On Tue, 9 Feb 1999, Gambony, Jim wrote:
> You'd have a lot of pain trying to use the '69 frame under a '77 body...
> What you're looking at is trying to use a Spitfire Mk III frame under a Mk
> IV body... and there were major changes to the front bonnet mounting/valence
> setup between the III and the IV. Not impossible to adapt... just wonder if
> it's worth the pain?
Shouldn't be all that bad. The basic front crossmember itself is pretty
much the same throughout all the Spitfires and GT6s, differing primarily
in the presence or absence of various punched, slotted and/or threaded
orifices for bits and pieces. The bonnet hinge pivot mounts changed
signifcantly from Mk.2-Mk.3 and again for the Mk.IV, but it shouldn't be
very difficult to grind off the "old" and weld on the "new".
> If the '69 has the rotoflex it'd be possible to graft it onto the '77 frame.
True, but that seems to me to be much more involved than the relatively
simple and more accessible grinding/welding at the front of the chassis.
> If the '69 is swing axle... it's a bolt up process (but I'd keep the '77
> swing spring and longer axles). The only hitch might be matching axle
> ends.. since the universals are the same you can "customize" your later
> axles with small flange ends.
AFAIK, the swing axles -- with or without swing-spring -- should bolt up
to a GT6 frame without difficulty. The reverse (Roto-flex adapted to
Spitfire frame) would take some welding. And don't forget that the
Roto-flex suspension requires the more "inboard" reinforcements on the
body tub for the radius arms.
As for axle flanges, I'm pretty sure the Mk.IV and later Spitfires used
the larger flanges, so a '77 Spitfire's swing axles should bolt right up
to the GT6's differential output flanges.
> I've got both a '69 GT6 (with swing axles) and a few "wink" Mk IV/1500 Spits
> around the yard... so I think I'm on firm ground here. (unlike my yard...
> who said Texas was hot and dry? :(
Like Jim, I also have many such bits lying in, around and about. :-) But
it sure ain't hot and dry up here in New York! :-(
--Andy
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