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Tim Curran's 1979 MGB with Chevy LS1 V8 Engine

Timothy Curran · 1979 MGB

MG MGB

BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports carsas published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XX Issue 1, July 2012

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 1979 MGB rebuilt around a Chevrolet LS1 V8

Timothy Curran converted his 1979 MGB to run a 2002 Chevrolet LS1 5.7L V8 paired with a Tremec six-speed gearbox and a narrowed Ford 8" rear axle. The car also received shaved, welded bodywork, a custom four-link rear suspension, and a fully custom interior, resulting in a fair-weather roadster with no side windows or top. It is a thorough, detailed example of an American V8 swap into a classic British sports car.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
2002 Chevrolet LS1 5.7L V8, stock fuel injection, Fast Fuel fuel rails, Big Stuff 3 EFI computer
Cooling
Custom aluminum radiator
Exhaust
Custom headers and dual exhaust
Transmission
Tremec T56 6-speed, custom driveshaft
Rear Axle
Narrowed 8" Ford rear axle from Fast Cars Inc., 3.25:1 ring and pinion
Front Suspension
Fast Cars front suspension
Rear Suspension
Custom four link rear suspension
Brakes
Four wheel disc brakes with Wilwood calipers and rotors
Wheels
American Racing Hopster 16" aluminum wheels
Tyres
Goodyear F1 205/50ZR 16
Body
All seams welded, reinforced rear frame rails, shaved door handles/mirrors/marker lights/back-up lights/side trim, roll-up and vent-a-plane windows removed, rubber bumper removed, fiberglass rear valance with frenched license plate
Interior
Flaming River tilting steering column, 1986 Pontiac Fiero seats with headrests removed, refinished MGB Mk1 dashboard in body color, custom carpet and upholstery
Electrical
AutoMeter C2 gauges, American Auto wire harness, battery relocated to trunk
Completed
November 3, 2011

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 2

  • Chevrolet LS1 5.7L V8 (2002)Chevrolet

    Main engine for the conversion, retained stock fuel injection

  • Custom headers

    Paired with dual exhaust for the V8

Fuel & Ignition 2

  • Fast Fuel fuel railsFast Fuel

    Fitted to support the LS1's fuel delivery

  • Big Stuff 3 EFI computerBig Stuff 3

    Engine management for the fuel injected LS1

Cooling 1

Gearbox & Drivetrain 3

  • Tremec T56 6-speed transmissionTremec

    Manual gearbox paired with the LS1

  • Custom driveshaft

    Connects transmission to the narrowed rear axle

  • Narrowed 8" Ford rear axleFast Cars Inc.

    Narrowed axle with 3.25:1 ring and pinion fitted to the car

Suspension & Steering 2

Brakes 1

Wheels & Tyres 2

Interior 4

Electrical 2

Other 2

  • Custom dual exhaust system

    Routes exhaust from the custom headers

  • Fiberglass rear valance

    Replaced rear bodywork with a frenched license plate opening

    In the shops
    MGB/MGC GT Fiberglass Front Valance ↗Sports & Classics· $189.94 USD

Photos

15 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.

Tim Curran's 1979 MGB with Chevy LS1 (5.7L) V8 EnginePhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
2002 Chevrolet LS1 5.7L V8.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Custom aluminum radiator.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Narrowed 8 inch Ford rear axle from Fast Cars Inc. Custom four link rear suspension.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Entirely custom interior, featuring Pontiac Fiero seats with headrests removed.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
This is a fair weather car... with no side windows and no convertible top.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Shifter for the Tremec T56 6-speed transmission.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
AutoMeter C2 gauges.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Flaming River tilting steering column.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Battery and fuel filler have both been relocated into the trunk.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
American Racing Hopster 16 aluminum wheels.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
1973-1974.5 style MGB grille.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Shaved door handles and body side trim.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Fiberglass rear valance with frenched-in license plate.Photo: 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

Powertrain swap

Curran fitted a 2002 Chevrolet LS1 5.7L V8 with its stock fuel injection, adding Fast Fuel fuel rails and a Big Stuff 3 EFI computer to manage it. The engine installation itself was outsourced to AG Automotive in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, while the rest of the build was handled by the owner.

Drivetrain

Power goes through a Tremec T56 six-speed manual gearbox and a custom driveshaft to a narrowed 8-inch Ford rear axle sourced from Fast Cars Inc., running a 3.25:1 ring and pinion.

Chassis and suspension

The front suspension came from Fast Cars Inc., while the rear was replaced with a custom four-link setup. Four wheel disc brakes were fitted, using Wilwood calipers and rotors to handle the extra power.

Cooling and exhaust

To cope with the V8, Curran installed a custom aluminum radiator along with custom headers and a dual exhaust system.

Body modifications

The bodywork was extensively smoothed: all seams were welded, rear frame rails reinforced, and the door handles, mirrors, marker lights, back-up lights, and side trim were shaved off. The rubber bumper was removed and a fiberglass rear valance with a frenched license plate fitted. Both roll-up and vent-a-plane door windows were removed, making the car a fair-weather driver.

Interior and electrical

Inside, Curran fitted a Flaming River tilting steering column, 1986 Pontiac Fiero seats with headrests removed, and a reworked MGB Mk1 dashboard finished in body color, along with custom carpet and upholstery. AutoMeter C2 gauges and an American Auto wire harness were installed, and the battery was relocated to the trunk.

Wheels and finishing touches

The car rolls on American Racing Hopster 16-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in Goodyear F1 205/50ZR 16 tires. The build was completed on November 3, 2011.

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

  • Outsourcing the engine installation to a specialist shop can help when fitting a modern EFI V8.
  • Narrowing a Ford 8-inch axle and pairing it with a custom four-link lets the rear suspension handle V8 power.
  • Using aftermarket EFI management like Big Stuff 3 helps integrate a stock LS1 harness into an older chassis.
  • Shaving door handles, trim and marker lights requires planning since it also removes factory wiring points.
  • Removing both roll-up and vent-a-plane windows means accepting the car as fair weather only, with no top.

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