Kind of off the TR thread, but my dream engine swap when I was a young lad
was to put a Ford 2.0 litre V4 from the Corsair (how many of you in the
homeland remember THAT motor) into my Morris Minor, so that I would have a
Morris Minor 2000...
Never did it, but I dreamed a lot. I did put an Amal carburettor on my
side-valve Minor, however, together with a milled and polished head. Must
have made at least 27 BHP. What fun! Then there was the time that we.....
(Take me away and give me my Geritol...)
-----Original Message-----
From: Malcolm Walker <walker05@camosun.bc.ca>
To: Eric A. Yates <eyates@earth.nwu.edu>
Cc: spitfires@autox.team.net <spitfires@autox.team.net>;
triumphs@autox.team.net <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Date: Friday, October 16, 1998 11:47 AM
Subject: Re: Engine conversions
>
>On Fri, 16 Oct 1998, Eric A. Yates wrote:
>
>> I have a question about engine conversions: why do people do it? I am
>> curious as to why folks make changes to something as fundamental to a
car's
>> character as its engine.
>
>You're probably going to get a big rant from DANMAS on this subject. But
>here's my small rant for the meantime:
>
>Some of us like doing the impossible, or the improbable. Sometimes it's
>circumstance- while it is possible to get a small car to "go" by tweaking
>and massaging the engine, it costs a lot of money and they wear out really
>quickly.
>
>If, in the quest for MORE POWER (arr arr arr), you decide to place a large
>engine in a small car, then you get a few advantages: more reliability,
>smoother running, and MORE POWER (arr arr arr).
>
>Take my brother's two beaters: an 81 Camaro (w/ 267 V8) and a 74 Ventura
>(w/ 350 BigBlock V8) The camaro is smaller and lighter, but guess which
>one goes faster? (hint: the ugly one). He wanted to pop the big block
>into his Camaro (small block) but we axed that plan as it would require
>major modification to a car worth less than $1500. In this case, it's
>smarter to find someone who already has a big-block Camaro.
>
>But with our LBCs, sometimes something unique is required. I'd love to
>stick a Lotus 1.8 mill into my Chevette. Why not buy a lotus? (big
>reason: I don't fit in Lotuses). Also, I'd have a Chevette capable of
>some pretty wild stuff. heh heh, heh heh, cool.
>
>> I am not a person who places a major priority on originality, but I would
>> hesitate to make such a drastic change to my car. If I wanted a Triumph
>> with more power than my Spitfire, I'd get a TR6 or GT6. Probably the TR
>> since I love top-down driving, but then again, a GT would be a cool
>> compliment to my Spit. Either way, I'd seek out a car that has the larger
>> engine rather than wedge one into my current ride.
>
>Why is it drastic? Is an engine really that much of the personality of a
>car? (Only to the driver, I'd say... and in that case, to each their own)
>
>> On the other hand, a conversion like sticking a Chevy V8 in a TR6 seems
>> strange to me. I respect the amount of work and effort that goes into
such
>> a conversion, and it is impressive to see the final product, but I wonder
>> why the builder didn't start with an American car in the first place to
>> build his hot rod. That way, the final product retains a certain amount
of
>> the character of the original car.
>
>My favorite conversions are the ones whereby you can't tell it's been
>done. No loss, unless you really like gawking at what's under a car hood.
>
>-Malcolm
>* There is a FAQ for this list! Its temporary home is:
>http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/walker/triumph/trfaq.htm
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