Triumph Repair: Engine Replacement, mazda rotory engine, swing axles

Question
I have a 1964 Spitfire triumph with a useless engine.  I would like to replace the engine with something that will not take a lot of modification to the engine compartment.  Do you know what will fit in the small area the best?

Answer
Michael,

Are you saying the engine is shot, or that it doesn't have the performance you want?

The most common swap on the early Spitfires is to drop in a later 1500cc engine.  Those can be sourced from either a late Spitfire 1500 or an MG Midget 1500 (1975-1980).

It's a direct drop in, but you'll need to use the 1500 intakes and exhaust.

Non-Triumph swaps:

The swap that I've seen with the least sheet metal mods is to drop in a Mazda rotory engine.  Grassroots motorsports did it about 10 years ago on one of their project cars.

There's a list of some of the swaps people have done at:

http://www.triumphspitfire.com/engineswaplinks.html

Keep in mind that the original Spitfire drivetrain and suspension were derived from the 947cc Triumph Herald and was only originally spec'd to handle about 40 hp.  The 1147 (original engine) through the 1500s only made about 70-75hp.  Any significant increase and you'll then need to replace the differential and swing axles with something more robust.


Cheers,

Jim