Triumph
Spitfire Conversion Project
This May I bought a
1974 Triumph spitfire with
a blown engine with the goal of converting it to
electric power. Once I got it towed home and
dismantled, I found that the problem was that
the two bolts holding piston #4 to the
crankshaft had come loose, and the piston
had crashed into the side of the engine and
broken the side of the block. Here is a picture
of the blown engine block. Note the gaping
hole on the right.
It was a lot of fun dismantling the car. Out
came all the internal combustion engine
components, such as the fuel tank, radiator,
exhaust system and of course the engine.
What was left was a huge cavity where the
engine had been and whole bunch of parts.
Using the guise of saving gas, and selling my
old Honda S2000, I got approval from the
boss to start buying stuff. So I ordered the
"universal conversion kit" from
ElectroAutomotive and bought myself an
oxyacetylene welding outfit.
The adaptor plate was the first thing to go in.
I had fun welding a motor mount from an 8
inch diameter steel tube (picked up as junk
from SIMS metal in San Jose). My friend Ed
helped me mount the motor in the cavity.
Battery boxes were next, made from L-bracket
material picked up from Allen Steel in
Redwood City.
Once everything was wired together and
basically worked as promised, I had to
address the weight issue. The front weighed
roughly the same, the 4 batteries and the
motor weighing roughly the same as the gas
engine I took out (4x65lbs+1351lbs), so I
didn't have to do anything special with the
front suspension, but the back was much
heavier with 8 batteries. The extra weight was
compensated with a set of Monroe gas
adjustable shocks (MA785). I blew the first
set, as the rubber rubbed against the "vertical
member" above the drum brakes. So I put two
thick washers to act as spacers to give me
about 1/4 inch minimum clearance.
a blown engine with the goal of converting it to
electric power. Once I got it towed home and
dismantled, I found that the problem was that
the two bolts holding piston #4 to the
crankshaft had come loose, and the piston
had crashed into the side of the engine and
broken the side of the block. Here is a picture
of the blown engine block. Note the gaping
hole on the right.
It was a lot of fun dismantling the car. Out
came all the internal combustion engine
components, such as the fuel tank, radiator,
exhaust system and of course the engine.
What was left was a huge cavity where the
engine had been and whole bunch of parts.
Using the guise of saving gas, and selling my
old Honda S2000, I got approval from the
boss to start buying stuff. So I ordered the
"universal conversion kit" from
ElectroAutomotive and bought myself an
oxyacetylene welding outfit.
The adaptor plate was the first thing to go in.
I had fun welding a motor mount from an 8
inch diameter steel tube (picked up as junk
from SIMS metal in San Jose). My friend Ed
helped me mount the motor in the cavity.
Battery boxes were next, made from L-bracket
material picked up from Allen Steel in
Redwood City.
Once everything was wired together and
basically worked as promised, I had to
address the weight issue. The front weighed
roughly the same, the 4 batteries and the
motor weighing roughly the same as the gas
engine I took out (4x65lbs+1351lbs), so I
didn't have to do anything special with the
front suspension, but the back was much
heavier with 8 batteries. The extra weight was
compensated with a set of Monroe gas
adjustable shocks (MA785). I blew the first
set, as the rubber rubbed against the "vertical
member" above the drum brakes. So I put two
thick washers to act as spacers to give me
about 1/4 inch minimum clearance.
Blown engine block
of the original car
Some of the junk
that came out of the car
Completed car from
the front (charging)
New dash, including
ammeter and
voltmeter (state of charge)
voltmeter (state of charge)
View from the rear -
note outlet in the gas filler cap
8 x 12V deep cycle
batteries in the trunk. Note
the main breaker to the left, and the charger
behind
the main breaker to the left, and the charger
behind
The front showing
the 4 batteries,
the plate with the electronics, and
the motor situated under the plate.
the plate with the electronics, and
the motor situated under the plate.
Better view of the
motor
and the plate with the
electronics
and the plate with the
electronics
Top view of the
front
compartment
compartment
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