TVR 2500-3000 V8 conversion

[Deleted member 7499]

I had an opportunity to purchase a series 200 Griffith a long, long time ago..The itch for a series 200 is still there but also for something a little more comfortable to slip into..I have had this thought for quite sometime of converting a 2500 or 3000 to a small block american V-8..Are there any of you who have knowledge of these conversions besides Wirewheel?

Don

 

[mrtvr]

Yes, I used to have a 1978 Taimar which had been converted from the 3.0 litre V6 to the Ford 5.0 litre H.O. engine mated to a T-5 five speed transmission. It was a beautifully done conversion and the car, needless to say, had more than adequate power but was refined enough not to be too scary.

Marshall

 

[Deleted member 7499]

Marshall,

Was the chassis up to handle the torque? How was its handling?
What type of mods were done to the chassis? Do you know what the weight differential was before and after along with weight distribution?
Any problems with the car after the conversion? (cooling, handling, steering, etc..

Don

 

[mrtvr]

Don,
the handling was typically TVR (ie: like a go-kart). No chassis modifications were necessary. The rear diff is a Salisbury unit which is strong enough to handle the extra power. The car never ran above 90 degrees Celsius, even when I had the A/C blowing. The weight difference was only about 50 pounds between the two engines so it had little if any effect on the overall weight distribution and with the front-mid-engine design, it was still very well balanced.
Steering was fine, particularly if you have the proper sized tires on it.

Marshall