This is Jim Stabe's MGB that has been undergoing a series of transformations since 1972. A long time ago this car was a turbocharged Buick 215 V8 with a Muncie and a Jag IRS. What follows is his project post:
Owner: Jim Stabe
City: San Diego
Car Model: 1966 MGB Roadster
Engine: 1995 Camaro Z28 LT1 with Advanced Induction ported heads and cam, 11.2:1 compression, Comp Cams roller rockers, 54 mm throttle body and 30 lb injectors.
Cooling: 17" x 31" S10 aluminum radiator with two 14" Zirgo 2,400 cfm fans
Exhaust: Block hugger headers with 2 1/2" pipes joining into a 3" pipe behind the transmission. Flowmaster 50 series muffler mounted crosswise at the rear of the car (different than pictures show)
Transmission: T56 6 speed from the Camaro
Rear Axle: C4 Corvette with 3.73 posi
Front Susp.: C4 Corvette with QA1 coilovers
Rear Susp.: C4 Corvette with QA1 coilovers
Brakes:
(master) Wilwood balance bar setup
(front) 13" C4 Corvette rotors and calipers
(rear) 12" C4 Corvette rotors and calipers
Wheels/Tires: 17 x 9 1/2" front, 17 x 11 rear Corvette ZR1 wheels. Tires will probably be either Kuhmo Victoracer or Nitto NT05 275-40-17 front and 315-35-17 rear.
Body Mods: Too many to mention but the biggies are: cut down the center and widened 11" and complete tube frame integrated with unibody. There is less than 300 lbs of MG metal left in the car.
Interior: Hand made dash with 5" and 2 5/8" Autometer gauges, Modified Honda Prelude seats
Electrical: From scratch with a Painless chassis harness and much modified LT1 fuel injection harness for the engine.
This is my project that I have been working on since 2001. I've owned the car since I got out of the Navy in 1972. It is a 1966 model and the first thing I did back then was put a 215 Buick all aluminum V8 in it with a Muncie and a Jag independent rear end. The engine eventually got changed for a 215 Olds Jetfire that was turbocharged. The car was featured in the original Hot Rod Magazine Engine Swapping Guide. I drove it for about 10 years and had a mishap that crunched the front. I didn't have a good place to work on it then and I sold the drivetrain and just kept the body. The car sat until 2001 when I decided to redo the car using C4 Corvette suspension and an LT1 engine and 6 speed trans from a Z28 Camaro. The last time I narrowed the jag rear slightly to fit under the MG fenders, this time I widened the car (11") to fit over the Corvette suspension. There is less than 300 lbs of original MG steel left in the car - I have fabricated everything. It has a steel tube frame that is welded into what is left of the original monocoque. When I get done it should weigh somewhere around 2,300 lbs and the engine should produce somewhere around 425 hp. A 500 hp Viper has a power to weight ratio of 6.8:1, this should be 5.4:1. It will roll on 9.5" wide x17" front wheels and 11" x17" rears. I am at the point where I have to make new rear fenders with slight bulges to cover the tires and other various new body panels. I built a helve hammer, power shrinker and an English wheel to do the metal work - time now to start beating on some sheet metal.
Owner: Jim Stabe
City: San Diego
Car Model: 1966 MGB Roadster
Engine: 1995 Camaro Z28 LT1 with Advanced Induction ported heads and cam, 11.2:1 compression, Comp Cams roller rockers, 54 mm throttle body and 30 lb injectors.
Cooling: 17" x 31" S10 aluminum radiator with two 14" Zirgo 2,400 cfm fans
Exhaust: Block hugger headers with 2 1/2" pipes joining into a 3" pipe behind the transmission. Flowmaster 50 series muffler mounted crosswise at the rear of the car (different than pictures show)
Transmission: T56 6 speed from the Camaro
Rear Axle: C4 Corvette with 3.73 posi
Front Susp.: C4 Corvette with QA1 coilovers
Rear Susp.: C4 Corvette with QA1 coilovers
Brakes:
(master) Wilwood balance bar setup
(front) 13" C4 Corvette rotors and calipers
(rear) 12" C4 Corvette rotors and calipers
Wheels/Tires: 17 x 9 1/2" front, 17 x 11 rear Corvette ZR1 wheels. Tires will probably be either Kuhmo Victoracer or Nitto NT05 275-40-17 front and 315-35-17 rear.
Body Mods: Too many to mention but the biggies are: cut down the center and widened 11" and complete tube frame integrated with unibody. There is less than 300 lbs of MG metal left in the car.
Interior: Hand made dash with 5" and 2 5/8" Autometer gauges, Modified Honda Prelude seats
Electrical: From scratch with a Painless chassis harness and much modified LT1 fuel injection harness for the engine.
This is my project that I have been working on since 2001. I've owned the car since I got out of the Navy in 1972. It is a 1966 model and the first thing I did back then was put a 215 Buick all aluminum V8 in it with a Muncie and a Jag independent rear end. The engine eventually got changed for a 215 Olds Jetfire that was turbocharged. The car was featured in the original Hot Rod Magazine Engine Swapping Guide. I drove it for about 10 years and had a mishap that crunched the front. I didn't have a good place to work on it then and I sold the drivetrain and just kept the body. The car sat until 2001 when I decided to redo the car using C4 Corvette suspension and an LT1 engine and 6 speed trans from a Z28 Camaro. The last time I narrowed the jag rear slightly to fit under the MG fenders, this time I widened the car (11") to fit over the Corvette suspension. There is less than 300 lbs of original MG steel left in the car - I have fabricated everything. It has a steel tube frame that is welded into what is left of the original monocoque. When I get done it should weigh somewhere around 2,300 lbs and the engine should produce somewhere around 425 hp. A 500 hp Viper has a power to weight ratio of 6.8:1, this should be 5.4:1. It will roll on 9.5" wide x17" front wheels and 11" x17" rears. I am at the point where I have to make new rear fenders with slight bulges to cover the tires and other various new body panels. I built a helve hammer, power shrinker and an English wheel to do the metal work - time now to start beating on some sheet metal.