MG overhead cam engine

triumphtr2 · July 27, 2012, 09:54:57 PM

Just came across an overhead cam engine for sale in a 61 MGA needing restoration. Barn find kind of thing. Any thoughts on what an engine like that is worth as is these days? Tim.... I guess I should say Twin Cam engine to be clear.

triumphtr2 · July 31, 2012, 07:18:30 PM

Upon further study I have found out the twin cam motor in the sixty one MGA is an Alfa motor. Surprise surprise. No need to worry about trhe value of an MGA Twin Cam motor. I googled Twin Cams and found out they are worth five grand and up, just in case anybody needs to know Tim

Moderator · July 31, 2012, 07:59:33 PM

So you're more interested than ever, right? I think you should be, not just because Alfa engines are pretty nifty but also because they probably have higher resale value than an MG Twin Cam. I wonder who put it there...

basic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_Twin_Cam_engine

triumphtr2 · August 04, 2012, 07:27:12 PM

Hi Curtiss. I've been away.The fellow that owned the car installed it about twenty years ago to get more power . Unfortunately he came down with a brain tumor and stroke and did nothing with it after that.He passed away a few months ago and some one is selling all the MGA parts on behalf of his wife. Listed on local KIJIJI for 1900 bucks. Tim Motor and tranny look nice in there too.

Moderator · August 05, 2012, 12:54:52 AM

Fascinating.

This certainly doesn't look like the Alfa engine my buddy had in his Spider.

mgbrv8 · August 06, 2012, 02:41:52 AM

That's a Fiat engine

Dave

triumphtr2 · August 06, 2012, 09:02:14 PM

I met Leon the guy who owned it at a car meet in town and we got yakking about cars, He rerally liked my TR2 and told me about how he used to work on cars. He said he had cut up a TR3 years ago and left parts in the grass on his Dad's farm out side of town and I was welcome to come and have alook for anything still any good.We went out there a few days later but could'nt find anything worthwhile. He showed me the 61 MGA and I'm pretty sure he said Alfa but it could have been Fiat. Who knows? My memory ,his memory. All I remember now is I said I would drop by sometime and take him for a spin.Goes to show you ,you have to do everything right away as it comes up.I talked to the agent and let him know it wasn't an MG Twin Cam . He was happy to be informed as someonr from Ottawa was interested in coming down to see it. Thats about six hours from here. Anyway I'm Impreesed you found the picture of the car. I could't do that in a month of Sundays. What kind of Fiat motor is it? Thanks Tim

denvermgb · August 07, 2012, 09:29:38 AM

Either the oil cap is missing or the photographer is about to top up the oil level.

Looks a lot like what I had in my 850 Spider. It's been so long ago, I could not be sure. I did find my Fiat easy to work on and get juiced up by using two exhaust cams, a Weber, header, lightened flywheel, etc.

Brad

mgb260 · August 07, 2012, 02:41:23 PM

Look up Fiat 124 motor.

WernerVC · September 11, 2012, 10:07:57 PM

I am in the process of posting an article and pictures about a real MGA twin cam engine in a MGB. This is the original twin cam engine from the late 50's totally rebuild and bored out to almost 2 liter. The engine is fitted with 2 DCOE Weber carbs. It will be a rocket once it is on the road. I got plenty of pics to show the many difficulties that needed to be overcome.
This car belongs to a friend of mine in Belgium so bare with me for updates.

wspohn · November 21, 2012, 03:50:53 PM

Werner, while a Twin DCOE 2 litre Twin Cam motor is a lovely mill, it really deserves to be in an MGA, not an MGB!

tbo · June 30, 2013, 09:38:39 PM

Went to a car show in Chatham Ontario a few weeks ago(home of ex-tyke) and saw of all things a 57. MGA Twin Cam car. Imagine my surprise when I find out he guy lives in Union, a village five miles south of St. Thomas where I live . The Chap has owned it since 1961 and it is in beautiful condition. You never know where some rare car is going to pop up. The other car with the Fiat engine is still available as far as I know. Will take a true fanatic to tackle that one. Tim

WernerVC · July 05, 2013, 10:53:35 PM

Hi Bill,
To come back on your reply that the twin cam engine needs to be in a MGA, well, he has several MGA twin cams.
He had a few spare twin cam engines so he decided to try it in a MGB.
One correction, the carbs are Dellorto's. I'll try to post a picture next time.
Werner

WernerVC · July 05, 2013, 11:47:24 PM

Bill,
Here the picture of the twin cam engine. The bloc is from a MGB bored out to 2 liter with the twin cam heads on top. It took a lot of mecanical mods to fit this head on the bloc but the power is greatly improved.
More pics and an update on how it was done will follow.
Werner

Moderator · July 06, 2013, 01:13:51 AM

Nifty photo. I want to see more of that car!

WernerVC · July 06, 2013, 07:57:46 PM

Curtis,
I have lots of pics of the car and would like to start a "How it was done " but don't know how to start. Any pointers ?
The car has a small race history.
Werner

Moderator · July 06, 2013, 08:49:15 PM

QuoteAny pointers?

You'll find a standard How-It-Was-Done template and also helpful photography tips, <a href="http://www.britishv8.org/British-V8-How-To-Contribute.htm">here</a>.

The template seems to force everything onto one sheet of paper. Please DON'T let that constrict you! You can expand the boxes and add as much information as you like. More is definitely better.

Once you've written down the cars features and specifications, consider using that as a guide to photography. If something is mentioned in the write-up, we'd almost certainly like to see at least one close-up photo of it!

When I photograph a car, I try to start wide and then "zoom in" (or "drill down", as some people say.) In other words, I photograph the entire engine bay including fenders, firewall, slam panel, radiator, etc. Then, I start taking closer photos of all the specific parts that appeared in that first photo. If you look at How It Was Done articles, you'll notice that they most often work clockwise around the engine bay from the master cylinders around to the... well, that's often the sequence the photos were taken too! I use a similar process in the cockpit and elsewhere.

Every single photo I upload to this website has been opened in Photoshop and adjusted one way or another. Resized. Cropped. Rotated just a bit. Brightened. I like to work from the largest photo files I can get, because then I can crop or rotate without weird pixelation or other issues. (I also like to receive extra photos so I can choose the best ones myself.) Two most common problems: (1) not enough photos, and (2) too-small photos.