a Triumph 2.5 litre straight 6 engine - Ex TR5/TR6 into an MGB-s engine bay!

It certainly can be done and it works but I don't know how well.

I'm told that the car I saw last year is the only MGB on the TR Register's lists!

FWIW

Peter
P L Hills

Interesting! The TR6 engine has a beautiful sound. I've always loved that.

Anything lighter? Perhaps aluminum? And something that doesn't create so much heat? The MGC GTS cars, or at least some of them, had aluminum engines. Too bad they didn't make it to the road-going models!
Steve Simmons

When the six was put into the MGC, the front suspension was changed completely. Different x-member...torsion bar suspension with tube shocks; a different slam panel and obviously a different bonnet; all to accomodate the length and additional weight of the inline-6.

I'm not sure how one could overcome the change in weight distribution, etc without a LOT of engineering effort to do this to an MGB.

Not a "bolt-in" like most of the v8 conversions.

And....can I say that you "kinda took me off-guard" with the inquiry, with originality and all!

:-)

rick ingram
1968 MGC
1969 MGC
1974.5 MGB/GT V8 conversion
1978 MGB
rick ingram

There was a debate on this topic earlier in the year. Check the archives. Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

FWIW: A TR6 engine weighs 460 pounds, an MGB engine weighs 400 pounds. I'm not sure what the MGC engine weighed offhand, but I believe it was a LOT more than either of these two.

I can get the dimensions of the TR6 engine if any one is seriously interested (although I can't imagine why, with so many other, much better, options available).

I talked to a guy yesterday who is putting a BMW sixer into a TR6, and he said he was going to do his best to be at the British V8 2007 meet with it next year. Should be very interesting.
Dan Masters

At the risk of being considered a heretic and a heathen and ignoring for a moment the work involved two engines spring to mind as being prime candidates.

The six cylinder Nissan engines type RB 25 or RB 30 in either 2.5 or 3.0 litre configuration. The latter was available with a turbo for up to 800 Kw for those wanting serious power.

The similar sized offering s from BMW.

All have both auto and manual options so it would make sense to me to transfer the gearbox over with the engine.

Just thinking out loud here...

Pete.
Peter Thomas

Just keeping you on your toes, Rick! ;)

I've toyed with the idea of building a "special" in the same spirit as those built in the early days of M.G. I've also toyed with the idea of building the BGT/CGT that M.G. wanted to build before the design was handed to the financial department.

What I would really love to do is put an aluminum straight 6 in a BGT, install IRS, 5-speed, wide spuerlite knockoff wheels, sebring kit, etc. If I had a couple partners in crime to do the hard labor I'd most likely go for it. My skills, time and space are all very limited for such a project. But that doesn't mean I can't continue to plan it out on paper. :)
Steve Simmons

Buy Gawd, Steve....I do believe there is a "Spurious MGer" inside of you just begging to be released!!!!!!!!!

;-)

rick
One of the four founding Spuriites....along with Robin Weatherall, Mike Satur, and Ian Pender....at the circular bar at the CalNeva, North Reno, NV at MG'95. ("Just what the hell does 'spurious' mean, anyway?!"....pause as we get a dictionary from the front desk...."YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!"....and a movement was born.........
rick ingram

No reason to insult a guy! LOL! I've always had a soft spot for a well-done modified GT. They are such neat cars to begin with, and perhaps even moreso when you let them out of their cage.

If you promise not to tell anyone about it, I might tell you how I nearly bought a BGT with a Chevy V6 once.
Steve Simmons

Been there and done it. The car's in the paint shop now. The engine is a 220 hp Toyota 2J-GE, 3.0 litre straight six. The motor can commonly be found in NA Toyota Supras, Soarers and Lexus ES 300.
A Lias

Steve, you could always do what the factory should have done and lengthen the car between the bulkhead and the suspension cross member. There are so many unique parts in the C shell I bet you could do the above with fewer.
David Witham

....and for an engine the Jaguar 4.0 straight 6 with supercharger out of the XJR has some merrit.
David Witham

Steve, I'm installing an inline 6 in my MGA project and after taking a lot of measurements of different engines at the salvage yard I found that most of the Japanese inlines were a little on the tall side because of the overhead cams to clear our hoods (bonnets). I'd love to see photos of A. Lias' car when it's finished and see how much clearance there is. I agree that the TR6 engine would probably be a nice fit, but I'd also look at others that might have matching 5 speeds attached.
Bill Young

Yikes! I don't mind a project, but lengthening the chassis is way beyond my capabilities.
Steve Simmons

Bill, the problem I had wasn't the height but the lenght. Surprisingly, I was able to use the original B hood (bonnet) without putting bumps, blisters, holes in it in order for it to clear the motor. Did have to take out the heater shelf and place the motor all the way back to the firewall (There's no winter here in Thailand). The Toyota 5 speed tranny shifter lined up perfectly with the original hole in the tunnel however. I don't know if this site takes BBC codes for posting pics or not. I'll e-mail you some pictures. Lots of power and modern technology to boot and parts a plenty. Cheers.

Arayan
A Lias

Arayan, maybe you send the pix to Curtis & the V8 newsletter. Then we could all get to see them ? Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

"If you promise not to tell anyone about it, I might tell you how I nearly bought a BGT with a Chevy V6 once."

Steve, my lips are sealed.....
Mike Maloney

"Arayan, maybe you send the pix to Curtis & the V8 newsletter. Then we could all get to see them ? Barrie E"

Curtis beat you guys to it. He requested some pics a few months back and I've already sent them in. Thanks for asking. Arayan
A Lias

DOH! Mike, you better get out of here before you get me in trouble! LOL! I actually would have bought that car if you didn't get a bad case of pre-seller's remorse. I can't say I blamed you, it's a beauty. At least I get to see it now and then here in So Cal with its new owner. But I can't say I'm disappointed with the car I did end up with. It's fantastic.
Steve Simmons

Whoa.......this story of Steve keeps getting more interesting and tangled!
rick ingram

ohhhh sure mike, steve was the third high bidder and i believe you stole that gt from me just before the auction ended. but than i could not think of who would be a more deserving owner as you done a great job finishing it. jim
james madson

Are we talking about the same GT? I was after the blue one for a short time. It wasn't in an auction, Mike was selling it outright.

Rick, just close your eyes, plug your ears an shout 'LALALALALALA' for a while until this is all over. :)
Steve Simmons

LOL!

Eyes wide shut.
rick ingram

Since my lips are sealed, I really can't comment. But if my lips were not sealed I would say that the car in Steves "past" is the blue gt with the 3.1 V6. It was never on auction, just a tentative deal between steve and mike in 2003?...but the seller did get pre sellers remorse and backed out on the deal..I still wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and look for it in the garage..but alas it now resides in West Covina....the auction car that james is lamenting about is the red gt that I "stole" from him during a regional ebay "freze up" in 2002 that allowed me to get the 4.3 car at a good price....I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming shouts of celebration over that little coup....:-) :-)
Mike Maloney

Spurious: Similar in appearance or symptoms but unrelated in morphology or pathology. Use in a phrase: "the spurious inferences from obsolescent notions of causality"

What a concept.

So how similar does it have to be, to be spurious? I assume an obsolete engine qualifies perfectly, no?

Jim
Jim Blackwood

This thread was discussed between 02/11/2006 and 05/11/2006

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