The V8 spits I've found on the web are
http://www.westpro.com/Beast.html
http://www.westpro.com/Beast_Folder/Beast_Friends/v8spitfire.html
http://www.students.missouri.edu/~will/frame.html
The first two are out laughing at $100k sports cars and the other
is under construction.
In all of these, it's pretty much a new car with a spit body.
Personally, I think a 300zx or RX7 rotary might be a better way to GO.
I suspect (but don't know for sure) that you could get about the
same power/weight with one of those. If you still need more umph,
turbos are easy to find.
I've looked at the Z motor, and it doesn't look like too hard a
fit. A bulge or scoop in the hood (bonnet) might be required.
Z motors and rearends are plentiful in junkyards, and aftermarket
performance parts are easy to come by. I assume the same
holds for the RX7.
A friend of mine (who I got my spit from) put the small alum buick
V8 in his TR7. I haven't had a close look at it yet. I don't think
he changed the diff or suspension, but I could be wrong.
Another friend has a '59 Bugeye sprite with a 5.0, and again
it's pretty much a new car. (he used a Datsun Z rearend and built
a frame). Also converted the original LHD car to RHD to so the
steering would not have to pass through the intake. This car
runs 0-60 in the 4s range.
Gambony, Jim wrote:
>
> Andy,
>
> Yes, you probably did see my name on the sign up for the VTR convention....
> unfortunately there is a chance that I won't be able to make it because of a
> personal situation here in Dallas.
>
> To answer your question about the V8 conversion, I never got serious enough
> about the conversion to try figuring out the logistics of making the engine
> fit. With the "open" bay of the Spitfire I can't imagine it'd be too hard,
> with the possible exception of how to route the exhaust and any height
> problems with the carb/air cleaner assembly. The same engine was dropped
> into the MGB engine bay without mods (except for radiator mounting), and the
> MGB 4 cylinder isn't significantly larger than the Spitfire 1500. Anyway, I
> was a young pup fresh out of college in my first real job, and there was
> barely enough cash to think about getting the stock motor going again, much
> less a V8 swap! And the rear axle issues would have driven me crazy!
>
> There is a gentleman here in the Dallas area that shoe-horned a Ford 289
> Hi-Po into a 1500 body. He's running a narrowed Ford rear end, and
> something like 295/50/15 rubber on the back wheels. From what I remember of
> the car the frame from the seats forward is completely custom, and the
> engine is set back far enough that the back 2 or 4 spark plugs are accessed
> from within the cockpit! The rear wheel arches look like washing machine
> drums in the trunk. His comment is that it can be a bit "squirrely". Texas
> understatement?
>
> I now have a TR7 5-speed (same trans as from the TR8 :-)... and I'm still
> dreaming of finding a V8 to stuff into something (my Mini Cooper maybe?)
>
> Jim
>
> ps. Grassroots Motorsports is in the process of finishing my other engine
> swap choice... rotary power! If they'd started with a '67 or earlier car
> they could stop whining about the car not being street legal!
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Lindberg, Andrew (MN12) [SMTP:Andrew.Lindberg@CORP.honeywell.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 1998 12:57 PM
> > To: Gambony, Jim; rstieg@ci.bartlett.tn.us; spitfires@Autox.Team.Net
> > Subject: RE: spitfire names (New Topic)
> >
> > jim.gambony@eds.com wrote: "When I bought my '73 Spitfire, I seriously
> > considered locating a rover 3500 V8 as a replacement motor. Of course, the
> >
> > conversion never happed."
> >
> > Jim --
> >
> > This has been a dream (fantasy?) of mine for a few years, but I've never
> > been able to find much info on it. So I have a lot of questions of which
> > the following is just the tip of the iceberg: Does the Rover/Buick fit in
> > the Spit/GT6 engine bay? Easily or with a lot of pounding/cutting on body
> >
> > panels? How much heavier/lighter is it than the Spit/GT6 iron engines?
> > What trannies hook up to it? How long can the rear differential stand
> > the
> > V8's torque before it explodes?
> >
> > I've never seen a report by anybody that's done the conversion (unlike the
> >
> > reports on the web and elsewhere of people that have dropped a Ford 302 in
> >
> > their TR6), but I'm not quite ready to let the dream die yet.
> >
> > Anybody out there done this? Seen a car which has had the conversion
> > done?
> > I'd appreciate any info (or even speculation) on this topic.
> >
> > -- Minnesota Andy (A GT6 owner who doesn't have the money, or time, or
> > talent, or space to do the conversion right now but would like to start
> > planning for more prosperous times. And who also knows where he can get a
> >
> > Buick version of this engine for not too much.)
> >
> > p.s. Jim, did I see your name on the sign-up list for the VTR convention
> > up
> > here in the great north woods?
--
Reed Mideke rmideke@interbase.com
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