Index of my Spitfire pages

Email: me

Engine Specifications

The engine is from my first Spitfire, a 1968 MkIII. It is (FE13780E) a 1300 small journal engine, bored 0.040 inch over using standard GT6 pistons. This was the original engine in my Mk3 that I replaced in that car having had overheating problems on long drives. I later discovered that the previous owner had replaced a piston but the wrist pin retaining pins were not installed and the wrist pin was wearing grooves in the cylinder walls. Luckily I had a spare engine taken from a stolen and burned 1970 Spitfire that I stripped in a wooded park in Queens NY (that was an interesting trip! Apparently a dumping ground for stolen cars, they were scattered all over the place.). I rebuilt/freshened the Queens engine and installed it in the ’68. I thought the original block was a boat anchor but it turned out perfect with a 40 over bore. So I got to play with the BL comp prep manual procedures!

The head (stamped with the number 218139 over cylinder 3, cast number 312246 over cylinder 2 and cast 1803 over cylinder 1) is also MkIII and is ported according to the Mike Barratt Competition Prep manual. Milled 0.100 inch. Isky dual valve springs with 100 pounds seat pressure.

The connecting rods are lightened and polished and the engine (pistons, rods, crank, flywheel, front pulley, and clutch pressure plate) is balanced.

The cam is a Schooler (somewhere in Florida, perhaps Gainesville) re-ground street-race item (part # N8000, intake 41/75 hot clearance 0.014 gross 0.429, exhaust 76/40 hot clearance 0.014 gross 0.429) that used to see ~8000 RPM in short duration during auto-crossing. I now keep it under 5000 RPM.

The engine has cam bearings, something that is optional in the 1500 engines. If you use cam bearings in a 1500 you need a cam with small diameter cam journals, such as an 1147cc or early 1300cc (MkIII) cam. Some of the 1147cc cams are quite good performers for 1300cc and 1500cc engines.

Front of Radiator area

Air horns and bug screen. Oil cooler behind screen, mounted lower down. It's a zigzag, continuous back and forth tubing type with aluminum radiator fins. Note MkII full width radiator. Anyone know of a supplier of high capacity aluminum radiators? In the picture to the right, that's the copper fuel line going below the radiator support. It's inside a tygon tube for abrasion and heat resistance. The 2 oil cooler hoses go through the cardboard just under the air horn line.

I also have added a daytime headlight module under the bonnet, a JC Whitney unit that turns the headlights only on when driving. The unit has a dimming resistance to turn them on at less than full brightness.

Index of my Spitfire pages

Email: me

-----

View My Stats

-----