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MG MGA - 1622 Engine G/Box in a 1500

I am seriously considering the purchase of a 1622 engine and gearbox. Will it drop straight into an August 58 MGA 1500 without modification to the toe board? Will the 1500 prop shaft fit? Worried that the higher starter position will be a problem. If there is a problem can it be fixed using an earlier bell housing and back plate? Dave
D J ROUGET

You will need to use the bell housing and back plate from an earlier car. Also the drive shaft uses a flange on the front rather than a slip yoke.
J Bries

That will be quite interesting. I thought the front section of the gearbox and bell housing were all one unit.

Surely all you need to do is cut a suitable recess into the tunneling. We all do it with the 5-speed conversion on 1500 cars.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Thanks Steve. How much material has to be removed? Dave
D J ROUGET

Dave

From memory, something less than the size of a tennis ball. You will then need to fabricate (or purchase?)a suitable cowl to cover the hole. Alternatively you could fit the later front tunnel section. I seem to remember I also needed to pair a bit of wood from the toe board around the cowl.

I have no idea about any technical differences between the 2 gearboxes, not my area of knowledge.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Oh yes right excuse me. I got the flange bit right though.
J Bries

Dave,
I just put a 1622 in my '58 coupe which originally had a 1500 engine and gearbox. As the 1622 had a "high starter", I had to remove some tunnel flange metal and carve a hole in the right toe board. Not a big job. I am looking for or will make a suitable cover for the hole.
If you have the 1500 back plate with low starter, you can fit this to the 1622 engine, then no mods required to the tunnel or toeboard. (I had already let my 1500 go with the back plate on it.)
Check the gearbox tail end and propshaft configuration as these vary, and I believe there are three differnt arrangements on the MGA.
Peter.
P.S. I fitted a Sierra/Merkur 5 speed gearbox using the Hi-Speed Engineering kit.
P. Tilbury

Peter

I think you are confusing the issue. Dave wants to fit the 1622 and the associated gearbox. Since the high starter position is cast into the gearbox bellhousing, retaining the 1500 backplate with low starter is a non starter (sorry for the pun).

Steve
Steve Gyles

Dave,
Scarbourgh Faire sells the metal hump which gets welded to the tunnel. If you use a gear reduction starter you won't need to do any modifications to the floorboard or tunnel.

Chris
CM Harter

Steve - you are right.
Dave - even with the metal hump to weld to the tunnel flange you have to cut the floor board (unless you change the starter as suggested).
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Thanks guys for all your comments. Certainly a lot clearer now. Regards Dave
D J ROUGET

This thread was discussed between 06/01/2009 and 08/01/2009

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