Neil Cairns has written a very extensive 'e-book' on these engines.
Here's a cut/paste about it from Bud Precht on the UKBBS:
Neil e-mailed me a copy of his compendium from Neil Cairns
<neil.cairns@virgin.net <mailto:neil.cairns@virgin.net>>. The file was
called MGenginehistory.rtf and opened in MS Word at 92 pages, though not
a real big file at 330KB. The title is "ENGINES for M.G's: Their Story
after 1935" with additional explanatory notes of "...Covering the XPAG
series, BMC 'A' Series, BMC 'B' Series, With their relative units such
as the Twin Cam, BMC 'C' series, Rover V8, some early Morris units, the
'O', 'R', 'S' and 'K' series till 1998." EXCELLENT reading.
It's well worth downloading. I'd suggest sending a note to Neil and ask
him to send you a copy.
Bud Krueger
52TD
Bob D. wrote:
>Have you ever seen an XPAG engine next to an A-series engine? It's hard to
>believe they're both 1250cc! The A-series is so much smaller. Does anyone
>have the weight specs on MG's engines? XPAG, XPEG, A-series, B-series, and
>what the MGA had.
>
>Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
>Email - bobmgtd@insightbb.com
>52 MGTD - NEMGTR #11470
>71 MGB - NAMGBR #7-3336
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Max Heim" <mvheim@attbi.com>
>To: "MG List" <mgs@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 11:27 PM
>Subject: Re: 1800 in a midget?
>
>
>
>
>>"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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