WWWedge Ezine
It's here to help you
Current readers: 214 August 15 1998, Year 1, no. 9
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The purpose of this newsletter is to give (technical) information
about the British classic cars Triumph TR7 and TR8.
To make this newsletter a success, I need your HELP:
o Let me know if this newsletter contains the information you're
looking for.
o Let me know if you want to write a feature article.
o Let me know if you have suggestions, improvements, etc.
o Let me know if you find this newsletter useful and practical, and
if there is anything you would like to see covered.
You can subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter at
http://www.team.net/TR8/mp
For comments, articles, etc. send an e-mail to
workshop@voskotan.demon.nl
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THE WEDGE TEAM
The WWWedge website is entirely maintained by volunteers.
Johan Vorsterman van Oijen is responsible for the design and the
daily updates. Mark Elbers is fully occupied with the Registry pages.
Eric Teunissen is responsible for the TR Scale Models pages.
The WWWedge Ezine newsletter is moderated by yours truly (Johan
Vorsterman van Oijen), and my native language isn't English.
But I'll do my utmost to create readable articles.
To save me from the biggest spelling mistakes, David Parnham (an
Englishman in Holland) will check the Wedge Ezine. Great huh?
To get started, the WWWedge Ezine newsletter is heavily based on
the Wedge Tips collected by Philip Johnstone from Australia.
Another source is the TR7/8 mailing list. I will extracts threads
from this list and publish them in this newsletter.
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INTRODUCTION
This is the first Ezine with minor content. It's still holiday for
most of us. Never mind I hope the next edition will be stamped with
information, as it should be.
I've had a great holiday but the best days are ahead of me. Next week
I'll be in the home country of our beloved wedges. I hope to meet a
lot of the Internet buddies and to take a lot of pictures of wedges.
I'm also in the process of building a (prototype) windshield. At the
moment I'm using wood as building material. For those lucky girls and
boys, you can see the windshield at the TR Register Meeting in
Bath/Shepton Mallet (21-23 August). I'll be writing an article for
the next edition of the Ezine.
Cheers,
Johan Vorsterman van Oijen.
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TOPICS
o Tech tip
o TR8 Conversion Using 1983 Vitesse 3.5 EFI motor
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TECH TIP
I wanted to advise you for your 'E-Zine' of a product which I feel is
of interest (at least in the States - I'm not sure what the situation
is in Europe).
I found a SUPURB air filter for the TR-8 at "NAPA" auto parts
(located throughout the U.S. and Canada).
It FAR surpasses any other air filter which I have seen from any
supplier. It is under NAPA part number "2151" and catalogued in their
counter catalogue under TR-8!
The filter retails for (either $9.95 or $10.95 (I can't remember
which)) and fits the standard housing perfectly. It is quite
substantially constructed and has a metal (AL) surrounding. I do not
know if this has been relayed before but if not, some in the U.S. &
Canada might be interested.
Thanks,
Drew Laurianti ( Fidel49@aol.com )
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TR8 Conversion Using 1983 Vitesse 3.5 EFI motor
Perhaps old news but this one was send by Bill Irwin. I just wanted
to have this document archived in the Ezine. Of course the webpage
edition is also available.
TR8 Conversion Using 1983 Vitesse 3.5 EFI motor
The offer of a good Vitesse motor was the initial trigger to get me
going on converting my TR7 to TR8 spec. As an overall exercise it
has been interesting and fun to do and I love the result.
Financially it would have been much smarter to sell the TR7 and find
a good TR8 or a good TR7V8.
My TR8 was a 1981 model with only 30,000 careful miles on it. Being
a late model car, I was pleased to find that whenever I went to fit a
TR8 part I would find the appropriate hole in the chassis already
drilled and tapped. If it hadn't have been for fitting a slightly
later EFI motor no drilling would have been needed.
The Vitesse Motor
The Vitesse motor has the same strengthened block as late TR8's but
has electronic ignition and greatly improved fuel injection - mainly
in the area of the air intake. The Vitesse air intake system was
designed for performance rather than to get around Californian
emission laws. With this and 9.75:1 compression ratio, the factory
claimed 190bhp. I have seen on the web that a specialist UK Rover
tuning firm said that 175bhp was nearer the mark. Whatever the
truth, it offers a lovely soft motor with power that comes on from
1500rpm and just keeps building up to 5500. It is not at all
the wheel-spinning brute that I had thought it might be but a very
civilised car with a good turn of speed and excellent acceleration at
almost any speed in any gear.
A TR8 Replica
I did not set out to build the ultimate performance car. I wanted a
good road car that had modern performance and braking and which
resembled an original TR8 as closely as possible. This has been
largely achieved but has definitely added to the cost of the exercise
(which I have never added up for fear of having to lie to my wife).
A knowledgable TR8 enthusiast would spot the following differences
from standard:
? Different EFI Plenum with intake on the left and associated
moving of some EFI components.
? Kenlowe electric fan
? K&N Air filter
Gearbox
I used the existing TR7 5 speed gearbox believing it to be the same
as the Vitesse version. I later discovered that the 5th gear ratio
is .83 for the TR7 box and .79 for the Vitesse. This is not a
problem but does affect calculations when sorting out which
speedo-drive gears to use. Later Vitesse gearboxes were also
strengthened (shot peening?) but since the TR7 one I had had done a
low mileage and had the same part number as the box that came with
the motor, I used that.
Rimmer's Kit
I started with a full conversion kit from Rimmer Brothers (whom I
recommend as a good company to deal with).
This included:
? Brakes (I chose ventilated 4 pot as I had already fitted minilite
14" replica alloy wheels from Performance in Australia - these are
fitted with 195/60 tyres).
? Exhaust (I chose the stainless, quiet, performance version - partly
because the standard Vitesse headers although sporty were very
heavy)
? Shorter Prop shaft
? Radiator and mounts
? Spax adjustable suspension units
? Heavier, lower springs
? TR8 Subframe and engine mounts
? Radiator hoses
? Accelerator cable
? Kenlowe electric fan (with hindsight I believe that I could have
adapted the V8 fan onto the front of the crankshaft instead - there
is plenty of room).
In general I was very happy with this kit although there were a few
problems that I struck: ? I had to elongate the holes on the engine
mount to get them to line up. ? The holes in the subframe which take
the lower struts had to be drilled larger ? The ports on the tubular
exhaust headers were larger than the ports on the head and had to be
built up on one side to get enough overlap for a good seal. ? The
lengths of some of the exhaust system pipes were wrong and they
needed a bit of cutting and bending by an exhaust system specialist
to get a good fit.
Other Parts Needed
I had to buy the following used parts:
? Clutch bell-housing and clutch (I think that the TR7 clutch is the
same)
? TR8 Gearbox remote (about 1" shorter than TR7 due to engine being
shifted back)
? TR8 Rev counter (I returned the Rimmer unit as while it had
been re-calibrated it still had a TR7 dial - the redline on the TR8
is at 5500rpm as against 6000 - fussy!)
? EFI fuel tank which has a return feed plumbed in along with
internal baffles to keep fuel around the intake.
? EFI fuel pump
? TR8 radiator header tank for RH mounting - wiring was already in
place for the coolant level sensor.
? Fuel pump and filter bracket.
? 3.08 rear axel ratio crownwheel and pinion. I got this from a
Rover SD1. The outside of the SD1 axel looks totally different but
the crownwheel and pinion are the same.
? I used the TR7 alternator but had to adapt it to fit the V8
bracket.
I also needed the following new parts which were not in the kit:
? 20 tooth speedo pinion 219001 and TR8 worm gear TKC1274 (this gives
100kph or 62mph at 2330rpm on my car which has the TR7 .83 5th
gear)
? Battery box and cables for mounting the battery in the boot
(trunk).
? TR8 steering wheel
? EFI adjustable fuel pressure regulator
? EFI fuel filter
? EFI Inertia switch (turns fuel off in the event of a crash - useful
for defeating thieves too!) ? Gaskets and seals for gearbox and
rear axel
? TR8 Boot mat
? TR8 Decal kit
? TR8 Owners handbook (for that final touch!)
We had to make:
? A fuel return line
? A mount for the battery box
? A mount for the fuel regulator
? Mounts for the EFI air valve and resistor pack.
? A new clutch line that would not melt on the tubular exhaust.
? An extra strap to secure the Kenlowe fan. Instructions for fan
mounting are for TR7 only. I had to re-bend the brackets to suit
TR8 radiator position.
We had to modify:
? Clutch actuating rod
? Over-run valve location - see below
? Alternator and strap to suit V8 bracket.
Work on the engine
This had already been re-conditioned so it was just a matter of
checking things and re-doing some of the gasket joints. The fuel
injectors were cleaned and checked and all fuel hoses and clamps
replaced. Clamps and fuel hoses are special high pressure type to
withstand at least 60psi. In addition all exposed alloy parts were
removed and bead blasted.
Black parts were re-painted. The engine wiring harness was
re-braided and all clips replaced.
The over-run valve needs to be moved from the rear to the front of
the plenum otherwise it will foul the bonnet (hood) catch. The old
holes were filled and the original bracket ground off. The valve was
fitted on the other end of the plenum with the outlet pipe
horizontal. The air pipe was turned end-for-end and modified
slightly to provide a direct connection to the valve in it's new
position.
Using the 1" sub-frame spacers supplied with Rimmer's kit and
mounting the engine on the forward side of the mounts (it would have
gone in either way) the air scoop just clears the plenum and the
bonnet has about 1/4" clearance at it's nearest point. This was my
main worry. Earlier cars without the raised bonnet centre would have
problems. Stripping out the TR7 parts.
? Drain the coolant
? Jack up car and sit on blocks
? Remove wheels
? Disconnect the battery and remove
? Remove brake hose, fuel hose and radiator hoses.
? Remove alternator and starter
? Remove radiator and all electrical connections to engine
? Remove air intake scoop
? Remove choke and accelerator cables
? Remove entire exhaust system
? Remove steering rack and loosen clamp at base of steering shaft.
? Support engine with chain lift on engine lifting lugs
? Remove centre console and gearlever
? Remove gearbox remote unit
? Disconnect speedo cable
? Remove gearbox mount
? Remove prop shaft
? Disconnect engine mounts
? Disconnect clutch line at clutch
? Raise engine/gearbox as a unit
? Tilt upwards and rotate slightly to one side of the car - it does
come out!
? Remove sub frame
? Remove front brakes and suspension if changing.
? Disconnect rear brake line and handbrake cable (thread this out of
the bracket on the diff cover)_
? Remove rear brakes
? Support diff on jack
? Disconnect rear suspension and remove if to be replaced.
? Wheel rear axel out of the way Work on the Diff. Changing the diff
ratio is not for the unskilled or faint-hearted. It needs a huge
tube spanner (capable of 200ft/lbs) and specialist equipment if you
are to avoid diff noise. I had a skilled mechanic do it. It took
him a full day to get it exactly right. We were unable to get a
replacement 'crushable' washer but were lucky in that the old one
had to be crushed another 4 thou in the new set up. If you have
to, you can tap the bulge a bit to 'un-crush' the old one.
For details on setting up diffs see
http://www.thegrid.net/thedrivetrainpage/diff.htm
Work on the gearbox
This was simply a matter of exchanging the remote gearbox assembly
and adjusting it and fitting the new speedo drive worm and pinion.
While I had the remote casing off I had the main alloy casing
machined out to take a proper oil seal on the selector shaft in place
of the feeble o-ring which always seems to leak and cause the gearbox
mount to go mushy.
Before installing the V8
? Install new fuel tank if not previously EFI. This tank has a
larger inlet filter and about a 6" diameter by 2 inch high 'fence'
built around it internally to hold returning fuel and keep fuel
around the pump intake when cornering. No fuel - no fuel pressure
- no go! EFI pumps also require fuel to cool and lubricate them.
NEVER attempt to run them unless they have fuel in them. If you do
ever run out of gas - switch off!
? Run a return fuel line from the EFI regulator back to the tank. ?
Fit fuel pump and filter and run fuel pump wiring back to the pump
from the fuse box area.
? Run a positive battery cable back to the boot. ? Fit EFI wiring
loom. I had an auto-electrician do the wiring as I had to
integrate EFI and electronic ignition with an old TR7 carb/points
loom. The EFI loom is completely separate and only joins the rest
of the wiring at one 5 pin connector so this part is not too hard.
? Install the ECU under the glove box and mount the inertia switch -
I put mine behind the small panel at the base of the passenger A
pillar. Installing the V8 engine and gearbox
? Install TR8 subframe with 1" spacers between chassis and subframe.
? Re-attach suspension and steering rack. The clamp at the base of
the shaft will need to move as the rack will now be mounted lower.
I had to tap mine as it was stuck.
? Install radiator in it's new position
? Fit engine mounts
? Lower the engine in without clutch, housing or gearbox. It needs
to be tilted and rotated to the right side of the car. Having two
people helps.
? Fit engine on front side of mounts.
? Use a jack to support the rear of the engine so that it can be
lined up to match up with the transmission.
? Install clutch bell-housing and gearbox
? Mount new gearbox remote and lever - adjust lever.
? Fit speedo cable
? Connect new clutch line
? Install exhaust system
? Line up gearbox mount and drill 4 new holes (about 1" further back
on my car) and attach gearbox to car.
? Install new prop shaft and diff.
? Install earth strap from engine to chassis.
? Attach all radiator hoses - fill with water and pressure test for
leaks. (Once you have everything sorted you can re-fill with
cooling compound but chances are high you will have to fix at least
one leak).
? Attach all engine wiring
? Fit V8 rev counter.
? Attach fuel lines and throttle cable.
? Mount ignition and EFI components
? Integrate wiring (I used an auto-electrician as I was unfamiliar
with EFI and marrying up electronic ignition to old style points
ignition.)
? Connect brake servo hose
? Remove fuel line to cold start injector and fit a pressure gauge to
the hose. Switch on ignition and push air-flow meter flap to
activate fuel pump. Check for fuel pressure (36-40psi). Switch
off and watch gauge to check for leaks.
? Re-connect fuel hose
? Fit air cleaner and start engine!
? Follow the usual procedure of a little at a time - don't be tempted
to take it out for a blast as soon as you get it going! Let it run
for a while to check for fluid leaks before going for a quiet drive
round the block.
? It is also vital for tuning that there are no air leaks in the EFI
intake system.
Tuning
I have found that about 8 degrees of advance is right for the Vitesse
motor which has a compression ratio of 9.75:1 however I find that at
over 3000rpm the advance becomes too much on our 95 octane unleaded
fuel so I will have to fit stronger springs in the distributor.
Engines with lower compression ratios will need more advance. Check
the operation of the vacuum advance by disconnecting the pipe at the
plenum - idling speed should increase about 500rpm.
I set the fuel pressure when idling (with the vacuum hose connected)
to 30psi. Releasing the vacuum sees a jump to 40psi which is much
more than the 5psi jump seen with the standard non-adjustable
regulator. ALWAYS depressurise the system before disconnecting any
hoses by disconnecting the fuel pump (use inertia switch) and turning
the engine over on the starter.
While increasing fuel pressure will richen the mixture across the
range you can also affect the idling mixture by altering the air
bleed in the air-flow meter - clockwise to reduce air. The best way
is to use a CO meter but a good indication of mixture can be had by
pumping the brake pedal. This reduces the pressure in the manifold
which causes the fuel pressure regulator to increase the fuel
pressure and richen the mixture. If the engine runs slower it is too
rich so screw the screw out to let in a little more air and vice
versa. Use the screw on top of the plenum to adjust idling speed to
about 850rpm. All of these adjustments should be made only on an
engine with correct ignition timing and at normal operating
temperature.
Bill Irwin ( bill@irwin.gen.nz )
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WWWedge Ezine is a free email newsletter for anyone who is interested
in the classic car Triumph TR7 and TR8.
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(c) 1998, The World Wide Wedge (http://www.team.net/TR8/)
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