1979 Triumph Spitfire Project

My apologies that it's been a while since my last post. There was more time to write these in the winter months. Spring sprung and I became busy with lots of projects and activities. I have actually continued to work on Penny along with everything else, but writing posts has fallen to low priority. I always find it amusing when the subject of finding things to do in retirement comes up. In retirement, I'll finally have time to do perhaps 50% of the things I'm interested in. 😜 I'm going to give up on trying to write about, and post-date work done in the past. From this point forward topical posts will be dated when I publish them. The last post discussed removing the engine and transmission. Since then I've spent time on three general things, although everything currently relates to making sure the Mazda KLG4 V6 engine will fit.   Figuring out how to verify that the basic physical dimensions of the V6 will fit inside the engine compartment with reasonable accuracy.

(Written on 3/31/2022)   After taking numerous measurements, I was absolutely certain that the V6 engine might possibly fit. 🤞😜🤞 The next logical step was to remove the Spitfire's engine and transmission to allow full access to the engine bay. I see by the photo dates that I did this in October, so the chronology of the blog is a bit off. Oh well.   A friend generously loaned me an engine hoist and I got to work. The anti-freeze was drained and the radiator removed. Time was spent taking a number of photos and labeling connections and loose parts.   This is the four speed Triumph gearbox viewed from passenger compartment, driver's side. Regardless of what engine ends up in the car, this will not be the transmission. What you can see here is the hydraulic clutch cylinder, the speedometer cable, and wires to the neutral and/or reverse sensor.   The Spitfire has so little ground clearance that I had to jack it up a bit for the hoist to roll under the chassis.   With the bonnet

(Written on 3/23/2022) A reader commented. "Would like to see a pic of that 2.5L". This is exciting because it means we actually have a reader. Well, here it is. Right side of the 2002 Mazda KLG4 2.5L V6 engine, which will be the back of the engine if it ends up in the Spitfire.   Left side of the engine, which with luck will be the front. As I said previously, I discovered the Mazda KLG4 2.5L V6 on a Miata forum. The engine has an aluminum block and cylinder heads to reduce weight. My understanding is that this is physically the smallest V6 engine manufactured. But as noted on the Miata forum it is neither small nor light with all of the "stuff" around those fundamental parts. So what one does is scrap all that stuff. The stuff is mostly intake and fuel injection parts. This will be replaced with aftermarket components if I move forward with this engine. Switching from the restrictive factory intake to the free breathing setup the Miata folks use increases the hors

(Written on 3/8/2022) This post is going to be short on text, and long on pictures. These photos capture what the interior looks like before any restoration work is done. Yes, the windshield is damaged. Supposedly from a fly ball at a San Diego Padres game.  Fine Corinthian leather.   State of the art sound system. Minor wear and tear.         Super clean. Window cranks and door handles optional.   The seats, doors, and transmission tunnel, were removed to allow easy work access.       I found $1.62 in change. Pretty sweet. Historic document found under passenger seat.   Transmission tunnel removal. Open air motoring! Hood on a shelf.  

  (Written on 2/19/2022) As I mentioned previously, I love the look of the Spitfire. The handling and braking are on par for a sports car of this class; no reason to try and change anything about them. However, the Spitfire does not provide the performance that I'm looking for. I gave considerable thought to what my objectives for this project are, and came up with this list:     Do not alter the exterior body of the car.     Do not add significant weight, or significantly redistribute weight in a way that would adversely impact handling.     Significantly decrease the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times of the car.     Improve the reliability of the engine, transmission, and drivetrain.     Make the interior comfortable for drives up to two hours in duration.     In all decisions try to minimize costs.     Don't compromise the car's inherent safety. The third and fourth objectives greatly complicate the project. The engine used in the Spitfire was designed by Standard Triumph in 1953