Mike Alexander's 1971 MGB with Buick 215 V8
as published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XVIII Issue 1, December 2010Owner: Mike Alexander
BritishV8 UserID: restorejag
City: Richmond VA
Model: 1971 MGB (rebuilt with 1980 bodyshell)
Engine: Buick 215 V8
Conversion by: owner
| Engine: | 1962 Buick 215cid aluminum V8, bored 0.030" over.
Rover 4.0L cylinder heads.
All new stainless steel valves, valve guides, rocker arms, and rocker shafts.
Rocker shaft reinforcements.
Crower camshaft, springs and lifters.
Buick four barrel intake manifold.
Edelbrock 1405 500cfm carburetor, with electric choke.
Edelbrock air filter.
Grommet-mounted S.U. fuel pump (Jaguar spec).
Rebuilt Delco Remy distributor with Pertronix Ignitor module (in lieu of breaker points.)
Pertronix Flame Thrower ignition coil.
D&D swivel mount oil filter adapter.
Oil cooler.
Offenhauser finned aluminum valve covers. |
| Cooling: | D&D Fabrications aluminum radiator.
14" electric fans. |
| Exhaust: | ceramic coated RV8-style through the fender headers.
Dual Cherry Bomb Turbo mufflers, part# 16802.
The fuel tank was centered to accomodate dual exhaust. |
| Transmission: | rebuilt Borg Warner T5 5-speed (non "World Class" version.)
Buick bellhousing.
Lightweight flywheel and driveshaft from D&D Fabrication.
McLoed clutch and hydraulic throw-out bearing.
Custom shifter with one inch offset, made by Drive Line.
Hurst shifter handle. |
| Rear Axle: | rebuilt stock 1980 MGB (Salisbury) axle. |
| Front Susp.: | rebuilt stock MGB, with one inch lowering springs.
Lever shock absorbers. |
| Rear Susp.: | rebuilt MGB, lowered one inch.
Polyurethane bushes.
(Late model MGB anti-sway bar has been installed.)
Lever shock absorbers. |
| Brakes: | (master) later model (1975-1980) power brakes. (front) stock MGB. (rear) stock MGB. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Panasport 15x6 aluminum wheels with Goodyear P195/65R15 tires. |
| Electrical: | custom wiring using an Advance Auto-Wire kit.
100 amp alternator.
Gear reduction starter.
Battery disconnect switch.
Toggle switches mounted on aluminum plates, in lieu of original rocker switches.
Sony DIN-mounted stereo radio and CD player, mounted in the center console.
Sony door speakers and Xplod triaxial 6x9 rear speakers. |
| Instruments: | Autometer Pro-Comp gauges including programable fuel gauge,
water temperature gauge (100-250F),
speedometer (0-120mph),
tachometer (0-10000rpm),
oil pressure gauge (0-100psi), and
voltmeter (8-18V). |
| Interior: | a "Mark 3" MGB dashboard was modified for this application.
Complete interior upholstery kit from Victoria British.
The dashboard is complemented by a custom, upholstered center console.
Extra webbing added to seats.
Tourist Trophy 14" wood three-spoke steering wheel.
Everlast convertible top and boot cover. |
| Body: | new rocker panels, inner rockers, door sills, doglegs, and lower front fenders were installed.
Two small sections of floorplan were replaced.
Hat-section reinforcements were added under the floor.
Use of the later model bodyshell also necessitated a "chrome bumper conversion".
1962-1969 style MGB grille.
1973-1974.5 MGB gravel pan (with vents for an oil cooler.) |
| Paint: | epoxy primer was sprayed over the entire bodyshell.
Underside was sprayed with undercoat, filler primer, then top coat.
Dupont base-coat / clear-coat paint, in Jaguar "Regency Red". |
| Completed: | March 2010. |
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Preparing the 1980 MGB Bodyshell
Derelict 1980 MGB LE, as originally purchased.
Beginning of rust repair: replacing the rocker panels, door sills, and inner rocker ("castle") panels.
Notice that temporary braces have been installed to keep the body straight while working.
Bodyshell repairs and modifications are complete, and it's time for primer.
Epoxy primer was sprayed over the entire bodyshell.
A very good view of the unibody construction of the MGB model.
Rubber bumper MGB's came with a forward-mounted radiator and a different firewall, which generally
makes engine swaps easier. The tradeoff is that most people who do engine swaps also want the lower
ride height and the appearance of the earlier chrome bumper models. A chrome bumper conversion has
its own expenses and challenges. That's why there's no consensus on which shell to start with.
After cutting holes for the exhaust headers, Mike formed neat downward lips around the holes.
Underneath the taillamps, new metal has been added as part of the chrome bumper conversion.
Now the front fenders are being test fitted. You can see they've already been modified
for chrome-bumper style turn signals.
Just a little bit of sanding to finesse the area around the license plate...
Underside was sprayed with undercoat.
A peek inside a front fender. It's hard to see the patch panel, even in this view.
The body has been modified to suit a centered fuel tank and dual tailpipes.
Painting Hidden Surfaces
A rotisserie is very helpful throughout the process, including painting.
The dreaded "scuttle shake" of more primative sports cars was never a problem for MGB.
The MGB's unibody bodyshell was conservative and robust by design, as illustrated here.
(Driver's side interior paint, including dashboard.)
(Passenger's side interior paint, including rear seat area.)
The insides of the front fenders were painted off-the-car, and then installed.
Rubber-bumper MGBs got a single 12 Volt battery instead of dual 6 Volt batteries
in series, so battery mounting provisions were changed accordingly.
Chassis Wiring
Preparing to get started on taillamp wiring.
Reinstallation of the front crossmember.
Routing of battery cables.
Battery disconnect switch.
Grommet-mounted S.U. fuel pump (Jaguar spec).
Ready to get started hooking-up the instruments and switchgear.
Advance Auto Wire fuse and relay block.
Flexible non-metallic conduit is less likely than steel conduit to cause a
short circuit in the event of an accident.
Holes added to the inner fenders accomodate MG RV8-style headers.
Preparing the Engine
Sets of parallel ribs on the aluminum block are the easiest way to tell this is a
GM aluminum V8, not a Rover. Five head bolt holes per cylinder, instead of six,
identify it that this is a Buick 215 engine block, not an Oldsmobile 215.
1962 Buick 215cid aluminum V8, bored 0.030" over.
The Buick/Olds/Rover aluminum engine block has a deep-skirted design.
Timing chain and gears.
All new stainless steel valves, valve guides, rocker arms, and rocker shafts.
Rocker shaft reinforcements.
These Rover 4.0 cylinder heads have smaller combustion chambers and bigger valves than the original
Buick cylinder heads or any of the earlier Rover heads. They mount with just four head bolts per cylinder.
Installing Suspension and Drivetrain
D&D Fabrications aluminum radiator.
Buick four barrel intake manifold. Edelbrock 1405 500cfm carburetor, with electric choke.
Rebuilt stock MGB, with one inch lowering springs. Lever shock absorbers.
4-lug hubs and drum brake backing plates.
Later year models of the MG Salisbury axle have brackets for mounting an anti-sway bar.
Salisbury axle: all back together and ready to reinstall.
1 inch lowering leafsprings. Note the connecting link for a lever shock absorber.
Buick bellhousing, with its distinctive removeable stamped steel bottom cover.
Transmission crossmember.
On the lift, for installation of the exhaust system.
Sometimes you just have to take something apart and do it a second time, better.
Exhaust pipes were remade to add cleaarance to the transmission crossmember.
Dual Cherry Bomb Turbo mufflers, part# 16802.
D&D Fabrications driveshaft.
1962-1969 style MGB grille, used in conjunction with a 1973-1974.5 MGB gravel pan.
(I just think this is a neat looking photo.)
Trimming the Interior
Repainted MGB seat frames.
Extra webbing added to seats.
Installation of the dashboard.
New mastic sound deadening added to the floorboards.
Applying foil covered insulation to reduce cabin heat.
With the insulation fully installed, it's ready for carpet.
Installation of the carpets.
Autometer Pro-Comp Ultra Lite gauges: programable fuel gauge,
water temperature gauge (100-250F), speedometer (0-120mph),
Autometer Pro-Comp Ultra Lite gauges: tachometer (0-10000rpm),
oil pressure gauge (0-100psi), and voltmeter (8-18V).
Sony Xplod triaxial 6x9 speakers.
Completed interior upgrade.
Sony DIN-mounted stereo radio and CD player, mounted in the center console.
Completed
Dupont base-coat / clear-coat paint, in Jaguar "Regency Red".
Panasport 15x6 aluminum wheels with Goodyear P195/65R15 tires.
Pre-1968 MGB taillamp lenses.
All photos by Mike Alexander for BritishV8's exclusive use. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
