Patrick:
I do believe that in some cases bigger is better but not all since I am only
5'5''. Your solid guess about the weight of my Engine and weight ratio is
way off. Try looking hotrod magazine for specific weights of engines. I
have them in the US and will forward to you this summer. For now this will
have to do.
First the Spitfire engine is a heavy casting using old casting technology.
The Chevy V-6 is only about 75-100lbs heavier even when using the cast
intake manifold. By using an Aluminum Edlebrock intake and moving the
battery the rear of the car my front to rear weight ratio is about 50/50.
This is a better weight ratio than the stock spit. Also another factor my
Borg & Warner T-5 transmission and bell housing are Aluminum not cast like
the Spit Tranny. These are facts so the weight ratio is actually better in
my Spit than a stock Spit. I still have a stock Spit to compare things to.
I will race any spit in the 1/4-mile or a road course. The rear suspension
is out of a Datsun 510. It is totally independent and does not have the
problem of the tires tucking underneath the car in heavy cornering like the
spit causing excessive roll. As I mentioned before I have owned about 15
Spitfire and have been driving them for about 20 years so I know how a stock
Spitfire handles.
As for my bonnet my project has well planned and executed. Keeping the
engine as low to the ground as possible gives you better center of gravity
and handling. You already know this from your racing experience. By
planning this out properly there was no need for hole or scoop in the
bonnet. The little Chevy 4.3L V-6 is nested under the bonnet. I will be
more than happy to send you some pictures via email or anyone else that
would like to take a look. The car was also featured on the front page of
the auto section of the Syracuse Herald Sunday Paper this past August. It
has a half page color picture of the little beast.
In the early eighties until 1992 I had a Capri 2.8 V-6 in the car. This was
heavier than the Spit engine and yes the carb stuck out of the bonnet. My
project has come along way since then.
That is one the best things about owning a Spit you can buy them cheap and
be creative. Everybody has his or her own approach I like to be a little
different. Like I said before I agree that putting a small block in is
possible, but overkill. But again to each their own.
Dayton
>From: "Bowen, Patrick A RP2" <PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil>
>To: 'dayton carpenter' <djcarpen@hotmail.com>, "Bowen, Patrick A RP2"
><PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil>, spitfires@autox.team.net
>Subject: RE: Nitrous Oxide
>Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 08:21:38 -0500
>
>I do believe that Dayton is one of those individuals that believes bigger
>is
>absolutely better. No Cubic inches is not the name of the game. It is a
>part of a formula while looking for the answer, it is not the answer. I
>would make a pretty solid guess that your 4.3 ltr weighs a considerable bit
>more than my spit engine. Not to mention the fact that you now need to cut
>a huge hole in the bonnet to make it fit. You now have the problem of
>adding several hundred pounds to the front end of a sports car that is
>already nose heavy. If I wanted to drop a 12 litre engine into a car, then
>there are plenty of choices from the detroit arena. However I want a car
>with real styling and handling characteristics. So tell me, how would
>your
>car compare to mine at the local races through the slolom. Sorry, but I
>don't think you would be able to stay within the cones.
>
>Sorry, but I would rather use skill to improve on what I have rather than
>dropping in a junkyard engine that will tear up all my subsystems anyhow.
>
>Patrick
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: dayton carpenter [mailto:djcarpen@hotmail.com]
>Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2000 8:00 PM
>To: PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil; spitfires@autox.team.net
>Subject: Re: Nitrous Oxide
>
>
>
>Patrick:
>
>Get real! Cubic Inches is the name of the game. Torque, Torque, then
>Horsepower, Horsepower. The Spit engine is wimpy 1.5 liter. There is only
>so much you can do with it and you still have 1.5L. So if you really want
>to move that little spitfire body then replace the 1.5 with something has
>some cubic inches and can be built strong enough for nitrous without
>putting
>
>you in the poor house.
>
>Dayton
>
>
> >From: "Bowen, Patrick A RP2" <PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil>
> >Reply-To: "Bowen, Patrick A RP2" <PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil>
> >To: "'spitfires@autox.team.net'" <spitfires@autox.team.net>
> >Subject: Nitrous Oxide
> >Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 08:37:22 -0500
> >
> >I posted this question a couple weeks ago and I didn't have any takers or
> >responses (other than a joking jibe from Fred Thomas). The winner of the
> >Grassroots Motorsports $1500 Challenge was a MG Midget with Nitrous.
>What
> >would happen if I put Nitrous into a spit engine? Has anyone ever done
> >this? Any good reason not to? What is the overall experience here?
> >
> >It would make that Porsche look silly sitting at the light as I stream
>past
> >him.
> >
> >Patrick Bowen
>
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