73_Stag Posted September 5, 2005 Share Posted September 5, 2005 Hello all. A friends and I have a 1973 stag setting about in the yard and were wondering if there were any popular engine swaps that people commonly do. Now normally on a car like this Id be all for leaving the original engine in there, but the person we acquired it from had a 1973 Ford Capri V-6 lodged in there. We are having problems with it and were wondering what else we could do with the car. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveKent Posted September 5, 2005 Share Posted September 5, 2005 i guess if its got a ford lump in it then it's auto?easy swaps are triumph 2000, 2500 and rover v8, capri 2.8, granada cosworth 24vmore involved swaps are whatever you fancy! front engine rear wheel drive- the choice is unlimited! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 I think it deserves a V8 - a nice big one! There are far too few scary Stags, get a 7 litre Hemi, you know it makes sense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveKent Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 here, here!!! upset the concours boys in a BIG way!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volospian Posted September 6, 2005 Share Posted September 6, 2005 I'd go with Jason. If my Stag had a non original engine and I wanted to swap, I'd be looking here for inspiration... http://www.high-performance-engines.com/highperfengines.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenderson Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Fine, but big power needs big brakes and beefed up transmission. I reckon about 200bhp is the maximum the standard brakes can safely handle.Also, if you want it to go round corners you don't want a great big heavy lump at the front! Best to go for something in alloy...Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volospian Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 What have brakes got to do with engine power?Brakes would be affected by any weight gain, but stopping any particular car from 80mph would require the same effort whether it had 100hp or 500hp under the bonnet??)Besides, if you want to go round corners, you don't want a Stag in the first place :)To get a Stag to corner well means changes, especially if you're upsetting the balance by swaping the engine for a non Triumph V8 unit, so if you're changing the suspension, and the engine, why not upgrade the brakes and transmission at the same time. It wouldn't add that much to the total project cost.Besides, the ford 302 here states the shipping weight at 425lbs, while the Stag unit is apparently 446lbs (although I'm guessing that's fully dressed), so yank v8 doesn't have to weigh more than the standard unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenderson Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 The key word I used was safely.A more powerful car is more capable of repeatedly accelerating to high speeds in rapid succession, and needs brakes capable of stopping it each time without fading. That's why, for example, a BMW M3 has much bigger brakes than a 318i, while weighing less.If you're not going to use all the performance, you don't need the brakes, but then why have the performance in the first place, unless you want to drag race?Stags can be made to go round corners very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volospian Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Yes, they can be made to corner, but it takes modification. A standard Stag isn't much for bends. My point was that you seemed to be suggesting that a heavy engine would reduce the Stags ability to corner. I was simply pointing out that some V8's are no heavier than the standard unit and that a standard Stag can't go around corners anyway, irespective of what lump is in it. It isn't a sports car. As for brakes, again, you suggested that 200hp was some kind of limit. 200hp makes no difference whatsoever, it's the way the car is driven that makes a difference with brakes. You could quite easily overcome the standard Stag brakes with a standard engine on a nice windey road, or a track day. The actual power produced by the car has no effect whatsoever. The M3 has larger brakes because it is expected to be driven harder than the 318 and so would need brakes more capable of withstanding fade. If you drove it on the road, normally, using it's power to overtake, join the motorway, etc. as a normal driver would, 318 brakes would probably suffice.As for performance, there are plenty of road cars with more than 200hp that never see a race track, drag strip or anything other than a school run or motorway cruise. Having power does not mean you must accelerate to maximum speed everytime you put your foot down and under normal driving standard Stag brakes will stop a 200+hp car as well as they will stop a normal 145hp one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenderson Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 A standard Stag is not a sportscar, and while a much more powerful engine of the same weight as standard might not reduce its ability to corner, it will enable it to arrive at the corner at a much higher speed. Without suitably uprated brakes it is a potentially dangerous car.My point is that if a car is to be modified, it should be done so properly, with the rest of the chassis, brakes etc able to cope with the extra performance. One way of reducing the burden on the brakes is to reduce the weight of the car, which also improves its acceleration due to the improved power/weight ratio. If the excess weight comes from the front of the car, e.g. by fitting a lighter engine, the weight distribution is improved and hence the car's cornering ability. The car can therefore take the corner faster, further reducing the burden on the brakes.Add in the advantage of improved fuel consumption and, for me, a light, powerful engine wins hands down!If, as you say, you want to just use the power to overtake there remains the small matter of getting an MoT, never mind insurance. An MoT inspector and/or the DVLA may insist that a heavily modified car is subjected to Single Vehicle Approval which, without adequate brakes, it might not achieve. An insurance company will probably insist that an independent engineer assesses the modifications and provides a letter of approval (mine did), and no engineer worthy of the name will approve a firebreathing monster with standard brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volospian Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 No, your point was that 200hp was the most the brakes could handle safely. My point was that there is considerably more to safe braking than the HP of the engine. Under heavy driving even a standard Stag can quickly suffer fade, whereas a 250hp stag driven normally would probably not encounter any adverse brake issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 To be really contentious, how about a BMW or Audi 6 pot - turbo Diesel. Both are pretty powerful and civilized, be the most economical Stag ever and you could even run it on home brewed biodiesel and be immune from fuel queues. Just a thought...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenderson Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 I made a number of points, all intended to assist fellow enthusiasts.As for a diesel, not for me thanks, although cheap bio-fuel is tempting!Modern, multi-valve common rail ones are very good, especially with 6 or 8 cylinders. They just don't seem to suit a sportscar or a GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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