BritishV8 Forum

Finally, the lifters are here. Came in a Crower box so maybe not really Johnson lifters? IDK. Ima usem anyway. Singularly unmotivated today though, doubling up an my mid-day treat of a Hershey bar and half a Pepsi, maybe that will help. I drained the antifreeze yesterday and unhooked the fuel line, I should be able to make a little more progress but for sure the car won't be ready for a road trip by next week. Ima stick with my philosophy to do a little each day until it's done. Got all the stereo bits in finally but need to make it all work together. Even odds what I'll do next.

Jim

1972 MG B V8 conversion project for sale:
Vehicle originally purchased in 2012 from dealer in WA and started the V8 conversion in 2013 in Eastern NC.  I drove it for a few months in it's current project completion level...extremely fun but wild ride in a 2000lb car!
It is approximately 65-70% finished with majority of the major items already taken care of.  I don't have the passion to finish it and prioritizing time with my kids.  I have $19,724 in this project, excluding the cost of the MG purchase in 2012, with parts, upgrades, labor and metal fabrication work.  I have over 50 photos from the project too.

Engine and transmission:
Ford 302 roller cam from 1994 Mustang with ~104k, cast heads.  Bottom end overhaul kit + new timing chain set.
World Class T5 transmission from 1993 Mustang Cobra Spec with 3.35 upgraded 1st gear.
Edelbrock Performer 2121 aluminum intake manifold
Edelbrock 4bbl carb 1406 w/electric choke
Through fender exhaust tube headers (Mantell Motorsports)
Aluminum radiator for 1965 Ford Mustang
Electric cooling w/185F thermostat
Billet pulleys
GM 1 wire alternator
Carter external P4070 fuel pump
MSD 6A ignition module
Flamethrower ignition coil
Moroso remote oil filter mount

Chassis and suspension:
Custom-made front 1piece independent front suspension for Ford small block oil pans + motor mounts, billet Stiletto steering rack, Wilwood disc brakes, coil-over shocks, 4-1/2 GM bolt pattern (shaves 80lbs off stock MG crossmember) (https://www.fastcarsinc.com/product/front-end-kit-standard/)
Ford 8.8 rear end with 3.27 posi from '99 Mustang shortened w/new custom 28-spline axle shafts for the MG B (Moser engineering)
Custom driveshaft (D&D Performance)
Wilwood rear Ford Mustang brakes w/red calipers
4-link custom rear suspension (Classic Conversions)

Misc. body, electrical, brakes, steering:
MG tunnel and rear cowl deck modified to fit Ford bellhousing (86-93 Mustang)
Clutch is a Nissan truck custom slave cylinder
Clutch master cylinder from 75-80 MG
Luk clutch set and pressure plate (07-042)
Brake master cylinder 70s Corvette style cast
Brake booster from 75-80 MG
Custom D shape steering shaft
Lokar emergency brake cables
Painless complete new wiring set for MG V8 conversions
Seats are 90s Mazda Miata seats reversed (also have Pontiac Fiero seats w/ new headrest speakers + new covers (Mr. Mikes http://mrmikes.com/)
Billet short shifter
Custom SS exhaust
Fuel tank centered (from 75-80 MG)
Pneumatic hood prop conversion
Radiator bar cage protection
New Autometer gauge set

Current state and what's left:
Has not ran nor started since Sep 2017 (was in storage for several years while I was stationed overseas) but garage kept 100% of it's life.
All bad fuel has been drained from the tank.
Carb was thoroughly cleaned and jets soaked
Brand new Carter P4070 fuel pump (needs installed)
MG dash and engine wire harness removed
Painless wiring and fuse block (needs installed)
Fiero seats + new upholstery (needs installed as desired)
Needs fluids changed (oil, coolant, brake fluid?)
Interior needs to be finished as desired (all old carpet and insulation has been removed)
E-brake cables need to be installed
Exhaust was cut toward the rear (need to weld or patch)

I have an entire tote of extra parts and misc. pieces.  Majority of the big MG parts have long been sold (engine + trans, seats, carpet and spare tire cover).

Asking $12,000 for everything as-is to someone who has the time to complete it.  Any questions just call or text 757-319-2822.  I can let anyone see the car too (Chesapeake VA).

I got enough stainless mesh in to "hopefully" do the job. It's placed in the lower 3/4" ID hose section below the coupler to 5/8" hose which runs to the 90 degree coupler in the filter housing. From what I've read, you don't want restriction in flow, so we'll see how it goes once running. It's not packed in there.  With help found here, the PCV system is complete. Fuel system is connected with new filter and soft lines. Starter is in and connected. I can connect the distributor wires, install the coil and connect the plug wires.
I'm thinking the first start up is soon. It seems installing the Radiator and driveshaft should wait until after the initial fire up to confirm it runs. If it starts and runs, I'll connect the Rad and do a 20 minute break in. If I'm missing something, please chime in!

If you stick a wire through the hose and tie it to the end of the scrubber pad to pull it back through you will figure out pretty quick how much you can get in there.

Jim

So, the question is how much of the mesh and how far up the hose to place this stuff? Looking online, there are warnings that it could restrict flow if done incorrectly. Also its stated that it should be cleaned out periodically with solvent.

I think I have what I need except the 3/4" hose for the fuel pump block off plate and 3/8" hose for the PCV valve to intake. Coming tomorrow.  I found the right cap for the PCV in my stash of parts. I did get the spark plugs gapped and installed with anti-seize.

Thanks Jim! I'll look at what hose sizes I can get routed to the air filter housing underside.

It does but you also need a flame arrester/vapor trap in that line because without it a backfire can ignite gases in the crankcase and blow out the lifter valley tin. BTDT

There is enough room in the plate to go up to a 3/4" NPT thread which has a 1.050" OD. This gives room for the pot scrubber pad and the only down side is routing the hose. Silicon and pre-bent hoses are available though. With the pot scrubber nothing special is needed on the air filter end and oil drain back is very much downhill.

You can go smaller on the sizes and some will probably recommend that. I won't. It's no harder to make it larger than it is to make it smaller and this is a case where too large is only an issue if you can't fit it in the space available. Too small otoh can cause oil leaks.

Jim

Thanks guys! Jim are you talking about the fuel pump block off plate. Because I do have that plate with a 90 fitting. So I'll put that back on and run the hose under the air cleaner where I had the original valve cover vented to. Then I can attach a PCV valve to the cap with the tube and run it to the intake. Sound reasonable?

215s are commonly prone to blowby regardless of how meticulous you are in the build. It has to be allowed for in the crankcase vent system.

First and foremost, provide an escape path for  the combustion byproducts at max load and speed. Only then can you assemble an effective evacuation system for midrange and idle. The bare minimum is a clear and unobstructed 5/8" inner diameter and this will not be enough as the engine inevitably wears. It doesn't matter a lot where this line goes as long as it is open to atmosphere. Some choices are better than others. Road tube: not great. Valve cover vent: slightly better. Through the air cleaner base inside the filter with a flame trap: better. 3/4 ID tube: better still. Catch can: OK but completely unnecessary.

I like to come off the fuel filter mount block off plate with a 90 degree street L pipe fitting (stainless is available) and go vertical with a 1" ID hose. The cut off end of a threaded pipe of a suitable length works quite well here. That's big enough in cross section to pull half of a pot scrubber inside as a trap and drain the oil that condenses back into the crankcase and still have enough flow area. This configuration has worked well. Placing the outlet where the fumes follow the intake path is good practice but the outlet should not be obstructed in any way.

Once you have that in place it's fair game to configure the positive crankcase ventilation system. That's where the small line with the PCV valve comes in. It also can go anywhere although it is common if a valve cover vent line is used to plumb it to the opposite side. Other engines such as the B series use the tappet cover, etc. It needs to restrict or stop the flow at idle under high vacuum and allow full flow at moderate vacuum during cruise, whatever that happens to be for your engine. The carb or EFI is then calibrated for that air leak.

In practice this then blocks off air flow at idle so you can control your idle speed. It allows vacuum to pull vapors out of the crankcase at cruise and compensates for the airflow, and it allows the engine to ingest the blowby gases, with the fuel system tuned to accommodate the blowby content. Oil vapors are condensed and/or kept inside a sealed system.

Jim