MG Midget with a Ford 5.0 L V8

Ron Hourigan has raced late model Ford stock cars for 40 years. He has also loved MGBs for the same length of time including owning 10 of them. So it was natural that he wanted to combine what he saw was the best of each into his ultimate project.

Ron searched for a MGB to use but it was proving to be very tough to find the right one. The candidates were either too rusted and required too much work or were too nice and would be a shame to operate on. Finally he found what he was looking for in a salvage yard in Arizona. There was a MG Midget with a salvage title and was mostly rust free. Unfortunately his home state of Indiana would not allow the car to be bought or sold without a notarized owner signature. The previous owner had passed before signing over the title. It took Ron three years to track down a relative willing to complete the paperwork so the title could be transferred to Indiana.

Probably the most obvious modification has been to the body. Ron has grafted a new front and rear bumpers along with very large fender flares.

Under the hood sits a Ford 5.0 L V8. With aluminum heads and Edelbrock dual quad carbs the engine produces 400 horsepower. Behind that is a C4 automatic transmission and Ford Explorer 8.8″ rear with 3.70 gears.

The front suspension is now a Mustang II IFS with a power steering rack with disc brakes on every corner. Ron has been working on the project for four years and the only thing left is upholstery work.

Source: V8Register via Grassroots Motorsports