I usually get a reaction when I show people the access to the #8 spark plug
on the Tiger; either it's a brilliant solution to an engineering problem, or
an amateurish cover-up of a design flaw. Well, at least a solution was
provided, unlike those 262 c.i. Chevy Monzas where you had to jack up the
engine to change plugs.
Well, I was reading Classic and Sportscar magazine, and the September issue
(pp 134-139) has a feature on the Bizzarrini GT Strada 5300; you know, the
low-slung Italian with a Chevrolet small-block up front. Like on a Tiger, the
engine is tunnelled pretty far back, again to improve weight distribution. On
the Bizz, from what I can tell in a small photo in the article, the centerline
of the carb is maybe an inch or two ahead of the rear edge of the engine
compartment opening!
Remember, the SBC has its distributor at the BACK. The text mentions that
access to the distributor is via the dash, and in another photo you can see
the outline of a perhaps 5"-square removable panel at the front edge of the
dash. With the angle of the windshield so sharp, I guess you can perhaps
adjust the point gap or replace a rotor, but no way to get the distributor out
altogether. Ouch!
Kinda gives one the idea of what Rootes would have had to deal with if they
had made a 273-Mopar powered Tiger -- probably this and more.
Larry Wright
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