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Spitfire 3.5 project

To: res0s0t7@verizon.net
Subject: Spitfire 3.5 project
From: "steve bridge" <slbridge@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 14:41:03 +0000
>From: "Gary Fluke" <res0s0t7@verizon.net>
>To: "steve bridge" <slbridge@hotmail.com>

>Steve,
>
>Is that a Rover V-8 engined Spitfire?

Hi Gary,
   Yes,  yes it is. ( picture me grinning like a little kid )  I tried web 
pics to put the Spit and my art on the net, but I can't figure it out.  If 
anyone has a clue about such things and would like to get some TR artwork as 
a reward... school me!

    I have found that many of the parts fall together.  The 3.5 fits in the 
frame and uprights over the steering rack with one, albeit large, notch in 
the frame. For the slave cylinder.  I used the SD1 motor mounts cut off 
parallel with the block and used the scrap to fashion it to bolt to the 
spitfire mounting points.  In the rear, I used a TR8 single bolt type mount. 
   The Rover driveshaft was cut down to 32 inches and it has the same bolt 
pattern as a TR6, which is what the diff is from and the source of my 
present problem to solve.  The carriers had signs of rust so I will be 
ordering a pair of those today.  I now find out, after having splines 
machined into the TR6 stub axle and and fitted to a GT6+ rear carrier ( 
upright? ) that a CV jointed axle for a DB Swift  will bolt to a Roto-flex 
stub axle. We'll see how long the u-joints last and I may have to go with a 
CV yet.  My primary focus is building this on a very tight budget as all the 
money I have, has to go into my art with little bits building this car.  ( 
My therapy ) This low buck racer is what Grassroots Motorsports attempted to 
do, but from their first trip to the machine shop it became a defense 
contractor looking project with hardly a TR part left on the car. Don't get 
me wrong,  I have gotten a few great ideas from them.  If I had a $30K 
budget though, I would just buy a Griffith or a Morgan Plus 8.  I will come 
in at a fraction of that and honestly believe it will run with either of 
those two cars.  WE won't count man-hours in the costs...
    It looks as though I will have to cut a hole in the hood for the FI, but 
what is one to do?  The shifter sets a little far back for my tastes, but 
with the oil pump on the front side of the rack and the oil pan on the back, 
that's how it has to be.  I will be using the scoop from a 1967 big block 
Corvette.
  The exhaust consists of two Left manifolds as they hug the block.  They 
will be routed forward to just in front of the oil pan and then use a single 
exh. out the back to a MKII muffler for every day driving and a Caprice 
resonator for autocross. It will be 2 1/2 inch so I don't see much 
restriction from having just one pipe.  It will have just as much header 
wrap as I can fit in the space around the oil pan. I used it on the manifold 
and exhaust when I had the TR6 motor in my Spit and it made a noticable 
difference in heat reduction
    I sometimes stand in my garage looking at my project and think:  " I am 
so lucky I can do this, on a world scale I'm living a dream life"  On a US 
scale I live in a third world state, but I'm too dumb to mind.  Going to be 
over 40 degrees today!   I better get out there!   SD (South Dakota)  Steve

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