Question on OLD MG

[Deleted member 8987]

This goes back a while.
1970, I think.

Anyway, this bloke had this old MG (TC?), big wires, double-stacked spares on the boot.....

Popped the bonnet and it was a Ford V-8 60.
He claimed at the time (remember, 38 years ago) that this was a factory deal.

It was overgrown, didn't run, he wouldn't part with it.

I have not been able to find any references to such.
If I recall, they sent the engines over where they were installed and the cars shipped back here.
He claimed there weren't many, so who knows.
Also, V-8 60's are basically pre-war, so this would be '39 or '40 vintage?

Anybody know if this was a for real or not?

 

[glemon]

I am certainly not the world's foremost expert on old MGs, but I have read a lot of books and magazine articles, don't ever recall an MG T series v-8 from the factory, a lot of those cars were raced in the day, made into specials etc.

 

[David_DuBois]

There were no TC from the factory with a V8 installed, however in the late 50 early 60, it was somewhat common to find a TC or TD with a V8 shoehorned in to them.
Cheers,

 

[PAUL161]

The Ford V8-60 was a compact V8 engine about 3/4 the size of the regular V8. It was produced between 1937 and 1940. It was an option on some Ford vehicles. It didn't last long, as in it's normal state, it was famous for wiping rod bearings and burning oil. Back then they rated an engine by it's horse power, not cubic inches. Cubic centimeters wasn't even thought of here yet. That being said, the 60 was 60 horse power, the big engine at the time was 85 horse power. I don't wish to contradict the gentleman who thought this is true but, no MG was ever produced with an American Ford 60 engine in it, nor any other Ford engine. The Ford 60, because of it's small size, was used for many years in small race cars, in a highly modified state. I have one in race configuration. If I remember correctly, Popular Mechanics did an article on a V8 conversion of a TD back in the early 60s. I remember that the only modification noticeable on the car was a small blister on the side of one of the lower hood panels for the generator. But, I think that was a Chevrolet V8, not a Ford and the car was a TD not a TC or older.

 

[David_DuBois]

"If I remember correctly, Popular Mechanics did an article on a V8 conversion of a TD back in the early 60s. I remember that the only modification noticeable on the car was a small blister on the side of one of the lower hood panels for the generator."

The article I read in 1960 was in Road and Track and did feature the Ford V8, but I don't remember which one.
Cheers,

 

[rick_ingram]

The Volvo powerplant was also a popular conversion for the T-series in to late 50's and 60's.

Conversion is the key word...the factory did not produce a V8 until the MGB/GT V8 was instroduced.

 

[ronzi]

On the off=chance that I might find something useful, I Googled "MG Ford V8-60" and actually found quite a few references. Apparently that was a not-unheard-of engine swap back in the day.
Here's one of them:
https://www.martineinnmotorsports.com/1952_MG_TD.html

I suppose it is possible there was some enterprising bloke in England that made conversions and shipped them to the U.S., but it doesn't appear to have had any factory involvement.

 

[PAUL161]

On the off=chance that I might find something useful, I Googled "MG Ford V8-60" and actually found quite a few references. Apparently that was a not-unheard-of engine swap back in the day.
Here's one of them:
https://www.martineinnmotorsports.com/1952_MG_TD.html

I suppose it is possible there was some enterprising bloke in England that made conversions and shipped them to the U.S., but it doesn't appear to have had any factory involvement.

What I was referring to was, there were no Ford V8 factory options on an MG. I know for a fact that there were conversions. How many, I haven't a clue. It would make sense though that someone would use a Ford 60 a few years ago, just because of it's physical size. Today such a switch would only be a novelty. So many high performance engines out there now.

I see that the car your referring to even has 1935 Ford 16 inch wire wheels on it. Rare wheel, as they were only made in 1935. I have 8 of them in the pile of old Ford parts. Been saving them in case I run across an old dirt track sprinter.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

I know V-8 60's quite well (including "tin-sides").
I know 100 HP units better.

Just wanted to check up on that.....one of those things, as you're going through old papers that you recall.

Recall a LOT of Volvo conversions.

The 60 however fit under the bonnet, as the generator was in the center.
There was insufficient time to crawl under this one in 1970, but the "conversion" was definitely "neat".

 

[Steve_S]

Just to be extra clear, M.G. produced only one car in its entire history with a V8 (MGB GT V8) and it only lasted three years.

The car you're thinking of could be the famous So Cal Speed Shop TC.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Not that one.
This was was dirty, rusty, overgrown, TALL narrow wheels, doubled-up spares on back, flatmotor under the bonnet.

 

[JeffS]

I just spoke with someone yesterday about a TC(?) with a small french Ford flathead V8 under the bonnet as well. This one had smaller spoke wheels though. A sketchy racing history, yet still quite interesting.

 

[mgb4tim]

Just to be extra clear, M.G. produced only one car in its entire history with a V8 (MGB GT V8) and it only lasted three years.

MGRV8's don't count?

 

[Steve_S]

No they don't. They were not produced by The M.G. Car Company.

 

[Scott_Hower]

No they don't. They were not produced by The M.G. Car Company.

Well if that's the benchmark, then the BGTV8 doesn't count either.
It was British Leyland by then.

 

[Steve_S]

The BGT V8 was produced by The M.G. car company. Anything up until the fall of 1980 was produced by The M.G. car company.

 

[Scott_Hower]

The BGT V8 was produced by The M.G. car company. Anything up until the fall of 1980 was produced by The M.G. car company.

Perhaps in legal entity. B/L execs called the shots and ran the show from about 1968. Costello created the BGTV8; M.G. just copied it and cut off his engine supply.

MG as an independent entity, died circa 1952.

 

[Roger]

The BGT V8 was produced by The M.G. car company. Anything up until the fall of 1980 was produced by The M.G. car company.

Perhaps in legal entity. B/L execs called the shots and ran the show from about 1968. Costello created the BGTV8; M.G. just copied it and cut off his engine supply.

MG as an independent entity, died circa 1952.

Even earlier. The MG Car co was a privately owned venture of Sir William Morris (Lord Nuffield) but he relinquished control and it became part of the Nuffield Group along with Morris and Wolseley in 1935. That put a stop to the racing program and let to the 'T' types, since when MGs became a little more mundane.
Remember the Js, Ks and Ls mixed it with the best of the Continentals and won. The same cannot really be said of the cars since.

 

[Steve_S]

It's the age-old argument of what the "real MGs were. The A crowd shuns the Bs. The TD/F crowd shuns the As. The TABC crowd shuns the TDs. The MMM crowd shuns everything else. The only REAL cutoff point in my view was when M.G. shut their doors, filed bankruptcy and stopped making cars. Until that point, the company had been producing cars without interruption or major changes (ignoring WWII of course). After 1980, The M.G. Car Company ceased to exist, and M.G. became a name for rent.

This is what I based my statement on. If anyone disagrees, then go ahead and include the RV8 or exclude the MGB GT V8 at your own discretion.

Oh, and regarding the Costello / MGB GT V8 issue, I don't see how it matters whether or not M.G. copied Costello's idea. It doesn't change the fact that it was a factory offering. It is absolutely an M.G.

 

[GeeBee1]