Being a product of the '60s street racer era, engine swaps easily come to
mind, esp having replaced a 272 v8 with a 312, and a 1200 VW engine with a
1600. I have had several friends who have done more radical changes & have
seen lots more. Done right, you get a lot more power & don't loose too
badly in cornering. Whitness the AC Ace-> Cobra, Alpine-> Tiger, MGBGT->
MGBGT V8. These are successful changes. Compare them with thier original.
Along with the engine, you get beefed up clutch, transmission, rear end,
suspension, and brakes. If you do not look at a car as a system when
you make major changes, you are bound to create one or more major problems
and a possibly less safe car.
Another thing to look at is resale. Resale value takes a MAJOR hit when
you do an engine swap. The more radical the swap, the bigger the hit.
During the late 60's, older big healeys were prime candidates for small
block Chevy engine & transmission swaps. There were a lot running around
then. Resale value was zip, they had more troubles than normal & virtually
all have hit the wrecking yards a long time ago.
A lot of engineering goes into a car and a lot of comprimises. Any changes from
this is going to affect all the other subsystems in the car. Do it if you
have the need, don't care about the resalablity of the car, but please only
make changes when you know what the affects are in the other subsystems &
account for them as well.
LOCAL CARS:
1. There is a Morris Minor station wagon owened by the owner of a British Pub.
The car, as I recall is in very good condition with nice body, paint & interior.
It also has a Japaneese engine (dependable, he calls it). He has been trying
to sell it for some time. He has been asking about what a lesser confition
daily driver would go for. Buyers have not lined up.
2. There is a Morris Minor with a big block blown V8 called minor Problem.
This car has been totally rebuilt in all its systems and is nicely done.
There is nothing original in the drive train, suspension or brakes. I do
not believe the wheelie bars are a factory option either.
3. Someone in the Triumph Travelers is AutoCrossing in a TR7 with a Buick
V6. I do not know what all he has done, but I suspect he took a systems
approach.
4. The is someone who came to the Palo Alto British car meet with a V8
powered Spitfire. So it can happen.
SUGGESTIONS:
1. Consider dimensions & engine mounts. You do NOT want to poke holes into
you engine compartment nor bash parts of it out of the way (can you say
having to pay someone to take the car if you decide to get rid of it). If
at all possible, minimize any welding. The ideal engine will fit the
engine compartment & use the stock engine mounts.
2. Consider the weight of the old vers the new engine. Heavier engines are
always going to cause the suspension to not work as well. Unless you want
to engineer a suspension system for the engine, look for an engine that is
in the same weight class or a bit lighter.
3. Consider the drive train. If it is not mondo beefy or you are not up to
replacing the rest of the drive train, stick with something no more than
20-30% more powerful & expect to spend a lot of time replacing broken
drive train parts.
4. Best bet is an engine from the same manufacturer that bolts onto the
existing transmission or has a swap in transmission & uses the same engine
mounts. I would imagine a 250 engine in a TR4 would be an easy swap.
A Buick/Rover V8 into a TR7 shouldn't bee too bad.
On the other hand, there is one that I am looking at, a 60's Chevy cast iron
4 cyl into the Land Rover. The engine is about 100 lbs lighter than the
LR engine, fits the engine compartment, uses the stock engine mounts. You
can even connect the existing raidator hoses & accelerator linkage.
This engine has an extra 25 or so horses. I also know where to get a transmisson
adaptor plate & that the rest of the drive train can handle the increased
power. But I am still very reluctant to part with my heavy boat anchor LR
4 cyl. Since it has 8:1 compression, maybe a turbocharger ....
You must make the choice. Try to choose wisely ....
TeriAnn
Greg Solo claims he gets a relable 150 ponies out of a TR 4 cyl.
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