Hello,
Has anyone fitted an MGB 1800cc engine and overdrive gearbox into a Morris Traveller,and I mean the engine bay and transmission tunnel,not into the back just to get it home.
Or any other engine /overdrive gearbox combinations that work well.?
Do not really want to go Fiat Twincam or Zetec at the moment,just something simple.!!!
Regards
Gresham
1961 Traveller 1275 etc
1969 Traveller standard
1969 traveller standard
1969 Van standard
There were quite a few Minors with B series engines fitted 'back in the day'
Aparently they were a nightmatre to drive due to the extra weight - a friend of mine showed me a photo of one on the motorway on the way to a rally in convoy - the guy was testing his brakes and got the rear end a foot off the ground. Weight in the wrong place can be a bit of a disaster.
Fortunately this was back in the days of film cameras with fast shutter rates so they could get the shot much more easily - none of this >250 ms delay and blurred image you'd get with a camera phone.
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block
The Wolseley 1500 (and Riley 1.5) used the same floorpan - with B series engine and (non overdrive admittedly) gearbox. So it's obviously a Go-Er!! And they had the same torsion bar front suspension with better dampers of course. So I can't see how weight distribution could be a huge problem. They had the steering mounted higher up - so I guess that allowed the engine/box to be fitted further back than in a Minor with it's low mounted rack. But - perhaps you only want to fit the B gearbox - retaining then A engine ? That could be possible although an adapter plate would be needed to fit the B box to the A engine - and I;m not sure what clutch arrangement would be needed !
the over drive unit from the dolomite can be "merged" into the ital / marina box to give you an overdrive unit, with gears that match the engine nicely.
The set up worked well for me accelerated nicely and cruised happily on the motorway in overdrive top returning 45+ mpg
Hi
i have a Wolseley 1500
and have fitted a mgb with overdrive gearbox
just change the prop and rear gearbox mount
had to cut a bit out of the mgb bellhousing
same as you do if you do a fiat
took me 2 days
rayofleamington wrote:There were quite a few Minors with B series engines fitted 'back in the day'
Aparently they were a nightmatre to drive due to the extra weight - a friend of mine showed me a photo of one on the motorway on the way to a rally in convoy - the guy was testing his brakes and got the rear end a foot off the ground. Weight in the wrong place can be a bit of a disaster.
Fortunately this was back in the days of film cameras with fast shutter rates so they could get the shot much more easily - none of this >250 ms delay and blurred image you'd get with a camera phone.
Yes, I've heard the same thing- not a good idea, too big, too heavy, you will have to butcher the car to get it in, and lose the free road tax/ historic status forever.
Best to stick with the A series engine in your Minor and enjoy a B series in an MGB!
I suspect you could get a similar power:weight ratio by fitting a fairly mildly tuned 1275 A-series, given that the 1800 B-Series in the MGB only makes 90bhp or so and is a lot heavier.
[img]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c390/chrisd87/DSC00749.jpg[/img][img]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c390/chrisd87/med_gallery_128_45_1416415.jpg[/img]
Sarah - 1970 Minor 1000 2-dr
Maggie - 1969 Minor 1000 4-dr
when i did my conversion i fitted the ital rear axle my reasoning being that the diff ratio was suited to the ital "base" gearbox. and found it very good, it accelerated well from slow speed then in to overdrive to give it the legs on the motorway..
I've seen this done. Don't know the chaps name but fab car (somewhere in Dorset). It was a 1500 'B'series with MGB over-drive. It had a copper exhaust pipe with 'fish-tail' outlet. I asked about the extra weight up front and said it wasn't an issue. I can't remember the full spec but I think the only up-grade were the brakes (Riley). So, as has been said, Riley set up really. He said it cruised along nicely with adequate torque and good fuel econimy. Although, if you fitted a damper kit up-front and maybe roll bar, this would probably help.
Please use the search feature as I've replied on this matter quite a few times now. Also, please don't comment about so called handling issues if you do not have first hand experience of it.
A B series Minor will walk all over even a hot A series one - been there and got the T shirt.
from all these silly comments about b series 1800 in a moggy too heavy crap handling blah blah blah ...someone told me this and that well like mr plastic orange says dont knock it till you tried it ..and i just have.. it got it mot last week it handles and drives fine goes like a rocket and the brakes are a thousand times better than the original moggy ..i asked advice as i saw pics of one earlier in the year on this forum then i was offered a complete rolled mgb for £250 ...minators , engine,axle , gearbox the lot ,,, and i dont think it's sacrilige as it was a cat c salvage ... and to just put an earier comment straight STILL GOT HISTORIC STATUS so dont guess the answers to what you dont knOW ASK THE EXPERTS on here thats why i joined thankyou all at mmoc keep up the the good work
im a bit too impatient to finish little bits and bobs