Dave Kirkman's 1980 MGB-LE with Ford 302/342 Stroker
as published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XVII Issue 1, July 2009Owner: David Kirkman
BritishV8 UserID: Kirkmanmgbv8
City: Indianapolis IN
Model: 1980 MGB-LE
Engine: Ford 302/342 Stroker
Conversion by: Mantell Motorsport
| Engine: | Ford 302/342 stroker (M-6007-A342 5.65 L). Edlebrock RPM Air Gap intake manifold and
Holley Street Avenger 650cfm 4-barrel carburetor. Ford GTX40X heads. Ford Racing
F303 camshaft. MSD ("Ford V8 302", model 8582) distributor, Blaster 2 coil, and
multiple spark ignition controller. |
| Cooling: | Griffin aluminum radiator (turned on its side). Flexalite cooling fan and shroud. |
| Exhaust: | Coyote Engineering 4-into-1, through-the-fender, Jet Hot coated headers into
custom dual exhaust system. (Note: Coyote Engineering's header business has now
been purchased by Fast Cars Inc.) Glassback (2.5 inch) stainless steel mufflers
from Summit Racing. |
| Transmission: | Tremac T5 Ford Racing Super Duty 5-speed with 0.63:1 overdrive. Ford Racing
heavy duty clutch. McLeod HTOB. Custom driveshaft. |
| Rear Axle: | standard MGB. |
| Front Suspension: | Fast Cars coilover front suspension. 7/8" sway bar. |
| Rear Suspension: | standard MGB, including stock sway bar and lever arm shocks. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Panasport 16x7 wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT tires. |
| Brakes: | stock MGB master cylinder and power brake booster. (front) Wilwood disc brakes. (rear) standard MGB drum brakes. |
| Electrical: | AutoMeter gauges. Sony FM/CD stereo with 300 Watt amplifier. |
| Other: | roll bar from MGOC (M.G. Owners Club) in UK. Fiero seats with custom
upholstery. (Would like a set of Mr Mike's seat covers for Christmas...)
RCI shoulder harnesses. Moss Motors windbreaker. Tanks, Inc. fuel tank.
Carter electric fuel pump. |
| Weight: | 2287 pounds. |
| Performance: | the speedometer goes to 160... Hold on!!! |
| Completed: | April 2006. Driven over 6000 miles as of March 2009. |
| Comments: | a plastic model of a 302 motor was helpful for working out engine installation
details. I sold a V8 bushed front-end from Eric Jones and I replaced it with
the Fast Cars front-end. I formed a radiator shroud from aluminum plating.
Holes were cut in the fender wells to allow for exhaust header clearance.
The original MGB bonnet was modified with a welded Mitsubishi Eclipse bubble.
20 louvres have been added (although these are a recent addition and aren't
shown in the photos.) |
Please support the sponsoring companies who make BritishV8 possible, including:
Edlebrock RPM Air Gap intake manifold and Holley 4 barrel carburetor.
MSD Ford V8 302 (model 8582) distributor, and multiple spark ignition controller.
Griffin aluminum radiator.
Fiero seats with custom upholstery. RCI Shoulder harnesses.
Panasport 16x7 wheels with Goodyear Eagle GT tires.
