Engine and Transmission Tech

tips, technology, tools and techniques related to vehicle driveline components

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castlesid
Kevin Jackson
Sidcup UK
(361 posts)

Registered:
11/18/2007 10:38AM

Main British Car:
1975 MGB GT Rover V8 4.35L

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: castlesid
Date: August 31, 2009 10:01AM

Trip,

If you have a TR7 with a 5spd it will be a LT77 so you only need a V8 2WD bellhousing and the gear lever will remain in the stock position. If you need a shorter remote lever, then the Jaguar XJ with LT77 had them.

I also would suggest not to get too carried away with your first project or it may take several years to get it on the road. Keep it simple with a nicely modified Rover 3.9 and you will have a nice well balanced car with plenty of performance which will be great fun to drive and won't end up costing the earth.

Kevin.


TRip
Trip Anthony

(162 posts)

Registered:
08/18/2009 01:16AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7 performance 4 cyl

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: TRip
Date: August 31, 2009 02:10PM

"I also would suggest not to get too carried away with your first project or it may take several years to get it on the road."

Kevin, you're very right about that. I've been reading so many great suggestions here that it's been easy to get carried away with new ideas. Kinda like a kid with a Toys R Us christmas catalogue!

Could you elaborate about the Jag remote lever. Do you have a photo by any chance?

Trip


NixVegaGT
Nicolas Wiederhold
Minneapolis, MN
(659 posts)

Registered:
10/16/2007 05:30AM

Main British Car:
'73 Vega GT 4.9L Rover/Buick Stroker

authors avatar
Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: NixVegaGT
Date: August 31, 2009 03:23PM

LOL! WOW I could had that advice six years ago. Ha ha ha ha!


castlesid
Kevin Jackson
Sidcup UK
(361 posts)

Registered:
11/18/2007 10:38AM

Main British Car:
1975 MGB GT Rover V8 4.35L

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: castlesid
Date: September 01, 2009 05:52AM

Trip sorry no dimensions or pics of the shorter remote but from memory it is very short and I think the engine would need to be back about 6" to make it viable.

The standard remote should be fine if you leave the engine in the stock position and the gear lever in the same place, again less work and cost.

What year is your car?? as early models had 4 spd boxes, but they may have been a LT77 without the 5th gear, I'm more familiar with MGB specs.

Re keeping it simple, I have nothing against innovation and applaud the engineering solutions achieved by many of the members of this forum in having the ability, and in some cases the facilities to created something exitingly different.

The main thing here is what sort of budget do you have in mind and then work out a realistic spec from there, or you'll end up going in circles and it won't be on a track!

That link I gave you to Rimmer Bros for the complete conversion kit is actually very good value, especially as their parts are normally quite expensive.

Don't forget to budget in for a fully upgraded suspension, springs, shocks and bushes etc.if you buy a conversion kit the brakes are included.

Kevin.


TRip
Trip Anthony

(162 posts)

Registered:
08/18/2009 01:16AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7 performance 4 cyl

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: TRip
Date: September 01, 2009 12:45PM

Hello Kevin, thank you for your advice.

The car is a 1980 with the 5speed. LT77.

You mentioned moving the engine back 6". It can be moved that much? I was thinking 3"... maybe - without modifying the firewall, anyway.

"...you'll end up going in circles and it won't be on a track!"
Nicely put.

Trip


castlesid
Kevin Jackson
Sidcup UK
(361 posts)

Registered:
11/18/2007 10:38AM

Main British Car:
1975 MGB GT Rover V8 4.35L

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: castlesid
Date: September 01, 2009 08:10PM

Trip,

Not unless you have very short legs, no what i meant was you would have to move the engine back an impractical amount to justify using the shorter remote.

As you already have a LT77 all you need is an engine and 2wd bellhousing, plus all the other bits in the Rimmer bros Kit which you can source from wherever is most convenient and cost effective.

Kevin.


TRip
Trip Anthony

(162 posts)

Registered:
08/18/2009 01:16AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7 performance 4 cyl

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: TRip
Date: September 02, 2009 01:11PM

Ha, ha that's true... Talk about a real mid-engine car. LOL!

I see what you mean.

I'm looking at the Rimmer kit now.

Trip



WedgeWorks1
Mike Perkins
Ellicott City, Maryland
(460 posts)

Registered:
07/06/2008 08:07AM

Main British Car:
1980 Triumph TR8 3.5 Litre Rover V8

authors avatar
Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: WedgeWorks1
Date: September 02, 2009 09:55PM

Trip-
To convert a TR7 to a TR8 you will need the following as a minimum:
-Rover SD1/TR8 bell housing with dust shield
-Rover SD1/TR8 Throwout bearing sleeve/carrier & pivot bolt. (You can use a TR7 throwout bearing same as TR8.
-Rover SD1/TR8 Flywheel & Clutch
-TR8 Engine brackets/mounts and subframe
-TR8 Radiator mounts (Upper and Lower)
-TR8 Drive shaft (or custom u-joint)
-TR8 Headers or stock cast manifolds
-TR8 or after market tachometer
-Electric 2 to 9psi fuel pump
-Rover SD1/TR8 Alternator bracket
Rover V8 Starter

This is what you can reuse from the TR7:
-5-Speed
-Alternator that if you remove the three bolts and rotate the housing
-Wiring which you will need to delete some wires from the TR7 and shorten the starter wires which are the same for the TR7 & 8.
-The radiator can be used if it is in excellent shape with an electric fan but it is marginal
-Coolant header tank needs to be on the passenger side inner fender
-Speedometer cable for the TR7/8 5-speeds are the same.
-The TR7 transmission cross member with mount can be used but you will have to redrill the holes in the floor further back in the tunnel
-Reuse the TR7 clutch slave, pushrod, pivot arm and hose
-Reuse the manual steering rack
-TR7 5-Speed shifter housing if kept in the stock TR8 location comes really close to the back of the hole in the tunnel. You can do some notching so it will not hit. The TR8 shifter is assembly is shorter.

Here is a picture of the Sherpa/Jaguar shortened remote shifter.
9195_1.jpg

You will find the stock TR7 springs to be softer, brakes inadequate and if you have the 3.90 rearend a waste of 1st gear. It will last about 10 feet! The TR7 sway bar is smaller than the TR8 but the rears are the same. The TR8 brakes are slightly better and the TR8 has a bigger brake booster but the same master with the exception of the warning light sensor on the bottom but not required in your case. You will also want to move the battery to the trunk to keep the heat away from it and better weight distribution too! I hope this helps you out!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2009 08:07AM by WedgeWorks1.


TRip
Trip Anthony

(162 posts)

Registered:
08/18/2009 01:16AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7 performance 4 cyl

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: TRip
Date: September 02, 2009 11:20PM

Oh ya! ... it really does help me out Mike.

I get the sense you could do the entire conversion in your sleep... and probably have!!!

It looks like an overwhelming amount of work but I think as I start the project, it won't be so ominous.

When I completely redid my 4 cyl for performance. It looked like a big job. Bit by bit I ended up doing it top to bottom and said... TR7 V8 next!

Cheers,

Trip


NixVegaGT
Nicolas Wiederhold
Minneapolis, MN
(659 posts)

Registered:
10/16/2007 05:30AM

Main British Car:
'73 Vega GT 4.9L Rover/Buick Stroker

authors avatar
Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: NixVegaGT
Date: September 02, 2009 11:42PM

Dude. That is totally the way to look at it. Bit by bit. That's how I had to progress. Now if I can just get my engine back from the machine shop…


TRip
Trip Anthony

(162 posts)

Registered:
08/18/2009 01:16AM

Main British Car:
1980 TR7 performance 4 cyl

Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: TRip
Date: September 03, 2009 12:02AM

Hello Nicholas,

That's prolly the hardest part... waiting and waiting for parts and bits and pieces when your eager to get 'er done!!!

Don't they say... patience is a virtue?

Trip


manbchsteve
Stephen Parsons

(11 posts)

Registered:
12/11/2012 05:15PM

Main British Car:


Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: manbchsteve
Date: April 03, 2015 11:12AM

Do any of you guys know the difference in length (front flat surface to rear flat surface) of the TR7 Bell housing and the TR8 bell housing? Steve.


tr8todd
Todd Kishbach

(390 posts)

Registered:
12/04/2009 07:42AM

Main British Car:


Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: tr8todd
Date: April 03, 2015 02:12PM

You would think they would be the same since they bolt up to the same tranny, but they are slightly different. The TR7 is 6.75" deep and the TR8 is a hair over 7".


manbchsteve
Stephen Parsons

(11 posts)

Registered:
12/11/2012 05:15PM

Main British Car:


Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: manbchsteve
Date: April 05, 2015 05:49PM

Thanks for the feedback! Could you give the exact length of the TR8? How much over 7 in.?


tr8todd
Todd Kishbach

(390 posts)

Registered:
12/04/2009 07:42AM

Main British Car:


Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: tr8todd
Date: April 06, 2015 07:08AM

That was measured laying flat on the floor using a tape measure. To get a precise measurement I will have to clamp on some flat stock and break out the calipers. There's more than enough play in the input shaft to use 7" as your measurement. By a hair, I was literally talking a hair. Could be from crud on the housing where it contacts the floor, a grain of sand on the floor lifting the bell a hair, casting variation. It's British. I could measure 5 of them and all five will be slightly different. Go with 7".



manbchsteve
Stephen Parsons

(11 posts)

Registered:
12/11/2012 05:15PM

Main British Car:


Re: Tr7 v8 - How to lower the engine and move it back
Posted by: manbchsteve
Date: April 06, 2015 01:27PM

THANKS FOR THE HELP! YOU HAVE A TR8 BELL HOUSING FOR SALE?
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