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Gregg Haskell's 1977 MGB Buick 215 V8 Conversion

Gregg Haskell · 1977 MGB

MG MGB

BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports carsas published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 3, December 2007

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 1977 MGB fitted with a 1963 Buick 215 V8 and T5 five-speed

Gregg Haskell converted his 1977 MGB to run a 1963 Buick 215 cubic inch V8 paired with a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed gearbox, with metalwork handled by his brother Monty. The write-up covers the full driveline, suspension, brakes and interior specification, plus notes on overheating issues and future plans for fuel injection. It is a useful read for anyone weighing up a small-block V8 swap into an MGB.

Specs

As stated in the original write-up.

Engine
1963 Buick Skylark 215cid V8, bored 0.040 inch over, 10:1 compression
Induction
Stock Buick manifold with Edelbrock 550cfm carburetor
Camshaft
Isky dual valve spring cam, 0.045 inch lift intake and exhaust
Ignition
Stock distributor with Pertronix igniter and Flame Thrower coil
Cooling
Stock water pump with March small diameter pulley, Griffin four row aluminum radiator
Exhaust
TE Industries headers, dual exhaust to the rear with mini turbo mufflers
Transmission
Borg-Warner T5 five-speed from a 1985 Trans Am, 0.71:1 fifth gear, McLeod hydraulic throw-out bearing
Driveshaft
Custom driveshaft from Drivetrain Industries of Grand Junction
Rear Axle
Stock MGB axle, 3.909:1 gears, limited slip differential
Suspension Front
Poly bushes and Monroe tube shocks, sway bar removed for larger radiator clearance
Suspension Rear
Stock, with Monroe tube shocks
Brakes Front
TE Industries enlarged calipers for 20 percent larger XJS pads
Brakes Rear
TE Industries race-compound shoes
Wheels
Minilight replica wheels
Tyres
Yokohama Avid tires
Weight
2400 pounds total, 1300 front and 1100 rear
Instruments
Stock MGB gauges with added volt meter, tachometer reworked by MO-MA for V8 use
Body
Basically stock with an added front air dam
Paint
GM Victory Red, applied by Boyd Customs
Interior
1985 Fiero seats with Infinity speakers in the headrests
Electrical/Stereo
Eclipse CD1000 head unit, Eclipse XA1000 640W amp, two 10 inch Pioneer subwoofers, XM satellite radio

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 1

Fuel & Ignition 3

Cooling 2

Gearbox & Drivetrain 3

Suspension & Steering 2

Brakes 2

Wheels & Tyres 2

  • Minilight replica wheels

    Fitted with Yokohama Avid tires

  • Yokohama Avid tiresYokohama

    Mounted on the Minilight replica wheels

Body & Trim 4

Interior 1

  • 1985 Fiero seats

    Fitted as replacement seats, with speakers built into the headrests

Electrical 6

  • Eclipse CD1000 stereo head unitEclipse

    Installed as the main stereo unit, 55W per channel

  • Eclipse XA1000 amplifierEclipse

    640W amp powering the subwoofers

  • Pioneer 10 inch subwoofersPioneer

    Two fitted, powered by the Eclipse amp

  • Infinity speakersInfinity

    Mounted in the seat headrests

  • XM satellite radioXM

    Added to the stereo system

  • Reworked tachometerMO-MA

    Stock MGB tachometer reworked for use with the V8 engine

Other 2

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.

Gregg Haskell's 1963 Buick 215 powered 77 MGB with T5 5-speed transmissionPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
stock Buick manifold, with Edelbrock 550cfm carburetorPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Just Louvers in Denver ColoradoPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
block hugger headersPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
1963 Buick Skylark 215cid 4 barrel carburetorPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
aluminum radiatorPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
turbo mufflersPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
dual exhaustPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Monroe telescoping shocksPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
stock MGB instrumentsPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
1985 Fiero seats with Infinity speakers in the headrestsPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
hood air induction was done by Bryce of Erie COPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Minilight replica wheels with Yokohama Avid tiresPhoto: BritishV8: the site for enthusiasts of modified British sports cars
Gregg Haskell and his wifePhoto: 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

The conversion

Gregg Haskell swapped a 1963 Buick 215 V8 into his 1977 MGB, built up with an Edelbrock carburetor, an Isky cam, and a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed from a 1985 Trans Am. His brother Monty did the metalwork, including cutting the transmission tunnel to clear the T5 due to the headers used.

Chassis and brakes

The front suspension got poly bushes and Monroe tube shocks, with the sway bar removed to make room for the larger aluminum radiator. Brakes were upgraded with TE Industries enlarged front calipers running larger XJS pads and TE Industries race-compound rear shoes.

Body, paint and interior

Work on the body, paint and interior was completed years after the mechanical conversion. The car received a front air dam to help cooling airflow and reduce nose lift at speed, hood louvers from Just Louvers, hood air induction work by Bryce of Erie CO, and Victory Red paint from Boyd Customs. The interior was fitted with Fiero seats and a substantial stereo system.

Ongoing issues and plans

Haskell notes persistent overheating at slow speeds despite the aluminum radiator, and planned to fit a smaller water pump pulley to help. He was also planning to switch from the Isky cam to a Crower cam for better low-end power with the T5, replace the clutch, and eventually add fuel injection and cruise control.

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

  • Consider a Rover V8 or Olds 215 with extra head bolts if available instead of the Buick 215
  • TE Industries headers may require a hood opening and cutting the transmission tunnel for T5 clearance
  • A larger aluminum radiator helps but slow-speed overheating can still be an issue

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