**The Definitive MG ZS T16 Conversion Guide**

[Ritchy]

300+bhp
You will be requiring all of the above plus the additions of forged con rods, again budget dependant.
The T28 turbo charger shouldn?t have much of a problem reaching the 280-290bhp level of power, but past this point you will need to
think about a bigger roller bearing charger, such as a GT30 in a T25/T28 case. The Garrett GT3071R is capable of flowing 400bhp
easily. Remember the larger the turbo the more the lag (in effect!)
At this point the need for aftermarket management is upon you, companies like Omex, DTA and Motec will be more than happy to
help you with whatever you require, they can advice you specifically for your needs and car as apposed to me speaking in general.
This obviously brings with it larger high impedance injectors which can be adjusted via the map to get the correct AFR.
Considerations for a little work on the cylinder head would also be a good idea; gas flowing and porting carries its advantages
although perhaps not adding BHP by itself.
To reach this figure the likely hood of needing a tubular manifold setup is high, you can either modify a manifold yourself, or simply
buy one to bolt on with little or no agro.
400+bhp
Again as before, however from here on in you really need to start making sure your engine is a top health. At this level the quality of
the previously chosen items will be crucial, cheap rods and pistons may be okay at lower levels but at 400bhp+ only the best will do.
Considerations for an aftermarket inlet manifold should be top of the list, also a throttle body to match. The boost piping and exhaust
will need to be larger to accommodate for the flow of gasses in each path. A heavy amount of mapping on the aftermarket
management will be required which can be time consuming.
If your feeling particularly silly, then nitrous oxide will also bump up your figures! But that?s a different story all together.
Engine Mounts:
The main thing to remember when carrying out a ZS/45 T16 conversion is that 90% of the work has already been carried out on
another car, from standard!! The car below is a 1995-1999 Rover 400 2.0 GSI, this car was fitted with the T-series, however the
engine was naturally aspirated, on the outside the T-series NASP (naturally aspirated) and turbo are virtually identical (minus a turbo
obviously!)
At this point you need to decide whether to buy a complete, but very tired 400 GSI and break it for the parts, or source the parts
individually. As this guide goes on you will see the parts you need to decide yourselves what you require.
The Rover 400 and MG ZS/R45 are all the same car, they share the same chassis, most body panels, most internals etc. However for
now we just need the engine mounts. To mount the T-series are 3 brackets and supports. One to the left which bolts to the block
through the cam belt run, one which mounts the gearbox to the chassis on the far right of the engine bay, and a stabiliser at the back of
the engine which runs almost parallel with the exhaust. You will require all 3 of these brackets. You will find when bolting these
brackets into your ZS/45 that the holes already exist for them, (that is how similar these cars are!)
You do not require any welding, drilling, tapping or general bodging to get the engine into your zed. It?s all there ready for you.
Wiring
Even as an electrician I found the idea of car wiring very scary. However if I knew then what I know now?I could of saved myself a
lot of time and agro.
The easy but expensive method:
Now?this is where I wished I had a REALLY helpful guy like myself (and a great guide to follow)?. However I didn?t! I learnt the
hard way? So here is the key to a VERY easy wiring job for the conversion. I mentioned before about using aftermarket
management on the T16 for power, well as well as additional power and control an aftermarket engine management can make your
life extremely easy. If you speak to the guys at Omex they can supply and build an Omex 600 ECU and a complete pre-built plug and
play wiring loom for the T16 engine. In effect this means that you can give your Omex ECU a permanent 12v, a switched 12v and an
earth, then plug the loom into all the various sensors/components and it will run?. Obviously you need to hook up the starter motor
and alternator (from your standard loom) but you no longer require the original engine management loom. The beauty of this is that
you can use the standard V6 or 120 starter and charging loom.. And that?s it! No more messing about. Obviously you have the cost of
mapping and all the additional add-ons required with the aftermarket management, but the ease and simplicity of this is unreal.
The hard but cheap method:
The hard method has so got its name because of the amount of work physically required; it?s a real pain! But its virtually fool proof.
(no doubt there are easier ways than I?m about to describe but this is how I done it!) This is where really you need to decide on
whether or not to buy a complete 420GSI, the main reason being that your going to have to take the front wiring loom from it. The
loom you want basically controls all of the electrical items (including engine) from the dashboard onwards. It looks after the lights,
windscreen wipers, ABS, and so on. Now I know it sounds like a lot of work, and your right, but I am an electrician by trade and I
know how pants soldering and crimping cables can be, therefore a complete loom with minimal joints in my eyes is a far more
reliable and viable option.
To remove the loom you don?t necessarily need the dashboard out, it would make life a lot easier but it depends how bothered you can
be. The loom runs right from the front of the car (i.e. horn, fans, fog lights etc) up either side of the engine bay and through 2
grommets each side of the bulkhead, the passenger side loom then runs along the back of the bulkhead (inside the car) and towards the
fuse and relay box underneath the steering column. It really is a case of labelling EVERYTHING you unplug (and positions if you
wish) then unplug all the bits as you go and pull the loom through the car. The ?cut off? point is 2 orange flat plugs down under the
carpets in the driver?s foot well. This being the original ZS loom for the back of the car. The 400 loom will plug straight into these.
The 2 fuse boxes I believe are slightly different, for the sake of a 2 minute swap job for the 400 ones its worth doing to save the
aggravation. Remember to be careful with every single cable when pulling it through the car, it only takes a cable to be shaved back
and it can cause no end of problems. The loom in the cab will plug into all of your original switches and importantly the 5AS unit in
the centre console.
The only plugs that require changing are strangely enough the windscreen wiper plug (I have no idea why?! Why change it it?s the
same motor!) And the headlight plugs, which is a half hour job and easy enough to do. If you need specific details give me a shout
and I?ll help as best I can.
This loom will then plug into a turbo loom, which you would require anyway from the 220 I believe. It?s a time consuming job but
fairly straight forward, my top tip would be to label everything clearly. Don?t forget all of the earth points!! They are very important.
Make sure they all go back.

[Ritchy]

ECU
The ECU for your turbo conversion is another big breaking point, if you decide for aftermarket then good on you, its worth the money
and you can obtain amazing results. For those that wish to stay on standard management, there are a few things you need to check
before trying to fire up your car. Firstly make sure you have the correct ECU for your engine setup (4 gap or 2 gap flywheel, see
above.) For ease it?s sometimes better to send the ECU away for decoding. This means it no longer requires a signal from the 5AS
unit and therefore doesn?t require security authorisation, this obviously means you lose your immobiliser. The same company will
also remove the boost cut and run diagnostic checks to ensure the ECU is in good health. Other than that it can just be plugged in and
run! With the ECU decoded you can use any 5AS unit, namely the one that controls your standard central locking.
Drive shafts
I had 2 pairs of drive shafts, one from a 420 GSI and one from a ZS 180? and to be perfectly honest I found no major differences
what so ever. The only slight difference was in the reluctor rings; which deal with the ABS side of things and are easily swapped over.
Double check on that but I?m confident that?s correct.
Gearbox
The gearbox that comes on the T16 is of course the famous PG1 that most MG/Rovers are equipped with. Some turbo PG1 boxes
have Torsen LSD?s which comes in very handy when traction is a problem. A recommendation would be to have the gearbox rebuilt
complete with steel caged bearings. They can be particularly fragile.
Power Steering
Believe it or not power steering gave me more agro than anything else, simply because I could not find the correct pipes, I ended up
having to get some specially made (not cheap!) so grab all of the power steering pipes from a 420 GSI also to save yourself the pain I
had.

Again these can be a bit of a pain to find, however there are companies that can sell a complete set of stainless and silicon water pipes
at a reasonable price. Some pipes are different to that in the 420, hence it?s easier to just buy the turbo specific set of water pipes. If
that fails you will definitely need the front coolant pipe and rail from a turbo rover to feed the turbo charger, don?t forget the turbo
charger requires cooling water too.
Radiator
The radiator you chose will depend upon a few key points, such as intercooler piping. My intercooler pipe work runs straight over the
top of the radiator, hence why I have the 220 radiator in my car to give me the space to do this. However if this is not a problem then a
standard ZS/45 radiator will do the trick no problem.
Exhaust
For the most simple conversion a 620ti down pipe will suit the application fine, also a standard ZS cat back system will do the job,
however the cat or decat (whichever you chose) will need extending by a few inches to pair up. Again if your handy with a welder its
an easy job. Of course after market performance down pipes are available as well as performance cat back systems to whichever your
heart desires. For something further (and more expensive) than that, you can give your car to a specialist exhaust fabricator who will
build your exhaust system to whatever spec you like. Again, worth the money if you have it. The same goes for the exhaust manifold.
Brakes
With more power comes the need for greater stopping power, whether it?s a complete brake upgrade to AP racing 330mm 4 pots or a
simple pad a disk upgrade, you should decide what is suitable for your expected BHP output.
Suspension
Standard ZS suspension doesn?t have a problem with the weight of the T16. But consider a coil over upgrade to get the ultimate
handling to compliment the T16 power potential. Plenty of companies can supply them however SPAX I know for sure are weighted
perfectly for the T16 engine on the front of a ZS.
Contacts
Here are a few different contacts that you might find useful for various stages in your project:
Grant Baker
Can sell you absolutely anything upgrade (and standard wise) for the T16 as well as piles of other equipment and toys! He is a top
bloke and cant help you enough if you get stuck at any point, highly recommended.
www.gb-ent.co.uk
Alan Baker
Deals with the Omex ECU?s. He dealt with my Rover Omex conversion throughout and really knows his stuff.
http://www.omextechnology.co.uk
Drew
Again sells T16 parts as well as the engine management, top fella and really helpful.
http://www.roverdose.co.uk/
Best of British
Will decode and diagnose your standard ECU
http://www.slashformayor.webspace.virginmedia.com/
Rovertech
The most helpful forum for Rover turbo?s on the net, no end of helpful and brilliant people. Sign up and get involved!
www.rovertech.net
The MG ZS.co.uk
Again its full of very knowledgeable people who have no problem with helping  very friendly bunch.
www.themgzs.co.uk
Elite
Will build you custom driveshafts to suit your high application turbo cars
http://www.eliteracingtransmissions.com
Me  (Dan Baker)
Can help with most things; don?t hesitate to drop me a e-mail and I will not hesitate to help where possible!
carmadbaker@hotmail.com
Finale!
Well there?s a quick guide for you to fish through and take the info you want and need. Any mistakes or false information please let
me know and I?ll rectify it straight away  enjoy!