Triumph Sports Cars

How far can you go to retain your original v5 by putting in a v8?
Once you've changed the engine, gearbox, diff, driveshafts, probably suspension, updated brakes etc. Do these cars still qualify for their original registrations if you go down this route.

Welcome to the forum and where are you from? This is could be a major issue or nothing at all.

Hi,
Thanks.
I'm from north west London, which being from the uk is obviously absolutely a problem. I currently have a Triumph Spitfire and fancied the v8 route.
I have managed to read a few other posts.

Knowing what it's like to do restoration my feelings are to start from the chassis and build up. Ultimately you'd get a new chassis and keep the current vehicle as useable as possible. From the sounds of it, because of the modifications it could be difficult to retain the registration. You almost might as well pick a tub from a set of pictures and build a chassis for that and build to it. It's just the most sensible method and if your going to lose the v5 you just keep the original car and basically build a new car from scratch. Odd really just to go from v8 transplant to complete car building.

Mind you I did have a thought of the 160ish hp Chevy 5l v8. It's not absolutely necessary to aim for 400 hp. I still think things need modifying a lot though. And the cardboard chassis on the triumph could always be reinforced. Unfortunately I've seen alls sorts if great enhanced mods over the years. Especially a decent rear suspension involving a rear chop. It actually seems naive to avoid improved safety mods because the dvla people are clever.
My other thought would be to go with LPG as well,

Once you go down this line you could virtually design a build your own design of sports car. Nevertheless these things take forever to build unless you can work at them regularly.
Hmm.
Anyway, I wouldn't mind knowing what you can do and achieve to maintain your registration.

Hi James,

I'm from Derby and running a MK1V Spitfire with a Rover V8 in it. (See how it was done article)
Appart from the engine and gearbox change, I had to make small mods to the chassis and bulkhead, and have since added MGF rear disc brakes. The front suspension and brakes are all GT6. I haven't got around to needing to change the diff or rear suspension yet. My car is still on its original V5 with a change of engine to 3.5lt.

When I swapped the engine to the V8 I already had a 2 litre straight six in the car so I filled out the changes section of the V5 and sent it off. They got back to me and asked me to produce a receipt from a garage that had fitted the engine to prove that the V8 was in my car. I phoned and explained that I had fitted it myself, so they then asked me to get a "Garage mechanic" to inspect it and sign to say the engine in my car was as I said it was.
I called in to my local garage where I have my MOT's done and he came and looked at the engine noted down the engine number and my car chassis number and wrote and signed a note on his headed paper to say that engine No..... was in car chassis number.....
The DVLA were not asking for an engineers report to say the job had been done properly, but were more concerned with the taxable rate. Apparently they brought this need for a receipt in because people are fitting smaller engines in order to pay less road tax, and they need some proof that an engine change has occured and what cc engine is now in the car.

That said, I have heard some horror stories of the rules being tightened up and a requirement for garages carrying out MOT's to grass you up to the authorities if you have modified your car, so that they can insist you take it for a SVA test at great expense, in which case you would also loose your age related registration and get a Q plate.

Also, you are right, you don't need 400bhp to have fun in a Spitfire, just a little more power than they were created with.

Good luck with your project.

Graham

Thanks. Well I'll have to have a think. There's plenty you can do for a mk3 engine as well.

Spotted a nice Jensen interceptor if you like projects as well since I started looking. It's all a question how things add up etc. and who wants to think about that.

Wow, Im glad Im in a lax state. I just have to pull up, flash the lights, honk the horn and show proof of insurance and im off. I guess eventually it will get like that here too.

Weird thing though. There's now a slight obsession over carbon footprints, and yet a 165hp v8 is available from the 1980's based on destroying 200hp of an engine, to achieve a better carbon admissions. Some relaxation. The v8 tech is available from 20 year old technology for today's concerns.

One things for certain. This year I'm building a wood stove gasifier they used to run cars off wood... To my surprise.

Pray tell... What is a V5 ? Thanks, roverman.

Hi Art,

A V5 is a vehicle registration document in the UK. It is a record of the vehicles details such as its registred owner, registration number, date of manufacture, cubic ccapacity, engine body and chassis numbers and taxation class, the road tax you have to pay each year is based on the size of the engine for older cars and CO2 emissions for newer ones.


Graham

That's a relief, I thought maybe you had to "remove" a cyl from a V6 to reduce carbon footprint/lol. So we can relate to why the Pilgrims left their homeland ?? Good Luck, We feel your pain. roverman.