Ken Morris's 1972 TR-6 is Powered by a Chevy 350 V8
as published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 1, April 2007
Owner: Ken Morris
City: Easley, SC
E-mail: kenmo-at-charter.net
Model: 1972 Triumph TR-6 (VIN CC81062U)
Engine: Chevy 350
Conversion performed by: Owner
| Engine: | 350cid GM crate motor. Stock cam. |
| Intake: | 2701 Dual plane Edelbrock intake with a 1406 Edelbrock carb.
Performer series. |
| Cooling: | Radiator is a 19x27" aluminum crossflow custom built by
Bobby Kar of Karhouse, Anderson, SC |
| Exhaust: | 2" system with twin Hushpower round style mufflers by Flowmaster. |
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| Transmission: | Muncie M-21 close ratio 4-speed (manufactured in 1967).
Kajun Jon supplied all the parts and bell housing.
11" clutch with a Tilton hydraulic release bearing and a 7/8" Tilton master cylinder.
(I had to modify the actuator to fit the stock clutch pedal.)
Custom made one piece driveshaft. |
| Rear axle: | Currently running the stock IRS system.
Plans are to convert to a 9" soon as the sticker-shock settles a bit. |
| Front Suspension: | Basically stock. Installed all new bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends
and heavy-duty coil springs. |
| Rear Suspension: | I replaced the swing arm mounts w/3" tubular steel, reinforced differential
mounts, heavy-duty springs, and tube shock conversion. |
| Other Chassis Mods: | I added bracing around the swing arm mounts, fabricated a slightly
larger & thicker breast plate, and also added reinforcements to
the frame at the motor mounts. |
| Brakes: | All stock for now. Plans are to do the Nissan dual piston conversion. |
| Wheels/Tires: | 205/70R15 Pirelli's |
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| Body/Interior: | For the most part the body is stock although parts are from 70 thru
76. Seats are from a Mazda Miata, modified to fit on TR-6 seat rails
and covered by a local trim shop. (They do very good work!) |
| Electrical: | Using all AutoMeter Sport comp gauges w/electronic speedometer
(which is a pain to calibrate or perhaps a defective unit.) |
| Wiring: | Harness provided by Dan Masters along with some phone consultations. |
| Parts Sources: | I found a local scrap yard with 50 plus TR-6's in various conditions,
and they supplied the body parts. Moss, Victoria British, British Parts NW,
Summit, Southern Rods and eBay were used for new replacement parts.
Tri-City Plating of Elizabethton, TN provided some outstanding chrome
with a lifetime warranty. (Very long turnaround time, but worth it!
It took 14 weeks for my chromed parts.) |
| Completed: | Began project Sept of 2003. Completed September of 2006. |
| Miles driven: | About 900 miles (as of January 2007.) |
| Ken's Comments: | I found my steering column components, u-joints, standoff supports
from Woodward Machine Corp. They were able to match up the exact spline
count of the TR6 shaft (0.563-36). They didn't have the chrome ones
however, the units I found were $10 cheaper per/unit and with a bit
of paint they'll do just fine. Woodward manufactures power steering
units for racecars. (www.woodwardsteering.com) I only have minor problems with the conversion so far: I have a short cable from the transmission up to the firewall where it connects to the electric pulse counter. I calibrated as instructed, but still get erroneous readings. Also, the cooling fan runs for a long time after I shut the motor down. I will try relocating the sensor from the block to the radiator. Finally the clutch pedal seems to build resistance as the operating temp rises and the fluid has darkened. I'm still working on that one! My many thanks to those associated with the British V8 program for helpful articles and pictures that helped me out of some tight spots. |
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