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Richard Cradick's 1967 MGB with Fuel Injected Rover 4.0L Engine

Richard Cradick · 1967 MG MGB

MG MGB

BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports carsbritishv8.org/MG/RichardCradick.htm

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 1967 MGB rebuilt around a fuel injected Rover 4.0L V8

Richard Cradick swapped his MGB's original four-cylinder engine for a fuel injected Rover 4.0L V8 after blowing up two four-cylinder motors in competition. The car was heavily reworked for track use, with bespoke suspension, brakes and chassis strengthening, and now runs 270bhp at the flywheel. It is a detailed look at turning a road MGB into a serious track-day car.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
Rover 4.0L V8 with crossbolted main bearing caps, John Eales camshaft, John Eales prepared cylinder heads (104cfm), carbon fibre fuel injection plenum chamber, 45mm alloy trumpets, slimmed throttle butterfly, Maserati high flow injectors, GEMS engine management with two uprated Mark Adams chips, standard lubrication system
Cooling
Custom aluminium radiator, Kenlowe electric fan
Exhaust
RV8 style manifolds into custom made 2.5 inch stainless system with dual silencers, to meet track noise limits
Transmission
LT77 5-speed gearbox from a Rover SD1, hybrid Land Rover clutch and pressure plate
Rear End
Quaife ATB differential with 3.07:1 ratio, standard halfshafts
Front Suspension
Hoyle fully adjustable front suspension set up with maximum negative camber, modified MGB steering rack
Rear Suspension
Composite monoleaf leafsprings, Gaz adjustable shock absorbers, homemade rose jointed anti-tramp bars, homemade rose jointed Panhard rod, anti-roll bar
Brakes
Dual brake master cylinders with adjustable brake bias valve and hydraulic handbrake; front Wilwood Superlite 4-pot calipers on 285mm vented rotors; rear Wilwood Dynalite 4-pot calipers on 270mm vented rotors
Wheels
Compomotive 15 inch 8-spoke wheels
Tyres
Toyo R888 205/50x15
Chassis Mods
Extra rear chassis legs from centre crossmember to front spring pick-up points, reinforced boot floor at Panhard rod mount, heavily modified and strengthened engine bay
Interior
OMP racing seats, Sabelt safety harnesses, Moto Lita steering wheel, leather trim on dashboard top and centre consoles
Instruments
Standard MGB instruments, recalibrated for V8 spec
Exterior
Fibreglass body panels where possible, aluminium bonnet with homemade bulge, widened rear wheel arches, roll hoop fitted
Weight
939kg
Performance
270 bhp at flywheel, approximately 380Nm torque, 0-60mph in under 5 seconds
Completed
2002, around 14,000 miles driven so far, mostly used for track days

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 3

Fuel & Ignition 4

Cooling 2

Gearbox & Drivetrain 3

Suspension & Steering 7

Brakes 3

Wheels & Tyres 2

  • Compomotive 15 inch 8-spoke wheelsCompomotive

    Fitted as the track wheel/tyre package

  • Toyo R888 205/50x15 tyresToyo

    Track-oriented tyres fitted to the Compomotive wheels

Body & Trim 4

Interior 3

  • Racing seatsOMP

    Fitted for track driving

  • Safety harnessesSabelt

    Fitted alongside the racing seats

  • Steering wheelMoto Lita

    Fitted as part of the interior upgrade

Electrical 1

  • GEMS engine management systemMark Adams

    Controls fuel injection, run with two uprated chips

Other 1

Photos

21 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.

Richard Cradick's 1967 MGB with Fuel Injected Rover 4.0L EnginePhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Rover 4.0L V8 engine with GEMS electronic fuel injection.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
John Eales prepared cylinder heads (104cfm).Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
45mm alloy trumpets. Maserati high flow injectors.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
GEMS engine management system, with two uprated Mark Adams chips.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Rover 4.0L V8 engine blocks feature crossbolted main bearing caps.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Custom aluminum radiator. Kenlowe electric fan.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Brake cooling ducts.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
An earlier incarnation: note the different grille and plenum cover.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Wilwood Superlite 4-pot calipers on 285mm vented rotors.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Composite monoleaf leafspring, rear anti-roll bar, and homemade rose-jointed Panhard rod.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Wilwood Dynalite 4-pot calipers on 270mm vented rotors.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Obviously, this master cylinder mounting bracket has been lightened.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Dual brake master cylinders.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Raising the roof!Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Compomotive 15 inch 8-spoke wheels. Toyo R888 205/50x15 tires.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Welding thin aluminum.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
OMP racing seats. Sabelt safety harnesses.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Sebring headlamp covers.Photo: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Built for track days.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

Why the V8 swap

After racing his MGB in 1950cc four-cylinder form, Richard blew up two engines in competition. He decided the car needed a proper engine and set about fitting a Rover 4.0L V8, a project that took a long time and considerable expense to finish.

Building the engine

The Rover V8 was built with crossbolted main bearing caps, a John Eales camshaft and matching cylinder heads flowing 104cfm. Induction uses a carbon fibre plenum, 45mm alloy trumpets, a slimmed throttle butterfly and Maserati high flow injectors, managed by a GEMS system with uprated Mark Adams chips.

Cooling and exhaust

A custom aluminium radiator with a Kenlowe electric fan keeps the V8 cool. Exhaust gases exit through RV8 style manifolds into a custom 2.5 inch stainless system with dual silencers, built to meet track day noise rules.

Driveline

Power goes through an LT77 five-speed gearbox taken from a Rover SD1, driven via a hybrid Land Rover clutch and pressure plate, to a Quaife ATB differential geared at 3.07:1 on standard halfshafts.

Suspension, brakes and chassis

The front end uses fully adjustable Hoyle suspension with maximum negative camber and a modified MGB rack. At the rear sit composite monoleaf springs, Gaz adjustable dampers and homemade rose jointed anti-tramp bars and Panhard rod. Wilwood four-pot calipers front and rear, dual master cylinders, a bias valve and hydraulic handbrake handle stopping. The chassis gained extra rear legs and a reinforced boot floor, and the engine bay was heavily strengthened.

Interior and exterior

Inside are OMP racing seats, Sabelt harnesses, a Moto Lita wheel and leather trimmed dashboard and consoles, with the standard MGB instruments recalibrated for V8 use. Outside, fibreglass panels, an aluminium bonnet with a homemade bulge, widened rear arches and a roll hoop mark it out as a track car.

Results

Completed in 2002 and covering around 14,000 miles since, mostly on track days, the car weighs 939kg and produces 270bhp at the flywheel with about 380Nm of torque, reaching 0-60mph in under five seconds. Richard notes beating an MG SV with 430bhp at a recent track day.

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

  • Four-cylinder MGB engines can struggle to survive sustained competition use, prompting the switch to a V8.
  • Custom chassis bracing around the rear spring mounts and boot floor is needed to handle added power and braking loads.
  • Recalibrating standard instruments lets you keep the original look while reading correctly for V8 performance.
  • Building a bespoke stainless exhaust with dual silencers helped meet track day noise limits.
  • Fitting dual master cylinders with a bias valve gives useful control over brake balance on a modified car.

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