I found this on Hemmings.com. Don't know if its the GRM car. But if you
don't feel like building it, you can buy one....
1979 Triumph Spitfire, 180 hp rotary, ported headers, Mikuni, Mags, roll
bar, Konis, carbon Kevlar brakes, show winner, very quick, very reliable, no
regrets, $10,900. Dave Swanson, 281-334-3232 home, 713-608-1008 pager, TX.
There is a picture, but I could not link to it. If you want to see it, heres
the order or find it yourself, just trying to help!):
www.hemmings.com
-classified Ads
-Collector cars
-collector cars For Sale, click GO
-check mark Triumph, click Continue
-click Limit my search to certain models,
-click Spitfire and then Page down and click Go Search.
The 78 above it with hardtop and engine with overdrive for $600.00 also
looks intriguing, but TX is a long way away from B.C. (Canada)
NFI
Nick Moseley
-----Original Message-----
From: D.T.Gebhard [mailto:kimkell@decaturnet.com]
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 5:41 PM
To: Jjcousins@ra.rockwell.com; Spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Engine Conversion
Grassroots Motor Sports just recently did a story on
putting a Mazda Rotary Engine in a Spitfire...Called it
a RoSpit.
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: <Jjcousins@ra.rockwell.com>
To: <Spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 9:14 AM
Subject: Engine Conversion
I have been off the list for a while now and I am not
sure if this thread
has been brought up recently (in the last few months)
or not. I apologize,
in advance, if it has.
I am considering an engine swap! Yes, I have some
money and I am thinking
about what can be done to make this car (1977 Spit no
O/D) MORE of a really
nice daily driver. I am looking for (in the order of
importance)
1) reliability
2) ability to cruise at 70 mph on the highway
3) ability to out-accelerate a Geo Metro
So, it seems to me there are 2 (among lesser)
possiblilities:
1) Keep 1500 engine (currently WITHOUT O/D) and
purchase OD (with newer
gearbox and driveshaft), Rebuild engine, Change thrust
washers, Replace
single Zenith (running too rich without any more
adjustment left) with
either Weber or Dual-SUs, regrind cam, mill head...etc
for (I think) about
$1500-$2000. Aaaahhh!
With this posssibility I still have pesky vapor lock
problem to sort out
(possibly replace fuel pump and insulate header pipes
with header wrap),
and "questionable" reliability. I MAY be able to
out-accelerate a Geo
Metro.
2) Swap the engine with a 5-10 year old foreign
(Japanese) pickup truck
or rear-wheel drive engine (100-120 hp maybe).
With this possibility I have "theoretically" MUCH lower
maintenance
concerns, major power, and cruising ability. I
DEFINITELY will
out-accelerate a Geo Metro (and probably many others).
I realize I have
all the I/O to worry about such as: Engine
mounting/clearance, Fuel
delivery, Exhaust interfacing, Cooling/Radiator
sizing/upgrading,
interfacing the accelerator and clutch cables,
interfacing drive shaft,
speedometer interfacing. But none of those sound
insurmountable
considering all the benefits I would get. Plus, if the
engine/transmission
costs are about $500-700 from a salvage yard,
everything else is minimal.
I might have to do this jsut for the cost
rationalization!
I know this is the Spitfire list which includes
purists, and no-one wants
to see a Spitfire bastardized...BUT I will not destroy
the engine and can
put it back in it if I ever want to. Everything I
would be doing I would
HOPE could be reversed. After all, all this is because
I WANT TO KEEP IT
ON THE ROAD, not in my garage.
So...PLEASE open minded people, what do you think?
Would I be making my
life HELL with an engine swap (meaning: after it's 80%
done I run into
show stoppers), or will it be the best thing I could
ever do under the
circumstances?
Thanks in advance,
John Cousins
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