Sherpa Gearbox advice

[Mr_Bo11ox]

That LD Van is fantastic. The engine looks like a Montego set-up to me with the mapped ignition - brilliant.. You could fit a similar set-up with the fuel injection off an MG Maestro if you were feeling energetic.

[twosmoke300]

  On 09/02/2018 at 11:57, Mr_Bo11ox said:

That LD Van is fantastic. The engine looks like a Montego set-up to me with the mapped ignition - brilliant.. You could fit a similar set-up with A TURBO off an MG Montego if you were feeling energetic.

FTFY

[holbeck]

Apologies for Tangent.

 

ISTR that those O series with the distributor at the end of the cam were in demand at one point for MGB O series conversions but that the distributor cap itself was unobtainium. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Are MGB O-series conversions a thing then?

[DodgeRover]

They were back in the day

[Mr_Bo11ox]

the old Ital/Princess-era O-series is a right old turd really, I would have thought retro-fitting one of those would be a backward step from a B! One of these later Monty ones is a different matter though.

 

Between the two the differences are a lot, e.g the inlet and exhaust ports are on the opposite sides of the head etc

[holbeck]

  On 09/02/2018 at 18:15, Mr_Bo11ox said:

the old Ital/Princess-era O-series is a right old turd really, I would have thought retro-fitting one of those would be a backward step from a B! One of these later Monty ones is a different matter though.

 

Between the two the differences are a lot, e.g the inlet and exhaust ports are on the opposite sides of the head etc

 

Plenty of masochism involved

 

 

http://www.mginfo.co.uk/upgrades4mgs/Engines/o_series_in_an_mgb.html

[DodgeRover]

I've seen a Perkins powered MGBGT as well as a Volvo engined one with a stag? Gearbox, MG owners were a funny bunch back before they were worth a fortune in the 80s

[cros]

∆∆They still are and it's not the humourous type of funny.

[George1990]

Feels good getting back into reading about knackered old motors. 

 

I've measured up and the B series with MGB 4 speed box only pushes the lever back 6 inches in the sherpa so that's not a massive problem i guess. 

 

I believe the B series won't couple up to the O series box without a rocking horse poo adapter plate? I'm very close to driving up to the Thames to try and get this lump in the boot of my old merc. Gonna have to take it off it's hinges i think and pop the box on the back seat.

 

Was thinking get the MGB engine and sell the box, and put Mr Bollox's box in. Then it'll all fit and be almost back to normal. I'm thinking cutting a new lever hole is less traumatic than finding the adapter plate

 

I'm not feeling energetic I'm afraid. I want to drop it in and drive off into the sunset and make a brew in the back. My plan is to drive to Holland to meet some friends in June so I need to pull my finger out 

 

Gonna sleep on it. But prob gonna get the mgb combo and tear a new hole in the van

[cros]

For a short while the Sherpa used the 'b' series diesel on an LT 77 box, theres no adapter. This Austin has been fitted with the above set-up and I once drove it 220 miles. I know it was the diesel as I still can't hear a fucking thing.

I believe a Peterborough dairy ran some factory built 'b' series diesel 'Noddy' vans- as if getting up at 3 in the morning isn't bad enough.

[holbeck]

  On 09/02/2018 at 19:14, George1990 said:

Feels good getting back into reading about knackered old motors. 

 

I've measured up and the B series with MGB 4 speed box only pushes the lever back 6 inches in the sherpa so that's not a massive problem i guess. 

 

I believe the B series won't couple up to the O series box without a rocking horse poo adapter plate? I'm very close to driving up to the Thames to try and get this lump in the boot of my old merc. Gonna have to take it off it's hinges i think and pop the box on the back seat.

 

Was thinking get the MGB engine and sell the box, and put Mr Bollox's box in. Then it'll all fit and be almost back to normal. I'm thinking cutting a new lever hole is less traumatic than finding the adapter plate

 

I'm not feeling energetic I'm afraid. I want to drop it in and drive off into the sunset and make a brew in the back. My plan is to drive to Holland to meet some friends in June so I need to pull my finger out 

 

Gonna sleep on it. But prob gonna get the mgb combo and tear a new hole in the van

 

Is there much else missing apart from the engine and box? I dare say props don't grow on tree's for these.

[cros]

Propshaft is easy, still quite a few places who'll make up whatever you want.

There's one other engine possibility thats just occured to me that would work well and be fairly easy to source. It's the landrover 2.5 petrol on a LT 77 box. The wide bodied 300 series sherpas used the landrover 2.5 diesel version (same stud pattern) before switching to Peugeot power. The petrol version is very nice, I have one in my P4 and it's better than the 6 cylinder it replaced in every respect, especially economy. Loads of torque at very low rpm and good ones are easy to find as they get ripped out of Landrovers to be replaced with tdis.

[Vince70]

The bloke I bought the my rover 400 doors from had a minty Sherpa running on a set of rostyles and had a T series from his old 400 under the bonnet and the engine can be had with a turbo.

 

He did say it made it interesting to drive and a 420 could be had for the price of 20 B&H these days

[Des]

Do tell where B&H can be obtained that cheaply.

[cros]

Anyone know why they turned the O series head round the other way?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I reckon it will be cause they wanted to use it transversely in conjunction with the Honda gearbox in the Montego. That would have put the carb in front of the engine and probably been incompatible with the Monty's low bonnet line. So they modified the head into a cross-flow layout with the carb at the 'back' of the engine.

[M'coli]

  On 07/02/2018 at 18:26, Stanky said:

V8 M8.

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/29726-hmc-motors-ldvgtv8-commuter-wagon/page-9?do=findComment&comment=1384855

It'd probably need the LDV400 bulkhead welding in:

http://www.cowdery.org.uk/fittingv8.php

 

 

[Guest Hooli]

  On 11/02/2018 at 10:20, Mr_Bo11ox said:

I reckon it will be cause they wanted to use it transversely in conjunction with the Honda gearbox in the Montego. That would have put the carb in front of the engine and probably been incompatible with the Monty's low bonnet line. So they modified the head into a cross-flow layout with the carb at the 'back' of the engine.

 

Corporate memory too?

 

I seem to recall the original mini prototypes had the carbs at the front & suffered icing really badly.

[George1990]

Got the V8 in my series 2 Land Rover. It'll be getting ripped out and burnt as soon as the camper is running. the 2 and a quarter will be going back in and all will be well again.

 

As an update, I'm picking up an MGB 1800 B series with twin SUs and 4 speed overdrive box on saturday for it. Looking forward to it!

 

Holding me back now is a gearbox cross member. Bloody thing isn't under there. Found a bloke breaking a van so hopefully he'll reply to me and I'll be on my way

[cros]

  On 11/02/2018 at 10:20, Mr_Bo11ox said:

I reckon it will be cause they wanted to use it transversely in conjunction with the Honda gearbox in the Montego. That would have put the carb in front of the engine and probably been incompatible with the Monty's low bonnet line. So they modified the head into a cross-flow layout with the carb at the 'back' of the engine.

I have to wonder why this engine wasn't crossflow from the start. I was delivering lease cars when the O series came out and in the Marina the 1.7 seemed no advance on the b series it replaced, it was rough and thirsty. It had a lot squeezed out of it in later years though. My Perkins mate told me how unexpectedly strong they found it during the Prima's development.