<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Sherlock (myself) said: The concept of re-engining classics is always controversial. Yet if you look at many British and European cars of the 1950’s, the original engine is small and too underpowered for modern traffic (if you want to actually drive it much)
A friend of mine, who is a true blue British car enthusiast and owner, feels that putting a newer engine in a classic isn’t wrong if… it doesn’t significantly alter the bodywork. He has put a Datsun 510 engine in a Morris Minor and tells me that it makes it much more driveable and enjoyable on the road, and it drops in fine without altering the body. He has several 1950’s British sedans, all with the original engines, and reckons that by dropping in something as simple as a Chev Chevette engine it makes a big difference. The Chevette engine isn’t very powerful, but is geared for modern traffic flow as compared to a 1950’s British sedan. And he thinks that doing this may ultimately save cars like Austin Devons, Hillman Minx’s, Morris Oxford’s, etc…<hr></blockquote>
The following was written by a guy I know, from Michigan, related to the above topic:
"I realize that I'm about to raise cries of heresy, but since I drive my [1958] Morris Oxford Traveller a lot, I have chosen to install an early MGB engine, trans, and diff. How many times have you heard "it's easy, it bolts right in"? I suppose that it is easy compared to say, replacing the roof or a section of the frame, but there were tons of details that needed attention. One of which was changing from the column shift linkage to a floor shift. This was easy enough, but the shift lever from the MGB is so short that changing gears is about like scratching your ankle for convenience. I am speculating the floor shift lever from a Farina bodied Austin, Morris, etc. should fit this transmission. If anyone knows otherwise, or can provide one of these levers, I would be happy to buy it.
Oh, and as far as being a heretic, all modifications were done by modifying the components, not the car, and the original parts were preserved, so that this could all be reversed."