This is an older build I did several years ago. 1969 Trimuph Spitfire with a 215 Olds aluminum V8 with Land Rover 4.6 heads (better valves and hardened rocker arms Buick Style) Camero T5 transmission and BMW independent rear posi differential.

 

Nice install, bet it was a bitch shoehorning that in there. Back in the 80's I put a Buick V6 in a Triumph Stag with that same rack and pinion, I invented new cuss words on that job.

 

Nice I'll bet it scoots!!

 

The car was given to me, sitting under an old oak tree with the top rotted off. My wife really liked it and called it a little Bumble Bee. of course, being built in England it would overheat in the rain. My wife told me to fix it. So I did. after the Frame off I wanted to put the Rumble Bee decal from the hot pick up on it.. When I was 15 I went to work in a shop and one of the older mechanics,(Maybe 25) had a 56 Ford big back window custom cab Pick Up with a 392 Hemi in it. I asked him how he did it and he said " You can put any engine in any car, as long as you have a big enough Shoe Horn". Younger readers might have to google shoe horn.

 

I like it! Thanks for sharing.

 

1900 LBS 200HP Yep it scoots, and handles like it's on rails.
It's gone now, I sold it last year to a guy in Charlotte, North Carolina. Claimed he was going to put another 20K into it and go Vintage Road Racing. I haven't heard from him since he bought it.

 

Nice conversion!!! My buddy had a stock Spitfire when I was in high school & even it was a blast to drive because of it's awesome handling! I can only imagine how much fun it would have been with some real power under the "bonnet"!! It was nice to see those engines get a second life in England(& even some improvements) when Land Rover bought the tooling from GM. Just like the Buick 225 V6 going to Jeep.

 

I like the badging on the deck lid

 

The Spitfire had awesome handling??? Back in its time it was considered a handful compared to the MG Midget, Mini Cooper, even regular sedans would drive away from them when the going got bendy....
The Buick (Rover?) V8 isn't quite extinct even now, an engineering firm in the UK has the tooling and produces batches of them from time to time, mostly because there are lots of racing classes set arounfd this engine. It is as iconic to British hot rodders as the small block Chevy is to their USA counterparts.
Anyway, awesome job, Did you beef up the chassis when you put it together?, it must have at least double the torque the Triumph 4 pot had.

Roger.

 

You're right about the second life. It's a shame that GM shot themselves in the foot with the 215. It was a great little engine before it's time. One HP per Cubic Inch in the Turbo version. GM used it from 61-63 and British Leland - Rover Group used it from 1965 - 2006. They went from 3.5 Liters (215 Cubic inch) to 3.9 to 4.0 to 4.2 and in the end to 4.6 Liters, ( 289 cubic inch)
The later 4.0 and 4.6 were 4 bolt main cross bolted stronger bottom ends,with better valves and hard faced rocker arms. Still a 62 Olds or Buick timing cover, distributor, intake manifold and oil pan will bolt on, along with flywheel and bell housing. Be careful putting a T5- 5 speed trans behind one, because the Rover crank shaft pilot bearing hole is not deep enough and the T5 input shaft will bottom out breaking the bell housing while bolting it on.. (been there, done that). Trim the input shaft with a cutoff wheel 3/16" and they fit fine.