Thread: Engine choice
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Old 19th December 2019, 09:24
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There are ways to shoehorn a straight six into pretty much anything that's already running a Triumph 4 pot:

Swap the front suspension turrets side to side - that moves the engine mounts back about six inches.

Fit a Spitfire/herald front engine plate to the motor instead of the straight six version - that gives you engine mounts just behind the front pulley (they're on the side of the block on a straight 6) moving the engine back about six inches.

If using standard engine mounts, raise the rear gearbox mount an inch - that will lower the very front of the engine by about 15mm through the 'see-saw' effect if you really need the last fag-paper of clearance under the bonnet (Phil J did this with his green Sammio Spyder).

Remove the top generator mount, rotate the generator around the lower mount (making it the top mount) and fabricate a new lower mount to keep the generator in place - that allows a tighter bonnet line over the distributor side of the engine.

All of the above will have knock-on effects like exhaust manifold and pipes clearance, gear lever location, possible bulkhead or chassis fouling, etc., so it's just a question of trial and error. In fact, I'm currently putting a Spitfire 4 pot under the front hood of a Porsche 356 replica (yes, really), and to get it to fit I have moved the engine back 90mm by fabricating new engine mounts and fitting an overdrive prophsaft to a non overdrive gearbox.

Or you could just modify the bonnet with scoops and bulges to get it to wrap around the engine and ancillaries.

In the words of the immortal Yoda, 'Impossible is nothing'.
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