CHAWLEY

Quoted from Will It Ever Run Again-

Hi Frank,

I have a '79 1500 Spit and considered this too but eventually was put off by the weight of the GT6 engine and decided instead to get my engine uprated significantly by a specialist. At the same time I will also uprate the brakes and suspension and reduce the weight of my car overall (including a fibreglass bonnet - my steel one was shot anyway and I was offered a fibreglass one for a song).

From outside the car will look reasonably standard other than being slightly lowered on minilites but underneath it'll have the performance to put a real grin on my face.

I haven't had it done yet but so far I've been extremely impressed by chats with Moordale Motors. I'm just waiting for Mr Covid to move on and I'll be able to spend some money!

Just an alternative to consider.

Steve

cheers steve!

after much deliberation and umming and ahhing ive decided to keep the spit as it is and have since sourced yet another ugly duckling to turn into a beautiful swan. so going to restore the inline six and throw it in that :P

many thanks all for your insight and feedback!

Quoted from cliftyhanger-

Chassis essentially the same ie mkIV/1500 spit same as GT6mk3 (maybe rad brackets and rotoflex "quirks" but can be sorted)

Be aware costs will be high. A good GT6 bonnet will be many hundreds of £, as will a 6 cylinder OD setup (yes, different prop) although sale of you kit will go a fair way to cover that.

Not forgetting front suspension/brakes and so on. It is all the smaller stuff that catches people out. The front suspension towers are even different, engine mount holes in a different place but it can be "fiddled" to work.

Rear suspension, and even brakes, can be left as is. (I ran my 2.5 vitesse with herald/spit rear shafts and brakes)

Vitesse and GT6 mechanicals the same. Probably some minor details I have forgotten though.

ah right, thank you for the info on the chassis, i have anticipated the front breaks, rad brackets and suspension, and also already have a gt6 bonnett. (im in the UK) although it is a steel one.

i didnt realise the front suspension towers would be different? is that a large pain in the arse sort of difference or a manageable one?

i have been reading up on rotoflex, and it seems like a lot more maintenance for little gain, would it be worth thinking about?

by all means this isnt going to be an overnight project, im hoping to spend a good time restoring and getting the engine right first, then bit by bit acquire the rest of the transmission, its a long term goal. who knows, maybe by the time im finished id have found a gt6 husk to de-rust and stick it all in 😁

Quoted from PeteStupps-

Not something I've done but lots of people have - in fact I was reading a similar question yesterday on a different forum: http://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/8871-vitesse-2l-mk2-engine-in-a-spitfire-1500/&tab=comments#comment-120684

In summary, it's perfectly do-able but there are various things to be aware of. 

Some other outline info and pictures here: http://auskellian.com/paul/links_files/performance_enhancements.htm#Spit-6

It's something I've thought about myself, but I'll probably just save up for a GT6 :)

Pete

Pete, thank you very much for the link, puts my mind at ease and turns out it might be easier than i first thought! all thats left to do now is try not to get too excited!

i toyed with the idea of just body transplant on a gt6 instead. but not sure where id go about finding a body shell. would the bolt holes for it fit the same chassis of a mk4/1500?

Frank

Evening chaps and chapettes!!

Ive restored a triumph spitfire mk4 with a 1500 engine w/ overdrive. its great, i love it and want to take it further.

I have just been left a 2litre vitesse straight 6. (engine number prefix HC)

You can already see my train of thought..
Im not too sure about vitesse or gt6 but i know the gt6 mk3 is the same body /chassis as the mk4/1500 (unless im mistaken?)

I was wondering if i rebuilt the straight six and managed to get myself a gearbox with overdrive that fitted (vitesse or gt6? is there a difference?)... would it fit in my mk4/1500?

How far would i need to go for a conversion? Can i use the same prop shaft? Im assuming the o/d mount to the chassis would be further back? Are the engine mounts the same? would i need to change the drive shafts?

Basically, how much can i get away with here? haha.

There's just no literature on doing this and i want to be sure it would work before i spend the next year of my life on it!

Or should i just restore the engine with a gearbox with o/d and wait for a gt6 shell to put it in? what are your thoughts? any replies or information would be most welcome.

Frank