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Spitfire spitsix
- Thread starter BillyB
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trrdster2000
Luke Skywalker
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BillyB, you can find the Spitsix conversions on Ebay and I think I saw one in own classified, but if you find one that has the TR6 engine and tranny look out for the frame work on the drivers side by the clutch slave, if they cut it go look somewhere else. The best ones will be a GT6 that has the Spit body, a better brakeing setup and heavy rear axles, unless it's a late '73. Not a bad idea to add the GT6 doors and have the windows cut down at the back so you have some side vents. Wyane
Hey Billy.. I'd start with Spitfire and GT6 Magazine's web site. They have a classified section, and engine conversion links.
Your location is gonna be a big issue. I doubt if there is one in Puerto Rico, and I don't have any idea how expensive it will be to import one.
Good luck with your project, a Spitfire with a lot more power is a dream of mine, as well.
Take care Bob
Your location is gonna be a big issue. I doubt if there is one in Puerto Rico, and I don't have any idea how expensive it will be to import one.
Good luck with your project, a Spitfire with a lot more power is a dream of mine, as well.
Take care Bob
Saw the one on e-bay, do not know if it is a gt-6 with a spit body or a spit with a gt-6 engine, I think the later. Thanks for the reply. The other thing is that I have someone to sell me a 71 1500 for about 5000...want to get more horse out of it, or is it better to go with the spitsix configuration?
Alan_Myers
Luke Skywalker
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Hi again Billy,
You might look for a copy of Kas Kastner's Competition Prep Manuals for Triumph. (Can be bought online at www.kaskastner.com)
Kas was Triumph's USA Competition Manager for roughly 10 years until 1972, working not only with factory cars but also helping support the many private independents who raced Triumph. He went on to help Nissan enter (and win at)GP racing, is closely associated with Group 44 which was an very successful independent Triumph racer (later Jaguar and Audi) and eventually establish Kastner-Brophy Racing. He's compiled and updated all the individual old Competition Prep manuals (which he wrote originally), filled them with even more ideas about getting lots of HP out of various Triumphs. A second book adds to this with more up-to-date information about what's available today and who has it, plus looks at folks like Greg Solow who have been building up TR engines for vintage racing and taking them to levels a production team manager could only dream of, visits the Carillo and JE Piston production facilities, details various successful race cars and improved street cars, and much more.
The 1275 Spitfire motor is probably a bit more popular with racers (Kas calls it his favorite of all the Triumph motors). Elsewhere someone recently mentioned problems with the later 1500 engine not being terribly durable. Kas offers some fixes for that, too. His testing showed the front main bearings don't get anywhere near adequate oil pressure at higher rpms, so he installed a simple external oil feed that solved the problem and makes the engine far more reliable.
A big difference between TR6 and Spit is that Spitfire tend to be run at significantly higher rpms to arrive at their peak performance, while the "big" TRs with either 4-cyl. or 6-cyl. offer more low-end torque. I haven't built up a Spit or Spit6 conversion, but know that the 6-cyl. conversion also needs a different hood (GT6) to make room for the motor.
GT6 are sort of a blend of the big and little Triumphs. It's got a 6 cyl. that's closely related to the TR6 (but not quite the same) and a body that was inspired by the fastback/hardtop LeMans Spitfires raced by the factory team in the 1960s. Weak points of the GT6 include the gearbox, which is not as durable and reliable as the larger one in TR6. Also, GT6 tend to be about the most under-carbureted of all Triumphs. For a good time, throw on a triple set of Weber DCOE. According to Kas, a "diesel engineer" seems to have designed the GT6 cylinder head, leaving some room for improvement.
There are lots of books out there that can give you heaps of ideas how to have fun with these cars. Roger Williams is a British author who has fairly recently written "How to Restore" books regarding TR2 & 3, TR 4/4A, TR5/250 & 6, and TR7/8. He's also written two books "How to Improve TR2, 3, 4 & 4A" and "How to Improve TR5/250 & 6". (I keep hoping he'll also publish Spitfire/GT6 volumes, and, hopefully, a
"How to Improve" TR7/8 book.) Williams' books are available on Amazon.com, eBay and elsewhere.
All in all, Triumphs and most LBCs rely more upon gearing and handling for performance, rather than on raw horsepower. Triumph are hard to improve upon, with repect to gear ratios and overall gearbox function. They had a nack for getting sports cars set up nicely. Plus, both models you are considering have other "sporty" features such as rack & pinion steering and front disk brakes.
Still, there's lots that can be done if you wish, in terms of tuning. For example, Williams' "How to Improve" books give some detail about dropping V8 engines into the bigger TRs!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
You might look for a copy of Kas Kastner's Competition Prep Manuals for Triumph. (Can be bought online at www.kaskastner.com)
Kas was Triumph's USA Competition Manager for roughly 10 years until 1972, working not only with factory cars but also helping support the many private independents who raced Triumph. He went on to help Nissan enter (and win at)GP racing, is closely associated with Group 44 which was an very successful independent Triumph racer (later Jaguar and Audi) and eventually establish Kastner-Brophy Racing. He's compiled and updated all the individual old Competition Prep manuals (which he wrote originally), filled them with even more ideas about getting lots of HP out of various Triumphs. A second book adds to this with more up-to-date information about what's available today and who has it, plus looks at folks like Greg Solow who have been building up TR engines for vintage racing and taking them to levels a production team manager could only dream of, visits the Carillo and JE Piston production facilities, details various successful race cars and improved street cars, and much more.
The 1275 Spitfire motor is probably a bit more popular with racers (Kas calls it his favorite of all the Triumph motors). Elsewhere someone recently mentioned problems with the later 1500 engine not being terribly durable. Kas offers some fixes for that, too. His testing showed the front main bearings don't get anywhere near adequate oil pressure at higher rpms, so he installed a simple external oil feed that solved the problem and makes the engine far more reliable.
A big difference between TR6 and Spit is that Spitfire tend to be run at significantly higher rpms to arrive at their peak performance, while the "big" TRs with either 4-cyl. or 6-cyl. offer more low-end torque. I haven't built up a Spit or Spit6 conversion, but know that the 6-cyl. conversion also needs a different hood (GT6) to make room for the motor.
GT6 are sort of a blend of the big and little Triumphs. It's got a 6 cyl. that's closely related to the TR6 (but not quite the same) and a body that was inspired by the fastback/hardtop LeMans Spitfires raced by the factory team in the 1960s. Weak points of the GT6 include the gearbox, which is not as durable and reliable as the larger one in TR6. Also, GT6 tend to be about the most under-carbureted of all Triumphs. For a good time, throw on a triple set of Weber DCOE. According to Kas, a "diesel engineer" seems to have designed the GT6 cylinder head, leaving some room for improvement.
There are lots of books out there that can give you heaps of ideas how to have fun with these cars. Roger Williams is a British author who has fairly recently written "How to Restore" books regarding TR2 & 3, TR 4/4A, TR5/250 & 6, and TR7/8. He's also written two books "How to Improve TR2, 3, 4 & 4A" and "How to Improve TR5/250 & 6". (I keep hoping he'll also publish Spitfire/GT6 volumes, and, hopefully, a
"How to Improve" TR7/8 book.) Williams' books are available on Amazon.com, eBay and elsewhere.
All in all, Triumphs and most LBCs rely more upon gearing and handling for performance, rather than on raw horsepower. Triumph are hard to improve upon, with repect to gear ratios and overall gearbox function. They had a nack for getting sports cars set up nicely. Plus, both models you are considering have other "sporty" features such as rack & pinion steering and front disk brakes.
Still, there's lots that can be done if you wish, in terms of tuning. For example, Williams' "How to Improve" books give some detail about dropping V8 engines into the bigger TRs!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif