v8 into vixen
v8 into vixen
Author
Discussion

markal

Original Poster:

12 posts

250 months

Saturday 16th October 2004
quotequote all
has anyone put a rover v8 into a vixen advice needed to do this 07779821830 iwill call you right back

heightswitch

6,322 posts

266 months

Saturday 16th October 2004
quotequote all
Why??

Why not just put the proper V8 into it if you are going to the time, expense and trouble.

First question is whats your budget, second is can you weld.

Neil.

heightswitch

6,322 posts

266 months

Saturday 16th October 2004
quotequote all
Alan. Just realised its you. have you found a car yet then?

Neil.

markal

Original Poster:

12 posts

250 months

Saturday 16th October 2004
quotequote all
yes a new chassis complete running gear and a rebuilt body regards alan

heightswitch

6,322 posts

266 months

Sunday 17th October 2004
quotequote all
Good lad.
Dont waste time with a rover. you need a 289 for originality or if you're not too fussed then source a pre 79 block 302 ford. mate this to a T10 4 speed borg warner and a 3.54 salsbury rear end from an XJ series jag. Uprights are going to be your weak link though, so search the sites for alternative ideas.

The sky is the limit, just depends on how much you can do yourself or how much you want to spend.

Register with the Yahoo pre-1980 TVR group which is a good way to contact other like minded people with your affliction.

Neil.

markal

Original Poster:

12 posts

250 months

Sunday 17th October 2004
quotequote all
thanks neil alan

cantus

925 posts

268 months

Monday 18th October 2004
quotequote all
Hi Alan

V8 into a vixen !!!! It is a hell of a job! If you are going to do it, choose the right engine and take the 289 hipo. It is expensive, but you are building the real thing than. Gearbox should be a B&W T10 or a Ford toploader. The last one is cheaper and easier to find. The diff must be replaced and is a lot of work! The axles and flanges must be replaced as well! Front suspension is weak !
The best thing is to redesign it and use 400se uprights. And than the brakes ! Building a fast machine is nice, but braking is the most important thing on a machine like that. Use the 4 pod lockheed or find yourself a propar AP set. Cooling !!! Make a foamblock as big as you can to fit in the front and use that as an example to build a radiator. Steering !! You can not use the steeringaxel because it goes straight through the exhaustmanifold. So use two UJ's to go around the manifolds. Another expensive thing are the exhaust manifolds ! Build them on the car because there is not much space there.
Well...good luck.

William

markal

Original Poster:

12 posts

250 months

Monday 18th October 2004
quotequote all
thanks for the advice it would be cheaper buying a griffith, have you done what you sugested.

heightswitch

6,322 posts

266 months

Monday 18th October 2004
quotequote all
No it won't

A good griff 200 / 400 will cost £30k to buy. that is because they are rare, valuable and most have now been found and restored, so no wrecks requiring total restoration are around. Also good ones are often held onto by their owners who know what they are worth.

The most cost effective way into griffith ownership is via the purchase of a grantura MK3, same shell as 200 grif, Vixen series 1, same shell as 400 grif, Vixen series 2, same shell as Tuscan LWB SE.

The chassis of those cars cars can be modified to grif spec. Or if you are starting from scratch then bargain on the following:

New Chassis £1500
Diff, Jag Salsbury £500
289 engine £1500 - £20,000 depending on spec
T10 £1000
Prop / drives / uprights Say £2-3000

Bottom line is that you can put a griff replica on the road for £10k plus the purchase of your original car. you could even shave this further by doing some of the work yourself

Some will say that it is not an original griff, but if someone wants to pay £30k for a car when the only difference is engine, diff, box and thicker quill shafts then good luck to them.

The point the others were making in the earlier threads was that you have to spend money if you want to drive the car because ALL standard griffs break. They were essentially a poorly engineered transplanted 4 cylinder car when they were made and most have now been modified away from standard anyway.

Also. The FIA are allowing replica cars to race now anyway so who cares. These cars are made for driving.

Neil.

markal

Original Poster:

12 posts

250 months

Tuesday 19th October 2004
quotequote all
thanks for the advice my original plan was to build a modsports replica from the seventies but the cars i have looked at are to far gone or to good to start flaring wheel arches etc etc Brian Hough raced a tuscan v6 in modsports has anybody got any pictures regards alan.

love machine

7,609 posts

251 months

Saturday 23rd October 2004
quotequote all
What a load of nonsense. According to a guy in Oz, his supercharged vixen as a road racer was faster and out handled modern TVRs. Having had the use of an S2 for a while, I can say they are pretty sharp.

Why you would want to sod the handling up by putting in a huge lump of yank iron in there. The Rover V8 is cheaper a LOT LIGHTER and in the UK is the sensible choice. Was the thread title "V8 into Vixen"? or "Creating a wannabe Griff for a huge amount of cash". I would go for the Rover. +TVR used them in later cars. Originality freaks......Jeez. My mate with the Vixen (Originality Numpty) came with me to see a Grantura 4 which had been re bodied with a 2a. This was running a Rover V8, was in spanking order and was £2.5K. What a tosser I was for not buying it. "ohhh, its got the wrong axle, gearbox, seats"....Grrrrr, I believed the nonsense. It would have gone like buggery and been great.

Instead of hacking up the chassis, have you thought about putting a supercharger on it? Try an Eaton M62. They are quite cheap, you can turn your pistons out a bit more, get a chambered head (cheap) and boost it to about 12 PSI, It will feel like it has a 3L engine in it but will weigh the same (pretty much) as a Vixen.

Is your Vixen more of a sports car or a "correct spec" classic.....thought so, that's what it was made for.

Having a 1966 mini, I get this all the time, "ohh, that's not original, someone has put radial tyres on, etc, etc............." howay man...

heightswitch

6,322 posts

266 months

Sunday 24th October 2004
quotequote all
Spoken like an armchair mechanic??
N.