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Who builds high-po sptifire motors?

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B

bones

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Are there any companies that build high output crate motors for the 1500 spitfire? I searched and haven't found any. I talked to a few local places that specialize in old imports and they have no ideas either....

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
go to Kas Kasners site, join, and ask him. call BFE and Greg Solow. these people should be able to point you in the right direction.
rob
 
What kind of bad stories have you heard from Paeco?
 
I'm interested too about those bad stories. People have said that before but I've never heard bad except for some person who said that they didn't have an engine hoist to load his truck. There was also rumors about outsourcing but every business outsources something... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
CHUCK GEE is THE spitfire racer. if Kas can give you a number, he'd be the one to talk to. i doubt if he builds engines for others but he could probably point you to someone that does.
rob
 
I personally would stay away from PRIrace, I am trying to get my money back on some carbs he promised that would work just fine on my TR6, he got my money and 2 months later I got the carbs that didnt work and very little support, If you talk to him ask him about his RETURN or warranty policy, amd make sure you dont pay in advance. Just my opinion
 
If you don't mind paying the shipping from overseas, Rimmer Brothers has an excellent reputation. Here's a link:

https://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/rimmer/triumph/spitfire/engine#Full Engine

But I have to agree with others....these engines are so simple, it's easy to have the parts machined locally and assemble everything yourself.
 
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Bones, we've got a local machine shop that is familiar with the 1500's. PM me if you're interested. He's in Wixom.
Jeff

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hmmm, I'm very interested. I need to learn more about these motors I suppose. Can I just get a mild bore and put in 9:1 pistons, or would the heads/valves also need to be worked on for the higher CR?

Basically my plan for now is to just do bolt ons- weber carb intake, ign, headers, etc, and if I have money at the end, I'll do some engine work.
 
Bones, I'm sure if you check all the links of all the vendors listed on the VTR website you'll find somebody who will sell you a complete motor, for a price. Check references. TRF lists short blocks for TR's, they used to list Spit 1500's once upon a time. I'm sure they could do one for ya'.
As to the motor itself, it's like mapquest. Where are you starting from, and where do you want to go? Is it a MKII or III you wanna keep original, or is it a really late spit and you live in CA and you need to keep emissions friendly? Or do you just wanna TRY to keep up with your girlfriend's '89 Honda Civic Si?
Here's how I did it many moons ago (1990). Get a local phone book and find a few machine shops. Go to the one that has lots pictures of local racers smiling with trophies. Ask them politely if they would/could do the job. Tell them what you want. If they haven't done a Triumph engine lately, it might be a good idea if you researched and acquired the parts yourself and brought them to them.
Here's another thing. Don't expect miracles from a 1500 spit motor. It's 2/3 of a TR6 motor. If you get 85-90 streetable HP out of it you're doing amazingly well. The kid next door who just bought a little Scion Xa got 104 hp.
Your Spit will be slower than almost any decent new car sold. All the bolt-ons in the world won't change that. (Unless you bolt-on a 4 valve head with variable valve timing.) So don't go crazy trying to find/build a high-po spitfire motor.
Start with a good 1500 block and the Kastner Comp Prep manual. Use the 9:1 pistons. There are lots of options for carburetion. I used a Spitfire MKIII dual SU set up. Looks really cool and works pretty well. Resist the urge to spend megabucks on a dual Weber setup. A single Weber kit might be nice, but be prepared to spend a significant amount of time to learn to how set it up. Resist the urge to spend mega bucks on a radical cam. Tubular headers (and loud, say Monza exhausts) are a judgment call. I don't know what's available right now. They are a pain in the rear (and the ear) for what, 5 HP? If you're capable, pull the head, get a grinder and follow Kastner's recommendations for the exhaust ports. Leave the intakes alone. Then have the machine shop do the head.
If it's all put together with great diligence and care, you'll have a great car that's fun to drive and just as reliable (well, the motor, anyway) as anything else.
In the end, (after I started thinking about putting a TR6 motor in my Spitfire to go faster) I sold all my Spitfire stuff and bought a TR.
I would say there’s my 2 cents, but that was a nickel’s worth. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
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