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MG MGA - 1500 - 1600 interchangeable ?

Hello everybody,

As I don't have both chassis one next to another hereby my question:
Can I put 1600 bits (engine + starter in top position) in to a 1500 chassis ?
The starter on the 1500 is low positionned if I am right informed and on the 1600 it is in higher position.

The floorboard should be changed of course, but that is absolutely no problem, is the chassis of the 1500 OK for the swap ?

Many thanks for any advice !

Guido
gva guido

It should fit, you may need to make a little clearance at the toe board mounting rail. I have a 1600 in a 1500 chasis with the 1500 backplate on the engine so it retains the low starter position.
John H

The last 10,000 or so 1500's came with a high starter. I think you might have to modify the gearbox cover or get one for a high starter car.
John DeWolf

Always use the engine rear plate that matches the gearbox.

The 1500 gearbox (and rear plate) uses the low starter position, so the 1600 engine is a bolt-in with no problem. The only functional difference between the 1500 and 1600 engine is block bore and pistons.

The 1600 gearbox (and rear plate) uses the high starter position. To install the 1600 box in the 1500 car (pre-January 1959) you can install the later type front tunnel section with the bump for starter clearance and notch the toe board accordingly. For concours show you would also like to have the piece called "starter cover" which is actually a rubber kick cover that goes on the tunnel bump in the passenger compartment.

The high starter gearbox also has a flanged output shaft requiring a change of propshaft to the later 2-piece double flanged style with sliding spline aft of the front u-joint.
Barney Gaylord

Two things, not directly related to the engine swap; first, the dimmer switch on the 1600 mounts on the frame, second, the brackets that hold the front brake hoses on the frame is slighly differect from the ones on the 1500.
David Werblow

This thread was discussed between 23/08/2007 and 24/08/2007

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