Grassroots Motor Sports just recently did a story on
putting a Mazda Rotary Engine in a Spitfire...Called it
a RoSpit.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: <Jjcousins@ra.rockwell.com>
To: <Spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 9:14 AM
Subject: Engine Conversion
I have been off the list for a while now and I am not
sure if this thread
has been brought up recently (in the last few months)
or not. I apologize,
in advance, if it has.
I am considering an engine swap! Yes, I have some
money and I am thinking
about what can be done to make this car (1977 Spit no
O/D) MORE of a really
nice daily driver. I am looking for (in the order of
importance)
1) reliability
2) ability to cruise at 70 mph on the highway
3) ability to out-accelerate a Geo Metro
So, it seems to me there are 2 (among lesser)
possiblilities:
1) Keep 1500 engine (currently WITHOUT O/D) and
purchase OD (with newer
gearbox and driveshaft), Rebuild engine, Change thrust
washers, Replace
single Zenith (running too rich without any more
adjustment left) with
either Weber or Dual-SUs, regrind cam, mill head...etc
for (I think) about
$1500-$2000. Aaaahhh!
With this posssibility I still have pesky vapor lock
problem to sort out
(possibly replace fuel pump and insulate header pipes
with header wrap),
and "questionable" reliability. I MAY be able to
out-accelerate a Geo
Metro.
2) Swap the engine with a 5-10 year old foreign
(Japanese) pickup truck
or rear-wheel drive engine (100-120 hp maybe).
With this possibility I have "theoretically" MUCH lower
maintenance
concerns, major power, and cruising ability. I
DEFINITELY will
out-accelerate a Geo Metro (and probably many others).
I realize I have
all the I/O to worry about such as: Engine
mounting/clearance, Fuel
delivery, Exhaust interfacing, Cooling/Radiator
sizing/upgrading,
interfacing the accelerator and clutch cables,
interfacing drive shaft,
speedometer interfacing. But none of those sound
insurmountable
considering all the benefits I would get. Plus, if the
engine/transmission
costs are about $500-700 from a salvage yard,
everything else is minimal.
I might have to do this jsut for the cost
rationalization!
I know this is the Spitfire list which includes
purists, and no-one wants
to see a Spitfire bastardized...BUT I will not destroy
the engine and can
put it back in it if I ever want to. Everything I
would be doing I would
HOPE could be reversed. After all, all this is because
I WANT TO KEEP IT
ON THE ROAD, not in my garage.
So...PLEASE open minded people, what do you think?
Would I be making my
life HELL with an engine swap (meaning: after it's 80%
done I run into
show stoppers), or will it be the best thing I could
ever do under the
circumstances?
Thanks in advance,
John Cousins
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