Triumph Sports Cars

Hi,my name is Tanner
I found this great website searching the web for motor swaps in spitfires.I just had a 1967 spitfire MKIII given to me last week.
The car has been sitting in a guys backyard for god knows how long,it has no motor,trans., but its nice and straight,its basiclly a rolling shell.I still have to go pick it up some time this week maybe.I plan on swaping a modded 88 2.3L turbo thunderbird motor and T5 5speed trans. in to it.I will be using this car for autocross races,and track days at thunderhill in Willows,CA and some street driving.It will have all new adj. front suspenion and rear axle from maybe an RX7 I don't know just yet, with coilovers at every corner.I will be running 20X9X13 hoosier R35 slicks,or something close to that size.
I don't have any pics. yet but I will soon,I will start a build thread soon also.
This website will be very helpful in the next few months to come thanks to everyone here in advance.

Welcome Tanner,

It seems that we are in the same area as I go to Thunderhill in Willows.....(about an 1 1/2 hour drive for me), sometimes and watch the races there.

I would like someday to run my TR6 there when I'm finished with my build, just for fun.

Ya I go and watch all the time,I autocross my 02 red mustang GT in Anderson,CA all the time.I'm in the Trinity Touring Club.I live in Red Bluff about 45mins. north of thunderhill.
I would Like to do some track days in the mustang but its my only car to drive right now and I can't afford to wreck or break it just yet. Once I get this spitfire going it will be my new track car so I'll run it every chance I get.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2008 08:37AM by Jennings Racing.

Tanner, welcome aboard. If you have any questions let me know.

Cheers,
Max Brewster
1979 Spitfire 2.3 turbo Ford

Thanks Max
I have read through both of your guy's build ups they are great.Lots of go stuff
What kind of power can I expect out of my motor,Its all stock right now but it will have a adj. wastegate,BOV,FMIC,custom aluminum log style intake,Header,and so on.What do these cars weigh about 2000lbs.
Do you guys know of any one that make fiberglass front ends or any other parts for these cars.Thanks

Tanner, mine was out of an 86 Merkur xr4ti 5 speed. I upgraded to the 87 5 speed T-bird VAM and computer, the 5 speeds had more power than automatics. I had to relocate a few pins the computer connector, found instructions on the web. If yours is a T-bird then this won't be an issue. I haven't dynoed it yet so I guess it is close to factory specs. With the Porche 944 intercoller and no muffler maybe a little more, around 200 maybe? My spitfire 1500 weighed 1850 lbs when I started , yours may weigh less. Now it weighs 2080 lbs. The 2.3 weighs about 80 lbs more than the Spitfire engine. I had to move the battery to the trunk to make room for the turbo outlet. Took the battery box out, reshaped the firewall , and welded a plate over it. The additional steel in the rear framework added weight too. I'm still almost 50/50 on weight bias. Look on the mekur web sites, there are some awsome engine buildups. They say you can get 300 hp with a few modifications and the botttom end will take it no problem. There are fiberglass bonnets for Spitfires, but I think they are the Lemans type. And I don't know where you can get one. Probably someone in England, Rimmer Brothers maybe? You may find a stock fiberglass one but I don't know of a supplier.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Max

Thanks Max,
2000 lbs. or less and 300 plus HP sounds fun to me :) and with race slicks I can't wait.
Last night I was at my buddys house were my motor&trans. is at and he's got one of those bigger turbos the holst or how ever you spell it sitting there on the shelf and he just gave it to me.That should make some more power.

I went and picked up the car this past friday,and picked up the motor&trans. sunday night,I also got a bigger turbo and better log style intake.Here is some pictures when I first pushed it out of the guys backyard,then after I got it to my dads house and cleaned it up some.

the throwout bearing retainer for the T-5 is no good,is the bearing retainer the some on the V8 T-5 trans. summit has the new steel bearing retainer but it only shows one for the V8.