Adrian Akhurst's business (AA Automotive) specialises in restoring MGs, so you don't need to be Einstein to figure he drives some absolute knockout promotional vehicles. His passion for MGs reaches back to the '70s, when he raced a thoroughly-warmed 2 litre MGB against the likes of E-type Jags and various other contemporary exotics. And as many people do, he fell in love with the charming MGs. Over the years it appears he's acquired quite a collection of MGs; when we asked him how many he owns, there was some indecision. "Including the ones that go?" came the answer, with Adrian trying to count them all up in his mind...
The fully ground-up restored 'B you see here is a superb example of an integrated modified car - bringing together all the sparkle of yesteryear, with many of the mechanical and aesthetic influences of the '90s.
A great deal of the modification has been aimed at replicating the 2000-odd RV8s that were released in 1993. That car was powered by the injected 3.9 litre Rover V8, the V8 in smaller 3.5 litre form also used (with a carby) in the GT V8s of the Seventies. But purchasing these GT vehicles is an expensive exercise as there were only ever 2500 built, and many are currently locked away the sheds of dedicated enthusiasts.
Instead, Adrian made the clever move of purchasing a 1978 "rubber bumper" MGB from the US in left-hand drive form. Adrian says the condition of cars from the States is generally superior to the local Oz cars because of the difference in their environment. Australia never saw the rubber bumper version either, which makes it even more unique. Another advantage is the 1973-onward rubber bumper models have an engine bay perfectly suited to the V8 conversion - with an angled-back firewall, more room at the front and also different inner guards.
One of the real gems of the Rover all-alloy V8 conversion is that the eight is actually around 20lbs lighter in mass than the standard 95hp 1798cc four! The motor fitted to this car was donated from a local Rover SD1 saloon. It went into the B's engine bay quite easily using the SD1 mounts, but to clear the exhaust headers, a small part of the inner guard needed to be cut away.
Prior to being lowered into the MGB, the engine received a full performance rebuild and a thorough balancing. The first step was to push the 3.5 litre displacement out to 4.5 litres using a stroker crank and a 15 thou overbore, achieving a "square" 3½-inch bore and stroke. To accommodate the increased swing of the crank, the sump required "some panel beating for more clearance". Also because of the new crank's throw, the compression ratio went from 8.3 to 9.5:1, necessitating the use of leaded (high octane) fuel at all times. Short-skirt Hepolite forged pistons have found their way into the bores to effectively manage the resulting higher comp ratio. And boy, is the torque of this motor something to cherish - power is always there
lurking under the right foot. Its got "astronomical torque" as Adrian puts it, and yet it will still rev quite willingly.
The heads came off for a port and polish to return quite significant flow improvements, and this was complimented by match-ported intake and exhaust manifolds. Adjustable timing gear enables the fine tuning of an Isky cam which is fairly mild but extremely driveable. Polished block internals aid the flow of oil through the engine, which is now promoted by a hi-flow pump. A big 16-row oil cooler is fitted on the mount that normally secures the GT V8's slightly smaller unit. This upsizing was performed as simply a "precaution".
The alloy V8's temperature is cooled by an off-the-shelf V8-spec radiator with twin electric fans drawing air through the core - the upshot is that it never overheats. Not even on a 40-plus-degree day crawling through traffic. And the visually dominant intake system sure isn't what you normally see under a MGB's lid! An intake system from a Land Rover Discovery has been bolted into the motor's valley, resulting in much improved intake flow capabilities. The stock throttle body is fed by a Finer Filter ram pod which is mounted on the end of a 3-inch diameter intake pipe.
The management system has gone down the aftermarket fully programmable path. Controlling both fuel and ignition, a Wolf 3D system mounted on the dash, taking inputs from a throttle position, MAP, water temp, air temp and Hall effect sensors. Firing standard Bosch injectors, DAT were still in the dyno-tuning stage of the system when we went for a ride, but you got the impression the thing really wanted to take off. Just give it a prod and it responded in a major way. However, the final engine configuration was more about bottom end torque than outright power, as the dyno graph shows.
Going EFI meant the fuel system had to be upgraded to flow at high-pressure. The tank is now a mix-and-match of Rover and MG parts to obtain the right fittings and mounts, while a Bosch electric pump pushes fuel through 3/8-inch lines. Apparently the earlier model MGBs used had dual 6-volt batteries in the back, so one of the recesses for this is now used to locate the fuel pump. Uniquely, the baffled tank
now sits in the middle across the rear of the car because Adrian wanted a "mirror image" twin exhaust system to poke out the back. This starts off with Adrian's own design 4>2>1 headers that use 1 5/8 -inch diameter pipes flowing into a pair of 2¼-inch mandrel pipes, with four custom mufflers located where space would permit. Adrian has wrapped the header pipes in Thermo Tech insulation wrap to keep under-bonnet heat to a manageable level.
Because of the intended market for such a car, the power is passed on to a BW65 Rover SD1 3-speed automatic box, which makes driving the thing pretty easy. Plus it's like Adrian said, "you need two hands on the wheel". But for anyone with the gotta-have-a-manual attitude, you'll be pleased to know you can get a T-5 or virtually whatever other gearbox you might like. Reaching rearward, the tailshaft uses a Jaguar front section and standard MG rear bit, since there's a GT V8 3.07:1 open-centre diff employed. However, Adrian says he can do Salisbury, Borg Warner or whatever diff conversions is required - along with some relatively straightforward mods.
Externally the car is quite similar to the RV8 with the exception of the less pronounced guards and Porsche-style headlights. Adrian made up an exact fibreglass replica of the RV8's neat bulged bonnet, which is needed for clearance over the injected engine's intake plenum. While he was getting into the fibreglass swing of things, bumpers based on the six cylinder Sebring MGCs were fabricated and fitted to make a huge improvement over the bulbous rubber items. A genuine GT V8 grille gives a classy touch. This all gives the car a nice clean look which was further supplemented with a full colour coding of the exterior trim pieces. And the colour? Its an RV8 colour called White Gold, and it sure suits the car.
"To bring it into the nineties", the windscreen surrounds have been painted black like most other modern convertibles. And the standard wire wheels have been removed in favour of contemporary 16-inch alloys made by CSA. These are a custom offset due to the lack of flared guards and a relatively wide 7-inch rim size, and are clad in high performance 205/50 series Bridgestone tyres.
With heaps more power than standard, it's a damn good thing the brakes have been upgraded. DBA's vented, drilled and slotted (276mm) discs have been modified by Adrian to mate up to the MGB's hub, and he's also fitted 4-pot calipers from a 260-series Volvo. This wasn't a simple bolt on, as the mounting holes needed to be filled and then re-drilled to locate the caliper correctly.
Interestingly, Adrian has left the rear brakes stock drums, as the majority of braking effort is exerted at the front of the car. And the overall result is well up to the standards required by law. During the testing for approval of the V8 conversion kit, the car managed a couple of 1.0g braking manoeuvres to pass with flying colours. The car's handling also had to be assessed to obtain the required legal documentation. Lane changes at about 110km/h were executed with varying loads on board, and Adrian commented that the witche's hats seem to get closer and closer together, to the point where they looked barely wide enough to fit the car! But top marks once again - the car aced it.
The front of the MG uses a modified cross member to lower the vehicle slightly, with torsion bar type suspension, gas dampers and a big diameter sway bar. A couple of degrees negative camber has also been dialled into the alignment to sharpen the car's chuckability. The live rear axle rear uses stiffer leaf springs with the standard rear sway bar and gas dampers to keep the tyres in contact with the road over corrugations. And fittingly enough, urethane bushes are fitted everywhere throughout the suspension. Adrian made his own tramp rods because he felt "it was important to tie it down". Plus out back, the rear spring top pickups have been raised, thus lowering the car, and Adrian says also reducing roll oversteer. The car is very predictable in its handling - described as having slight turn-in understeer which quickly disappears as the ability to throttle oversteer shines through.
Again, the interior is a perfect mix of yesteryear and today. Comfortable Honda bucket seats sit between the driveshaft tunnel and are flanked by new OEM door trims. There's a RV8 steering wheel to lift the driver's feel of the car and the gauges are from an SD1. But get this, the entire dashboard is carbon fibre! Because Adrian already has dashboard moulds to suit
conversions from left to right hand drive, it was just a matter of using a carbon fire lay in the mould. Simple, and definitely a '90s influence!
If Adrian ever gets sick of listening to the bellow of the eight and the air rushing past, he can always listen to the radio/cassette player with its four speakers located within the tight cabin space. However, his daughter seems to have larger plans for the stereo! But what about Adrian's plans? Well they're a bit different... That burning desire to go racing has appeared once again, and he'll be punting the car in the upcoming bitumen road Dutton's Rally.
Some things really never change!
Contacts:
AA Automotive can build any sort of MGB that you like. You can contact them on:
+61 8 8364 4988
mgadel@cyburbia.net.au
Darlington Auto Tune (DAT)
+61 8 8277 4222
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