Practically Classics Forum

I sort-of agree. Bunging a big modern engine in one does mean it is no longer a classic car however they can be fun in their own right.

Ultimate engine swap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJfMAcnc6ig

It's shocking how much people spend on modernising a classic car!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ANYcjCGzPM

Ooh! V8 noises. Crisis time.

I'd enjoy a sidevalve Minor with period mods, like the one with the Alta OHV conversion and Aquaplane inlet manifold that appeared in PC some years ago. Yes, I'd also enjoy one with a Marina 1300 c/w Borg Warner 65 transmission but that modded lowlight car was thought to be every bit as quick as most A series upgraded cars and I like the idea that someone would have spent their overtime on just such a thing back in the fifties.

There's a member on this very forum who's created some spectacular Minors including a very standard-looking front wheel drive one with transverse modern(ish) Peugeot Diesel engine. Much as I enjoy simple RWD handling, that car sticks in my mind as one of the cleverer modified Minors out there and the MMOC has always welcomed even the most extreme examples of re-engineered cars into its fold.
The real challenge, however, comes in modifying something for which there are no precedents and few parts available.

Like that Volvo 244GLT that had been turned into a tractor which appeared in another thread recently.

I read a short passage about the Triumph Vitesse 2L, which it seems was never offered as an estate car. It crossed my mind that with a 2.5 engine, an estate version could have been something of a Scimitar competitor.

I know that later Vitesse cars benefited from the revised rear suspension but bearing in mind that the chassis was originally designed to take the 948 engine, would a 2.5 six have been too much for it

Was this a missed opportunity or a sensible exercise in caution

In the same book, I was quite impressed to see that Standard 8s were available with overdrive. Standard/Triumph liked their overdrives (And so do I)

There were some official Vitesse estates, like this, one of those genuine cars:



OK, so Canley didn't complete them, but these are nonetheless recognised and written up at the DVA as Vitesse Estates.
The order for this one was placed in the normal way and build completed by a large dealership bodyshop down in that London and there is someone on here who knows how many were built as they mentioned it in the thread I started about this car on the date shewn in the picture.

I wonder has anyone dropped in a 2.5

There were some Morris Minors, built from spares by dealers, after production had ended but not (So far as I know) on the scale of the Ledbury Maestros.

I have a vague recollection of "Hot Car" in the late 60's to mid 70's and the editor (Tony Bostock IIRC) has a Vitesse (reg no: GAY 40) that he had upgraded to 2.5. I seem to remember that he had problems with the compression ratio being too high - I don't remember what engine the car had before the "improvement" and I don't think he was with the mag for long after that. Someone called "Ian Wearing" (or something like that) took over and the mag headed towards the "Custom Car" type of magazine rather than it's original "tune up and go faster" style, so I got bored with it!

Mind you, I ha bought a Maxi by then and I didn't think it would look good with hiked rear suspension with big wheels. There again, the rear suspension was high for years until a friend put new bushes in and cured the problem while he was doing that job!

Doubtless it's as easy as swapping between any other two engines that are basically similar, what I don't get is why any Vitesse owner would want to replace that lovely sweet 1600 or 2 litre with the massively undersquare 2500.
I have seen an Innsbruck with a 2.6 OHC out of an SD1 though, its owner swore by it but then he'd never had to shim up an OHC after it had performed its party piece.

have you considered the renault 4? or the 6??