MGB Cosworth

MGB Roadster Cosworth V6 BOA Fuel Injected Conversion

Owned, built and the full story by William Maskell

This car boasts Ford's Cosworth V6 - Granada 2.9 Cologne block with improved alloy cylinder heads – quad camshafts – 24 valves – 200 BHP!

Fitting this engine created a list of modifications as long as your arm!

ENGINE
Removed standard 'B' engine mount brackets from chassis rails. Welded in new modified bespoke mount brackets to accept standard RV8 engine mounts.

Bespoke engine brackets created and bolted to block. O/S bracket incorporates alternator belt tensioner mount. Standard Cosworth V6 tensioner. Alternator belt is measured specially for this set-up.
Bespoke engine stabiliser bolted using rubber eyelet bush to N/S part of bulkhead – specially reinforced. Modified front crankshaft pulley – only one belt track required. Thus enables the engine unit to be located neatly behind the steering rack keeping the majority of the weight low and central for optimum handling.
Air intake using K&N's cone filter drawing in cold dense air from in front of the radiator, linked to the engine via 80mm 45 degree alloy elbow and a silicone 80mm 90 degree elbow.
Alloy cam covers and plenum chamber stripped and repainted in wrinkle-finish black to replicate the dashboard. “Ford Cosworth” engine badges in coded body-colour.

FUEL SYSTEM
Standard chrome bumper MGB fuel tank remounted centrally. Injection system requires a feed and return set up. Rubber bumper sender unit modified with a 15mm filtered pick up, then feeding the high pressure rubber insulated fuel injection pump mounted adjacent to the battery box. Various bespoke alloy heat shields located under the body and in the engine bay protecting fuel and brake lines.

EXHAUST
Bespoke one-off stainless steel manifold headers located through the inner wings similar to the RV8. No balance pipe used or required for this system. Single silencers located at the rear beside the centralised fuel tank and hung with four modified early MGB exhaust mounts.

TRANSMISSION & REAR AXLE
Ford Type 9 “long nose” diesel gearbox giving excellent ratios (60mph = 2200rpm). Mounted using a hybrid Ford and MGB cross member. Hybrid Ford and MGB gear lever.
Standard 2.9 flywheel and clutch. Ford Mondeo internal slave/release bearing mounted using a bespoke adaptor plate. Modified bell housing to accept clutch hydraulic pipe and braided hose. Austin Princess clutch master cylinder with a 5/8 bore.
Rare standard RV8 LSD 3.31 to 1 ratio live rear axle with twin taper leaf half elliptic springs, anti roll bar and brakes.

COOLING & HEATING
Always a concern with modified cars. Modified MGB rubber bumper radiator reconditioned with an extra core and larger inlet and outlet pipes. Vauxhall electric fan switch fitted in a threaded adaptor soldered in the radiator. Overflow to standard MGB expansion tank located on inner wing.
Standard MGB heater box with added resistor fitted to the blower motor to give it slow speed as well as fast. Uprated matrix and in-line heater valve from VW Golf Mk1.

BODY
N/S bulkhead, tunnel and foot well adapted to accept new engine accommodating for it's cylinder head and starter motor. Bulkhead top reinforced for stabiliser.
Modified N/S and O/S inner wings for RV8-style custom made stainless steel headers/manifolds.
Original heater box retained for purpose.
RV8 under-floor chassis legs (jacking point out rigger to leaf spring and anti-tramp bars).
Rolled rear arch lips to accommodate the 6J alloy wheels on the wider tracked RV8 rear axle.
Special glass-fibre RV8-style bonnet with bonded cooling louvres blended in extracting unwanted heat from the manifold region. Bonnet clearance was never an issue – a standard original bonnet will actually fit! - Heat was always a concern. RV8 'hump' gives that little more breathing space and maximum air flow.
Finished with six coats of VW Indigo Blue Metallic painted by MGOC's Mark Langford.

STEERING
Standard rubber bumper column and rack. Original rubber bumper cross member installed using purple polyurethane pads.
Stub axle king pins modified with needle roller bearings – providing a lighter feel. No power steering necessary!

BRAKES
Standard 'B' hubs fitted with lightly modified Peugeot 505 Turbo vented brake disks. The same overall diameter of standard MGB 273mm.
Rover SD1 Vitesse four-pot calipers with modified sleeved mounting bolts. Bespoke UNF/Metric braided front brake flexi hoses. Standard rubber bumper master cylinder and tandem servo.
RV8 handbrake set-up with standard shoes, 9 inch drums and wheel cylinders. MGB braided rear flexi hose.

SUSPENSION
Telescopic Koni rear dampers mated to single leaf composite springs. RV8 anti-tramp bars located on under-floor chassis legs.
Standard rubber bumper front coil springs. V8 inner wishbone bushes. Featuring 2 degree negative camber lower arms to reduce understeer and give more predicted handling. 30% uprated front lever arm dampers. One inch uprated front anti roll bar. Standard RV8 rear anti roll bar and link arms.

EXTERIOR
Standard stainless steel body mouldings. Uprated 8k HID headlamp kit. Modified front grille with stainless square mesh. Five Minator (Minilite-style) silver-coloured alloys. 15 inch by 6 wrapped with 185/65 Yokohama tyres. 5mm spacers used on the front wheels giving much needed clearance on the larger brake calipers. Black mohair hood giving a colour-fast appearance that should fight against sun-bleaching. Original bumpers re chromed to achieve a best-fit, overriders lost to de-clutter the overall appearance.

INTERIOR
Nothing too crazy here – still retains it's classic car look and feel. The whole underside and inside was sprayed with a liquid sound deadener. Standard trim panels with an attractive contrasting beading. Supportive and very comfortable MGOC black Club Sports seats with breathing perforations. MGOC luxury black carpet set with additional sound deadening. Motolita leather 14 inch flat polished steering wheel and matched boss.

GAUGES & DASHBOARD
Standard V8/early rubber bumper dashboard – fully reconditioned and painted wrinkle-finish black. Gauges are standard MGB chrome bevelled with modified tachometer to accept Ford's EEC IV pick-up. Standard V8 140mph speedo calibrated for this vehicle using Hi-Gear Type 9 / MGB speedo cable. Standard dual gauge – capillary to engine adaptor on front of thermostat housing. Oil pressure picked up from MG Midget adaptor on engine block via copper pipe and braided flexi hose. Early interior map lamp and switch wired to a 10 sec timer relay for convenience.

WIRING
Modified MGB loom – with hazards. Mated with Ford Cosworth's engine loom via a bulkhead mounted junction box. Standard MGB fuse box. MGF inertia switch to over-ride the fuel pump feed for safety. Centre console-mounted iPod dock behind the original hinged speaker grille. Tweeters also “hidden” behind the speaker grille and high output speakers at the rear panel. Sony amp and wiring concealed in the boot behind an additional dummy rear panel.

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