To: Triumphs List, Inet
On Wed, Larry E. Snyder opined . . . . .
>From my past posts, I figured people would understand my
philosophy that when you replace the engine in a car with one
from another car, you now have something that's not EITHER car.
Part of what makes a Spit a Spit is the little 4-banger and the
sounds it makes. And while the looks of a car are an important
part of it, how it runs, the sounds it makes,\ how the gearbox
shifts, the sounds of the bearings, everything like that is just
as big a part. In other words, I really don't like the idea of
putting a Mazda engine in a Spitfire body.
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Here, Here! As to LBCs and other small sports cars I agree
totally. However, from a West Coast, Southern California Hot
Rodder perspective, swapping engines in various makes of old
American Iron is common and accepted practice. I think it all
depends upon what types of vehicles interest you. My neighbor
builds hot rods in his garage for fun (and occasional profit), and
he and his buddies would drop a Caddy V-8 into a Ford sedan in a
heartbeat. OTOH, one of his friends has a bugeye Sprite in which
he dropped a 289 Ford V-8, a Muncie 4 speed and a narrowed 9 inch
Ford rear end. It goes Gawdawful quick, but has absolutely NO LBC
value as far as I am concerned. It is really only good for the
dragstrip. If you want a reasonably quick, reliable, low
maintenance LBC-type vehicle - buy a Miata. Otherwise, accept
LBCs for what they are - terrific fun, occasionally frustrating,
and not something you see everyday on the highways. Cheers
Ross D. Vincenti
64 Spitfire 4 (undergoing surgery)
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