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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - MGB GT V8 engine touch chassis

Hi V8-Friends,
I'm owning an original MGB GT V8. I bought it about 2 month ago and I drive it almost every day. From beginning of my ownship, the engine touches the inner wing with the manifold, when I start driving up for example at a little hill. My mechanic told me, that the rubbers of the engine-mounting is perhaps not good. So I bought new engine-mountings and fitted them.
Since this procedure, the same problem is much bigger. Everytime when I begin driving, the first few meters the engine thouches the inner wing really often. Driving my car is not very fun at the moment. It seems, that the new engine-mounting rubbers are more soft the the old ones.
Perhaps it's important to know, that I have not the original manifolds. I have steel manifolds.
So here are my questions: Do anybody of you know a possibilty to stabilize the engine? Perhaps with a kind of damper like in the Rover P7?
Or do anybody know a better solution?

Thank you for every help!

Kind regarnds from Germany,

Patrick
Patrick Goebl


Patrick,

had this problem with my factory V8..If i remember the bolt lugs on the engine mounts are slightly off center, and it's really easy to put them (mounts) in upside down without realsising, making the engine sit lower in the chassis than it should..You will have to jack the car, release the nuts that sit up inside the chassis mounting bracket (a really horrible job), then jack the engine under the sump to raise it a bit off the mounts and take a look.The mounting holes are slotted so there is room for adjustment aswell.
Are you unsing quality parts as the rubber can go soft causuing the engine to settle?But when set up correctly although tight it should not touch anywhere.
If the mounts are all ok then it could well be the exaust manifolds at fault.
At worst the engine could be stabilsed with a tie bar or similar but that would mean welding brackets to the inner wing, and from experience on another V8 powered vehicle it stops the engine twisting but puts lots of vibtation through to the shell..
john

I may be talking out of turn here but I think that if the rubber mounts are upside down the studs won't go into the chassis plates because of the relative offsets. What *can* be reversed are the mounting plates on the block, but this alters the fore-and-aft position of the engine rather than inner-wing clearance.

The rubber mounts sit in slots on the chassis plates so there can be quite a lot of 'twist' in the engine location which affects the distance between the manifolds an inner wings on both sides. Check both sides and see if the clearance is greater on the LH (from the drivers seat) side than the RH, if so you have some scope for at least balancing them up, although a little more clearance on the RH than the LH would not go amiss. Also it is common to put an extra spacer-plate between mount and chassis on the RHS.

PaulH.
Paul Hunt

Patrick,

There seem to be several similar mounts about, I believe the harder V8 mounts have a red dot on them, perhaps you have the softer 1800 mounts. Also there are various thicknesses, I have experimented with them to try and get my engine as low as possible.

One of the RV8 mounts was very slim, the Rover P6 is the thickest I have come across.
Spacers between the chassis mounting and rubber are common on the drivers side, but this is usually to clear the rear manifold stud and steering colunm on RH drive cars, presumably you do noy have this problem.

Mike Barnfather
Michael barnfather

Patrick,

I use a front adjustable stabliser bar attached to front left of block, with reinforced attachment to shell. Should be availble from Real Steel.

Paul
Paul

I have been under the impression all this time that only the original MGBGT V8 cast manifold clears the inner wing and all steel headers touch unless the inner fender is dresses back some.

Paul Hunt you found your mounts had been bolted to the wrong sides of the block and that caused the sump to ware against the cross member. This forward position of the motor may also cause contact with the forward header tubes against, but don’t you also have the inner wings dressed back anyway in your factory MGBGT V8 to accept after market headers?
George Champion


I think your right Paul...i stand corrected,twas many moons ago that i had the engine out...But now i think about it doesn't the V8 have circular shims or plates (as you mention) as standard,that sit between the curved engine bracket and the rubber mounting bracket, meaning u can alter the height of the engine that way too??And i assume more could be made if needed to acheive the correct clearance..

But alas,it was always gonna be a tight fit.
john

George - my inner wings have not been altered even though I have the tubular manifolds, they are very close.

John - yes, I was referring to circular shims. If you make them with a slot instead of a hole they just drop right in between the rubber mount and the chassis just by slackening the nut a little and raising the engine, which is easier to do than making and fitting one between rubber mount and engine plate.

PaulH.
Paul Hunt

A steady bar should solve the problem. Rather than go to the inner wing -- even if it's reinforced -- I'd go right to the chassis rail. So the steady bar is about a foot long and basically vertical ... use a 1/4" steel rod with torque links on the ends ... bolt the upper end to the front of the left cyl head (Rovers are already threaded there, so it's easy) and bolt the lower end to a hefty bolt passing horizontally through the frame rail (weld in a sleeve there, etc. for max strength). Steady bars are pretty cool -- when you're at a red light, vrooom the motor and the car will tilt to the right! And they're highly effective at preventing the motor from moving.
Ted

Im contemplating a steady bar at the rear of the engine, from the nearside head to the bulkhead. I've got a Rover (I think it's a P5) steady bar which originally was fitted diagonally at the front of the engine to the chassis rail.

Would it make any difference front or rear, it's much easier to fix at the back.

Mike Barnfather
Michael barnfather

Michael, front/rear shouldn't matter, but is there anything really solid to bolt it to back there?
Ted

Patrick,

there are several MGV8's even in Germany!

If your car has turbular manifolds with original shaped inner wings, it will touch the wing.

The engine mounts can be exchanged to Freudenberg Rundlager (Industrieteile). You will get it in different dimensions and different rates (Shore-Härte).

The easiest way to solve the problem is using a bar between engine and inner wing/ front rail.

I built cars with the steady bars made by Dave Vale, dampers of an Opel Commodore and self made ones.
Regards

Jürgen
Jürgen Felske

Thanks to all of you,

yesterday I have eleminated the engine-twisting.
I have mounted a steady bar between engine and inner wing. I have fixed the steady bar at the front left engine head. There is an original steelplate where I have welded on an other plate in an 90° axle. I have drilled a hole in it. On the inner wing I have fixed an other steelplate with a piece of steel (like an "U") welded on. From the outside I have also mounted a steelplate to make the whole construction stronger. I have connected the 2 constuctions with a steelbar and rubber-mounts.
Now driving makes much more fun!!! The manifold does not touch the chassis anymore. I can not feel any vibrations which comes through the bar.
I think it's good solution! The only teardrop is, that I had to drill some small holes into the inner wing to fix the steelplate.

Patrick
Patrick

Ted,

Mine's Right hand drive, so plenty of space where your master cylinder/ clutch is, also a nice right angle corner so I can bolt onto two surfaces, the front inner wing looks a bit thin to me. and I cant run the brace to the chassis rail as it's not long enough, and my air cleaner is in the way (it's Fi with a not unlike the RV8 in layout)

I will let you know how I get on, it's nice to know that they work though

Mike Barnfather
Michael barnfather

This thread was discussed between 21/11/2001 and 26/11/2001

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