1977 MGB BMW

The owner of this car contacted us as he had blown the engine in his car. He opted for a change to more horsepower and a 5 speed transmission. Bart recommended installing an engine from a BMW.


This 1995 M42 318Ti BMW engine and E30 5 speed transmission was to be used in the conversion for this MGB.


The rubber bumper MG engine bay has sufficient room without modification. This example had been Ziebart rust proofed and was a mess to work with.


Say AHHH!


The motor is in position.


The owner had requested that the hood close without scoops or bubbles. Why the bird? Giddiness at the end of a very long day!


The view from below.


A minor transmission mount modification was required.


The MG driveshaft was lengthened and then this adapter was fabricated to connect the driveshaft to the BMW transmission.


The gearshift remained in its original position.


The left hand motor mount required some fabrication.


A simple custom exhaust was installed.


The fabrication of the header and collector was the most difficult part of the conversion.


Bart was able to utilize all of the MG cooling system and the working heater. Air conditioning was not an option.
On a chassis dyno the MGBMW made 101 horsepower at the rear wheels, this coupled with better weight distribution makes this one of the best handling MGs yet. That's before any handling upgrades (lowering) have been done.

1957 Triumph TR3

This 1957 Triumph TR3 came to us in November of 2006 right after it had finished a road rally called Damn the Torpedoes which starts in Athens, GA and ends in Saint Marys, GA. This is an annual fall event with three rules. You may not use interstates, if you get a ticket you are disqualified, and your car must be at least 25 years old. This makes for an interesting event!

The owner of this TR3 wanted a frame off restoration on this cherished car.

We were ready to oblige him.

We always make it a point to take pictures of each step of a restoration so that the owner will have an album at the end of the job. We also email pics to customers so they can see what progress is being made. In this situation pics came in handy as the owner lives in Michigan!



As you can see, the car also lived in snowy Michigan and was going to need a fair amount of body work.

We stripped off every nut, bolt, screw, and interior part first. Then came the body parts. Everything was labeled and stored even if it was going to be replaced. The shell of the car was lifted off the frame. All body parts were moved to a paint and body shop.

Next, the frame was trailered to another shop to be sand blasted and painted with epoxy. When that was completed, Bart rebuilt the front suspension, installed a steering rack conversion, replaced the brake & fuel lines with stainless steel, and replaced the front wheel bearings and rear wheel cylinders.



In the mean time, the guys at the body shop were at work doing their thing.



When the paint and body work were completed, the body parts came back to be safely stored in our office until we were ready to reinstall them.


The shell was slowly lowered onto the frame and reattached.



It's one piece again!



All reusable parts were sand blasted and cleaned then painted with Por 15 to prevent rust. This is usually done by Carolyn who has a thing for cleanliness! Bart installed the new wiring harness.


Next the original dash was reinstalled. The owner plans to do the interior himself.


We started with the rear fenders with new beading.


The drivers side door was temporarily installed to assure the fit. It will come off again when we install the weather strips.


This engine rebuild included new 87 mm piston and cylinder assemblies, rod and main bearing thrust washers, modified cam, lifters and timing chain, rubber rear seal conversion, lightened fly wheel, clutch assembly, clutch fork, shaft and bushings to accomodate the TR6 overdrive transmission which was installed.


The alternator conversion and steering rack can be clearly seen in the photo below.



Next job was to reinstall the gas tank.




As the owner wanted to redo the interior himself, we cleaned and reinstalled it along with a set of Simpson racing seat belts.



The TR3 is ready to roll!








At the end of the ultimate test drive - through town traffic and some sweet, twisty mountain roads. It's a joy to drive!

1975 Triumph TR6

This 1975 Triumph TR6 was sold in Gainesville, GA to a gentleman from North Carolina. As the previous owner is a customer of ours, he recommended that the new owner contact us for a few things he wanted to modify.


The first modification was to replace the original transmission with a five speed o.d. one from a 1994 Toyota pick up truck. Next came rebuilding and stiffening the front suspension with new poly control arm bushings and springs and steering rack mounts. On to the rear - new poly control arm bushings and adjustable control arm brackets. Bart fabricated the conversion to coilover Carrera rear shocks and replaced the brake hoses.




On to the engine rebuild - everything to be brand-spanking new, shiny, and clean!



Out with the old ..........




As long as the engine was out, the owner requested that we send the car to a paint and body shop for some cosmetic work. They cleaned and painted the engine compartment and both sides of the bonnet.





After the machine shop bored the cylinders, milled the head, installed new valve guides, milled the block, reconditioned the rods, and balanced the reciprocating parts. Bart assembled the engine. He lathe cut the pistons to acheive 0" deck height, measured for custom pushrods, modified three carburetors, the throttle linkage and topped it off with a set of roller rockers.



Bart prefit all the components before installing the motor.



.....and in with the new!






This shot shows the Richard Good triple carb manifold, jet coated header and aluminum valve cover.




The new oil cooler was connected to the spin on oil filter conversion.



This shot shows the custom made aluminum radiator with silicone hoses.


The carbs had been installed when the customer discovered another TR6 with carbs that had been mircropolished. They came back out and were shipped off for this special polishing.


After micropolishing, the carbs were returned to be reassembled and reinstalled.






So the carbs were reinstalled, the AC was installed along with silicone hoses and radiator shroud and new alternator. Looks shiny and new just like the customer wanted!



While Bart worked on the motor, Carolyn stripped out the old interior, cleaned off the old glue, and prepared for installing the new interior. Seat frames and convertible top frame were sandblasted and powder coated so they will live for many more years.




The owner requested that the interior be finished entirely in New Tan so that everything would match. Jonathon Skinner of England did a wonderful job of producing all of the parts needed to make this car look the way the customer wanted.




We were asked to install new speakers and a CD player. As this is a small car, the solution was to fabricate a large box to install in the rear bulkhead.



After the interior was completed, a new convertible top was installed.




Next came a new boot cover.


The owner located a used hardtop and brought it to the shop. We had it painted to match the car and then installed a new headliner and seals. It gives the car a whole new look.


A special wooden dash suppied by Prestige Autowood of San Jose, CA and a wooden steering wheel completed the interior.


Last minute adjustments to the carbs, timing, etc. and it was off for a Dyno run. A peak power of 141.0 horse power at 5142 RPM and peak torque of 155 LB FT from 2200 RPM to 4500 RPM was attained on the chassis dyno. This Triumph is ready for the road!