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Rebodied MG
- wspohn
- Member
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:11 pm
Rebodied MG
Not sure whether modified cars are intended to be posted here, but some might be interested in this one.
It is a 1956 MGA that received a Fiberfab Jamaican body in the 1960s. The driveline was stock and the conversion was pretty amateurish with things like trailer lights used.
I basically retained the frame, body and rear end and replaced everything else. It got MGB disc brakes at the front, and I fitted a modified 200 bhp GM 3.4 V6 out of a Camaro/Firebird from the mid 90s along with the T5 trans from that model. Everything else was redone or replaced, and the result was a very low (44" compared to a Z4 at 6" taller), very usable sports car that weighs just over 2000 lbs and retains the inherent good handling of that period of MG plus a few mods (I raced an MGA for several decades).
I'll go out on a limb and say that I hate kit cars in general, and that this one is the only one I have seen that doesn't have some pretty awkward body features. Windshield is C2 Corvette, side windows from Karmann Ghia and the rear window is from a first gen Porsche 911. Performance is similar to a 3.0 Z4, although I have never had the balls to test out the high speed aerodynamics of the car. It looks very good, but one might only get to be wrong once!
PS - I looked at every red I could find for a year or so and settled on....BMW Imola Red!
It is a 1956 MGA that received a Fiberfab Jamaican body in the 1960s. The driveline was stock and the conversion was pretty amateurish with things like trailer lights used.
I basically retained the frame, body and rear end and replaced everything else. It got MGB disc brakes at the front, and I fitted a modified 200 bhp GM 3.4 V6 out of a Camaro/Firebird from the mid 90s along with the T5 trans from that model. Everything else was redone or replaced, and the result was a very low (44" compared to a Z4 at 6" taller), very usable sports car that weighs just over 2000 lbs and retains the inherent good handling of that period of MG plus a few mods (I raced an MGA for several decades).
I'll go out on a limb and say that I hate kit cars in general, and that this one is the only one I have seen that doesn't have some pretty awkward body features. Windshield is C2 Corvette, side windows from Karmann Ghia and the rear window is from a first gen Porsche 911. Performance is similar to a 3.0 Z4, although I have never had the balls to test out the high speed aerodynamics of the car. It looks very good, but one might only get to be wrong once!
PS - I looked at every red I could find for a year or so and settled on....BMW Imola Red!
Vancouver BC, Canada
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
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- Member
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Wed Sep 18, 2019 12:30 pm
- Location: South West France
Rebodied MG
Love it... One of a kind....
- BMWZ4MC
- Lifer
- Posts: 6342
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:24 pm
- Location: Back in the sunshine
Rebodied MG
Looks great. Can you post some pics of the back too.
Z4MC - heavily fettled for track use
Lotus Exige - sensible daily driver on the mods slippery slope
Westfield SEiW - in hibernation
Modified RS4 Avant - back in Blighty
S2000 GT - gone
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Onlinepatriot66
- Lifer
- Posts: 3478
- Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 2:59 am
- Location: Mawdesley, Lancashire
Rebodied MG
Beautiful looking car
Sterling Grey '03 2.5i SE / Infinitas Supercharger / S.M.G / Hardtop / Gloss Black 162s / Bilstein B4s / 3.0i Brakes / DLV De-Cat & Silencer / Rebuilt VANOS / Sonar 2Xcite Lights / Carbon & Alcantara Trim / M-Sport Seats / ...& Side Covers !
- Crazy Harry
- Senior Member
- Posts: 1689
- Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 12:32 pm
- Location: Breckland Norfolk
Rebodied MG
Great restoration. These vintage kits are as much a part of classic car scene as any other vintage car now and its great that you have this one in good order. Don't know if I would have put as modern a power unit in as that but each to their own.
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Online
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2647
- Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2017 5:41 pm
- Location: Lincoln
Rebodied MG
Great looking car. As a student I had an MGTD moving on to Midgets and then B Roasters when I stated working. When my daughter was born the carrycot fitted behind the front seats and we towed a caravan comfortably with a B. In all I owned about 12 MGs over the years. They were so easy to work on that I did most of my own maintenance and they proved to be pretty reliable too. I have many happy memories of the marque.
- wspohn
- Member
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:11 pm
Rebodied MG
The only MG emblems on the car are the radio blanking plate on the dash, and the ones we engraved on the upper plenum by scanning one of my MGA Twin Cam cam covers in 3D, adjusted for the difference in profiles and cut on the GM plenum using a computer operated milling machine. Would have been rather expensive, if my friend hadn't been an instructor at a local college.
I have taken it to local Italian car days and had fun listening to people talking about whether it was an Abarth or some other Italian specialist car.
When I got it it was quite different although decent looking from a distance. Had to pull out all the shag carpet and cracked fiberglass seat, and adapt some leather early Miata seats and an MGA carpet set.
Rear view - extra points if you can identify the tail lights.
Original way I got it - odd lights and a fake exhaust pipe hung on the off side not connected with anything to get that faux V12 look? And the colour reminded me of Rockford's Camaro.
Horrid interior
Original MGA 1500 engine - the oil filler cap wouldn't quite go under the bonnet so they just hammered on it with a big hammer until it would....
My previous daily driver had been an 88 Fiero GT that I had turboed and stroked (c. 300 bhp) and I used the nice cast alloy valve covers off those engines on my Camaro 3.4, which had originally had stamped steel covers. The engine paint is close to stock MG as is the colour scheme of ancillaries.
The dash in the car was a flat piece of sheet steel with a host of unlabelled switches on it. I ripped it and the whole wiring loom out, rewired the car and modified an MGA coupe dash to fit, sticking as closely to instruments similar to original British as i could (had to use a GPS speedo).
The restoration took over a year as my part time hobby. It has been the subject of some articles and such if you are interested.
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/BillSpohn.htm
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/f/Jamaican.pdf
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/f/Jamaican_Article.pdf
I have taken it to local Italian car days and had fun listening to people talking about whether it was an Abarth or some other Italian specialist car.
When I got it it was quite different although decent looking from a distance. Had to pull out all the shag carpet and cracked fiberglass seat, and adapt some leather early Miata seats and an MGA carpet set.
Rear view - extra points if you can identify the tail lights.
Original way I got it - odd lights and a fake exhaust pipe hung on the off side not connected with anything to get that faux V12 look? And the colour reminded me of Rockford's Camaro.
Horrid interior
Original MGA 1500 engine - the oil filler cap wouldn't quite go under the bonnet so they just hammered on it with a big hammer until it would....
My previous daily driver had been an 88 Fiero GT that I had turboed and stroked (c. 300 bhp) and I used the nice cast alloy valve covers off those engines on my Camaro 3.4, which had originally had stamped steel covers. The engine paint is close to stock MG as is the colour scheme of ancillaries.
The dash in the car was a flat piece of sheet steel with a host of unlabelled switches on it. I ripped it and the whole wiring loom out, rewired the car and modified an MGA coupe dash to fit, sticking as closely to instruments similar to original British as i could (had to use a GPS speedo).
The restoration took over a year as my part time hobby. It has been the subject of some articles and such if you are interested.
http://www.britishv8.org/MG/BillSpohn.htm
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/f/Jamaican.pdf
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/f/Jamaican_Article.pdf
Vancouver BC, Canada
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
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- Member
- Posts: 126
- Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:18 pm
Rebodied MG
Look like 240Z rear lights
- wspohn
- Member
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:11 pm
Rebodied MG
Very close - they are Datsun 510 (when did you last see one of those just driving around?). Original have become hugely expensive today!
Vancouver BC, Canada
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
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- Member
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:58 am
- Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Rebodied MG
What a small world it is. I'm building a Healey based one. I imported it from the States a few years ago. Complete strip down and build it properly!
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- Member
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:58 am
- Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Rebodied MG
Oh and there's now a Facebook page dedicated to them
- wspohn
- Member
- Posts: 771
- Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 9:11 pm
Rebodied MG
Your doesn't look like it had been too badly buggered about so it will be a good starting point. Glad to see another one survive!
Vancouver BC, Canada
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
2007 Z4MC
2009 Solstice GXP coupe
1962 MGA Coupe
1956 MGA (rebody+re-engined)
1958 MGA Twin Cam race car
1972 Jensen Interceptor
- Mr Tidy
- Legend
- Posts: 23800
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:18 pm
- Location: North West Surrey
Rebodied MG
They look too good to be kit cars - the shape is fantastic.
Coupes because stunning!
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
Gone - Ruby Black
Current - Silver Grey MC, Imola Red heated Nappa & carbon trim. Aeros, H & R Coil-overs, 224s, OE Strut brace, Nav, cup-holders, DSP Hi-Fi, pdc, cruise, MFSW, no CDV! E90 330i daily
Gone - Montego Blue
Gone - Ruby Black
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- Senior Member
- Posts: 1063
- Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:17 pm
- Location: By the M6 Toll Rd Staffordshire
Rebodied MG
Looks good you should be proud of it
My Cars
2021 X3 M Sport loaded with Tec
1974 Triumph TR6 in Mimosa Yellow
Gone but not forgotten
2008 Z4 3.0 SI Roadster
2021 X3 M Sport loaded with Tec
1974 Triumph TR6 in Mimosa Yellow
Gone but not forgotten
2008 Z4 3.0 SI Roadster