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Harrison Manell's 1960 MGA with a Buick 3.8L V-6 engine

Harrison Manell · 1960 MGA

MG MGA

BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports carsBritish V8 Newsletter, Volume X Issue 1, January-April 2002

Read the full write-up at BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars ↗

Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars

A 1960 MGA rebuilt with a Buick 3.8L V-6 and custom bodywork

Harrison Manell converted his 1960 MGA to run a heavily built 1982 Buick 3.8 liter Even-Fire V-6, paired with a Muncie four-speed and a shortened Ford 8" rear axle. The car also received widened fenders, a custom front end, a fully custom leather interior, and a crossflow radiator cooling system using non-aqueous coolant. Worth reading for the depth of detail on engine machining, chassis fabrication, and the owner's candid advice on the commitment such a project requires.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
1982 3.8 liter Buick Even-Fire V-6, bore 3.83", stroke 3.40", 9.5:1 compression
Camshaft
Kenne-Bell Mark 2X, intake lift 0.478", exhaust lift 0.494", 260/280 degrees duration, 112 degree lobe separation
Cylinder heads
Stock GM part #25506293 Rev. A, 1.70" intake / 1.50" exhaust, ported and CC'd
Induction
Carter AFB 9410 400 CFM 4-barrel on Edelbrock Performer manifold model 5486, Carter electric fuel pump
Ignition
HEI by Ignitioneering
Exhaust
Custom headers, 1-3/8" primary tubes, 2" pipes and crossover, dual low profile glass pack mufflers
Cooling
Custom brass crossflow radiator 19"x18", Spal AirForce electric fan, Evans NPG coolant (370F boiling point)
Transmission
1967 Muncie M21 close-ratio 4-speed, aluminum housing
Clutch
Center Force clutch with Weber hydraulic throw out bearing
Rear axle
Ford 8" from a Ford Fairlane wagon, 3.0:1 ratio, open differential, narrowed to fit
Front suspension
Slightly modified MGA, with an MGB fluid damper on the left front for clearance
Rear suspension
Stock MGA with one extra leaf added under the upper leaf
Brakes
Front: stock MGA discs; Rear: Ford drums; hydraulic proportioning valve added
Wheels
Intro Custom 17x7 billet aluminum, one-off design, MGA 4-bolt front / Ford 5-bolt rear
Tyres
Sumitomo HTRZII 215/50x17, Z-rated 149MPH+
Interior
Custom leather MGB seats, carbon fiber over hardwood dash, Moto-Lita wheel, Kenwood sound system
Electrical
Powermaster 100 Amp single wire Delco style alternator, stock GM starter, stock MG harness recovered
Gauges
VDO speedo and tachometer, Stewart-Warner Stage III water temp, oil pressure, fuel level
Weight/Completed
Completed 12/2000, 5,000 miles driven as of January 2002
Estimated cost
$15,000
Top speed estimate
130 MPH

Parts used

Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Engine 10

Fuel & Ignition 5

  • Carter AFB 9410 carburetorCarter

    400 CFM four-barrel with vacuum secondary for induction

  • Edelbrock Performer manifold model 5486Edelbrock

    Intake manifold carrying the Carter carburetor

    In the shops
    Inlet Manifold Gasket (NC Models) ↗MX5 City· $24.96 USD
  • Carter electric fuel pumpCarter

    Mounted near the gas tank to feed the carburetor

  • HEI ignition systemIgnitioneering

    Distributor and ignition setup for the V6

  • Custom headersMark Weiss

    1-3/8" primary tube headers built for the engine swap

Cooling 4

Gearbox & Drivetrain 6

Suspension & Steering 2

  • MGB fluid damper

    Fitted to left front for clearance around oil filter adapter, lever arm machined to fit

  • Extra leaf spring

    Added under the upper leaf of the stock MGA rear suspension

    In the shops
    Spring leaf MGA ↗Motaclan Limited· £88.23 GBP
    Rear Leaf Spring ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $104.99 USD
    Rear Leaf Spring (MGA) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $123.76 USD

Brakes 3

  • Stock MGA front disc brakes

    Retained with no modification, calipers painted red

    In the shops
    Front Brake Disc ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $21.90 USD
    Clutch Disc (MG TD, TF, MGA) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $99.95 USD
    Front Brake Drum (MGA, Wire Wheel) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $119.43 USD
  • Ford drum brakesFord

    Fitted at rear with Ford emergency brake cables spliced to MGA cables

  • Hydraulic proportioning valve

    Added between front and rear brakes to adjust lock-up balance

Wheels & Tyres 2

Body & Trim 3

Interior 5

Electrical 4

Photos

6 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Harrison Manell's 1960 MGA with a Buick 3.8L V-6 enginePhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Detail view of the completed MGA buildPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Another view of the modified MGAPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Further photo of the V6-powered MGAPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Additional image of the finished conversionPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Donate Now!Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars

How it was done

Building the engine

Manell sourced a 1982 Buick 3.8 liter Even-Fire V-6 and had the machine work and balancing done by New Performance, including crank grinding, case hardening, and connecting rod reconditioning. He fitted Kenne-Bell pistons, cam, springs and retainers, along with T&D rocker arms and shafts, then assembled the engine himself using ARP hardware and Fel-Pro gaskets.

Induction, ignition and exhaust

A Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor on an Edelbrock Performer manifold feeds the engine, backed by an electric fuel pump near the tank. Ignition is a HEI unit from Ignitioneering. Custom headers were built by Mark Weiss, feeding into 2 inch exhaust pipes with a crossover and dual glass pack mufflers.

Cooling the V6

To manage heat in the conversion, Manell built a custom four-row brass crossflow radiator and mounted a Spal electric puller fan directly to it with no shroud. Two ducted fans under the hood vents added extra cooling, and he switched to Evans NPG non-aqueous coolant, which resists boiling at engine temperatures far above what water-based coolant can handle.

Driveline and rear axle

Power goes through a 1967 Muncie M21 close-ratio four-speed with a GM NOS bellhousing, using a Center Force clutch and a Weber hydraulic throw-out bearing that simplified installation while keeping the stock MGA master cylinder. For the rear, he shortened a Ford 8 inch axle from a Fairlane wagon and remounted it on the original MGA suspension hardware and dampers.

Suspension, brakes and wheels

Front suspension stayed mostly stock MGA, apart from fitting an MGB damper on the left side for clearance around the oil filter adapter, requiring machining of the lever arm. Rear suspension got an added leaf spring. Front disc brakes remain stock MGA while Ford drums were adapted at the rear, with a proportioning valve added. Custom one-off Intro billet wheels were designed to suit the mixed bolt patterns front and rear.

Chassis and body modifications

The frame was modified to accommodate the Buick engine and Muncie gearbox, including a new removable transmission crossmember, a cutout for the oil filter adapter, and a re-routed steering shaft with an extra u-joint and support bearing. New floor supports, plywood floorboards and a hand-formed aluminum tunnel cover were added. Bodywork included widened fenders, a hand-formed hood scoop and a redesigned front end and grille.

Interior and finishing touches

The cabin was rebuilt with custom leather MGB seats and leather trim throughout, a dashboard made from carbon fiber over hardwood, and billet machined details including switch bezel, mirror, steering wheel center and shift components. A Kenwood sound system with subwoofers was integrated into custom door panels, and hand-made engraved wind wings were fitted.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars ↗

Worth knowing

  • Using a hydraulic throw-out bearing greatly simplifies clutch installation on a swap like this.
  • A high boiling point non-aqueous coolant can solve overheating problems that plague V8/V6 conversions.
  • Mixing axle bolt patterns front and rear requires custom one-off wheels to be designed.
  • Committing to doing at least one task every day is key to finishing such a large project.
  • A lower rear-end ratio (around 3.73:1) would improve off-the-line acceleration at the cost of top speed.
  • A five-speed gearbox would better complement the engine's power delivery than the four-speed used.

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