Which engine should I stuff in my '65 Austin Healey Sprite??

i'm NOT going with a motorcycle engine, I know that for sure. I found a v6 outta a ford f150 a 93 i think it was, including the whole running gear, and axle, etc, the whole package for $100. it has 70k on the odometer. but i think im gonna pass that up.

The zetec seems like the place to try for at this point. I like the look of that jag swap but its too nice to drive and jag motors are unreliable when compared to a zetec, lol. And the honda swap is in the back of my mind as well, i have done some checking and there are a couple of kits to use a b-series honda motor for a rear wheel drive car, they have a couple of adapters out there...

Andrew

98 Single Cam Honda Motor: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/758859466.html

2.3 Turbo out of a T-Bird: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/757908681.html

307 Olds Motor- free: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/756782027.html

4age and tranny $500: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/755406402.html

2.5 Ford V6 out of a Contour $499: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/750789546.html

2.5L 4 cyl out of a Wrangler $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/744865328.html

01 Civic motor $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/737181303.html

D16 motor and tranny: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/734140057.html

92dxman wrote: 98 Single Cam Honda Motor: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/758859466.html 2.3 Turbo out of a T-Bird: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/757908681.html 307 Olds Motor- free: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/756782027.html 4age and tranny $500: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/755406402.html 2.5 Ford V6 out of a Contour $499: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/750789546.html 2.5L 4 cyl out of a Wrangler $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/744865328.html 01 Civic motor $400: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/737181303.html D16 motor and tranny: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/pts/734140057.html

I see posts like this all the time up north and yet when I check my local FW/D craigslist I get nothing but scammers and odd ball wheels and tires. I don't get it.

Is it that up north in the rust belt the engines survive the cars or what?

Yep that was from the Philly Craigslist. A fair share of cars rust away and the motors survive.

Go buy the big blue book and build a 1380 for it.

It bolts right in and runs great. Why mess with a good thing?

You can still get TONS of speed parts for the A-series for reasonable prices.

Shawn

My vote is for a built-up 1275 with a supercharger. You know it will fit with no modification (especially to the trans tunnel), readily available, easy to do, etc... I plan on doing that (minus supercharger) to my 63 Spridget. Already have a 72 parts car with the 1275 and all of the running gear. Just look for a rusted out complete Spridget with 1275, readily available usually for cheap $.

and the built 1275 will be a helluva lot easier all in all. Problem is, you're looking at thousands for the engine buildup (supercharger or 1380) and then figuring out your tune.

I didn't have any trouble with getting my silvertop running properly. Used engine of unknown mileage fired right up (plug the computer in) and runs like the day it left the factory.

I vote for a rotary. This page makes it look relatively easy.

http://www.geocities.com/mg12a/mg12a/intro.html

I'm putting my Midget back together now and I'd like to have more power, but I'm not sure I want to go through with swapping in a different motor. It would be fun though.

HAYABUSA! duh.

sjd

SHO V6. 220 hp stock and revs to the moon. intake is symmetrical so you can put it where you need...Aerostar bell housing bolts up allowing you to use a T-5 etc.

2.8 or 3.1 GM V6 $100: http://www.tristatetuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=60319

I vote for a 478 cubic inch Hemi:

http://www.modifiedhealeys.org/Photos/126Marian/Marian.htm

^^^ one of my favorite swaps.

just out of curiosity.. why not a 1500 or the 1800 from the MGB?

Do you mean the B-series 1500 (as in an MGA), or the late Sprite 1500?

If the former, it's underpowered and overweight. If the latter, it's just a POS engine.

I love the B-series in any displacement, but it's REALLY heavy, pretty tall, and not all that powerful. You have all the work of an engine swap and not a lot of advantage.

ecotec?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/07-Pontiac-Solstice-Sky-2-4-Liter-Engine-OE-LKQ-8-Miles_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a552Q7c39Q3a1Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14Q2el1318QQhashZitem190240775423QQitemZ190240775423

I had no idea that the 1500 from the spitfire was considered such a bad engine. Too long a stroke?

Well, this is coming from an MG guy, and we're trained to hate the Triumph 1500 just because it replaced the absolutely wonderful 1275 A-series....

Besides that, the 1500 has a weak bottom end, doesn't much care for revs, and is kinda asthmatic. Oddly, when Triumph added a couple of cylinders on it somehow works much better. Still a week crank (or thrust washers, to be more precise) but I love a Triumph six.

All those old British engines are crazy undersquare. They had some crazy formula that tied the bore to the amount of tax the owner had to pay, or something like that.

For whatever it's worth, I really like the B-series engine. It's torquey, makes great noises, and the 1800 version was pretty powerful for its time. But nowadays 98hp from 1.8 liters is no great shakes at all, even with the torque, and it's REALLY heavy. Almost small-block-Ford heavy. So I wouldn't pick it for a swap unless you were really just jonesing to keep it all British. And even then, I'd look at a Rover V8 instead.

I have seen quite a few of the 1500 Spit/Midget motors break cranks, either right behind the center main or between rods 3&4. Don't ask me why, they just have an appetite for cranks. For that reason, I'd avoid it as a performance motor swap.

Yeah, I think the triumph engine will make more power, but not engine swap more, if you know what I mean. If you're going through the pain, you might as well get some more power, reliability, light weight, and fuel economy out of it. That's why the Suzuki swift GTI or the 4age or Miata 1600 are good choices in my opinion.
As to the zetec or eco tec, or SR20, I would take a good tape measure to those and figure out really how big they are. The 4age is a pretty small engine and still was quite a challenge to install. I didn't have to cut any out of the footwells (except a small amount from the top of the passenger footwell that could have been avoided in retrospect), and had to enlarge the tunnel only slightly (again, could probably have been avoided). I know you could fit the engines, but add in the alternator, the header, intake plenum etc, and those engines get big quick.

Of course, the Marian 478 Hemi sprite sort of dogs anyone who says it can't be done. I think that would be a great ride for a one legged couple: driver missing his right leg and passenger missing his left leg. I can't imagine there's much in the way of a footwell, and if there is, I'll bet after a ten minute ride you smell like KFC with your leg all fried up like the Colonel's secret recipe from engine heat.

Actually, the 1275 is a bolt-in for the Sprite, and I'd bet on it making more power than the Spitfire 1500.

I'm a little late to the thread, but my vote should be obvious.

Buy a 84-85 RX-7 GSLSE and use everything. Motor, Trans, driveshaft (shortened), and rear axle (narrowed), and oil cooler. I use a $100 VW Scirocco radiator and it has no problem on the street keeping it at 180F. Swap in a later Midget gas tank (8 gallons IIRC). Exhaust will reguire some creative thinking to get it quiet, but it is not to hard to do - ceramic coat the headers to keep passengers feet happy and put down some insulation especially on the passenger side foorwell.

The heater shelf can be salvaged by notching the drivers side air passage and boxing it to clear the clutch slave cyl. A small cut and box is needed in the upper passenger side foot well (way above your feet). The trans fits in the tunnel with only a slight massage with a hammer in a few spots to clear the reverse light and neutral switchs hanging off the trans. I dropped the crossmember making it bolt in and cut the original for more clearance. It sits no lower than the exhaust.

I ditched the Mazda F/I because it sat up too high and would require a modified hood (I don't like big hood scoops). Buy a Racing Beat Weber sidedraft intake and get a used 45 DCOE which is good for a stock or small street port motor on the street or use a Weber sidedraft style throttle body for F/I. Use the Mazda clutch master and modify the pushrod - the MG cylinder will give you one very large left leg if you use it.

It is a fast car with a stock motor and a very fast car with just a street ported motor. I can not complain about reliablilty - I've been racing the same motor since 2000.

Here is the latest from this past weekend:

RX-Midget at Polish Mtn Hillclimb

How it all started: RX-Midget project from totaled shell to complete car.

If this seems like too much work, the 1275 is really a great motor when built up and they "drop-in".

Good luck.

B.

Mite wrote: I vote for a 478 cubic inch Hemi: http://www.modifiedhealeys.org/Photos/126Marian/Marian.htm

I saw that car at local show a couple of years ago. It's pretty impressive. The one thing I remember though is the foot boxes were really small and the pedals were offset pretty far to the left to clear the engine.

Another pretty one: http://www.britishv8.org/Other/VTEC-Sprite.htm

I want that one as much as I want that Jag one...

Brust wrote: Listen. You want a hot rod, you put the (xyz) V8/v6 in there and it will go great in a straight line. Point and shoot. I can't and won't argue anymore with a pushrod V8 having the greatest power to weight ratio of any engine out there, the LS's made anyone arguing that point tuck tail. I among them. If you want a car that is well balanced, lightweight, and will pass that hot rod on the autocross course and on the tight windy mountain road, you want a lightweight four or the rotary. Fact is, with the short wheelbase, narrow track, and skinny wheels, controlling that power will be a beast. I don't hate--- you make your choices- I've seen some great V8 conversions (that I still claim I can beat any day at autocross or a mountain road) and some neat 4 cyl. Good luck, and please keep us up with progress- I'm always looking for good ideas! Brust

I've seen some interesting Super Production road racer Spridgets with small block Fords. The V8 is only 4 cylinders long, so it sits in exactly the same space front to rear as the stocker, with the weight evenly spread out front to rear. With sticky tires under flares, it'll turn at least as good as a 4 cylinder version. I mean, I got the same arguments you made against my V8 RX7 and that thing pulled over 1 G laterally and had perfect front/rear balance due to that self same engine setback. Of course, it did weigh more overall, so that may have helped.

I'd love to build one just to prove people wrong about handling. Just like I did with my V8 RX7.