The time has come for me to part with my 1978 MGB (Miss Houlihan).  It’s time to move on to another project and I don’t have room to keep her.  This MGB has a 302 engine and 5 speed transmission from a 1985 Mustang GT.  

I bought this car from a gentleman in Phoenix about two and a half years ago.  It was in great shape and running perfectly but I bought it specifically to do the V8 engine conversion.  To the best of my knowledge this car has been in the southwest all its life and there is zero rust on the car.

 

After I drove the car home I removed the engine and transmission as well as all of the wiring.  I bought an engine and transmission from the 1985 Mustang that was being parted out.  I installed the engine and transmission as well as completely rewired the car to get rid of the old Lucas wiring.  The car runs perfectly.  The body is in great shape with just a couple of parking lot dings but the paint is so so and certainly could be buffed out our resprayed. 

 

This is not a show car and I am in no way presenting it as such.  However, it is a great daily driver for the price and it is a V8 conversion that was done right.  This was no backyard hack job.  I spent months doing this and I didn’t skimp on anything.  If you wanted to take this car to the next level you could drive it while you upgrade it.  This car runs awesome.

 

Here is a list of things done to the car and what works and what doesn’t:

 

-       1985 5.0L (302) engine and T5 5 speed transmission installed.  I used a Mantell Motorsports  (www.mantellmotorsport.com) conversion kit.  This involved removing the front crossmember and transmission crossmember and sending them to Pete Mantell.  He then machined the crossmember and supplied the block hugger headers and engine mounts to make the engine and transmission fit properly.  This kit cost almost $2K but was worth every penny.  Pete has been doing this for years and is very well known and respected in the MGB community. 

 

-       Installed a new aluminum radiator for a 1965 Mustang.  This radiator is large enough to cool the 302 and fits between the MGB frame rails so no cutting was required.  Body integrity was not sacrificed.

 

-       Installed an Edelbrock 500 CFM carburetor. 

 

-       Installed a SPAL electric fan as well as a thermal switch to operate the fan.  It turns on at 195 degrees and then shuts off at 170.  The fan keeps the engine at proper operating temp even on the hottest days. 

 

-       Installed a complete Ron Francis Wiring harness as well as a fuel pump relay and pull start ignition switch.  This included a modern fuse box and plenty of relays to make everything work properly without the electrical system getting hot.  (www.ronfranciswiring.com)

 

-       Completely stripped the dash and covered it with aluminum.  Then I cut holes for the gauges and knobs I would need.  I tried to keep it to a minimum as the original dash has lots of lights and buttoms.  This dash is minimalist but has everything needed.  The car currently has temporary gauges to monitor the car’s functions.  The large holes in the dash are there for a set of  Speedhut Quad Gauges that I planned to install at a later date.   This gauge kit consists of two large gauges with water temp, volts,  fuel level,  and oil pressure in one gauge and the other gauge has a speedometer and tach.  Very clean and doesn’t fill the dash.  The speedometer is GPS so no cable to the transmission is needed.  Here is the link to the gauges:  http://www.speedhut.com/kit/GRM4.5-DUAL-GPSQKIT-ST-03T/2-gauge-custom-set---Dual-Gauge---260-Km-h-GPS-Speedometer---8K-Tachometer,-Quad-Gauge

 

-       Before I installed the engine I installed a new clutch, pressure plate, and release bearing.  I also installed a new rear main seal. 

 

-       It has Miata seats.  Those were installed by the previous owner and they are very comfortable. 

 

What Doesn’t Work or What It Needs:

-       Windshield wipers.  I think the switch on the column is faulty but am not sure. 

-       There is no fuel gauge.  If the Speedhut gauges are installed, the quad gauge includes the fuel gauge.

-       Could use new carpet and the rubber shift boot has torn from the desert heat.

-       Paint needs to be buffed or resprayed

-       The right rear quarter plastic window in the convertible top has a 6” tear.  The top is in great shape but I think the window got pinched when the top was being lowered and it was torn in the process.

-    Has a small oil leak.  I replaced the rear main seal and I do not think it is leaking.  I think the leak is oil weeping through the flywheel bolts.  I say that because before I replaced the rear main seal there was always a small singular puddle under the car.  After I replaced the rear main seal I now get two distinct dots of oil on the driveway so I think that is coming from 2 of the flywheel bolts.   I put RTV on the bolts when I installed them, as recommended by Ford but I think oil is still getting by two of the bolts and I have not pulled the transmission or engine to get at it and fix it.  It's a very small leak but a leak nonetheless.

 

 

That’s it.  Please don’t email and ask me how fast it is because I don’t know.  I have not raced it or done any burnouts or anything like that.  I have probably put 1000 miles on it since I completed the conversion.   Below are links to a couple of  videos that I made today.  One is a quick video of the engine compartment and the engine running and the other is of the car going up and down the street.  As I said above, it runs awesome.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1al1TrFLl5o&feature=youtu.be

 

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QfViENnI7A&feature=youtu.be