=I drove my 1980 MGB to Reno last month, and I found myself being passed by
=campers while driving on Route 80 out of Truckee. The car is SC
=(smog-correct) and just lacks any vim. I suppose I can adjust the Strom carb
=somehow to compensate for altitude, but this seems like a lot of work.
= Question: What I think I need is a new engine. A Chevy 300 someting or
=maybe a Mazda hummer.
NOT! Mazdas have a really nasty exhaust sound, and the exhaust
temperature would probably melt your undercarriage.
= The engine must meet the following criteria. 1. Not
=screw up the smog regs. 2. Allow me to drive at altitude without any
=complaint. 3. Give me some power--I think the 1800 cc mill in the MGB is
=basically the same engine installed in the 1955 MGA--no wonder the brit car
=industry is dead. 4. Be relatively easy to install--ie with minimum frame
=modifications. Any thoughts??
The MGB DRIVER for Nov/Dec 1993 had a feature article on a 1980 MGB
fitted with a Toyota 18R-G engine. This is a 2 liter, 4 Cyl, DOHC, 160 BHP
engine not normally available in the US. The Japanese equivalent of
the MOT makes a lot of low mileage engines available for export to we lesser
nations at a relatively low price (<US$600). They are readily
available in So. California, but I don't know about the rest of the
US. It sounded like a fairly simple transplant, compared to a Rover
V-8.
Regards,
Jerry
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