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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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Now that is an interesting car. And check out that white frame! Not so scary to crawl under this car.
 
I would love to do something like that to a TR6... maybe stick a little Ford 289 under the hood and mate it with a T-5 tranny, update the suspension and diff a little.

I really need a workshop... on second thought, maybe not. I'd be broke.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Not too crazy about the tail lights, but otherwise interesting...

[/ QUOTE ]Indeed!

I kinda like the (possibly?) '39 Ford taillights, "blue dots" and all, but I do wonder if they're all that useful.

Otherwise an interesting project with what might be a questionable paper trail, seeing as the Commission number (VIN) listed is more or less that of a TR4A IRS! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Shannon,
One of the guys on the forum is doing just that. Putting a BMW powerplant and tranny into his TR6 restoration. Dave!? maybe you should share your plans.
 
71,

I remember seeing a discussion about that. I would love to cram a M3 powerplant into a 6, but I think it would be a bit rich for my blood. However, I don't think that the diff/rear suspension is capable of handling a high horsepower application for an extended period of time. I think a BMW setup would do fine here. But like I said before, you really need a nice shop to do some of these things...at a very minumum you would need to modify the frame and cut into the rear section of the tub to make things fit.

To this end... I'm always looking for a salvageable TR6 frame and body to do this too. I'd like to try to make it into a nice weekend racer. Full roll cage, no interior... the works.
 
Thanks for calling me out. I'm not one to post quite yet until the project sees the light of day. But, the BMW M3/S50 engine and tranny fits beautifully with no sheetmetal modifications. Lots of frame bracing combined with Richard Good's kit to transplant a Q45 LSD diff into the rear. Have not yet decided on axle shafts. Look for updates and pics this spring if all goes as planned.

Dave DeWalt
 

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Hey Dave,

How are you hooking up all the BMW electronics? The M3 motor is a great mill and one thing I like over a Ford 289 is that it does at least sound similar to the old 2.5l six.
 
I think the Moss Europe rear shaft is a Cosworth? Anyway, I've found that my research often intersects the Nissan/Datsun enthusiast group with their brake upgrades, rear diff changeovers and halfshaft replacements.
 
Shannon,

I've checked into those driveshafts but the rumor is Moss purchased a surplus of them from a manufacturer and when they are gone, they are gone. They have no idea about the serviceability of the cv joints nor do they have any real-world high hp application data. A lot of money for something not really proven yet. I'm still leaning the direction of the Corvair/Aluminum hub conversion.

The BMW electronics are a snap. You have to stay with an engine with OBD1 software/accessories as BMW ramped up their EWS in 1996 to make it virtually impossible to use their engines outside of their cars. Granted, some of these OBDII engines can be converted back to OBD1 but it takes a substantial investment. BMW made the S50 engine for the 1995 only M3. This was not the powerhouse available in Europe, rather a stroked 325 engine that could put out 240hp. Now, strip the cats and play with the chip, you can net a lot more without substantially degrading the reliability. BMW uses one box / harness / computer that has all necessary outputs including a wire for the fuel pump. The most difficult part is dealing with the 6 individual coils to get a good signal to a tachometer. Autometer makes an adaptor for this but you have to hook it into the main power lead to the coils before they split off. The speedo is a problem as well and I will be taking an impulse signal from the Q45 diff ABS sensor to calibrate to it. All other engine data is electric as well so conversion or replacement of the instruments is mandatory.

I'm still at the point of crossing my fingers but the reality is setting in that this dang Frankenstein is actually going to work.

Dave
 
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