1965 Triumph Spitfire

[Pullstart 71,069]

6 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

@Pullstart you might want to look into Trimuph GT 6 drivetrains to see if they are the same as Spitfires differential and transmission wise.  The GT 6 were a straight six powered coupe version of the Spitfire.  That six was longer than the four, so you might get some ideas of what the factory did to cram it in under the hood.  If there is enough width, I'd think that the V6 would be a better fit.

 

My impression of the drivetrain in the Spitfire I had can be summed up as being 'dainty'.  The tranny and diff would work behind your V6 - for a while.  If you kept the stock sized tyres, they would act as a fuse to protect the drive train.  Might want to check the final drive ratio to see if it would play well with the V6 as well. 

I have heard of conflicting ideas of an ideal rear suspension.  If it blows up, we’ll look at the idea of a narrowed solid rear axle.  No worries.

 

3 hours ago, 953 nut said:

The roof on the coupe probably reduced  the strain on the frame.

You probably will need to box the frame or add some plates to it when adding power to a convertible.

 

I have seen lots of v8s in these cars, online.  That’s like gospel!  Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!  

[Pullstart 71,069]

8 hours ago, lynnmor said:

exhaust manifolds came from a Tahoe

Crazy as it sounds, I’m pretty set on custom headers, and a 6 into 1 collector, and make it sound more European.  It’s a challenge, I guess.

[953 nut 68,419]

9 hours ago, Pullstart said:

6 into 1 collector, and make it sound more European.    like a sleeper.

 

[Pullstart 71,069]

I don’t have much to say about this post… 

 

 

[Handy Don 17,292]

1 hour ago, Pullstart said:

don’t have much to say about this post

🫢

[Pullstart 71,069]

My customer on today’s paying job responded.  Time to move back up front.  This car and the barn, it’s like a mullet.   Business in the front, party in the back!

 

 

[Pullstart 71,069]

@Handy Don being the responsible party here, I did measure the coil height before pulling the engine, and can measure them again once the new drivetrain finds its way in.   That should tell me what I need to do to figure any suspension needs.

 

 

[Handy Don 17,292]

49 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

being the responsible party here

Never doubted that. I continue to stand in awe of your automotive machinery knowledge and skills. 

 

I asked out of curiosity. I got to drive a friend’s “larger" TR6 once and was amazed at how tiny and lightweight it was. If I recall, total weight capacity was around 500 lbs, which seemed a lot to me! Your Spitfire would be less and so the potential for 50 or 100 pounds of front-leaning extra weight could really affect a lot of engineering!

 

Embarrassingly, I was 6’3” and I actually needed help to get out of the car it was so constrained.  I ended up rolling out sideways onto my hands and then sliding my legs free. Being tall is not a universal blessing. 

[Wayne0 1,623]

35 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

 

Embarrassingly, I was 6’3” and I actually needed help to get out of the car it was so constrained.  I ended up rolling out sideways onto my hands and then sliding my legs free. Being tall is not a universal blessing. 

My buddy picked me up in an MG Midget he restored. I'm 5'10" 200LBS. I could have used a shoe horn getting in. Got out the same way as you!