Robert Milks' 1965 MGB with Buick 215 V8 Engine
Originally featured in British V8 Newsletter, Volume 11 Issue 2. Updated May 2015. (Scroll down for earlier version.)Owner: Robert Milks
BritishV8 UserID: RobM65BV8
City: Hendersonville, NC
Model: 1965 MGB
Engine: 1963 Buick 215 V8
Conversion performed by: Gary Nye of Nye Performance, Brevard NC
| Engine: | 1963 Buick 215cid aluminum V8, prepared by Dan LaGrou.
3.5" bore. 2.8" stroke.
9.6:1 compression ratio.
Crower 50232 camshaft (0.488"/214° intake, 0.490"/218° exhaust, 112° LSA.)
Stock cylinder heads (1.5" intake, 1.312" exhaust.)
500 CFM Edelbrock 1404 carburetor (1422 primaries, 460 rods, for two stages lean on both power and cruise mode.)
Stock Buick intake manifold.
D&D throttle linkage.
Pertronix ignition.
MSD 6A control box and coil.
MGB GT V8 valve covers.
Chevy motor mounts.
Lateral and rotational stabilizers. |
| Cooling: | FlowKooler high volume aluminum water pump.
Overdrive pulley and V-belt.
Be-Cool 18"x18" aluminum radiator with integral fan shroud
Spal 16" 2070 CFM curved blade fan.
(Two small pusher fans operate with the A/C.) |
| Exhaust: | RV8 headers with a 1-3/8" primaries and Jet Hot ceramic coating.
Y-pipe and single 1-3/8" exhaust pipe.
Short glass-pack muffler.
Ansa tip. |
| Transmission: | Borg Warner T5 5-speed, rebuilt by D&D Fabrications.
Gear ratios are (1st) 2.95, (2nd) 0.94, (3rd) 1.34, (4th) 1.00, and (5th) 0.63:1.
Chevy transmission mount.
TransAdapt bellhousing, from D&D Fabrications.
Weber 10.4" clutch, 22# steel flywheel, and HTOB.
3/4" bore master cylinder. |
| Rear Axle: | Ford 8" 3.55:1 (from a Granada) rebuilt and modified to fit by Fast Cars Ltd.
Auburn cone-type limited slip differential.
Shortened MGb driveshaft. |
| Front Suspension: | Stock lever shocks with heavy-duty valves.
480 lb. springs.
5/8" sway bar.
Later model (1977, slower ratio) steering rack. |
| Rear Suspension: | KYB tube shocks.
5/8" sway bar.
Panhard rod.
Unique slider traction bars. |
| Brakes: | (master) MGB MkII tandem master cylinder, (front) Wilwood 11.75" vented rotors and C&C hats, (rear) Wilwood 10.75" cross-drilled rotors. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Compomotive 16x6.5, 29mm offset, 4.9" backspace.
Continental Extreme Contact DW 205/50ZR16 tires.
Note: fenders were trimmed to the welds for clearance, but flares weren't needed.
16" rims require careful measurements. |
| Interior: | 1990 Miata seats with custom "Katskin" leather upholstery.
Custom door and rear bulkhead trim panels by Billy and Cristi Murdock's Auto Upholstery shop, Brevard, NC.
They incorporate the MG logo on the doors, and additionally include "V8 Power" on the rear bulkhead.
Moss Motors carpet.
Hot Rod Air air conditioner evaporator unit.
Bypass to maintain return water flow.
Fold-flat Acura eyeball vent louvers behind removable original MG speaker grille.
Kenwood flip face stereo system with MG blanking plate on reverse.
(Auxiliary amplifier mounted in enclosure within old battery box.) |
| Body: | reinforced floorboard crossmembers and bulkhead.
Supplemental transverse hat-section reinforcement at rear bulkhead and A-post.
Supplemental longitudinal hat-section forward of rear bulkhead.
1977 MGB firewall and front valance.
Body restoration by Gary Nye of Nye Performance, Brevard, NC.
The paint color is XKE Series 2 BRG.
3 coats of acrylic enamel over multiple primer coats.
Stabilus 752827 hood and trunk struts.
(Note: struts are Points West Marketing's part number S150, rated 150# each.)
Triumph TR-4 right-hand fender mirror mounted on left wing window frame.
MGB bumper over-rider bolts welded, shaved and re-chromed.
License plate bezels mounted directly onto bumper.
|
| Electrical: | stock MGB gauges, except with fully electronic tachometer.
Voltmeter installed to left of fuel gauge.
Later model MGB (2-speed) windshield wiper motor.
Painless wiring harness.
80 amp alternator.
Gear reduction starter from D&D Fabrications.
All engine bay wiring is hidden.
|
| Completed: | 5/1/2003. |
| Comments: | Our focus was to maintain the clean lines of early "pull-handle" MGBs.
Other than the wheels and roll-bar, our car looks pretty much stock.
What would I do differently on the next conversion? Check out Fast Cars' IFS and 3-link rear suspension set-ups. They weren't available when we built this car. The IFS will improve the Ackerman slip angles and provide live camber gain. (If you haven't already begun to work on your front end yet, consider what you'll need to upgrade anyway. All conversions deserve new springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, bushings, and improved brakes for safety's sake. None of these are free!) All the folks we worked with were excellent. Along with his great engine work, Dan LaGrou encouraged me to use rodding techniques to have fun with the car. Ted and Judy Lathrop helped by breaking ground in development of the first Wilwood 4-wheel disc package for LBC's, along with narrowing and building the rear end. Then there's Gary and Billy, two local artisans who put it all together. |
Robert and Dreama Milks at BritishV8 2006, Townsend Tennessee
Engine Installation
2010 update: BeCool aluminum radiator has replaced the earlier D&D copper/brass unit.
2010 update: a smaller water pump pulley speeds coolant flow rate.
Bodyshell Modifications
Drivers side footbox.
Passenger side footbox.
Motor mount (passenger side).
Steering.
Motor mount (driver side).
Torque rod.
Lateral torque rod.
Hidden conduit for wiring.
Floor reinforcements.
Spring perch reinforcement from above.
Spring perch reinforcement from below.
Transmission tunnel.
Completed firewall modifications.
Rear Axle and Suspension
Interior
Exterior Details
Robert Milks' 1965 MGB with Buick 215 V8 Engine
(Originally featured in British V8 Newsletter, Volume 11 Issue 2. Updated July 2006 and December 2010.)Owner: Robert Milks
BritishV8 UserID: RobM65BV8
City: Hendersonville, NC
Model: 1965 MGB
Engine: 1963 Buick 215 V8
Conversion performed by: Gary Nye of Nye Performance, Brevard NC
| Engine: | 1963 Buick 215ci aluminum V8. Bore/Stroke 3.5"/2.8" Cam is a Crower 50232 with an
intake lift of 0.488", an exhaust lift of 0.490". Duration at 0.05": intake 214
degrees, exhaust 218 degrees. Lobe separation angle: 112 degrees.
Cylinder heads are stock, with 1.5" intake and 1.312" exhaust valves. The compression
ratio is 9.6:1. The engine is equipped with both lateral and rotational stabilizers.
Valve covers are MGB. Engine mounts are Chevy. |
| Intake: | 500CFM Edelbrock 1404 carburetor, jetted by D&D Fabrications, sits atop a stock
manifold. Throttle linkage is also from D&D. |
| Engine Electrical: | Pertronix ignition, MSD 6A control box and coil, Painless wiring. The alternator is an
80 amp unit, and the starter is a mini, both from D&D Fabrications. All engine bay
wiring is hidden. |
| Cooling: | A v-belt drives the stock aluminum water pump. (Note: An 18" x 18" 4-row brass downflow
radiator by D&D Fabrications was originally used, but as of 2010 it's been replaced
with an aluminum BeCool radiator.) |
| Exhaust: | RV8 headers, Jet Hot coated by D&D, with a 1 3/8" primary tube ID. Muffler is
glass-pack type, with an "Ansa" tip. Exhaust pipes are also 1 3/8" ID. |
| Transmission: | Borg Warner T5 5-speed (rebuilt by D&D Fabrications.)
Gear ratios are: (1st) 2.95, (2nd) 0.94, (3rd) 1.34, (4th) 1.00, (5th) 0.63.
Chevy transmission mount. TransAdapt bellhousing (from D&D Fabrications.)
Clutch is a Weber 10.4", with a Weber HTOB. Flywheel is a 22# steel Weber.
Master cylinder has a bore of 3/4". |
| Rear Axle: | Ford 8" 3.55:1 (from a Granada) rebuilt and modified to fit by Ted Lathrop, of
Fast Cars, Inc. with an Auburn cone-type limited slip differential. |
| Front Suspension: | Stock MGB except lowered by use of shorter springs. Shock valves have been replaced
with heavy duty valves, and a Ron Hopkins sway bar added to improve the handling.
Steering rack is from a later (1977) model (which has a "slower" ratio and thus more
turns lock-to-lock). |
| Rear Suspension: | Lever type shocks have been replaced with KYB tube shocks. Fiberglass springs were
originally fitted, but they delaminated so original-type steel leaf-springs have been
retrofitted. A Ron Hopkins sway bar has been added, along with a Panhard rod and
unique traction bars to keep everything under control. |
| Brakes: | 11.75" vented Wilwood and C&C hats in front, 10.75" solid drilled Wilwood discs in
rear, both by Fast Cars, Inc. Brake master cylinder was replaced with a Mark II dual unit. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Compomotive 16 x 6.5, 29 mm offset; 4.9" backspace, with Dunlop 9000 205/50ZR 16 tires.
Note: fenders were trimmed to the welds for clearance, but flares weren't needed. |
| Interior: | 1990 Miata seats with custom "Katskin" leather upholstery, custom door and rear bulkhead trim
panels were made up by Billy Murdock's upholstery shop, Brevard, NC. They incorporate the MG logo
on the doors, and additionally include "V8 Power" on the rear bulkhead. Carpeting was provided by
Moss motors. Air conditioning is a Hot Rod Air unit, with fold-flat Acura eyeballs behind removable
original console speaker grill. Kenwood stereo system. |
| Body: | Visually, the body is stock, but modifications have been made to the floor crossmembers and to
the bulkhead. The "frame" is strengthened by the addition of an extra transverse U-Channel bracing
at rear bulkhead and A Post, and extra longitudinal U-Channel bracing forward of rear bulkhead.
The firewall and the front valance are from a 1977 MGB. A full body restoration was done by Gary Nye,
of Nye Performance, Brevard, NC. Gary is an artist with metal. He did a great blocking job - very
straight! The paint color is XKE Series 3 British Racing Green. 3 coats of acrylic enamel were
applied over multiple primer coats. Hood and trunk struts are from Ian Pender, although the
lightweight aluminum hood only requires a 100# strut. |
| Electrical: | Gauges are stock. Windshield wiper was replaced with a 2-speed Mark II unit. Wiring was replaced
with a Painless Wiring system. |
| Completed: | 5/1/2003. |
| Miles Driven: | not enough! (as of the British V8 2006 meet). |
| Warnings: | Glass springs delaminated going into 2nd. Ted's work with a 3.55:1 rear and posi, along with the
tires and a stiff body makes for a good hook-up. Face beginning to hurt from constant grinning.
Original 9amp cooling fan wasn't adequate. |
| Comments: | Don't wait, just do it. I should have done this 20 years ago!
Things I would do different on the next conversion: install traction bars before the rear springs delaminated. Install a stronger shrouded fan to begin with. Seal windshield before the Tennessee monsoon hit (at British V8 2003)! The inspiration for this car came from Pat Dempsey when he parked his car in the car corral at the 2000 Rolex 24 hours in Daytona. Amongst the Cobras and Ferraris was the perfect car: an MGB with American muscle. After talking with Pat, my little brain wheels started turning. The following Fall we went to the Cleveland V8 Meet and we were hooked. There was no turning back. Every car and owner there gave us ideas. We then studied the back issues of the Newsletter and found a solid(ish) car to develop. A friend called with a $150 parts car (What a deal, honey!) and we went into the shop. Conversion of an early car would be a tough job without professional help on the firewall exchange. The guys taught me how to work on all parts that I couldn't permanently ruin, but I was continually in awe of folks who know what they are doing. The car with an aluminum hood was a challenge, but the clean lines and steel dash of older cars was desired. And yes, I love those pull-handles. We recommend getting ideas from street rodders for wiring tricks and interior designs. The interior work on the seats, dash and panels is very rewarding, as we don't usually actually sit in the engine bay. Lastly, I added a roll bar and bought more life insurance. All the folks we worked with were great. They all helped create ideas, rather than just selling time and materials. |
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Robert at the car shop.
