I would agree that the 3 main is a fine engine. The down sides I see
are A) that some parts are more expensive (price the water pump), B)
that the 3 main probably will require more frequent rebuilds if you
drive it a lot (have seen 70,000 mi vs. 100,000 mi), and C) that they
are older, and taken together with point B), the core engine might
not as likely be "rebuildable" if you need to do that "down the
road." I've seen a lot of unrebuildable 5-main blocks, but they are
easier to replace, since there were so many made.
Also, the 3 main 3 synchro trannys are not easily "interchangeable"
with the 5 main ones because of the size of the pilot bushing/input
shaft. Still, I love the period quality of the 3 main, and that
Jaeger mechanical tach!
Chris Attias
'64 MGB
'84 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
|