Hi to you all across the pond, this may be of interest for you. whilst it is not a sports car it is something that you may like.
1963 Morris minor 3.5 V8, 5 speed box,MGB front, Jaguar rear. If interested I will post record of the build.
Steve
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010728.jpg)
Quote... this may be of interest for you....
You betcha......this is what it's all about!
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Wow !! .....Meerkat,
What a tremendous Morris Minor you have ! Do share more info on your blockbuster.
cheers,
phillip g
Wow, My buddy Rod will love this ,, he's redoing a MM traveler, a guy in Port Huron is doing the wood, it will be Zetec powered.
Dave
Way cool, Steve. Details must be provided. :)
Greetings to you all, the car I wanted was this particular model a 1963 2 door I paid £800 for it as it was a runner and still had 6 months MOT certificate(for those of you not in the know, it is an annual inspection. All cars over 3 years old in the UK must be inspected for roadworthyness and if passed a certificte is issued to make the car legal).
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1000244_zpsd6969a27.jpg)
I drove the car home a journey of some 35 miles praying that I was going to survive to my home where it would rest for the next 18 months.
then came the task of removing everything that would not be required, this also included the entire floor rust and all. I welded in some cross braces to keep the shape of the body and stop it twisting.
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1000331_zpsf37d6e26.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1000332_zps0be54310.jpg)
Before I could remove anymore metal I had to build the chassis. to do this I used 3x2 box section steel for the main chassis rails onto which would be mounted the Jaguar diff which is a 3.45 powerlock. I would also mount outriggers to the rails to join to the strengthened outer chassis rail which in turn is welded to the body. with me so far!!!
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1000336.jpg)
The drive shafts and wish bones were narrowed so that i could get the wheels 7x15 with 215 x 60 tyres under the arches without having to modify the wings, I also tried to fit the Jag front by modifying the front clip but I was unable to get the steering geometry correct. so I used the complete front clip fron an MGB steering rack and column and grafted this into place. I wanted a v8 and the choice over here is limited, the cost for a chevy say is around the £3000, mark not to mention the fuel cost which is £1.44 per litre. yes per litre not gallon
I got hold of a 3.5ltr land rover engine which I have rebuilt and put an edelbrock inlet manifold and carb (http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1000904_zps52864340.jpg)
I used an old block to trial fit the engine and inner wings, the left inner wing was made by using the wheelarch section of the right hand wing and the right inner wing was made by using the left hand wing these were then welded into place.
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010334.jpg)
The servo and clutch cyl also came from land rover
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010384.jpg)
The engine went in OK although clearance for the steering column and exhaust is tight. the MGB front clip was welded in and the standard brakes with drilled discs were fitted
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010409.jpg)
This photo shows how much metal had to be removed and replaced, and at the time I was begining to wonder if this was such a good idea, however I was well past the point of no return and the choice was to carry on or have a pile of scrap metal sitting on my drive which according to my wife thats all I had anyway, amid mutterings of I'm not getteing into that pile of junk if you paid me. But I had a dream and on I went.
The new rear wings were welded on and blended into the body, all the rust was cut out and replaced with new steel, the wheel arches on the front wings were cut out and rased up 2" to give clearance for the steering, the gearbox tunnel was formed and the floor tacked in and the result was this before it went to the paint shop.
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010651_zps82cd4cea.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010650_zpsa3773bba.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010391.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/310_zpsd0690f45.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010729.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010749.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010750.jpg)
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010752_zps8ad49a99.jpg)
There is still some tidying up in the engine bay and I have the interior to trim and carpet, so more photos of that when it's done and should it ever stop bloody raining I might even get to drive the car and start fine tuning.
The car has cost around £12000 without labour costs, so untill the next instalment I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy new year, and remember
Dont let the dream stealers get you.
How does the wife feel about riding in it now?
Jim
Nice.
My son is looking forward to travelling in it, but the wife is still unsure, when it's trimmed out then she'll be ok
Steve
I love it!
Any modifications mage to the MGB clip? What size wheels and tires in the front?
Beautiful car, Steve. Nicely done.
Thanks for your comments, the wheel and tyres are 7x15 with 195/60 15 on the front and 215/60 on the rear. I cut out a channel on each side of the front clip to sink the chassis rails into.
I saw the channel in the frame. I wasn't sure if you did anything else like a lowering spring to adjust the ride height. Do you happen to remember what the offset of the wheels are? The angle of the one picture (2nd to last one posted) kinda make it look like the rear has a different offset.
I have a panel and was planning on using the MGB front suspension in it. I am also going to use the 1.8 motor out of a MGB as well with a performance build on it and a 5 spd trans.
I'm not sure what you mean by a panel, however I will have to measure the wheel offset but the wheels are the same. to adjust the ride height I used chrome bumper mgb springs as they are shorter. over here the 1.8 is normaly bored to 1.9 plus other bit's and you get a torquey engine with plenty of power.
The gearbox conversion which is popular over here uses a ford type 9 and comes supplied with all the bits required. but I think there are plenty of people on this website who are more informed than me.
Try this company based in the UK. Hoyle engieering, they do replacement front and rear suspension for the mg range which is something I may do in the future to the front of mine. I must get it trimmed first!!
Steve
I think you would call it a van over there.
Well Done Steve ! I suggest you contact "Jukka", of this forum. He is based in Finland, and has a very similar build, Morris Minor. You chaps will have much to chat about. Cheers, roverman.
J Man, 1,8 engine is quite heavy and also long so you probably have to do same amount of clearancing to the body. I did think about (but not for long) when I chose the V8 option. In Finland where I live a V8 in a Minor was pretty much impossible when I started the process in mid 90s and current legislation makes it impossible. The loop hole was a 10G engine code engine that only has 92 hp. That, 6 months of discussions between the local DoT and me and I got the permission to build one. In fact, 90 hp 1800 B series is about as difficult. Our law states that you can swap the engine provided the capacity is max + 25 % and power is max+20 % compared to the biggest / most powerful engine in the model range. In Morris Minor fleet that means 1098 cc and immense 40 odd hp. So you can imagine the initial response to " lets put a 3500 V8 in a Morris"
Long story short, said and done and it has been a road legal for about 15 years.
I would rethink the engine choice but if you like the MGB lump go ahead, it will give more than enough fun compared to the stock motor.
Maybe I need to upload some pics too and create another Moggy thread...
I would love to see another Morris thread.
I want to drive it as often as possible, maybe even daily. That is where the initial thought of the MGB motor came in. There is a guy here in the states that is now offering a kit to put a T5 behind them. I am also 6 ft. so I thought it would result in less lost space in the footwell area since I am a little more limited in a panel (van) than a car body with seat placement. I bought the car without engine and transmission. Battery will be relocated. Frame is bad so I will have a new one built for it.
Right now I am trying to decide wither to stick with 4 lug or switch to 5 as it will give me a better selection of wheels. A few people over here make kits to switch the front but than I would have to find and narrow a different axle in the back.
There are various ways you can tackle your build, as you want leg room then your choice of wheel on the front will affect this.
If you want to use the mgb front clip then wheel size should be no more than 51/2 j x 14 the track width is ok to use as is but spacers can be used later if needed. There will be yet more room to be gained if an auto box is used. As a result of my bigger wheels and manual box, I no longer have room for a rear seat.
My plan was to run a 15" wheel with a low profile tire in the front, little bigger in the back. I can go with a 15 x 4 and run a 135R15 or try a wider rim like a 15 x 6 with a 195/50 15 or 205/50 15. My '62 Skylark has 15" wheels so I will use those when setting up the chassis and see where to take it from there.
The guy building the chassis for me has years of experience building hot rods so he will be able to help with that as well.
Excellent.
So many abandoned projects. So few people with the staying power to finish.
And it looks as if your non-garage is less than luxury grade.
Ivor
Audi TT heated seats and nitrous, I'm unhappy with the heater housing so mk2 is on the drawing board
<a href="http://s1136.beta.photobucket.com/user/meerkat7/media/P1010852_zpsb567f872.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010852_zpsb567f872.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo P1010852_zpsb567f872.jpg"/></a>
I would love to have a garage you see so often in photo's of projects in USA but I always remember that there is no such thing as inclement weather, only improper clothing!!
(http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n492/meerkat7/P1010849_zps7ca0e325.jpg)
Don't let the dream stealers get you
Stephen:
I just went through your build explanation again. Here in the States, you would be called one "sick" bastard --and I mean that in the best possible way! Your project has inspired me to try something similar. First, I love Morris Minors, and have since I learned to drive a stick shift on my mother's '59 convertible way back when. Second, I happen to own a wrecked 2003 Morgan Plus 8, with the drive train in very good low mileage condition.
My dream is to acquire a Traveler -- and I've spotted one in Hemmings -- and join the two vehicles. While your photos and description are excellent, I hope to learn more from your experience.
Anyway, for now I just wanted to try to connect with you on this wacky dream. I may also share with you a "sick" project I am involved with now involving a 65 Chevy Bel Air wagon and an LS3 Corvette motor.
Cheers,
Jon