The easiest way to swap a bigger (GT6) motor into a Spitfire is to just
unbolt the GT6 body from a donor GT6 and replace it with the spitfire body...
(all you have to do then is weld some new shock mounts in place on the
spitfire body...).
Doing the swap this way generates several advantages:
1) You get the beefier brakes that were used on the GT6
2) you get the better suspension that was used on the GT6
3) it is a fairly trivial operation ( a few bolts, a few cables, the brake
master cylinder and you're in business and no futzing with springs, etc.,.)
And if you wanted to improve on the GT6 rear end, you move the lower wishbone
mount down 20(?) mm (gives no camber change over travel), and you get the
CV joints from a Honda Civic and graft them to the GT6 halfshafts.
As far as a V8 swap goes, remember that the differential carriers in the
Spitfires are not up to the additional HP (I'm amazed I haven't grenaded
the differential in my GT6 yet - the new Quaife differentials are apparently
quite robust though...), and the GT6 Transmission isn't even really up to
transmitting power for the stock engine, let alone a hot one (I have two that
I alternate....) (i.e. you'd have to find a different transmission...). Also,
the Spitfire brakes aren't even really good enough for a stock spitfire, let
let alone a car with a V8 up front....
After swapping undercarriages, putting in a TR6 engine is a relatively trivial
task (you need the back plate off of a GT6 engine though...) - you just have
to beat on the oil pan to make it clear the crankshaft (Of course, the later
GT6 engines can be stroked fairly easily....).
Alternatively, you could go to a rotary powerplant ( I've heard of some swaps
that resulted in frighteningly fast cars (just be certain to get some GT6 (or
heavier) brakes))....
rkg
(Richard George)
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