Triumph Sports Cars

Hello all My name is Mitchell and below is "Almost" a 1973 Triumph Stag i believe Mk II Born FEB 1973.






After owning 20 plus classics over last 20 years not one had Air but if it did it was tossed aside..That was Southern Califoria and Seattle living in South Florida that most important aspect of this build is AC. that being said I bought "Almost" without drivetrain and have a budget of $5000.00 including price of car to get her on the road...Now Im a European Car technician by trade but started out in a Restoration shop in Santa Monica, CA over 2 decades ago..

with that budget I have to get a drivetrain/ Air conditioing, Paint , Convertible top and Seats restuffed....ok stop laughing my budget is reasonable, if not I have to sell one of my other cars and I dont much feel like doing this.

I am going with tried and true ford 5.0 and T5 out of an 1987-1993 Mustang. I plan to run carb as there is no way im screwing with what I think are perfect body lines of this car. I am not a purist but if I had the original engine I would rebuild it, update it and keep it but that in not an option.. I bought the car in Miami where is sat in a garage since 2001..

The body is straight and has two very minor rust spots nothing more, well at least until I tear it down..

Questions

Is the factory AC which this car has decent when it is working perfectly?.
Fortunately I have the original condensor/ fan assembly, hoses which I plan to use with a Sanden 507/508 compressor and update the receiver drier and install barrier hoses and finally have the condensor rebuilt and add a better fan assembly to cool it down.

I plan to run a Griffin aluminum radiator to cool the planned 302 V8 conversion. I am not set on this engine as AC is a priority I would not mind plopping in a Chevy 4.3 v6 and T5 both of these engines are about same weight as factory Triumph V8 so I would assume suspension/Braking upgrades could be put off while I enjoy the car initially and keep in initial budget ?

I have no idea about paint cost in South Florida as I spent most of my working years thus far in Southern California, I plan to strip the exterior and interior myself and tend to the two minor rust spots as I want that done right
Can I get a driver paint job in this area for $1500.00 black...base/clear?

The Original seats are great but the padding has failed in the front seats completely, is there a source for padding or just any upholstery shop?

Also has black interior, I would much rather red but and will seriously think about selling my bike to fund that change. I have been unable to locate a Black Stag with red interior anyone have a picture then can send?


I picked up the car two weeks ago and included in the price was a New windshield seal, New complete wiring Harness, New wheel cylinders, New Clutch Master, New brake master and complete with exception of engine/trans all AC pieces are there except Compressor which I would not use anyway.

I have quite a bit of work at the moment but as that dies down in the next few weeks I plan to get a used motor and trans from wrecking yard to mock up mounts, exhaust etc..once that is done ill yank the whole mess and rebuild the wrecking yard engine and trans...

So my final question, for those that have done swaps knowing that AC is priority what is the better choice on Ford 5.0 carb & T5 or Chevy 4.3 carb & T5.either way I have quite a bit more power than factory.... Mainly I plan to use the car to go to local car shows, car meets, cruising to Key West and road tripping up and down the eastern Seaboard.

My last car I used like this was a 1978 Mercedes Benz 6.9 Convertible that i build and used to fly from Seattle to California and vice Versa and I mean fly,

Sugestions on engines?

Well all thanks, but I sold entire project yesterday...to focus on my other projects.

Wow. Somebody got a great project.

I have a 73 Stag with working AC and original engine.
I use the AC every now and then. I have switched out the radiator for a new Aluminum one, and added dual front fans. To answer your AC question. The stock AC that came with my 73 Stag is not that good. You can't feel the cool air blowing into your face, that most newer cars will have. It's a very slight draft of cool air, enough to qualify as "AC" but you really hardly notice it when it is on. There are two speeds for the fan speed one is "Is this thing on?" Speed two is "I think it's on, I think I feel some cool air"
So, before anybody spends the $1,200 getting your AC working, think about fitting something other than the factory supplied AC unit.


Sorry for the "Art" photos. These were the only ones small enough to be accepted onto the post.
This is Stag # 3 for me. This one is original except for upgraded cooling, and super awesome CD/Radio, upgraded struts/ shocks. Rebuilt working clock.
Stag # 4 arrives today. 71 MK1 with original engine. Fingers crossed. I am not sure what to expect.