John,
I'm curious why you had to fabricate different radiator mounts. Did you
use a diferent radiator?
I find that the Mk1 Spit radiator handles the 1500 engine just fine.
As for the other things, those are rather routine things to be expected
when changing to a different transmission. I am in the process of
adding a 3-rail tranny with D-type overdrive to my Spit. The driveshaft
is in the shop as we speak. Then there's the wiring and of course, I
have to do the mandatory touch-up and fix things that aren't broken. I
am going to get rid of some rust on the Monza pipes and spray with Flat
Black Barbecue paint!
Regards,
Joe
P.S. I have seen some nice conversions including a Rover V8 but unless
there is something special that one wants to accomplish, I am in favor
of staying with a Spitfire 4 banger. But I have to admit to speculating
about installing a V6 and automatic Tranny with air conditioner and
cruise control. Wouldn't that make a great tow vehicle for the "Trailer
Queen"?
john matthews wrote:
> Yes, the 1500 is the same size as an 1147. I did change to the single
> rail gearbox for strength and synchros though. Doing this "simple"
> engine swap involved changing the shock uprights, shortening the
> driveshaft, fabricating new radiator mounts, wiring harness changes,
> and several dozen other "little" things. Not as easy as one might
> think.
>
> My point is that the basic Spitfire engine is strong and quite
> tuneable. And, adding signifigantly more power to a Spit will break
> every other piece in the drivetrain one by one. There's a club member
> I know who has a buick v-6 in his TR6, and although he's done a
> beautiful job it must have cost him at least 10 grand or so. This guy
> is an engineeer, and he does have a machine shop in his garage.
>
> Unless you're just a massochist it really doesn't make sense to start
> putting Japaneese engines into these cars. It's a whole lot of hard
> work to end up with a car that will be worth less money than when you
> started. I say if you want a Toyota, get a Toyota. They're fine cars
> in their own right, but they're not Triumphs.
>
> I contemplated many different engine swaps when I got my Herald. But,
> after talking with a lot of people I realized the thing that really
> made my car special was that it belonged to another time when they did
> things a little different than now. Besides, think of the joy you
> would miss out on not being able to tell people about the little bits
> of wood that hold your "Made in Coventry" engine together.
>
> Cheers,
>
> John Matthews
>
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