Bearings shouldn't touch surfaces! All engine parts are cleaned, prepped and machined or new. (different torques given by ARpdepending on what lube you use on the threads, more torque needed if you use 30weight oil..), I agree you can re use our spec of bolt a number of times , what you cant reuse is more modern specs where the torque has been, Tightend to its yeild point these are dangerously likely to fail if re used, More moderns are often spec'd as up to a target torque followed by accurate angular rotation, In stages on production these results are devised from watching the toqure climb and rotation, The meters that measure this carefully stop as soon as the torque rise flattens and rotation is about to continue, Ive got one in the cupboard gathering dust never use it these days, Usefull on troublesome fitting to find the ultimate torque. The engine number is FM91xxxHE - which I know is Spitfire and High compression - E for engine? These used to be cheap,but only Burton power (SC248)seems to have them now (7.61 ea). The three-main-bearing design did not lend itself well to hard use. If your engine has press fit piston pins, like MG 1275, or the later MGBs, this is not something you can do yourself; it requires special tools. Dont let any steps get overlooked. And I'll be looking at the shells as I said and thrust washers - though it does look from the outside to have been done well (I don't want to knock the chap who did it!) But there were some problems. For about $200, we had a local muffler shop fabricate a new system. And it's easier/cheaper than replacing the crank and rebuilding the engine! Ray Ciccarelli, Hello The car was largely based upon the chassis of the Triumph Herald saloon, but shortened and without the Herald's outrigger sections. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Which classic roadster offers the best top-down experience? At TRF, we know every part of the Spitfire 1500 engine intimately, and rebuild them to exacting standards Remove no more than .010 so that the head gasket will seal properly. Hap, Great article but I must disagree with method for finding TDC. As JohnD mentioned, you can optimise the pump to minimise clearances between the body and rotor, see:http://tr6.danielsonfamily.org/OilPump.htm. That is not true but often repeated. Some connecting rods have floating piston pins, the bushings will need to be checked for play and wear as well. The car was an instant hit. Piston-to-cylinder wall clearance must be checked. I replaced the original exhaust header with a Pacesetter which increased the pipe diameter to about 2"but have learned there are better ones available. If youve got the okay from Johnny Law, a straightforward swap to dual SU carburetors can net you a more fun and agile driving machine. 7500 19.00 21.88 The leaning and surging had vanished. How have you set the timing?? I tell my customers to go where the racers go. Every time we use this miraculous product, were impressed with how it knocks down exhaust temperature and holds up for years, looking like new for a long, long time. Almost 100,000 of these engines were used in the 1973-80 Spitfires, and nearly as many were used inMGMidgets sold from 1975andlater. Crankshaft Triumph Spitfire Engine Rebuild #8 - Distributor Fitting - YouTube After a long hiatus in production, I'm back on my engine rebuild videos, though there aren't many left. But no proof or paperwork so Im assuming it wasnt. It is extremely important that the filet radius (the edges of the journal where it joins back into the crankshaft body) is restored when the crank is reground. I used new bolts and tabs, but this was 1980s so bolts would be from the good bucket. Install all bolts on the exterior of the block, for example, threaded plugs, oil pressure regulator, distributor drive and base, water pump, timing cover, crank pulley, motor mount brackets and seals (always put grease on seal lips to avoid damage during installation). Both BC (B series engines) and Triumph (the Vanguard/TR wet liner engine) also used the engines in all sorts of different applications - main vans, boats and tractors, but they weren't designed for agricultural use in the first place. Lube the rod bolt threads with motor oil or fastener assembly lube, like the one ARP makes, and torque your rod bolts to manual spec. I have rebuilt a dozen or so engines (probably double!) Altering the factory cam timing can be done in one of two wayseither by using offset camshaft keys or with an adjustable camshaft gear. (To replace my old engine, which had suffered catastrophic failure). Another way to look at it is to work out how much the piston weighs in use. Sort By Price Right off the bat, this larger engine delivered more torque than its predecessor. Triumph produced the fun and affordable Spitfire for 18 years, during which time over 314,000 were built. Triumph removed the lock tabs quite early on in production and never reinstated them despite loads increasing considerably (e.g. WHAT YOU CAN CLEAN YOURSELF Replace them. To truly rebuild SU carbs, you must send them to an expert; replacing those throttle shaft bushings requires specialized equipment. Move to zero and then around and stop at .005 past zero. AVAILABLE IN STANDARD OR ALL REGULAR OVERSIZES [ E-MAIL OR TEL. Quantum Mechanics offers these as used sets with manifold pulled from old Spits in England. Once you have finished the plastigauge procedure, and cleaned it all up, make sure to use assembly lube on your rod bearings and install your rod caps. Cylinder head Its rated horsepower was 104 hp in its final year of production, which was 1973. Thanks for the article though it just reinforces my decision. Pushing out the old pins is normally done by cold pressing. Single DCOEs on the 8 port heads suffer from uneven fuel distribution between the inside two cylinders and the outside two owing to the unequal runner lengths of the available intake manifolds. For most of our engines .0015-.002 is ideal for rod and main bearing clearances. Oil Pump and Exterior Assembly Measured engine output had improved nicely: We posted 65 horsepower and 78 lb.-ft. of torque during our next visit to the dyno. Thanks Pete and Clive - as I say, I'm not after a racing engine or even upping the power particularly. All in all, even though there are more desirable sports cars out there the 1500 Midget has been a fun car to have owned for the past 18 years. That is not true but often repeated. The '78 spit I just bought has this and a 4 tube header on it. "Blueprinting" the crank, making absolutely sure that it is built to precise spec, with best quality parts, is what you have been discussing with Pete and Clive. I highly recommend Moss uprated valve seals. item 1 MG MIDGET (late model) TRIUMPH SPITFIRE 1500 MOTOR ENGINE REBUILD SERVICE, item 2 MG MIDGET TRIUMPH SPITFIRE 1500 FP ENGINE BLOCK. And is actually a spelling mistake, made the first time I used it. At this point the machine shop is ready to assemble the cylinder head. But yes, I do enjoy it and try and go out in it as much as possible - I bought it to drive and not be a show car. In England, Triumph Spitfire 1500s were sold with dualSUcarbs. US Supplier of 123Ignitions, Pre-programmed\switched models, Programable USB PC models and "NEW" Wireless Bluetooth models for Apple or Android. Keep your manual close at hand for the assembly stage. Has Weber carb. The Triumph Sports Six Club Rocker shaft Follow the advice of the head gasket manufacturer in regards to coating. Water pump Rotate the engine by hand; I like to do this from the rear of the engine as to not disturb the degree wheels setting. Drivetrain I've seen talk of 100HP from some out there, but I have to admit that the 3 main bearing crank arrangement scares me pretty badly. Have them measured by your machinist. This information does not touch on replacing the Piston sleeves(Liners) and the figure 8 gaskets. The snaps were so that I remembered how everything went, so I could put it back together again. The mean piston speed will be 26.5m/sec. His advice on road cars and racers is often the last word. Surfacing them smooth will result in more material being removed than needed. You need to plastigauge the bearing clearances. Install the valve cover. Remember, these cars were optimistically rated at about 70 horsepower at the crank. Engine Block Purpose manufactured components designed to replace faulty original designs - for increased reliability and durability. If the gap is too big, have the cylinders bored and new oversize pistons fitted. The dual HS setup appears to be the best way to go, either the HS2 set-up from a Euro 1300 Spit or the HS4 set from a Euro 1500 Spit. After your 20-minute break-in, do your final tuning. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Deck H $3,341.18 New ---- Used Dart SBF SHP Iron Block 4.125 Bore 9.500 DH - 31375235 $2,999.00 New ---- Used This is very important, because if you are not on TDC, all your readings will be wrong. As you'd expect Vesseys are the specialists in the repair and reconditioning of the Triumph 4 and 6 cylinder engines. Finally the machinist will use a special tool to chamfer (angle) the tops of the bores. All engines are run and broken in prior to installation or shipping to the customer. No problem. This was criticallyimportant asBrazilian automotive, This is a wire frame sculpture of the Ferrari F40 inarguably one of the Italian automakers most important and historically significant supercars. A nifty-looking, dual-inlet air cleaner wrapped in a black crackle finish was part of the package. Head has been gas flowed and the inlet ports "matched" apparently and it came complete with rebuilt carbs, alloy rocker cover and a twin pipe sports exhaust and4-2-1 header. I really like the improved proformance. Read the Forum Help (FAQ) or contact the webmaster. 4-SPEED, DISC WHEELS. Sign up for a new account in our community. I'll be making sure that my new one is as good as it can get to the "best" end of the specs. Let the engine run 20 minutes at 2,000 rpm to break in your cam and lifters. From your local part store you will need to purchase the green plastigauge with a measurement range for .001-.003. 100bhp should be achievable fairly easily. I have seen someone fitting an extra thrust bearing by machining the cap to suit - but keep some material for retaining the extra and existing bearings. I'd start with some head work a header and dual SUs. My spit was a 79, and when I compare it to the other tech available at the time it just looks sad. But this is for high revving engines, not road use. You will need some headwork, and a skim o achieve a higher compression ratio (depends on the cam). I did the SU conversion source from Quantum Mechanics along with a 5 speed transmission also sourced from Quantum. Handy Tip: Use a Sharpie to put markings on parts you have already torqued or checked clearance to know where you are in the process. Which is a big part of a rebuild, Power is, This documentary tells the story of the humble Land Rover, from its origins immediately after WWII as a four-wheel drive farm tractor replacement right, This is the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE stunt motorcycle that was used while filming the memorable chase scene in the James Bond film No, This Jaguar E-Type has been built to Semi-Lightweight specification by XK Engineering, its powered by an all-alloy Crosthwaite & Gardiner 3.8 liter straight-six thats, The Volkwagen SP2 was developed by Volkswagen do Brasil specifically for the Brazilian market as a locally producedsports car. NEW PARTS But the Spitfire could be easily stroked to 1493 ccto regain some performance. Never assume a new oil pump should not be taken apart and checked. Otherwise, enjoy the car, collect the stuff you need and don't put yourself under pressure! Check your camshaft end float Our carbs did need to be freshened, though, and we did that ourselves. Weight is mass times acceleration, andI've done this for a TR6, the worst possible case. The engine needing the least work to retrofit is the Triumph GT6, or the Triumph TR6. At the end of the day if it needs a rebuild every 40/50k its notthe end of the world as that is plenty of years use! Line boring is not needed in most street engine rebuilds. A bead blast cabinet is ideal for this job; however a wire brush on a drill, or bench grinder with a wire brush will get the job done. If the gap is too big you are going to have to shim the camshaft or remove material from the back side of the cam gear. About the Author: As an engine tuner and builder for more than 30 years, Hap Waldrop is the go-to guy on British car forums. Great Savings & Free Delivery / Collection on many items . Handy Tip: If using an adjustable cam gear, torque the cam retaining nut to manual specs before making your adjustments. There is no need to hurry; time is your friend when degreasing. Sometimes honing is necessary to get the proper fit. You will need a piston ring compressor. 5500 13.93 16.04 Powered by Gasoline and Caffeine. For a reliable road-going engine, careful building, in clean conditions will get you one tha is long-lasting! You can use new lifters with a used cam but never used lifters with a new cam. Those upgrades transformed my previously 1300 powered car, and it did well at club autocrosses. Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Purchase a good quality assembly lube. Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Engine Blocks, Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like. Given that MG and Triumph were both owned and built by BLMC, choosing the Spitfire motor for both was a no brainer. Our initial zero-to-60 testing was just as depressing. Differential Mount Set Poly Front Spitfire GT6 . There is nothing inherently wrong with a properly designed 3 main bearing engine. It's a surrogate for the actual stress calculation that works out the acceleration of the piston, whichis a LOT more difficult! Oil pressure regulator parts They are inexpensive, so replace them. Inferior steel in the crankshaft, narrow bearings and thrust washer inadequacy posed issues for the 1500 and on top of that the single carb is a negative, as your test showed A competitor in my race group used to refer to his 1500 as "Mr Floppy" (referencing the crank, which precluded using high rpm). A word of caution about decking the block too much: Some engines, such as the Spitfire and Midget 1500 and the later TR6, have necessary recesses around the cylinder bores. The rule with engine building is clean, clean, and then clean some more. From the the tight budget, to the all-out approach, I've done it all, and can help you with your project I always use bearings supplied by Jigsaw Racing, and with the above, they are long lasting, even inhigh revving engines. And as my current engine seems to be doing about 28mpg, I'd hate to think what a low efficiency engine is like, i cant find any data readily availablethat explains the last suffix 'E'. By Once the crankshaft is installed, be sure to check your crankshaft end float as I first discussed in the disassembly article, and make sure it is in spec per the manual. Sign in to ask questions, share photos, and access all website features. Cam bearings I prefer the full circle type But the US emissions regs sucked away both torque and power. Install your newly rebuilt engine in your car. Freshening a carburetor is not as scary as it sounds, and companies like Quantum Mechanics supply the necessary kits. TheseSUcarburetors may be older technology, but they have served many owners very well through the decades.