Triumph Sports Cars

Bought a 71 spitfire for my wife over the summer and thought I was going to do a 4.3 chevy swap. Already had the motor and tore it down before I seen a full rebuild was in order. Now I am looking at something different. After looking at some posts and pictures I think I am leaning on a Toyota 4age would not be bad. I did notice a lack of 22R-E swaps and did not know if there was any reason for too many people not using them or if the effort just wasn't worth the final product.
Anyway, this site looks great and hopefully I will end up with a fun little car for her to enjoy in the summer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2009 10:53PM by OKken.

Hi Kenneth, been there done that. I started with a 215 aluminum Oldsmobile core but it needed everything. I ended up with a running 2.3 liter Turbo Ford from an 86 XR4ti for $300. It worked out just fine.

Good luck on your project

Cheers,
Max Brewster

Max,
your build looks great. I have an option for the 2.3, ironically from a XR4ti as well. I can pick up the engine, transmission, all wiring, computer and complete rear end for $800. My wife is adamant about not wanting a hood scoop or bulge so I am not sure what I am going to do. The car is stripped now of everything except taking the steering column out and unbolting the tub from the frame. I am looking to fix some rust in the floors soon and will most likely go ahead and take the tub off of the frame during the process as I will be replacing the rear suspension with something else. I am most likely going to just use a shortened 8.8 from an explorer and use the straight axle with a 4 link as we do not plan on using the vehicle for anything other then cruising. Still not decided on an the engine yet but need to figure out something soon.

Kenneth, the 2.3 is just to tall to fit under the Spitfire bonnet as you know. I tried to minimize the effect by using a section from a GT6 bonnet and I still had to raise it up another inch. So a v6 may be a better choice. You have a lot of work ahead of you. But it will be worth it every time you get behind the wheel. The shock value is worth it as well. Every time you go to a cruise night or car show you will get a lot of attention. Its a lot of fun!!

Cheers
Max

Thanks, the sad fact is I doubt I will ever be able to drive the vehicle as I am 6 foot 5 inches tall and unless I mount the seats further back and put in a tilt column my legs ride along the steering wheel making it unsafe... It is something for my wife to curb her desire for an original Austin Mini.
The more I am looking it seems as it will be easier to find a 60 degree V6. I like the idea of the 4AGE Toyota but they seem hard to find in my area and I do not want to ship one across the country. With that said I will be hunting down a a donor car sometime at the end of this month or the beginning of next month.