Steve LaGoy's 1977 MGB with Ford 302 V8 and EFI
as published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XVIII Issue 1, December 2010Owner: Steve LaGoy
BritishV8 UserID: 77mgbv8
City: Baldwinsville (Syracuse), New York
Model: 1977 MGB
Engine: Ford 302 V8
Conversion by: owner
| Engine: | Ford Motorsport crate 302.
Air Flow Research (AFR) model 165 aluminum cylinder heads.
Ed Curtis custom ground camshaft.
Comp Cam "Gold" roller rockers.
Manley pushrods.
Edelbrock Performer intake manifold.
AccuFab 70mm throttle body.
Pro-M 75mm Bullet MAF sensor.
Detail Zone complete, self-contained EFI wiring harness (with its own fuse panel and relays).
SCT switch chip (4 programs).
All new sensors.
24lb fuel injectors.
BBK fuel pressure regulator.
Custom Rod Works aluminum MGB fuel tank with internal fuel pump.
Aluminum / Russell stainless steel braided fuel lines / hose ends.
MSD Pro-Billet electronic distributor and matching coil.
MSD 8.5mm spark plug wires.
Canton billet aluminum remote oil filter mount.
Ford Racing FI aluminum valve covers. |
| Cooling: | Howe Racing custom aluminum radiator.
SPAL 2350cfm electric fan.
Permacool adjustable fan controller and relay.
Flow Kooler hi-performance waterpump. |
| Exhaust: | Coyote Racing exhaust headers with Jet-Hot ceramic coating added.
Custom dual 2.5" bore exhaust featuring a Magnaflow X-pipe and
dual Magnaflow Mufflers plus Classic chambered exhaust pipes.
Resonator mufflers.
All constructed with T409 stainless steel. |
| Transmission: | Ford Racing heavy duty T5 5-speed manual transmission with 0.63:1 5th gear.
Fidanza aluminum flywheel.
Stock Ford aluminum bellhousing.
Ford Racing clutch assembly.
CNC external clutch slave cylinder.
CNC clutch master cylinder (with stainless steel bore). |
| Rear Axle: | Fast Cars (Ted Lathrop) narrowed 8" Ford rear axle.
Aluminum differential carrier.
Auburn limited slip differential.
3.25:1 gears. |
| Front Susp.: | Fast Cars (Ted Lathrop) front suspension. |
| Rear Susp.: | British Automotive composite leafsprings.
KBY telescoping shock absorbers.
British Automotive traction bars and Panhard rod. |
| Brakes: | (master) Wilwood tandem cylinder. Tuff Stuff chrome single diaphragm booster. Wilwood proportioning valve. (front) Wilwood aluminum calipers and 12" slotted and drilled rotors. (rear) Wilwood aluminum calipers and 12" drilled rotors. |
| Wheels/Tires: | 16" Panasport aluminum wheels. Dunlop Sport 8000 tires (205-50ZR16). |
| Electrical: | Hi-torque mini starter. |
| Instruments: | VDO Cockpit Series electronic gauges with white faces. |
| Interior: | Moto-Lita steering wheel.
Alpine CD player.
Boston Acoustics speakers (side and rear). |
| Body: | converted to chrome bumpers. |
| Weight: | ~2250lbs. |
| Completed: | the original Rover V8 conversion was completed in 2002.
The car has gone through several iterations now to what you see here.
All told, ~25,000 miles. |
| Comments: | besides being an extremely quick car, I'm especially pleased with braking set-up.
The car will stop on a dime and I'm very hard pressed to get any brake fade after repeated stops.
Ed Curtis, my camshaft grinder, claims I should see 325-350hp at the rear wheels. That's yet to be proven, and it's a bit optimistic in my opinion. Based on my G-Tech, the MGB consistently runs mid 5 second 0-60mph times. Obviously the biggest issue is rear tire hook-up, but the Dunlops are pretty sticky! The body is 99.9% rust free, but needs new paint. I have procured a Morspeed fiberglass MGC-style hood skin, modified with raised rear for fuel injection, which I plan to install. I also have a set of Pontiac Fiero seats in great condition that I hope to eventually reupholster and install. |
Please support the sponsoring companies who make BritishV8 possible, including:
Engine Installation
Ford Motorsport crate 302 with AFR 165 aluminum cylinder heads and custom Ed Curtis camshaft.
AccuFab 70mm throttle body. Pro-M 75mm Bullet MAF sensor.
A BBK fuel pressure regulator serves fuel to the 24lb fuel injectors.
Coyote Racing exhaust headers with Jet-Hot ceramic coating added.
MSD Pro-Billet electronic distributor and matching coil. MSD 8.5mm spark plug wires.
Detail Zone complete, self-contained EFI wiring harness (with its own fuse panel and relays).
Wilwood tandem cylinder. Tuff Stuff chrome single diaphragm booster. Wilwood proportioning valve.
Rear Axle and Suspension
Fast Cars narrowed Ford 8" axle. Aluminum differential carrier. Auburn limited slip differential.
British Automotive composite leafsprings and traction bars.
Exterior
Custom Rod Works aluminum MGB fuel tank with internal fuel pump.
All photos by Steve LaGoy for BritishV8's exclusive use. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
