Tuning 1147 Spitfire engine
ANDREW COOPER
I have been told that the 1147 engine produces 68 bhp and that the 1300
engine produces 75 bhp. What would be the easiest(and cheapest) ways to
increase the power of these engines.
--
ANDREW COOPER
Alistair Doig
In article <dYRU$DAIy6...@cooper.co.uk>, ANDREW COOPER
<And...@cooper.co.uk> wrote:
Andrew,
I assume by this posting you are going to stick with your 1147 engine and
not replace it with a 1300!
I know that the 1300 was the most powerfull of the spitfire
engines...somone will probably correct me, but I sort of remember reading
somewhere that it was partly due to the lighter/smaller/better crankshaft
(at least compared to the later oners).I'm probably mistaken as usual!
Cheap and more power don't seem to go together....when I bought my
unfinished restoration, it had a sports manifold on it, so I had no choice
but to go for a sports exhaust system...this will set you back around
200ukp all in for an extra 11bhp (or so triumphtune quote in their
adverts!) Basically, this is supposed to give my 1500 a similar
performance to the 1300...whether it does or not ?
The previous owner had also fitted K&N filters which I gather is supposed
to help. It took me 't know, but will a while to figure out he hadn't
fitted richer needles or stiffer prings though, after a couple of months
of struggling to achieve 2500RPM!. This is cheaper than an exhaust I
think, but lets face it will any of us really notice an extra bhp or two?
although we usually notice the petrol going down faster!
My girlfriend's brother (souped-up capri mad etc.) suggested I fit an
electric fan and remove the fan blades so that all that power needed to
turn those plastic fans could be pumped to the wheels! hmmmm...I can
understand his thread but I was wanting to fit a fan to prevent
overheating!. kenlow fans for a 1500 are priced around the 85ukp mark, but
I suppose a second-hand fan from an escort or something would do just as
nicely for a fiver.
I'm not sure, but will an electronic ignition help things...reducing
losses from the mechanical breaker type?
In other words...I know the 1147 hasn't awsome power, but neither does any
other spitfire!.
I suppose the cheapest way to get more power is to take out the passenger
seat, that way you can guarantee to have as little weight in the car
possible!
I hope others follow your posting with more definite (cheap) answers,
Alistair
Leslie B Rose
In article <aadoig-1904...@amrcmac.apeme.dundee.ac.uk>,
Alistair Doig <aad...@dux.dundee.ac.uk> writes
snipped
>The previous owner had also fitted K&N filters which I gather is supposed
>to help. It took me 't know, but will a while to figure out he hadn't
>fitted richer needles or stiffer prings though, after a couple of months
>of struggling to achieve 2500RPM!. This is cheaper than an exhaust I
>think, but lets face it will any of us really notice an extra bhp or two?
>although we usually notice the petrol going down faster!
>
>My girlfriend's brother (souped-up capri mad etc.) suggested I fit an
>electric fan and remove the fan blades so that all that power needed to
>turn those plastic fans could be pumped to the wheels! hmmmm...I can
>understand his thread but I was wanting to fit a fan to prevent
>overheating!. kenlow fans for a 1500 are priced around the 85ukp mark, but
>I suppose a second-hand fan from an escort or something would do just as
>nicely for a fiver.
>
>I'm not sure, but will an electronic ignition help things...reducing
>losses from the mechanical breaker type?
>
>In other words...I know the 1147 hasn't awsome power, but neither does any
>other spitfire!.
>
>I suppose the cheapest way to get more power is to take out the passenger
>seat, that way you can guarantee to have as little weight in the car
>possible!
>
>I hope others follow your posting with more definite (cheap) answers,
>
>Alistair
I'm no expert on these engines, but ditching the fan is probably a good
idea. I did this years ago, without even bothering to fit an electric
fan, and my Mk 1 Sprite only got a bit hot when idling in traffic on a
blistering summer's day. If you want to fit a thermostatic fan, pick one
up from the scrapyard. I don't know about Triumph, but a lot of those
BMC engines were grossly overcooled.
As far as power is concerned, these engines respond to the usual tuning
procedures, ie gas-flowed head, better cam etc. Bolt-on mods tend to be
expensive for what you get (viz exhaust quoted above). Racing Spitfires
in the Modsports and Le Mans days (around 1967-1974) did very well.
--
Leslie B Rose
MacFS User
In article <H5YGpDAw...@lesrose.demon.co.uk>, Leslie B Rose
<les...@lesrose.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> I'm no expert on these engines, but ditching the fan is probably a good
> idea. I did this years ago, without even bothering to fit an electric
> fan, and my Mk 1 Sprite only got a bit hot when idling in traffic on a
> blistering summer's day. If you want to fit a thermostatic fan, pick one
> up from the scrapyard. I don't know about Triumph, but a lot of those
> BMC engines were grossly overcooled.
Not a good idea really... Spitfires are marginal on cooling at the best of
times.
No matter what vehicle you own, don't expect to gain anything from
ditching the fan. After all, its only job is to keep the engine cool when
idling; the serious cooling comes from the air forced through the radiator
by the car's motion. As a student, I worked on reducing the radiator area
and fan diameter on a 6 cyl turbo diesel in a lorry. We calculated that
reducing the fan diameter by 25% was worth about 0.5 bhp and getting rid
of it altogether perhaps 1.25 bhp.
--
Phil Beesley -- Computer Officer -- Distributed Systems Support
Computer Centre, University of Leicester
Andy Dingley
The moving finger of ANDREW COOPER <and...@cooper.co.uk> having
written:
>I have been told that the 1147 engine produces 68 bhp and that the 1300
>engine produces 75 bhp. What would be the easiest(and cheapest) ways to
>increase the power of these engines.
Fit a 1300 (NB - Avoid the clunky 1500, owing to weak crank bearings)
Electric fan (good for fuel economy too)
Fix the distributor. It has probably self-destructed the centrifugal
advance mechanism by now anyway. A Lumenition add-on kit is about the
easiest way of getting a contactless distributor, but a simple plug-in
CD unit like the sadly-lamented Electronize is nearly as good, if not
as long-lasting. Magnetic pickups are more reliable than opticals
(owing to dirt on the lenses), but harder to find as conversion kits.
Try running Bosch platinum plugs, if this engine is the usual tired
Triumph with oil leaking down the unsealed valve guides.
Fit a nice big air cleaner. Either a pair of K&Ns, or a big fibreglass
box like a Magard, with a large flat panel filter.
Build up a ported head with any of the twin Stromberg manifolds and a
Spitfire 3 cam profile. You can't swap cams directly, as different
ages had different bearing diameters.
Find twentyfive year old copies of Hot Car.
--
A drowning surrealist will not appreciate a concrete lifebelt.
William Davies
Andy Dingley wrote:
>
> The moving finger of PB...@le.ac.uk (Phil Beesley) having written:
>
> >> Fit a 1300 (NB - Avoid the clunky 1500, owing to weak crank bearings)
> >
> >from the same weak crank bearings as the 1500.
>
> No, I actually meant any 1300. I've never had (or heard of) a problem
> with late 1300s, in comparison to the 1500.
>
> --
> Smert' Spamionem
But the late ones just won't rev 'cause of the bigger bearings and
rubbish cam profile!
MK3 Spit or early Herald 13/60 (GE Prefix) are the only ones worth
considering as a starting point (IMHO),
Bill.
ANDREW COOPER
In article <PB14-23049...@mac96.cc.le.ac.uk>, Phil Beesley
<PB...@le.ac.uk> writes
>In article <3369266a...@news.demon.co.uk>, din...@codesmiths.com wrote:
>
>> The moving finger of ANDREW COOPER <and...@cooper.co.uk> having
>> written:
>>
>> >I have been told that the 1147 engine produces 68 bhp and that the 1300
>> >engine produces 75 bhp. What would be the easiest(and cheapest) ways to
>> >increase the power of these engines.
>>
>
>I guess Andy meant an *early* 1300 rather than the late one which suffers
>from the same weak crank bearings as the 1500.
>
>http://www.kippings.co.uk. I also recall a good introductory article on
>Triumph four cyls in Practical Classics a couple of years ago that I've
>also seen reproduced at http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/pracclass/pc2.html.
>
>Phil
>I live in Nottingham does anybody know where I could get some work done
on my engine?
--
ANDREW COOPER