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1275 in a 1500

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Mainline Ilya Avatar
Mainline Ilya Ilya K
Ray Brook, NY, USA   USA
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Hey everyone,
Haven't been around for quite some time, my midget has been on the back burner while life was happening and not to mention a 47 Willys Jeep, a 74 and 79 CJ5s, AND a 72 2002tii. My plate has been full to say the least.
Anyway I bought a complete but sadly badly structurally rusted 73 on a crazy whim. The driveline is good, and everything seems to be there. The 1500 in mine is in major need of a complete rebuild, the transmission is in the same boat. I'm toying with the crazy notion since my 79 RB has now been converted to chrome I will save some machine shop and parts money by sticking the a series out of my 72 in the 79. How much of a pain would that be or is it basically switch some mounts around and use the bits out of the 73 to drop the motor and transmission in? I'm hoping having a complete car will make my parts bill pretty much zero. I have been doing a lot of searching around but haven't been able to find a definitive answer to this. The cars were basically the same structurally from what I understand. I have decent fabrication skills and a shop full of tools and equipment at my disposal. Thanks all!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-04-30 11:03 PM by Mainline Ilya.


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Billm Gold Member Bill Masquelier
Santee, CA, USA   USA
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Yep- it is pretty much a drop in with the correct mounts.
There will be a few "issues" but nothing that is too bad
BillM

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jimbenedict Avatar
jimbenedict Jim Benedict
Waterford, MI, USA   USA
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The 1275 is a better engine, but 1 second slower 0- 60mph. No big deal.

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Mainline Ilya Avatar
Mainline Ilya Ilya K
Ray Brook, NY, USA   USA
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I've come to terms a long time ago that I won't be breaking any records with this car. The aftermarket seems much better for a 1275 anyways, plus the whole car was $500, I don't think I can buy individual parts outright for that money. It has all the bits and pieces I need to finish mine.

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oldcanadianguy James Bates
Ottawa, ON, Canada   CAN
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I have a 75 Midget with a 73 engine/transmission. I did not do the conversion but I can give you a few hints as to what will change. The carb(s) are on different sides which entails some alternative fuel plumbing, the 1500 heater inlet will interfere with the 1275 air filters which will require thin filters or the use of the earlier heater unit, the wiring will change due to the different position of the alternator etc., I think the exhaust pipe is a different diameter 1.5 vs 1.75. I think the radiators are the same so it just requires the use of the 1275 hoses. If it would help I could send some picture of my engine bay.

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AN5L8016 Mark Haynes
Nederland, CO, USA   USA
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The exhaust is on the opposite side as well.



'58 Bugeye
'05 Mini Cooper S

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Banazz Harry Banazz
Saginaw, MI, USA   USA
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The exhaust pipe and muffler are on the same side as the A-series cars. The 1500's had a crossover pipe under the trans. Donald Healey designed the car with the fuel tank offset to the right to clear the exhaust system and BL didn't bother changing the design when they stuffed the Triumph lump in the car. smileys with beer

In reply to # 3501480 by AN5L8016 The exhaust is on the opposite side as well.

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S1 Elan Kurt. Appley
Akron, Ia., USA   USA
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1500 radiator is larger and may require some plumbing but I always figured a little more cooling was worth the effort.

Kurt.

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Kerr Avatar
Kerr Platinum Member Norm Kerr
Ann Arbor, MI, USA   USA
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To sum up:

fitting a 1275 into a 1500 some of the major parts you'll want are
- 1275 heater box so the intake tube goes on the side that fits best with a 1275 engine
- either a Morris Marina back plate and bell housing (so that the 1500 transmission and driveshaft will fit), or a 1275 transmission and driveshaft
- the radiator (and maybe the shroud too? I don't know if the shroud was also changed) for a 1275, so the hoses will stick out where they will most easily join with the engine
- engine mounts
- transmission mount and speedo cable (if swapping trans)
- the choke and throttle cables will be too long so you may want to swap those too
- exhaust main pipe
- the coil will be on the wrong side of the engine bay, but that should be easy to move

If you do swap for a full 1275 set up, that will remove around 45lbs from the center of the car.
If you also decide to remove the giant bumpers that's like another 80 or 90lbs. When all of that weight is gone you'll want to reduce the rear springs so they're not too stiff (that's more weight off).


N

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Mainline Ilya Avatar
Mainline Ilya Ilya K
Ray Brook, NY, USA   USA
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Thank you, precisely what I was looking for. I have a complete parts car, the 79 everything is being donated to has been de bumpered and stripped to almost nothing save the suspension so I can still move it around over the last 3 years, 95% of the body work done. I'm just going to swap everything over. Get a fresh coat of paint and start transferring parts over. Will post some progress shots in a few weeks, the CJ needs a motor and some electrical work and then I can jump into the MGs uninterrupted!

In reply to # 3502194 by Kerr To sum up:

fitting a 1275 into a 1500 some of the major parts you'll want are
- 1275 heater box so the intake tube goes on the side that fits best with a 1275 engine
- either a Morris Marina back plate and bell housing (so that the 1500 transmission and driveshaft will fit), or a 1275 transmission and driveshaft
- the radiator (and maybe the shroud too? I don't know if the shroud was also changed) for a 1275, so the hoses will stick out where they will most easily join with the engine
- engine mounts
- transmission mount and speedo cable (if swapping trans)
- the choke and throttle cables will be too long so you may want to swap those too
- exhaust main pipe
- the coil will be on the wrong side of the engine bay, but that should be easy to move

If you do swap for a full 1275 set up, that will remove around 45lbs from the center of the car.
If you also decide to remove the giant bumpers that's like another 80 or 90lbs. When all of that weight is gone you'll want to reduce the rear springs so they're not too stiff (that's more weight off).


N

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boydent Silver Member Rickie P
Newnan, GA, USA   USA
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I have the opposite question. Will a 1500 transmission fit on the 1275 engine? I am helping a friend, he has a good 1500 engine and trans but his 73 Midget is a 1275 engine that is fresh but the trans jumps out of third. Balk rings maybe? Thanks for any input

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jimbenedict Avatar
jimbenedict Jim Benedict
Waterford, MI, USA   USA
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No, the 1275 engine will not bolt up to a 1500 transmission. Perhaps an adapter is available? Not sure.

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Kerr Avatar
Kerr Platinum Member Norm Kerr
Ann Arbor, MI, USA   USA
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to contradict Jim, actually, it can be done, the Morris Marina did just that: 1275 engine and 1500 transmission (to get the synchro 1st) in a north/south (RWD) configuration

The Marina was the only other production car that used the 1275 in a rear wheel drive.

However, finding the necessary parts to put them together may be a challenge (not many Marinas are left around these days).


Norm

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PeterC Avatar
PeterC Platinum Member Peter Caldwell
Madison Wisconsin, USA   USA
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Marinas are tough to talk about across borders.

the Austin Marina in the USA was an 1800 MGB engine and a Triumph transmission and rear end.

Marinas in other markets were all manner of combinations.

Peter c


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Havenor Richard Costa
Fairhaven, MA, USA   USA
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I once owned the Austin America, a total piece of ****. The transmission case was the fatal flaw. They all cracked.

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