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Wedge Rover 3.9 in a Tr7

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Look, This could spiral a bit and I really do not want it to do that. My comment was one that came about after reading this stuff and driving out to looking at a TR8 that was for sale for another person.

I drove my 8 130 miles Friday night...My wife and I had a blast...we went out for dinner....it was running as designed lights, heater, etc... and I am darn proud about having a 30 year old car doing what it should and knowing I have maintained it to do so.

Let me be VERY clear. I do not dislike the TR7. Me and my TR7 made three trips from Milwaukee to LA. Properly driven and maintained they are fine cars.

What I dislike is the people that seem propelled to install (insert engine here) into a TR7 and declare it is better, faster, more reliable than a TR8. As an owner of an original TR8 with 180,000+ miles I find that insulting. If some of you find my comments frustrating...well....OK then. But I like originality.

Can you imagine pulling a TR6 with a corvette engine across the auction block at Barret Jackson? hahahhah The owner loves it..fine, but is not a British heritage car nor a car that has any collectibiity. I bet an original TR8 would turn a few head in Scottsdale.

On to other things....I am an easy read so let move on.,...

Maybe I'll pull the engine out of my 355 and stuff it in the TR8 :wink:
 
Gee and all I want to know was what was involved and if it was going to be worth it or not. Getting a little spirited out there over this.
I've driven a few Tr7s and they are not the most performance oriented cars. I just purchased my first TR7 last Saturday but have never driven it yet and I have some questions on the reliability of the engine in the one I just bought. I've driven 2 TR8s and prefer the extra power they provide and was simultaneously looking for a TR8 while looking at 7s. Lot of junk out there and the 8 owners are overly proud of them. I've driven 4+ hours to look at 8s but never for a 7.

Now no one should ever be offended of what someone else does with their car. We all see something different when we look at a vehicle. The Lord has given all of us different talents and desires and if we all liked one particular model and only did what is original it would be offal boring out there.
 
I went to the junk yard today to scrap a rusted out TR7 shell and some water heaters. While I was there, a 97 Range Rover was drove in. The owner was selling it for scrap. The back was loaded with extra misc scrap. After the owner walked away with a handful of cash, I approached the junk yard owner and bought the complete 4.0 engine and all of the ancillaries for $350. Like I said before, the engines are easy to find. This one is destined for a TR7 red convertible I have here with a blown 4cyl engine. Ought to make a nice Father's day gift next year for my dad. This is the first time I ever bought a running Rover V8 that didn't need an immediate rebuild, and this baby purred.
 
TR3ATR250 said:
Now no one should ever be offended of what someone else does with their car. We all see something different when we look at a vehicle. The Lord has given all of us different talents and desires and if we all liked one particular model and only did what is original it would be offal boring out there.
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+1

I too feel the reply was somewhat overzealous. You got unfairly flamed for your post. Don't understand the vitriol, one quick look at the VIN plate tells you all you need to know about the car. Same with 914-6's and the like. Not a big fan of the overly modified TR myself but it's your money to do with as you please. If you want to put a JATO rocket in your TR7, have fun. There are other engine swaps that might be easier to pull off than the Rover swap unless you have a wrecked TR8 to source the parts. Seems like Rimmers or someone sells/used to sell a TR7 v8 kit. I always wondered how a turbo SAAB would do in a TR7 but never enough to try it.
 
cheseroo said:
...There are other engine swaps that might be easier to pull off than the Rover swap unless you have a wrecked TR8 to source the parts. ...
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Exactly were mine came from.
Only thing on the car that was not an 8 was the reg #
 
As a 7 owner,Lets face it...we want an 8. I don't blame anyone for being angry if people try and pass off a v8 powered 7 as a real 8. In other circles they are called "tribute" cars and should be shown and sold as such. Hey Todd, did you ever pickup that 8 from
Steve in New Paltz?
 
No I didn't buy it. I thought long and hard about it thou. Came down to a matter of time, money, and available space, not to mention the somewhat questionable lineage of the car. That being said, after I got home from the junkyard today, someone I never met before pulled into my driveway. Glancing over at a couple of wedges in the driveway he asked me if I wanted another one of those POS cars. I just bought a TR7 spider for it's scrap value. Now I just need to figure out where to hide this one from my wife. I promised her I would cull the fleet before winter sets in. Last year winter hit early and hard and life was difficult with three extra cars and a trailer in the driveway.
 
That car looked alot better in the pictures than in person..But it was a real rustfree car..I'm using those 10'x20' "garage tents" in the back yard. Less grass to mow.
 
I was using one of those, George, for the last 4 years, but this last year with the record snow we had, i was out of town for one of the storms, and it collapsed... =( I still haven't got the half collapsed remains out of my back yard, i"m trying to decide if i weld up a new frame from steel i've got laying around, or if i scrap it and get a new one.

That said, i no longer own a wedge. I sold my TR7 this last week to a fellow from Albany. He was specifically looking for a 1977 year TR7 in fantastic condition, and my car fit the bill. I'm going to put the money, and extra garage space, into finishing the TR6. My goal is to be ready for paint by spring. My mechanical work is done, now it's down to stripping paint, undercoating and rust, and replacing rotted out metal on the body tub and fenders
 
Todd, once again, it's all about timing. Being in the right place at the right time.
 
Cheseroo has the same idea as my Triumph mechanic did that is putting a Saab turbo in the car. Might be the thing to do. I was thinking of a Dolomite head and timing gears myself. Just don't know where to find them. That for sure would be a easier fix and more economical too. Got a friend that has the set up and gets terrific MPG. Especially if I plan to use it for work next summer. I average 130 + miles a day and the savings would come in handy verses a V8.
 
I think the Dolly conversion would be very interesting but very expensive as most everything would probably need to be sourced from over the pond.

I think you might wish to talk to these boys

Rimmers sells one too

More info

I did a little poking around and it seems that while the 7 and saab 99/900 motor share a heritage, they don't share the trans bolt pattern which kind of takes the fun out of that swap. If you can't use the trans, then that would open the field wide open for other drivetrains.
 
For sure I'm going to see how this car drives. I saw a note from the owner to the engine builder in all the paper work I got thanking him for taking car of the lack of power especially on the top end. The engine was rebuilt 30k ago. If this performs adequately I may not have to do anything and that would be nice. However I would like to keep the PI in tack to keep it original even if I go the Dolomite head. One guy in the North Coast Triumph club has a Dolomite head on his TR7 and loves it. I'll have to get with him to see how he sourced his. Not so sure you need all that stuff on the Revington's site to make the switch. Seems our conversations about the issue he used less parts.
 
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