1963 mgb v8

[1970camaroRS]

I'm poor, but I know people with money - how much do you want for it? (I'm actually thinking of a friend that's redoing his 77 Corvette... might be able to talk him into it)

I have it on Craigslist for $2000. I'm considering selling it for $500 without the valve train or head studs. Just a bare short block and heads without springs.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/3819234938.html

Also, that TH400 I picked up...turns out its a TH350. I'm absolutely pissed off at myself for not checking it over well enough when I picked it up. And now I'm stuck with it...and paid way too much for it.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I have a turbo 400 I used behind the blown 350, it has a shift kit and works well - if you want to swap, I don't care if it's a 350 or 400 on my shelf (I have many of both).

[1970camaroRS]

I have a turbo 400 I used behind the blown 350, it has a shift kit and works well - if you want to swap, I don't care if it's a 350 or 400 on my shelf (I have many of both).

Now that would be incredible. Thanks.

[1970camaroRS]

Just got back from SBG's place with a TH400. Awesome guy, and it was good hanging out with him. Also, I now feel much better about my small collection of car parts...

Going to get the trans on the engine this afternoon and hoist it into the car for another test fit.

[SuperBuickGuy]

found the turbos

and don't let on that I'm nice, it'll totally fly in the face of the local, common opinion of me

[Bob Holmes]

"Local"...??

[1970camaroRS]

I got the transmission on the engine and slid everything into the car. It ALMOST fits. The old trans crossmember is in the way, nothing a sawzall won't fix. The trans tunnel on the car necks down too quickly and doesn't let everything slide back far enough. Not sure if a BFH will fix that. Might have to cut the top of the tunnel out and revise it. The very back might need to be widened too, but it's hard to tell at this time. But, I'm very certain that this will work.

Glad to hear that you found the turbos. Would have been a bad day had they wandered off like you thought.

[1970camaroRS]

Got it up on jack stands again after the unsuccessful test fit the other night. My helper sat in the cockpit while I crawled around measuring things.





Determined that I will have to cut the transmission crossmember "frame" that was added for the previous Mopar engine/trans. Wrong location and too narrow at the opening. It's not terrible, just wrong.



This transition needs to go back at least another 5 or 6 inches at a very gentle angle.



The merge between the driveshaft tunnel and the tail housing area needs to go back another 8 inches because the driveshaft area is 2 inches too narrow for the tailhouse.



The more I look at the rear setup, the more I want to cut it all out and do a 4 link and at least a 12" tire. Also, what the hell is on top of the center section?



Took an opertunity to check the axle ratio. It's somewhere close to 3.23 or so. But, the rear is permenantly locked up. And I want to run 2.73 gears and a 26" tall tire...so it's just educational at this point.




Looks like I'm just going to break out the drill, cutoff wheel and sawzall and start cutting. Old trans tunnel is coming out mostly.

[racingsnake440]

That's a pinion snubber on the diff

[SuperBuickGuy]

save the transition then add a strip and weld it back in after the new strip - it'll save you time and effort in the end.

yep, snubber, it's meant to keep the rear suspension from wrapping up under hard launches - but useless because there's no stop above it

[1970camaroRS]

I'm thinking about cutting the whole thing out in one piece, placing the engine and trans in the car then setting it back in where it's needed and adding a new piece from the firewall to the transmission hump.

Time to get a welder.

[1970camaroRS]

Getting itchy to start cutting the trans tunnel and stick the engine and trans in the car now that the Thunderbird is running. BUT, I keep cruising craigslist and coming across good condition 4-speed saginaw/t10/st10 boxes for reasonable prices. One of those little 4 speeds would fit the current transmission tunnel with room to spare. BUT, then there's the issue of a expensive bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, clutch pedals, linkages, etc. I really want to just get a motor and trans in the car so it's all in one place for the next few years...

If I went that route I would probably grab a set of ported big port heads and probably run a carb instead of doing the efi/turbo infront of the automatic. I'm really at a point of divergence here. If I cut the tunnel for the TH400, the combo will be efi/turbo and I will follow that path. If I don't cut the tunnel and use a 4 speed manual I will revise the budget to run a carb and ported heads instead of the efi/turbo combo.

Opinions?

[STINEY]

Personally, I can't wait to enjoy the ride in the #2200 Triumph TR7 - - power-to-weight ratio is everything.

The turbo idea is supercool, especially for the "FreakFactor". But honestly, just having something with that ratio that can be enjoyed (read "driven") is going to be rewarding no matter what manner of insanity is under the hood.

Guess my point is: Do you enjoy building them more than driving them? Or driving them more than building them?

Both are great, the difference is personal preference. I tend to lean more towards building, but have been recently getting a strong yearning to DD a hotrod of some sort. Call it midlife crisis?

[Beagle]

traction is going to be such a joke that you can pull a 3 speed toploader and 3.0x or 2.7x gears with a 27" tire and it won't matter.

(please don't take that the wrong way, but the big chevy mill without a turbo is going to be a traction challenge. When it comes up on boost, forget it.)

[SuperBuickGuy]

Getting itchy to start cutting the trans tunnel and stick the engine and trans in the car now that the Thunderbird is running. BUT, I keep cruising craigslist and coming across good condition 4-speed saginaw/t10/st10 boxes for reasonable prices. One of those little 4 speeds would fit the current transmission tunnel with room to spare. BUT, then there's the issue of a expensive bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, clutch pedals, linkages, etc. I really want to just get a motor and trans in the car so it's all in one place for the next few years...

If I went that route I would probably grab a set of ported big port heads and probably run a carb instead of doing the efi/turbo infront of the automatic. I'm really at a point of divergence here. If I cut the tunnel for the TH400, the combo will be efi/turbo and I will follow that path. If I don't cut the tunnel and use a 4 speed manual I will revise the budget to run a carb and ported heads instead of the efi/turbo combo.

Opinions?

I'm sure I have a bellhousing that would work and you could have for cheap, I probably even have pedals that could be made to work (or you can reimburse me what I paid for my wilwood set up and use that - it's a top hung set up that didn't work on the Spider)....

Just say no to Saginaw - I've seen Super T-10s for 400 bucks all the time on CL