Eric asked several good questions about doing conversions on cars. Here's my
take:
The main question was "why?". I can think of three good reasons off the top
of my head:
1. Greater Reliability
2. Improved Performance
3. Reduced Maintenance
As with every "why", we can again ask "why"...
1. Why a person would want greater reliability is pretty obvious. (yeah, I
know, TR's can be reliable if properly maintained... which takes us to item
#3)
2. Why a person would want improved performance depends on that persons
tastes, but if you've tried to drive something like a bone-stock Spitfire in
modern freeway traffic... more power is almost a necessity. Face it, the bar
has been raised significantly in the almost 20 years since the last Triumph
was produced (back when the speed limits were 55 mph in the US), most low-end
economy cars of this decade can outperform any 4-cylinder Triumph in every
way, they just lack the style.
3. Why would a person want reduced maintenance? I know a lot of you find
tinkering with carbs, setting points and adjusting valves very enjoyable and
wouldn't have it any other way, and that's fine. There are those of us who
either don't have the time for that, or are just plain lazy. (I fall into the
lazy category.)
Okay, that takes care of the basic "why is it done", but "how" does it
happen? I think most of the conversions are done by people who genuinely love
the cars and want to be able to enjoy them more fully. For those who paid
attention to my posts earlier this week... I drove a rough Spitfire Monday
afternoon and was amused by the way my memory took over and everything felt so
right from the driver's seat, and very happy with the car's handling, but
unimpressed with the poor-running engine and very weak brakes. Wednesday
afternoon, I drove a much nicer '79 Spitfire, one that had been restored to
original specs. This one was impressive. Still felt right, ran good, and was
fun to drive... as long as you didn't look at the speedo. That drive is what
made me decide that I didn't need a Spitfire (at least not a stock-engined
one) for a daily driver. It lacks the power to get me around in the fashion
that I'm used to. When I'm cruising 65 on the highway and the traffic
situation is such that I would be in a better position if I rapidly
accelerated to 75 or 80... a Spitfire just won't do that. To put it more
simply: I like to have the power and control to be able to get the hell out
of the way when necessary.
I'm sure some of the other conversions are done by pure motorheads who happen
upon a non-running Triumph and see it as a cool place to put their favorite
V8. Some people are just that way. If it's good... a V8 has to make it
better! And, of course, if it's already got a V8, it needs a BIGGER one.
When the money comes my way, I'll probably search around and try to find a
well-converted Spitfire with an acceptable modern drivetrain for daily
fair-weather driving. If I can't find one, I'll consider building one for
myself. Why? Because I love the way the car looks, the way it feels, the way
it handles. I love that it's got such classic lines and that it's different.
I don't love it because every part of it was made by a quirky little company
in England named Triumph.
My ideal Triumph:
- 1973 Spitfire 1500 body
- very common Japanese fuel-injected, computer controlled, 16-valve 4-cylinder
engine (less than 2.0l)
- very common Japanese 5-speed transmission
- common diff and rear suspension similar to Spit design that can handle the
power
- stiffer springs, shocks and sway-bars
- 14x6" alloy wheels with high-performance low-profile tires
- better brakes if necessary
- a roll bar... just in case
The above car would give me something resembling the performance and
reliability of a Miata with the style, charm and feel of a British roadster,
not to mention uniqueness. I would be the happiest guy on Earth every time I
drove it. What could be better than that?
--
Loren Williams - #59 CSP-light 1994 Saturn SC2
Homepage (Who Cares?) - http://www2.southwind.net/~lsw
Wichita Region SCCA - http://www2.southwind.net/~scca
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