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Thanks for the input Mick, I do appeciate it, but I think that Oxford may well be able to hepl me with this one!
Thanks for that Degsy! (what is written below goes into more detail to try to
explain why I chose the 1300 and am sticking to it)
I did not know that the 1300 also only had a three bearing crank, but what I DID know, was that the Spitfire 1300 engine loved to rev highly, and was quite happy to do so, and, in fact was so good at this, that in 1965 at Le Mans, three 1300 engined Spitfires came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in class, and would have come 4th but the car crashed before it finished!
And they did all this by revving the little engines at 9000 revs for 24 hours at over 100 mph!!
This is because, whether those 1300 engines had the lighter crank or the the heavier crank, the cranks were made from EN40B steel. BLMC upon introducing the “1500” engine in 1968, increased the stroke and downgraded the crank steel to EN16U an inferior steel, because it was cheaper.
Knowing that the steel was inferior BLMC increased the size of the crank to compensate, but left the bearings the same size.
This had the result of slowing down the revving, wearing the bearings out faster, and mainly introducing the dreaded “crank-flexing” which often destroyed engines when the oil broke down.
So whilst the 1300 will rev quickly and live long doing so, the 1500 will not due to the longer stroke, heavier crank, and effectively smaller bearings.
By all accounts, ALL 1500 Triumph engines were referred to in the trade as the “floppy-crank” engine.
So, that is the reason I am still sticking to my plan for a 1300 motor.
I do not wish to insult anyone who likes the 1500 motor, and, by all accounts there are several ways to increase the longevity of these engines, and apparently some people do actually race 1500 triumphs successfully, but for me, the easier route is to just use a 1300 engine having been burned twice by the 1500.
Scottie I couldn't agree more the 1300 is a much better engine I new most of what you said apart from the cheaper steel and what have I got in my car? you guessed it a 1500 doh!
The thing I like about this site is that it seems to get results, I will explain:
A few days ago I made an appeal for a Triumph 1300 engine, and within about ten minutes, I was offered such an engine by Oxford 1360!
I mean come on, it doesn't get much better than that does it?
So today I popped down to the Oxford man-cave and for a few beers or so,
struck a deal for said engine.
At the same time, I was able to see in the flesh, the green monster!
It is more impressive in the flesh than it appears in the pictures, and will be an absolute cracker when completed.
Once I got the engine home, I removed the remaining two spark plugs and gave each cylinder a good shot of WD40 and left it to marinate.
Although I have developed a lot of skills over the years, engine re-builds is not one of them, so I will need to find a decent builder to work on the engine to get it into good shape.
So one more step in the right direction, I now have the engine.........
A pic of the green monster and its builder and one of the engine:
The thing I like about this site is that it seems to get results, I will explain:
A few days ago I made an appeal for a Triumph 1300 engine, and within about ten minutes, I was offered such an engine by Oxford 1360!
I mean come on, it doesn't get much better than that does it?
So today I popped down to the Oxford man-cave and for a few beers or so,
struck a deal for said engine.
At the same time, I was able to see in the flesh, the green monster!
It is more impressive in the flesh than it appears in the pictures, and will be an absolute cracker when completed.
Once I got the engine home, I removed the remaining two spark plugs and gave each cylinder a good shot of WD40 and left it to marinate.
Although I have developed a lot of skills over the years, engine re-builds is not one of them, so I will need to find a decent builder to work on the engine to get it into good shape.
So one more step in the right direction, I now have the engine.........
My experience with engine rebuilding, I have done one and had a couple more done, is that by the time it is done the only thing left of the old engine is the block, head and reground crank.
It is easy to get carried away with the question "shall I keep the old pistons or replace them? After all they are on £20 each". Same for almost anything else in the engine. A quick rebuild suddenly becomes a grand.
Agree with Landmann - Engine rebuilds are like the Stone Soup story. Beautiful soup made by boiling a stone. Just need to add seasoning, stock, meat, veg...
Thought about sticking something more modern that actually works?
Doesn't need to be all electronic gizmos but things have improved since it was introduced in 1967*...
* I know the engines origins are far older but that was the year it was enlarges to 1296cc I think
Thanks Paul, Oxford did say that you also had paid him a visit at one stage!
Landmannn, I do take your point and realise I may well get carried away!
WCA, I had considered your idea of a more modern engine but decided against it. If I had gone that route, I would have used a Rover 1.4 engine, as its all alloy and was at the time it was made, the most powerful naturally aspirated 1.4 engine in the world, producing 103 BHP, which is about the same as the Triumph straight six 2 litre, but of course being all alloy, was much lighter.
So why did I not go that route? because I would have had to change the gearbox, which in turn would mean I would have to re-arrage the complete interior of the car, possibly re-make the
centre console, which would be almost impossible as the seats are only 16 inches wide as it is, and space is at an absolute premium, etc etc.
So really, this is the easiest option, although still an enormous pain to have to do anyway.
Jag TVR that GT6 is actually in my FRONT garden!
I had considered using that engine at one point, but with no flip front, and the space restrictions that come with it, decided against it, Don't think there is enough room.
And the other point is have you seen the prices of GT6's lately?
That machine will be a future project, and they are fetching silly money at present, so I'm on to a winner with that one I think.
Scottie, sorry if it's a bit late (been busy but got back on this forum after spending a couple of days in Micky1mo's workshop) but I had a friend bring his Scimitar GTE to the workshop last week because it was overheating and pressurising the expansion tank after he had changed the temp sender and water pump. He'd introduced an airlock at the top of the engine and all I did was let it run up to temp with the cap off - it chucked some coolant out, I topped it up with the engine still running and it's back to normal.
Thanks for the input fellah's, I do hope the head gasket has not blown, as it was replaced just a few miles before this overheating problem! And as I said earlier, it was an absolute bitch to work on, as I had not opted for the the flip front on the car, and had an awful tricky time trying to get to all the nuts and bolts in the constricted space I had to work in! To do it all again would be a real bummer.
Scottie,
Thanks to your excellent (and comprehensive!!) thread my interest in an A352 is piqued!! So begins the painstaking research work before committing.
You mentioned a flip-front. Is that an option? I haven't seen that anywhere in Tribute's pages or any other project so far stand fast the D-Type.
I look forward to scrutinising your blog for some time to come!!
Tribute supplied me with an A352 body with a flip front for a customers build ...I assume they could do it again if asked ...but you would need to confirm that with them ...
I will eventually get around to checking the engine scimjim, thanks for that.
And Am-Tas, yes they would do you a flip-front, as when I ordered my bodyshell Tribute asked me if I wanted a flip-front
and regretfully I said no!
Landmannnnn, how right you were/are!!!
The engine re-builder I have tasked with the rebuild of my 1300 engine rang me the other day to say that after stripping my motor and doing some pricing, he was sorry to inform me that it would cost ONE THOUSAND POUNDS PLUS VAT Sir............
Bloody hell;!!
By all accounts it needs a rebore, new pistons, crank regrind AND
a bloody camshaft!
Right at this moment, I have no XKSS which drives, so very reluctantly I have given him the go-ahead.
I ran this news past a mechanical mate of mine who thought a grand for rebuild was CHEAP!
Perhaps I'm too old-fashioned, but a grand to me is still a lot of readies, but as I said, as we speak, it should be being sorted out.
Watch this space...............
Scottie a grand IS cheap for a complete rebuild.
Last year i had the motor of my .29 model A Ford rebuild and it was 3500 euros,plus a gearbox rebuild what was a grand.This was at a specialized rebuilding company,price was included tax.
I would check if the guy is legit as this is very cheap.
Good luck,René
Possibly Tas, but its too late now, I have given him the green light.
At least afterwards I will have a good revvy little engine I can thrape about a bit!
Thanks Paul, I agree with you about cash well spent 'cos at the moment, I have a piece of junk that doesn't drive, a pretty piece of junk mind you, but it WILL be worth it when its all done.
