MG Engine Swaps Forum

I say favorite because it is the only V6 I ever installed in a "B". It was a Nissan 3 liter from a 300ZX turbo. I had to give up on using the turbo because it wouldn't fit. Had to give up on the transmission too because it was a T5 and I would have to cut some of the transmission tunnel. I went with the Nissan transmission that came with the non turbo cars. Real easy fit. Had to change the pistons to get the compression ratio back up to non turbo standards of 150 hp. It was not a difficult swap and the Nissan 3 liter engine is one of the best V6 engins ever built anywhere in the world.

The same Nissan 3 liter basic engine can be configured as FWD, RWD, with carbs as used in some of the early trucks, turbo, non turbo, and a whole bunch of "options". It is much lighter than the MG 1.8 liter and lighter than the iron GM 2.8 60 degree V6.

My test as to quality is the junk yard odometer test. When I see lots of a particular type of car with 250k miles on them, I can assume it is a reasonably long lasting one. There are lots of Nissans with several hundred thousand miles on them.

I had to find front springs to replace the MG ones because it sat up too high in the front. After several attempts, I found a pair from a Suzuki Sidekick rear that worked pretty well. Close to the same rate but shorter.

The engine seemed to be "bullet proof". I could rev it up to well over 6,000 rpm any time I wanted knowing nothing would ever come apart. I used the Nissan "outboard" fuel pump rather than attempt to modify the tank to accomodate a "wet" pump. I also found it necessary to make a pre-pump strainer to keep all the stuff that collects in the bottom of the tank from getting into the pump and starving it. That was the only thing that ever caused me to not be able to drive home.

I have had quite a few MG's but that was my favorite. It was a real joy to drive and I always felt secure knowing I wouldn't get stuck somewhere.

William,

I have a new Pathfinder as my daily driver over here in the Middle East and was wondering when some one might start taking about Nissan V6. The pathfinder is one stout motor, 4.0L and almost 300 HP and 300 lb Ft. May be a bit tall with the intake though, worth some measurements though. With the Frontier pick up and the Xtera and all coming in rear drive only configuration and the 6 sp manual availability, this may be a great option. I am not sure if the other Nissan and Infinity V6 are based on the same basic engine or not but worth a look.

I have a Rover 4.6L in my B now but love the newer higher revving multi valve engines. Maybe a new project in a GT is calling me.

Any one else considering this?

Mike

I'm putting one in a TR7

I'm thinking about putting one in a Mk.1 Cortina. Are they a pretty compact engine?

For the few dreamers out here you've got to show
pic's and details (motor mounts,crossmember mods, etc.....)

thanks in advance JN

I'm thinking of fitting a Alfa V6 as shown in the pic below (here it's fitted in an old AR GTV)



There's a guy in the UK that has made an adapter bellhousing to fitt them to the Ford Type9 transmission



Then use the available 5-speed kit with the type 9 for the MGB to make the job easier.

I have still to confirm that the engine won't necessitate a bonnet bulge.

The engine can eithe rbe carb fed as in the old Alfa6 or EFi

---

Niels

Safety Fast

I did my conversion in the early ninties - around 1991. I drove the car for a couple of years and sold it. Never kept any pictures of it showing the way in which the engine was mounted. All quite straightforward. I don't know about attmpting to put one of the multivalve Nissan engines in a B because the older 3 liter engine, though very compact, just about filled up the bay. Besides, contrary to the whims of others, I don't like the feeling of driving a car that feels like a small car with a big engine. The MGB has a remarkablly rigid chassis but none of the other "support" stuff was designed for higher speeds. The brakes, for example, are not up to the task of stopping the car in a manner that I would consider safe when the car will easily go in excess of 150 MPH with a stock Nissan two valve 3 liter engine.

The MGB I currently drive around in the summer has an engine that is 500 cc smaller than the original MGB - a 1.3 liter Suzuki Swift GTI engine. While it is smaller in every way, it will blow the doors of a stock "B". I wouldn't recommend that conversion for the simple reason that the engine/trans are too light - way to light. With the stock springs, it is resting firmly on the rubber stops. When the springs are replaced the problem of an unsprung weight (mass) ratio becomes almost dangerous. All that iron and steel that is wobbling around under the chassis is tolerable with the car at full weight (mass) but when the chassis weight is reduced, the unsprung stuff has to be reduced as well. I made aluminum hubs, bought aluminum wheels, lighter tires, and still it is out of balance. As an engine, it is great. It is a wonderful feeling to rev it up to over 8000 rpm knowing it will stay together. Feels sort of like a motorcycle engine.

Maybe you could relocate the battery to the engine bay in your current car. Or just add ballast blocks.

What year was your B with the 300ZX engine? Did you have to modify the crossmembers or transmission tunnel? The 300ZX is a nice car, great cockpit. Took one for a test drive once. At the time I was shopping for an AWD car though.

Regarding the brakes, unless you are actually planning to drive 150 mph, I wouldn't worry about it. If the brakes work fine at highway speeds now, then they will still work fine at the same speeds with less weight to stop. And there are vented rotor kits available.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-06-11 11:46 AM by MudSnow.

Relocating the battery wouldn't make that much difference. The whole thing was a bad idea from the start. The only reason I did it was because I had the engine (as well as the rest of the car) sitting around collecting dust. The brakes are not a problem with this car. It has the original "B" rear end and I have never driven it more than 100 mph. I know it will because the only time I ever got near 100 it was in forth gear and plenty of revs left.

The "B" I put the Nissan engine in was a '77 rubber bumper car with the rubber bumpers removed and changed to chrome - a rather sloppy job, I must admit. The brakes really showed their inability for the task. I had it over one hundred mph many times and it felt good. It never felt like it stopped very well from high speed. I know there are vented disks and all kinds of improvements out there but I never liked the idea of spending a fortune on a MG. There has had to be changes to the transmission crossmember of every conversion I have ever made. One problem I have had with several conversions is the catalyic converter. They get hot! Because the ground clearance is so small in older cars the converter has to live close to the floor. Not an insurmountable problem - one that can be solved with a sheet of aluminum and some waterproof insulation above it.

I know there are those who don't want to get involved with the emission stuff but I am proud of the fact that I have been able to get every one of mine to pass the emissions test for the year and model of the engine.

The Swift is an FWD car right? What transmission are you using?

Did the 300ZX shifter go into the original hole location?

Mudsnow, you are right, the Swift is a FWD car. The G10 (1 liter) and G13 (1.3 liter) blocks are the same for both FWD and RWD. The Suzuki Samari transmission bolts right up to the GTI engine. Furthermore, the GTI head will bolt on the 1.6 Liter engine as used in the later Suzuki Samari's and Geo Trackers. Some modification is necessary to get the timing belt tensioner to work right but nothing too difficult. In my "B" the shifter did not come out in the same place as the original but I don't care. I simply heated up the shift "stick" and bent it 'till it ended up close to where it ought to be. The Suzuki "G" series engines are absolutely great! Super light, easy to work on, can interchange all kinds of stuff, including the engines themselves. I am sure nobody here would want to try but it is possible to swap a G10 1 liter engine from a Geo Metro with a Swift G13 engine and everything will fit - even the mounts. (By everything, I mean the raw engine. Some of these are TBI, some are port injection, some are carb, etc.)

The 300 ZX transmission shifter ended up right in the middle of the MGB transmission tunnel hole. As I recall, (it has been more than 15 years since I did that one), the T5 stick did too. Problem with the T5 was that the top of the transmission hit the tunnel near the front. That left me the option of cutting the front crossmember to drop the engine lower or cutting part of the tunnel - both options were unacceptable to me at the time. I was (and am now) very reluctant to cut any part of the tunnel. If you have ever seen a real rust bucket MGB with the floors, sills and so forth rotted away, ask yourself what is holding the front and back together. The transmission is all that is lef. I have a lot of respect for the MGB trans tunnel and will not harm it in any way. The Nissan non turbo transmission is physically smaller and fits without cutting the tunnel.

William,

You might be interested in my project, I'm swapping a Mazda 2.5 V6 (KLZE Engine)mated to a Miata trans into a '67 B. The engine is a DOHC design with a variable length intake manifold. I just got the engine adapter plate done and did a test fit on the engine /trans assembly. I had to partially notch the crossmember and I'm making a new oil pan. The shifter will have to be moved to the rear about 4" to align with the early trans tunnel I've got but there won't need to be any firewall or tunnel cutting.

I'm interested in your comments regarding the handling of the Suzuki swap, I'll lose about 75-100 lbs. from the front end. Was it an imbalance between the front and rear or how were you unhappy with the handling?

Steve, The "handling", as such, is not the problem. It handles fine. The problem is the "ride". Ride in quotes because it goes beyond the comfort aspect.

The MGB never had an unsprung weight ratio that was anything to brag about. Those pig iron trunnions, cast iron hubs, steel wire wheels and splines, and all the rest of that heavy stuff wobbling around under there weighs a lot. The original MG engine also weighs a lot - a awful lot! If you didn't know it came from a sports car, you would probably think it was from something agricultural. When you start removing the sprung mass (weight) the unsprung mass needs to be proportunatly reduced to maintain the same "ride". When I put that extremely light Suzuki enghine in a "B", it was impossible to remove enough unsprung weight to compensate without going to great expense.

My "love affair" with the MGB exists because of two related things. First and formost, they are cheap. I can afford to play around with them. It ain't like cutting up a Maserati to mount a chevy engine in it. Second, the cars and the people who own them are, for the most part, fun. British car shows are a lot of fun. MG owners are fun loving people who tend not to be stuffy and have a great sense of humor. Putting a lot of money into an MGB defeats the purpose of owning them, in my view.

Have you tried a couple of sand bags beside the radiator yet?

I started looking around at 300ZXs. It is amazing how cheap they are now. When the budget permits, I am going to get two of them. A twin turbo for driving, and a non-turbo for transplanting.

Were there any issues with the oil pan?

Does anyone know if the non-turbo transmission is the same as the 280ZX? I found a complete 280ZX a couple miles away, and I was looking at the Rivergate kits for the 5 speed. I could put one of those in this summer. Wonder if I could swap the tranny now and the engine later? Or just wait until I can do the whole package at once.

The 280ZX is an in line six cylinder engine. The 300 is a 60 degree V6. I don't remember any issues related to the oil pan. There are gobs of oil pans that fit the engine depending on the original application. The truck version, the FWD version, the ZX version...All of these have interchangable oil pans. If you start swapping these around, remember to use the right oil sump pickup for the depth of pan. You're right, they are downright cheap. I saw a 300 ZX turbo at the local city car auction that sold for $210.00. Looked to be in pretty decent shape to me.

Personally, I find it is to my advantage to buy the whole donor car before I begin a transplant. Those little things can eat you alive. Things like the brain box, harness, mounts, bolts and other hardware, sensors and so forth. Once done with the carcass, there are guys who will haul it away for free because they can sell it for the price of the steel and other scrap metals.

I did have an issue with the radiator though. Here in St. Louis, it gets hot - real hot in the summer time. The original MG radiator was marginal. On hot days it would start going into danger zone. I used an aluminum heater core from a large GM something and routed the heater lines from the engine to the core which I mounted in the front ahead of the radiator. It never got hot again. Of course, I had no heat in the car but I never drove the car in the winter anyway. There are plenty of aluminum radiators out there now that can be made to fit that should fix the problem before it becomes a problem.