Triumph Repair: Will a 1500 engine fit?, clutch plate, drive shaft

Question
Greetings!  Thanks in advance for the assistance!

I have a 1971 Spitfire that I'm attempting to restore.  I've found a 1500 engine and transmission for a good price and would like to simply "bolt it in" to replace the 1296cc engine that's in my 1971 Spit.  Is this possible?

Thanks in advance!

Dave


Answer
Dave,

Externally the Spitfire blocks are all the same, from the first 1147s to the last 1500s.

Assuming that your Mk IV still has it's original engine and gearbox, the problem you'll have is that the gearbox on the late Spitfires (single rail) is longer than the gearbox used in the Mk I - 1974 Mk IV/1500 (three rail).  

The easiest thing would be to find the correct drive shaft for the trans you have.

You can try re-using your original transmission, but then you'd need a clutch plate from a '73/'74 US spec 1500 to make it work.

You're problably better off reusing the distributor and carb setup from the Mk IV.  The carb mixture may need some tweaking but the two engines are pretty close.


Cheers,

Jim