Add to Cart. When you achieve the same degrees BTDC and ATDC your wheel will show TRUE TDC. Adjustable cam gears will have about 20 degrees of variable adjustment to work with assuring you can get the cam timing exactly where you need. Add to Cart. I prefer tri-metal bearings; they are what the factory originally supplied for many cars. Quickview. Purchase a good quality assembly lube. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. The exhaust manifold goes on first, underneath the intake manifold. .0015 to .002 is acceptable. Personally, I'd just check the originals for signs of stretch and reuse them. A bit too obvious for me that! Trending price is based on prices over last 90 days. NICELY RESTORED CAR WITH REBUILT ENGINE. Crank bearings are supplied standard size and pistons are supplied +0.020" oversize. Be extra careful installing the camshaft into the blockespecially with a block that has cam bearing as most nicks and scratches happen during installation. This item: Triumph Spitfire 1500: Repair Operation Manual. Hap, Great article but I must disagree with method for finding TDC. These used to be cheap,but only Burton power (SC248)seems to have them now (7.61 ea). A larger motor was needed. I'd start with some head work a header and dual SUs. Once the engine starts you want to set the idle at approx. So I always set timing by ear, drive the car and try to get it to pink. I did the SU conversion source from Quantum Mechanics along with a 5 speed transmission also sourced from Quantum. The first step is buying the right parts. Something went wrong. Refer to your workshop manual for the proper spec but it will likely be .002-.005. MG Midget Triumph Spitfire Rebuilt 1500 Engine About this product About this product Best Selling in Engine Blocks Speedmaster Pce286.1049 Aluminum Engine Block Ford 351w Windsor 9.500 In. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Hardened exhaust seat inserts are a must for the hotter burning unleaded fuels used today. | From the March 2013 issue (Not for racing, just to bring them into the 21st Century and to get my little Midget screaming down the road). as perspicacity of this Triumph Spitfire 1500 Engine can be taken as skillfully as picked to act. Triumph Spitfire 1969-1980 Owners Workshop Manual: Glovebox Edition (Practical Classics & Car Restorer) $2000. If all checks out take the car for a short drive (dont stray far from home, just in case) varying the rpm from 2,000 to 4,000. The factory paired these preferred carburetors with a free-flowing, cast-iron exhaust manifold that emptied into twin pipes. Triumph Spitfire 1500 LHD Completely body off restored Triumph Spitfire 1500 LHD. You'd hopethey'd have put them back for the sake of a few pence if they reduced engine failure rates That's interesting, I wonder why they are on my late GT6 mk3? Once you have confirmed oil pressure you are ready to fire the engine for the first time. $20.74. Piston-to-cylinder wall clearance must be checked. This is really useful and clearly written. August 25, 2016 @ 9:30 am Use a wooden, or plastic hammer handle, to tap the top of the piston down into the bore. Hap owns and operates Acme Speed Shop out of Greenville, SC, where his specialty is rebuilding MG engines ranging from stock to full out race prepared. In others, these cars are too old to require routine inspections. (585) 889-2786 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. The 1500 is a stroked 1300 and like all stroker engines, they make torque down low, but do not like higher RPMS. Piston-to-cylinder wall clearance must be checked. 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. For about $200, we had a local muffler shop fabricate a new system. Fill the engine with all fluids. Remove no more than .010 so that the head gasket will seal properly. But the US emissions regs sucked away both torque and power. For the earlier 4 cylinder engines we always fit upgraded rear oil seals, an . TheseSUcarburetors may be older technology, but they have served many owners very well through the decades. 6000 15.20 17.50 Triumph I have a lot of experience in building engines, I even put together a current class record holding engine at Bonneville. A window into racing in the 1960s | Sebring Special MGBs: How an MG TC gave way to a worldwide British car enterprise. Carefully remove the main cap and use the graph on the paper slip the plastigauge comes with to determine the clearance. Both BMC (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. The 1500 long stroke is not the best for reliability and can suffer serious big end and con rod failures ifnused in a hurried life It does age quite quickly, upping the power wont help much in reliability Clives the best on this Pete clive Members 5.5k Posted October 1, 2017 For a road engine there are a few simple things. Larger and the vital internal parts should be cleaned by professionals in an industrial parts washer. I wouldn't bother changing the main bolts either, and I don't think loctite is a good idea. Finally the machinist will use a special tool to chamfer (angle) the tops of the bores. The OEM guides are cast iron. The Webers are 1 step up from the stock ZS carb, but suffer from a lack of tuning experience and info on this side of the pond. Add to Wish List. Listen out for rattling and blue. Rocker shaft View cart for details. Some connecting rods have floating piston pins, the bushings will need to be checked for play and wear as well. Which is a big part of a rebuild, Buy the HD/LC or whatever they are called, a few a set more than, that shell looks pretty much like its hard ever run , ive seen much worst in brand new engines off production, Because our carburetors didnt exhibit any throttle shaft wear, we didnt need to have them rebuilt. The machine shop should magnaflux your crankshaft to rule out any cracks. 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. Totally computer controlled, and programable, this specialized equipment eliminates inaccuraties and errors that can be introduced with manual equipment. Oil pump Remove the crankshaft. We've endeavored to have our machine work carried out on the finest, most accurate equipment available. 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. Total price: $93.10. Right off the bat, this larger engine delivered more torque than its predecessor. I hope this far into the game you already have a good manual. The solution is an electric fuel pump in the trunk, and bypass the mechanical pump. All pricing, component availability, and terms of business are subject to change without notice. There is no need to hurry; time is your friend when degreasing. The crankshaft needs to be measured for wear and sizing. 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. But this is for high revving engines, not road use. Once you torque it to spec turn the crankshaft by hand, you should feel a nice fluid motion without any binding. Many parts are available for this engine from aftermarket suppliers. I think Ford later made a knock-off of the carb that was used on 4 cylinder mustangs and later US made Mercury Capris (1980s). (203) 463-8299 item 3 Triumph Spitfire 1500, MG Midget 1500 Rebuilt 4-Speed Transmission, Original, !! I'm just curious where this little motor might go if tuned and built properly. The three-main-bearing design did not lend itself well to hard use. The idea is to remove all the accumulated junk, especially from critical areas like the float bowl and jets. I would like to strengthen the bottom end - if that is actually possible? Has anyone done anything to deck the block to remove the recesses between the cylinders and run a diff head gasket, i.e. Handy Tip: If using an adjustable cam gear, torque the cam retaining nut to manual specs before making your adjustments. Yeah, except for Mazda, Ford, GM, Toyota, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda, etc. Cam bearings I prefer the full circle type Those upgrades transformed my previously 1300 powered car, and it did well at club autocrosses. Similar upgrades but I milled .125" off the head, sourced a pair of SU's from a '67 Spit, and installeda header from Victoria British. Freshening a carburetor is not as scary as it sounds, and companies like Quantum Mechanics supply the necessary kits. Detractors complained of durability anddrivabilityissues. At least the MG stayed 'all British'. If the gap is too big, have the cylinders bored and new oversize pistons fitted. Planning for Rebuilding the Engine on the Spitfire | Triumph Spitfire Mk3 Restoration Project: Bruce's Triumph Therapy, [] http://mossmotorsltd.wpengine.com/restoring-british-engine/ [], January 13, 2018 @ 5:01 pm Vandervell do come up on eBay from time to time, but most are showing their age from long term storage. This is due to the manifolds available for that adaptation. Cover the camshaft journals, lobes and gears liberally with assembly lube. Line boring insures that all crank journals are in perfect alignment and properly sized. But Kas Kastner, the US race engineer who led Triumphs competition effort there, fond that flow to the mains could be optimised by external lines, instead of the internal oil gallery, in the "Kastner Octopus". 2L & Spits Mk1-4 1500 The best currently available bearings are King Tri-metal which most suppliers (e.g. Engines & Engine Component Rebuilding Services. One day. When you check the shells, if it hasbeen built with cheap bi-metalones (you can tell by colour and the markings on the rear) then replace them with lead/copper. Cylinder head No problem. Intake valves Consider oversize for better flow More torque, as we know, helps produce betteraccelerationnumbers. I own a suitable license for this piece of music, supplied by Chris Worth Productions. Budget a day to do the work, plus the cost of modifying your exhaust system, the carb-freshening kits and the paint and cleaning supplies. Thanks for the article though it just reinforces my decision. Bottom end Well we offer that as well. Now that you have found TDC, move the dial indictors outside bezel to reflect zero at the needle point. Inspect the rocker arm bushings and replace if needed. 1980 1500 Spitfire, I just added new cap, rotor, wires, pertronix ignition and flamethrower coil. $29.77. This is a Fiberfab Jamaican II, it was built in 1983 using a Fiberfab tubular steel chassis and a sleek, lightweightfiberglass body. Current car: 1980 Triumph Spitfire Past cars: 1975 Triumph Spitfire, 1973 Austin Mini, The following is a list of new parts I typically include in an engine rebuild. sorry real name is Mark - Ill update my signature when I get 5 ! On the bench, apiston and gudgeon pin weighs 346gms, but this is under 1g, the acceleration due to Earth's gravity, In the 2.5L, at 6000rpm the piston reaches more than 2000g, andweighs nearly a tonne! The process is mostly a function of carefully cleaning, disassembling and reassembling each carburetor while installing new gaskets. 2,000 rpm. After boring, your block will be honed to get the proper finish on the cylinder wall. The biggest problem with these engines, however, had to be the single, emissions-era Zenith StrombergCVcarburetor. From your local part store you will need to purchase the green plastigauge with a measurement range for .001-.003. As a rule of thumb, its best to replace the rod bolts. Add to Wish List. In some states, this kind of modification is a no-no. www.mossmotoring.com/disassembling-british-engine, Planning for Rebuilding the Engine on the Spitfire | Triumph Spitfire Mk3 Restoration Project: Bruce's Triumph Therapy, http://mossmotorsltd.wpengine.com/restoring-british-engine/. Blueprinted engines are achieved when a builder dictates these sizes to get the exact clearance they need. (To replace my old engine, which had suffered catastrophic failure). A shop manual is a good idea, but we have a little cheat: Just disassemble one unit at a time, and use the other as a 3-D shop manual of sorts. For most of our engines .0015-.002 is ideal for rod and main bearing clearances. Dealer 3,695 Triumph Spitfire 1500 1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500cc in yellow, has been dry stored. British Engine Rebuilder 217-232-7303 Specializing in MG/Triumph 1500 Engines " I will not let you run one of my rebuilt engines in your car if I would not run it in mine. The Spitfires exhaust system is epically simple, and any competent shop can build you a nice system. Other Areas of your Engine I have 3 1500 Triumph engines in RB Midgets I'd like to rebuild and upgrade for greater performance and reliability, to take advantage of modern engine components, the years of tuning and development on this engine since the 70's, and the wealth of engine building experience that has amassed since the engines were introduced. I've googled and it seems to be questionable! Custom options available from electronic fuel injection. 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. Restoration of my Triumph. Southern Rebore Services carried out the machining work. Car. As much as I would like to say you can leave it all in their hands, you cant. And here's the reason why. Once MPS goes up to 20 metres/second, you can expect reduced reliability and early failure, unless the engine has been speciallydesigned and built and/or made from exotic materials. Install the crankshaft and bearing Triumph removed the lock tabs quite early on in production and never reinstated them despite loads increasing considerably (e.g.