sellersrodshop
03-14-2012, 09:50 PM
not just outside the box, but maybe also out in left field too. this will be a PT build of not a camaro, chevelle, or nova but a 1966 triumph tr-4a...
planning for this started a few years ago, while visiting a "long lost" friend that i hadn't seen in over 20 yrs. his father has a 65 tr-4 that he has owned since 1966 & while there for the visit, he started talking to me about bringing it over to get a few items "freshened up" such as paint, new top & interior etc. the whole time i'm looking over his car, i'm thinking "i could get a v-8 in there". i came home & immediately started doing research into weights/measurements etc. to see just how feasible this would be & was amazed at what i was finding. first, the little 6 cylinder that came in the tr-250 (same body as the tr-4) & the later tr-6 weighs exactly the same as a small block ford 5.0! i needed another project like i needed a hole in my head (already have a 36 ford, 69 mustang & a 52 chevy 2dr hardtop) but the search began for a body. i ended up locating one in michigan off of craigslist & the price was right (cheap!) so i jumped on it. a week after it arrived here, i found a local cl ad for a 97 explorer gt-40p motor/trans combo so picked those up. sold the auto OD trans to offset the price & picked up a good t-5 trans. this was in oct 2010 & i was almost ready to clear out a spot in the shop to get it in. in nov 2010, i had a 150k total loss fire & the shop was gone... naturally, things were put on hold for a while. luckily, the car wasn't in yet so it survived, but the engine wasn't quite as lucky. the heat cooked all the sensors & injectors for the EFI & water entered 3 cylinders that the exhaust valves were open on. small setback, i'm gonna put a carb on for now & will convert back to EFI later (if it will fit under the hood). hopefully, i'll get it in the new shop in the next week or so & finally get started.
plans are for a mild build of the 5.0 with a B-303 or E-303 cam. would like to be somewhere around the 300hp mark (the original 4 banger is rated at 100hp) backed up by the t-5 & a narrowed 8.8 rear, also from an explorer. i can narrow that in shop & only outsource the axle shortening/resplining. i figure with this arrangement, i'll have reliability & if you add in the gearing of the 5 speed & rear the "fun factor" should be high. i have already picked up a set of 17x8 wheels that were on a late model mustang with 245/45-17 tires (originals were 15x5") to squeeze into the fenderwells. i figure i can narrow the rear to fit the wheels & from my measurements, the fronts should fit as is without spacers.
here are a few stock specs on the car such as weights/measurements:
Wheelbase
m
88in.
Front track
49 in
Rear track
48 in
Length
156 in
Width
57.5 in
Height
50 in
length:wheelbase ratio
Ground clearance
6 in
Weight
2130 lb
here are a few pics of the car/parts:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/IMG_2383-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/IMG_2384-1.jpg
planning for this started a few years ago, while visiting a "long lost" friend that i hadn't seen in over 20 yrs. his father has a 65 tr-4 that he has owned since 1966 & while there for the visit, he started talking to me about bringing it over to get a few items "freshened up" such as paint, new top & interior etc. the whole time i'm looking over his car, i'm thinking "i could get a v-8 in there". i came home & immediately started doing research into weights/measurements etc. to see just how feasible this would be & was amazed at what i was finding. first, the little 6 cylinder that came in the tr-250 (same body as the tr-4) & the later tr-6 weighs exactly the same as a small block ford 5.0! i needed another project like i needed a hole in my head (already have a 36 ford, 69 mustang & a 52 chevy 2dr hardtop) but the search began for a body. i ended up locating one in michigan off of craigslist & the price was right (cheap!) so i jumped on it. a week after it arrived here, i found a local cl ad for a 97 explorer gt-40p motor/trans combo so picked those up. sold the auto OD trans to offset the price & picked up a good t-5 trans. this was in oct 2010 & i was almost ready to clear out a spot in the shop to get it in. in nov 2010, i had a 150k total loss fire & the shop was gone... naturally, things were put on hold for a while. luckily, the car wasn't in yet so it survived, but the engine wasn't quite as lucky. the heat cooked all the sensors & injectors for the EFI & water entered 3 cylinders that the exhaust valves were open on. small setback, i'm gonna put a carb on for now & will convert back to EFI later (if it will fit under the hood). hopefully, i'll get it in the new shop in the next week or so & finally get started.
plans are for a mild build of the 5.0 with a B-303 or E-303 cam. would like to be somewhere around the 300hp mark (the original 4 banger is rated at 100hp) backed up by the t-5 & a narrowed 8.8 rear, also from an explorer. i can narrow that in shop & only outsource the axle shortening/resplining. i figure with this arrangement, i'll have reliability & if you add in the gearing of the 5 speed & rear the "fun factor" should be high. i have already picked up a set of 17x8 wheels that were on a late model mustang with 245/45-17 tires (originals were 15x5") to squeeze into the fenderwells. i figure i can narrow the rear to fit the wheels & from my measurements, the fronts should fit as is without spacers.
here are a few stock specs on the car such as weights/measurements:
Wheelbase
m
88in.
Front track
49 in
Rear track
48 in
Length
156 in
Width
57.5 in
Height
50 in
length:wheelbase ratio
Ground clearance
6 in
Weight
2130 lb
here are a few pics of the car/parts:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/IMG_2383-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/03/IMG_2384-1.jpg