"Per cc", maybe, yeah... but you have to make up for 525cc's... that's why I
said "almost".
The A-series engine was no prodigy either. I suspect the main reason they
respond better to tuning is that they have always been class competive at
one or another of their many displacements (therefore popular for racing,
therefore attracting more tuner attention). 1798cc is an "orphan" size that
is too big for the 1500 classes and too small to compete with 2-liters. The
decision to go with that displacement was typical BMC expediency, but it
pretty much screwed the MGB as far as track racing was concerned. Not being
competitive in any international formula, its racing development was more or
less left to amateurs.
Anyway, I'm agreeing with your point that putting a B-series motor in a
Spridget would be like adding ballast. You get a much heavier motor, with
worse go-fast parts availability, and at higher cost, plus all the headaches
of a swap.
The weight situation is probably even worse than I've indicated -- you'd
probably wind up using the B's heavier tranny, and its heavier diff to
handle the torque. Even if you picked up 40 HP (doubtful), it'd probably be
a net loss.
on 6/6/03 3:46 PM, Larry Hoy at list@marketvalue.net wrote:
> From what I see on the race track a 1275 engine can put out more hp per
> cc than the 1800 engine. Seems like the 1275 is a better design.
>
> Larry Hoy
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net
>> [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Max Heim
>> Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 4:08 PM
>> To: MG List
>> Subject: Re: 1800 in a midget?
>>
>>
>> Hmm, if you're going to the trouble of an engine swap, I'm
>> sure you could find something with a better power-to-weight
>> ratio than the B-series lump. I would also wonder about the
>> bell housing fit, and the overall height.
>>
>> I once saw a neat installation of the Alfa Romeo DOHC 1500
>> into a Spitfire. That or a Miata unit would at least make
>> some sense in terms of a general increase in sophistication
>> <g>. But you could probably get almost as much horsepower as
>> the stock B engine just with some modifications to a 1275,
>> without the road-hugging weight.
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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