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Horsepower

BillyB

Freshman Member
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Two options

1. Buy a 72 1500 spitfire and try to get (squeek) out as much horsepower

2. Buy a converted spitfire ie. spitsix, or other ro-spit etc.

Do not know about how much it would cost. Any ideas or suggestions????

Billy
 
Or, find nice TR6 and live happily ever after..........
 
A 1500 tf engine is not a good choice. The lower end is weak.

We rebuilt ours last month. It is amazing how much damage there was for an adult driven car in 40,000 mile. This is apparently all too common.
 
Grassroots motorsports did a series of articles on building a ro-spit that came out great. mucho hp! I think you can search their site for info and backissues if interested.
 
I've seen a lot of configurations regarding toyota, GT-6, rotary...etc. Which of these are more practical???
Costly...etc.
 
Billy, I wasn't kidding. Till you get all of the mod parts and try to beef it up to what you want, you may end up spending more than a car that has it all in already. Just a thought....

Hey, I just noticed that you're a neighbor of Tinster. You guys should get together down there in the sun.
 
Brosky,

Thanks for the reply...I was kind of thinking about that too. There is one for sale here for about $8500 but I do not know the condition of it. Who is Tinster???
One more, how much horsepower does the TR-6 have verses the 54 Bhp in a Triumph spit?
 
Just about double with the stateside carb version, almost triple if you can get e PI model down there. Good luck!

Tinster is a great guy who lives there in PR. Check the member list here and you'll find him and his project TR6. Actually, I've unofficially named him Good Will Ambassador and Master TR6 Technician for PR.
 
[ QUOTE ]
There is one for sale here for about $8500 but I do not know the condition of it.

[/ QUOTE ]There is one WHAT for sale: TR or Spitfire? $8500 is pretty high for most any Spitfire, but possibly average for a TR6.
[ QUOTE ]
One more, how much horsepower does the TR-6 have verses the 54 Bhp in a Triumph spit?

[/ QUOTE ]The "average" US-spec TR6 had around 105 hp or so, but gobs of torque from the six.
 
He needs to get in touch with Tinster. That will change his mind!~
 
[ QUOTE ]
What is the PI model?

[/ QUOTE ]

PI is for "petrol injection" which is Brit-speak for "fuel injection". TR6 sold anywhere other than the U.S. were fuel injected, rather than carbureted. Only U.S. specification TR6 were carbs-only.

PI is worth an extra 50 or so HP (Actually sorta like tacking that Spitfire motor on top of the TR6 US-specification motor, I suppose).

Depending upon where it came from originally, I think the person responding earlier was hoping you could find a PI version there.

The vast majority of TR6 were sent to the U.S., so PI versions are rare. Plus any kept in England or destined for certain other U.K. countries would be right hand drive.

A left hand drive PI TR6 would be a very fun car to get!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Alan,

You have been extremely helpful for both Spitsix and horsepower discussions. What about "chopping" the top of the GT-6, any problems (structurally). Also, can you convert a U.S spec. TR-6 to have PI?? Would it be worth it. I've seen people dropping a V-8 in them, however I would be worried about the weight configuration. I have e-mailed Tinster, and hope to speak with him shortly regarding owning, operating a Triumph here in Puerto Rico.
Thank You very much,

Billy
 
One could "chop the top" of a GT6, but it's probably much, much easier to find a Spitfire body tub and make the very minor modifications, then drop it onto the GT6 chassis.

And yes, you can convert a US-spec TR6 to PI. Among other things, you'll need the proper camshaft (not too difficult to obtain) and the entire PI setup (quite difficult to obtain outside the UK).

As for V-8 engine swaps in a TR, the typical V-8 is likely lighter than the original inline six!
 
[ QUOTE ]
As for V-8 engine swaps in a TR, the typical V-8 is likely lighter than the original inline six!

[/ QUOTE ]

A Ford 302 with aluminum heads weighs 35 pounds less than the stock GT6/TR6 engine!
 
Hi again,

Personally, I'd think twice about chopping the top off a GT6. Spitfires are far more commonly available and generally less expensive. GT6 were never produced in as large numbers and are increasingly rare, or at least more uncommon, so would be more likely to appreciate in value faster in the future.

Just my opinion, but I think a better approach would be to upgrade a Spitfire body and chassis as needed. Much easier and less costly, besides helping preserve one more of the dwindling number of remaining GT6s out there.

Finally, as fun as a convertible can be to drive, the integral hardtop of the GT6 makes for a lot more rigidity that would sort of a shame to cut away. An alternative and possibly the best way to get a Spit to have similar body/frame/handling characteristics would be to install a full roll cage in the car.

As Andy said, yes a U.S.-spec/carb TR6 could be converted to PI. However, in addition to the changes Andy noted, also the head itself would need to be replaced with the P.I. version, and the entire fuel system from tank to the P.I would need to be changed in various ways. So, I don't think I'd take that path, personally.

For one, there has been a lot of development since that 25 year old Lucas P.I. system was originally installed on these cars. Even if a complete original kit could be found, modern stuff would likely be more reliable and almost certainly would be more serviceable.

There are complete, high quality aftermarket fuel injection kits available. These can include full engine management and matching electronic ignition conversions, if you wish. www.revingtontr.com sells both Luminition and Webcon kits, already sorted out for use in TRs and in several different levels (for example, with and without a dizzy, or as separate FI and ignition kits so you can do a conversion a step at a time).

I understand the Webcon kit is a little more sophisticated, but requires specialty equipment to modify the ECU mapping that pretty much means taking it to a fully equipped Weber dealer. The Luminition system can be re-mapped with a laptop computer (and the right connectors and software).

Be sitting down when you look at the prices for these aftermarket EFI conversion kits! I'm saving up my spare change for a Webcon system, then for a TR250/TR6/GT6 on which to install it!

However, to be fair, I think the cost would be close to the same trying to convert to an original P.I. system. There are cheaper EFI conversion kits out there, but I figure you generally get what you pay for, and really don't know much about them.

Another alternative that's possibly cheaper is to convert with a used system yanked out of another car, such as a Bosch EFI. Here it would be useful to be very knowledgeable about these systems, or to have a very good friend who is and will work for ale and pizza. Roger Williams does a pretty good job looking at the various possible donor systems, which might be best to use and how to make the swap, in his "Improving Triumph TR 5/250 and 6" book. There are a lot of possible pitfalls with a used system, so I'd think carefully about this.

A new cam and possibly a change in compression would be needed to really take full advantage of an EFI conversion.

Have you looked at this other thread on BCF right now, Easier to Work On: TR6 or Spit?? It also makes a lot of comparisons between the models, perhaps some things we haven't thought of in this thread.

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Or, slip a Honda Vtec 4-banger in there. This little puppy screams! (VTR regionals in Irving, TX)



Bill
 

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To all contributing to this forum I want to thank you. What I enjoy about my old spit was the handling, but hated the lack of power. Does the TR-6 handle even better? I do not wish to drag race but I want the thing to really move. I am not looking for original...in fact the opposite, i would rather take a stock car and rip it apart to get what I want out of it. I live in puerto rico where parts are not as readily available. I have heard spits do not like to be "tweeked" and when you do, they have a short life span. The jump from 54 bhp standard US spit to 150 and the TR-6 104 to 150bhp is very different. However, not sure about the handling????? The cost, availablility of parts? I'm sure a right handed TR-6 PI would be a dream come true in the US...but is it a reality? Not really, from what I gather. It seems as though people "tweek" their spits until they are no longer spits...I like the handling and the look of the spit but hate the power. WHAT TO DO?
 
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