Hi folks,
I have a question about engine conversions: why do people do it? I am
curious as to why folks make changes to something as fundamental to a car's
character as its engine.
I am not a person who places a major priority on originality, but I would
hesitate to make such a drastic change to my car. If I wanted a Triumph
with more power than my Spitfire, I'd get a TR6 or GT6. Probably the TR
since I love top-down driving, but then again, a GT would be a cool
compliment to my Spit. Either way, I'd seek out a car that has the larger
engine rather than wedge one into my current ride.
I think a Spit-6 conversion is not a bad conversion, because for one thing,
the cars are very similar. Secondly, it keeps it "in the family." In other
words, it's a Triumph mill in a Triumph car. It makes sense.
On the other hand, a conversion like sticking a Chevy V8 in a TR6 seems
strange to me. I respect the amount of work and effort that goes into such
a conversion, and it is impressive to see the final product, but I wonder
why the builder didn't start with an American car in the first place to
build his hot rod. That way, the final product retains a certain amount of
the character of the original car.
Let me stress once again that I am not snobby keep-it-original kind of guy
(my Spitfire is far from stock and it's fine with me), so don't flame me if
you've got a killer Ford V8-powered Austin Mini. :)
I thought this would make a good discussion topic. What are your thoughts,
folks?
Eric.
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Eric A. Yates * eyates@earth.nwu.edu
1978 Spitfire 1500 * FM 71614 U
Chicago, IL USA
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