I might not be able to get my head wrapped around little sporting Euro-roadsters like the Fiat 124 Spider, Triumph TR7 and MGB, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t try. The MGB had a great production run (1962-80), has one of the largest aftermarket support systems of any car, and who can say no to a cheerful little two-seater with no roof? Unless you have serious grudges against anything from Britain in the 1970s…and we can’t blame you if you did, given the quality control issues that were plaguing British cars of the era…the only other reason to knock an MGB is to take aim at the B-series engine that was used throughout the run: hovering just under 100 horsepower, it was no firecracker. Reliable, fine, but fast it was not.
Sometime around 1991, this 1977 MGB got a heart transplant. Gone was the BMC-sourced four and in it’s place went a GM 3.4L V6 and T-5 five-speed, yanked from some form of third-gen Camaro. A narrowed GM rear axle with 3.42 gears moves the tires, and the rest of the car looks like a solid driver, if not show car. It’s not the first car you’d associate with BangShift, but bumping up the power on an MGB with Camaro-sourced parts while leaving the outside looking perfectly normal works for us.
Pretty cool. I always thought that one of the 2.2 turbo’s out of an ’80 Shelby Charger or GLH turbo would be the perfect swap for almost any English sporty car…
The GM 60 degree V6 into MGB seems to be an oddly common swap, too. Could be it’s the easiest thing to fit in there.
The 3.4/5-speed swap is almost a bolt-in with the kits to do it that are available. With 200hp it makes for an entertaining little car. On the other hand my custom frame and suspension, new wiring (with actual fuses and relays), 11″ disc brakes all around really improved my ’64 MGB, then I stuck a 500hp sbc/4-speed combo in it and really made it FUN! P.S. I’m not a fan of the later rubber bumper cars (heavier, raised for bumper laws, workmanship issues, have to smog usually)
Putting a Saturn Sky setup in it would be a fun ride!
Was looking for a small British car for the new wife but couldn\’t find one at the time. Found instead an 04 mustsng convertible v6 . Makes190 hp electric top down and package shelf rear seat. I call it the American\” Brit car \”alternative.love the v6 I can see why they work for theMG swap.
The Saturn engine is too high. Hood will need a hole
I\’m sure it\’s a lot of fun. I have.a Ford 302 (5.0L) in mine and it\’s a blast! Pretty much everything needed is availabl in kit form to swap in a 60° GM V6, Buick 215 (and later Rover variants), and the Ford 302.
Its now not a true MG
Blastohomy, how dare you inject USA into a fine British car . Let put a Yugo motor in a Tesla !!!
I own the company that offer the 3.4L V6 Camaro conversion for the MGB. There are a Lot of these out there with varying degree of hobbyist to professional level conversions. I\’m pretty sure I know this car as it was one that was built with the earlier style motor mounts and headers in the mid 2000s. (Header type was used between 2000 and 2008). The A/C condenser shows a date of 2007 in the photos.
If it\’s the car I\’m thinking of, the rear axle was produced by a specialist in Michigan, a few components were produced by us (bmcautos.com), the headers were manufactured by CCE, and overall it\’s a nice owner produced car. The question that some would ask would be: Is there support for the 3.4L V6 powered MGBs? Yes! Our shop as well as the MG Experience forums, in the conversion section are full of people building these. They are extremely reliable, fast, and fun. As nice as the Austin B series is in an MGB, if a person drives one of these a few miles and finds that there is power EVERYWHERE in the power band, including down low where any modern small four cylinder conversion will not have power, they would understand why this conversion has become as common as they are.
How much$ are we talking about?
Replacing my 1.8L with a V6 or even a small V8 into my MGB 73
Jay from Cali