Rob Wiehl's Chevy V8 powered 1971 MGB Pro-Street Hot Rod
as published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XIV Issue 3, December 2006Rob Wiehl
Alabaster, AL
Killerb1971@hotmail.com
VIN Number: GHN5UB238134G
(Note: this car was sold in an online auction that ended September 13, 2006)
I have always wanted to build a street rod, and here was my chance with a good donor car.
I parted the original drivetrain out and all other parts I would not need for the project.
The back half is constructed of 2"x3" tubing. The suspension is a Competition Engineering
4-link, with coil-over shocks and locator. The chassis is setup for a small-block Chevy.
The transmission crossmember is solid mount, and currently set up for a T5 5spd manual,
but can be re drilled and bolted back in for another trans.
The pictures that showing a yellow engine and no hood scoop are from the days I was driving it
regularly. I originally had this car set-up with a 350cid engine, 0.030" over pistons, a mild
cam and turbo 350 trans. I drove it for over 6 months on sunny days to and from work. Even
with that mild set-up it was very impressively fast!
The pics with the cowl hood and tunnel-ram are current. I put the car together initially
to make sure it was going to behave ok on the road before I did the finishing on it.
It proved to be more than ok for a driver, so when I moved up to Alabama from Florida,
I started taking the car back apart to finish it up. One thing led to another and time
and finances won't allow me to complete my project, so I am putting it up for auction.
Nonetheless, here's a description of the build:
Starting with the front of the car, it has the "special tuning" fiberglass front air dam,
and a recently replaced grill, but it needs a new bumper. The radiator supports have been
removed because when the original lower valence was removed and the new spoiler was put
on, it allowed for more forward location of the radiator and I was going to fabricate some
supports, but never had the time. The radiator is an aluminum 2-row. It includes a 16"
cooling fan and the A/C condensor from Vintage Air.
The steering system is all stock. The suspension is all stock with 1978 model springs
and Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. It seems to hold up well to the weight.
The engine mounts are welded solid to the subframe. The engine currently in the car with
the tunnel ram is a 400 small block that needs to be refreshed, but it has some performance
parts (cam, roller-rockers). The headers were custom made using 2 pair of block hugger
headers. They're TIG welded and solid with no leaks. The remainder of the exhaust system
was just pieced together for the road tests. I planned to have a professional system
installed but never got around to it.
The intake is a Edelbrock tunnel-ram. I was going to use 2 holley 600 dp's. The aluminum
scoop is a custom "Shotgun Bill, Double Barrel Shotgun". It's highly polished and looks great.
The transmission is a world class T5 5 speed manual from a 91 V8 RS camaro. The clutch pedal
and master cylinder assembly needs to be rebuilt. There is a line lock installed on the
front brakes for burnouts at the track. There's no gas pedal in the car, the one I was using
was a temporary, and was thrown away in the tear-down process.
The A/C and heater system is an all inclusive custom setup from Vintage Air called the
Ultra Mini II. It features electric servo-operated doors, and defrost, floor, and vent.
I never hooked up the A/C lines due to not having a new compressor, so I haven't been able
to run that portion of the system. All other parts of the unit work great. The dashboard
and console are from a 1978 MGB. The dash is in great shape, and the console is in good
shape. The console will accept most modern aftermarket stereos. The guages are all
Autometer Phantom including voltmeter, fuel level, temp, oil pressure, tach, and fully
programable electronic speedometer for accurate calibration. The speedo will require a
sending unit for the type of trans you put in the car and can be purchased through
Autometer, Jegs, or Summit.
I still have the B&M megashifter that was used with the turbo 350 trans, and will
include that with the car. It has a fabricated cradle that drops the shifter down a
couple inches into the trans tunnel for lower profile, as well as the shifter handle
itself has been shortened to give the location a comfortable feel. The seats are from a
1981 Corvette. The foams are in great shape. The coverings are original and cracking.
The seats were originally tan, but have been dyed black to match my "planned" interior
color. The 6pt rollbar was designed around the seats and RCI seatbelts. It is a functional
and solid cage. Not the best welds in the world (no TIG available), but solid.
The flooring in the back half and wheel tubs were done with metal and fiberglass. It was
a very amature job, I admit, but it's solid. The rear axle is a GM 7.5" from an S-10 Blazer.
It has a 3:73 gear set and a mini spool. The axle housing was narrowed by a custom
fabrication shop in Florida. The axle shafts were sent off, cut and resplined by Moser.
The rear brakes are new, but no emergency brake has been installed yet. The fuel cell
is a Jaz 15 gal with sending unit. The fuel pump is a Holley blue style generic brand.
The battery has been relocated to the trunk but needs a box installed. All cables are
there. The wiring harness is a Painless Wiring 12 circuit universal harness. I installed
the harness temporarily for the road test, so it needs some trimming still, and needs
pigtails or quick disconnects to be installed for the headlights, tail lights and marker lights.
All electrics on the car worked great when driven. The rear wheels are Centerline Warrior
15X10's with 26X12.5" Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro's (still plenty of tread). The front
wheels are Centerline warrior 15X4 with 165R15 tires and are still like new. The rear bumper
is brand new. It needs a license plate frame with lights, but you can buy those all day
long on ebay for cheap.
This car was amazingly fast with just the mild 350 in it. It got suprisingly great traction
and didn't want to fish-tail under acceleration, it just went in a straight line and accelerated
like a bat outta hell! This car is NOT a show car, its an amature built street rod, but serves
its purpose very well and gets alot of attention on the streets.
Note: This car sold in an online auction for a final bid of $3500. The engine, transmission,
and tunnel-ram induction setup were NOT included in the auction. They were offered separately
for an additional $1000 (because most racers will want to build their own engine anyway.)
Rob provided a little follow-up: it's difficult to explain how it was done because there was
so much involved. I basically had to figure out what I wanted my final outcome to be like,
and planned around that. There were alot of materials and parts that had to be purchased in
advance to make measurements and cuts for certain areas of the car as it was being built.
It took me 4 years of my spare time to bring it to what it is now, and it is still not finished.
Money and time have not been a friend lately. Anyway, like any custom fabrication project,
this car had to be planned and put together step by step. There was alot of measuring, cutting,
jigging, and welding. Many times things had to be repeated because they didn't fit right the
first time.
I have a pretty hectic work schedule, but I'll try to get you some more pictures of the car
as it went together. The headers were built on the car while the engine was in place. I had
to cut out portions of the inner wheel arcs to allow the headers to dump down. All is well
clear of any steering or frame, and sparkplugs are a breeze to get to. I have a 400 long block
in there right now with no accessories or pulleys on it, but the exhaust headders are in place.
The transmission tunnel had to be cut away around the bell housing area to allow proper
fitment. The motor mounts, believe it or not, were modified off of the factory motor mount
perches! As far as the A/C system is concerned I had the passenger half of the firewall out
to make room for the unit. It is a tight fit, but it does fit behind the dash. Some cutting
and modifying had to be done to the transmission tunnel also to allow the depth required.
I learned alot by doing this project, and the next one will be done a whole lot better!
I see things that I should have done differently and more efficiently. If any of your
group would like to email me with questions, they can feel free. You can post my email
in your newsletter if you want. I'm honored that you have taken an interest in my project.
I'll do my best to answer any questions about anything. Thanks.
The following images are from when the car was posted for sale in September 2006:
