Van Wilder's 1971 Triumph TR6 with Ford Motorsports GT-40 Engine
as published in BritishV8 Magazine, Volume XX Issue 2, December 2012Owner: Van Wilder
BritishV8 UserID: Wildtr6
City: Brooksville, Florida
Model: 1971 Triumph TR6
Engine: Ford Motorsports GT-40 (302cid) V8
Conversion by: see "Comments" below.
| Engine: | Ford Motorsports GT-40 (302cid) V8 engine.
B-303 billet hydraulic roller camshaft.
Accel Distributor (bronze 51201E).
Edelbrock intake manifold.
Dual Edelbrock 1404 four barrel carburetors.
Vintage Air "Frontrunner" serpentine belt drive system (alternator, water pump, etc.)
Remote oil filter.
|
| Cooling: | Griffin aluminum 4-row crossflow radiator.
Electric fan. |
| Exhaust: | four-into-one headers with Jet-Hot ceramic coating.
H-pipe crossover.
Flo-Pro Super V mufflers.
Resonator tips. |
| Transmission: | Tremec T5 5-speed.
Tilton HTOB slave cylinder.
Custom aluminum driveshaft. |
| Rear End: | new Ford 8" housing. (Not cut down.)
Auburn limited slip differential.
3.5:1 final drive ratio.
Aluminum carrier. |
| Chassis: | new custom tubular frame.
Fast Cars, Inc. coilover front suspension with anti-dive.
Fast Cars, Inc. coilover 3-link rear suspension. |
| Brakes: | (master) stock master cylinder with power brakes. Proportioning valve. Jamar "park-lok" parking brake. (front) Wilwood Dynalite 4-pot calipers. Wilwood 11.75" vented rotors. (rear) Wilwood Dynalite 4-pot calipers. Wilwood 11.75" vented rotors. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Billet Specialties Street Lite aluminum wheels (Chevy 5-lug pattern. Front-15x7, Rear-15x8.)
BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires (45 series front, 40 series rear). |
| Body: | 2 hoop rollbar custom built to match contour of Miata seats with 3 frame connects.
Stainless steel wire mesh grille.
Tulius fiberglass racing hood modified with cut-down Z28 scoop for cowl induction.
Sunfast convertible top.
Paint and finish bodywork by Jessie Embry of Hudson Florida. |
| Interior: | Solid oak dash by Dan Masters.
Autometer Phantom gauges.
Vintage Air Mini Gen II A/C, heat, defrost, with Sanden compressor.
Pioneer stereo radio and compact disc player.
Miata seats.
Lizard Skin heat and noise insulation.
Koolmat by Roadspeed Garage in Georgia. |
| Electrical: | Advance Auto Wire harness with 8 fuse fuseblock.
Ford Motorsport compact starter motor.
Delco CS130 style alternator.
Trunk mounted battery. |
| Fuel system: | 15 gallon custom fuel tank.
Mallory fuel pump.
Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator. |
| Performance: | this motor would produce up to 400hp with fuel injection,
but is probably producing closer to 360hp with dual carbs. |
| Weight: | 2320#. |
| Completed: | July 2012. 3923 miles since conversion, as of December 2012. |
| Comments: | this V8 conversion project was originally started by former BritishV8 Editor Dan Masters, as chronicled in:
Dan Master's Triumph TR6 / Ford 302 V8 Conversion.
Part way into the conversion process, Dan decided to have Ted Lathrop instead build a
Ford-powered MGB GT V8.
Dan sold his Triumph TR6 project car to Van Wilder.
Van Wilder hired Ted Lathrop at Fast Cars Inc. to build a new frame and suspension. The result of that project has been detailed in a previous BritishV8 article: New and Improved Chassis for Triumph TR6. (Pleased with the results of Van's frame, Ted subsequently decided to offer complete Triumph replacement chassis to all comers.) "After receipt of the rolling chassis from FastCars, the rest involved myself and others who would fix my screw-ups. Suffice it to say everything was done 2 to 3 times, at least! In particular, I'd like to thank Amber Automotives of Weeki Wachee, Florida for original setup and John O'Mara of Spring Hill for continual tweaking." The car was road-worthy just in time for BritishV8 2011 in Townsend Tennessee: "I went through a number of exhaust combos to calm down the beast. Now the sound is beautiful. The car has amazing balance, driveability and comfort. Of course you can break these cars loose but it really wants to hook up and go. The only scare I've had was when the carb linkage stuck in "we're gonna die" right now mode. (Got that fixed right away!) |
Engine Installation
Ford Motorsports GT-40 (302cid) V8 engine.
Dual Edelbrock 1404 four barrel carburetors.
Accel Distributor (bronze 51201E). Delco CS130 style alternator.
FastCars four-into-one headers with Jet-Hot ceramic coating.
Suspension and Brakes
Read all about the FastCars replacement chassis for Triumph TR6.
Three-piece anti-sway bar.
Ford 8" rear axle with Auburn limited slip differential.
Interior
Dan Masters crafted this beautiful solid oak dashboard.
Autometer Phantom gauges.
Miata seats.
2 hoop rollbar custom built to match contour of Miata seats with 3 frame connects.
"The original fabricated gas tank I got from Dan Masters was a beautiful fit until I wanted
to put the top down. Then, it was back to the drawing board and eventually cut down to
15 gallons, which is plenty."
Exterior
Awesome power and a super-smooth ride delivered by an old-fashioned British sports car.
Paint and finish bodywork by Jessie Embry of Hudson Florida.
Tulius fiberglass racing hood modified with cut-down Z28 scoop for cowl induction.
"Ted told me I wouldn't use the hardtop and he was correct; it's in the barn
gathering dust on what finish it had."
Billet Specialties Street Lite aluminum wheels (15x7 front, 15x8 rear.)
"Tires and wheel fit great; no tubbing was needed. No rubbing.
Larger would even be OK on the rear."
Stainless steel wire mesh grille.
Resonator exhaust tips.
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