Tag: Other

So, I like to watch those car restoration/modification shows.  You know:  Restoration Garage, Overhaulin’, Detroit Muscle, Engine Power, Counting Cars, etc.  My wife has asked me on more than one occasion why I watch that stuff when I don’t do any of that.

Well, I’ve always kinda wanted to.

Long, long ago when I was but a lad, my brother had a book on popular engine swaps, and one of them stuck with me – a Pontiac 215 cubic-inch aluminum-block V8 into an MGB.  Not quite twice the displacement, more than double the horsepower, and with a Muncie 4-speed, 50 lbs less weight.  My dad had owned a Triumph Herald with a 1500cc Spitfire engine equipped with dual Weber carbs.  I was too young to drive it, but I remember that car even now.  My brother rolled it.

But the idea of stuffing a V8 into an MGB has always stuck with me.  Turns out, it’s a very popular thing.

So I bought an MG to stuff a Ford 302 and a 5-speed into.  And, because I need the garage space and cubic dollars to restore & customize the MG, I sold my Mustang.

Here’s what I had, a 2011 GT 5.0:

And here’s what I bought:

It’s a 1970, with all the niggling problems that you’d expect from a 47 year-old British sports car, but it does run fine.  As I described the experience of getting it home from across town:

That was exciting. No brake lights, no turn signals, one mirror that vaguely worked, no instrument lights, a speedo that doesn’t even vaguely work, it was dark, and thankfully I forgot my sunglasses.

Don’t think I’ll be taking it to any car shows soon.

Rust issues appear to be minimal, but we’ll see once all the paint comes off.

Now I’ll have even less time for blogging.  But you’ll get progress reports here.

UPDATE, 2/8/17, @3:14AM MST:    OK, while I can be a fool, I am not a complete idiot.  I don’t fit in this car.  Literally.  Getting into and out of it is (if you’re watching me do it) a comedic act. My size 13 feet and six-foot corpulent frame just aren’t designed to bend in the ways necessary to climb behind the wheel of this thing.  After two pretty much sleepless nights (see the time stamp of this update) I’ve come to a conclusion – I’ve made a mistake. Given my size, I’m not too small of a man to admit to a mistake.  Now to minimize the cost of that mistake.  Further updates as I try to dispose of this white elephant.  Dammit.