My rotary Spitfire lives!!!
01-21-06, 11:44 PM
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My rotary Spitfire lives!!!
I've been building a Grassroots Motorsports $2006 Challenge car, it's a 1980 Triumph Spitfire with a 1984 12A motor, 2nd gen limited slip diff, and Miata suspension and brakes. It's been over two years in progress, and I fired it up tonight 1/21/06. Scared the **** out of the neighbors (the Dumpster scavenged Flowmaster doesn't do a helluva lot of silencing) and pissed off the wife something fierce, but it RUNS and MOVES. 
Now, for the first local autocross Feb. 5 and some drag race testing....
Now, for the first local autocross Feb. 5 and some drag race testing....
01-22-06, 04:27 PM
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Home-brew Rotary
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Hey, Im planing to go down there for the auto-x Feb. 5th. Thing is, im planing to go to the SC rx7 club meet upstate Feb.4th. -alot fo traveling for me.
I would like to see this spitfire, Ive always thought of the idea (rotary-powered spitfire) but dont have the money, etc...
I have a triumph TR6, Ive worked on it with my dad for years, p.o.s still dosent run well, and a coulple months ago a tree smashed the windsheild and top. Its been sitting for 2-3 years now.
anyway, hope to see u there. (auto-x, Feb.5th, summerville)
I would like to see this spitfire, Ive always thought of the idea (rotary-powered spitfire) but dont have the money, etc...
I have a triumph TR6, Ive worked on it with my dad for years, p.o.s still dosent run well, and a coulple months ago a tree smashed the windsheild and top. Its been sitting for 2-3 years now.
anyway, hope to see u there. (auto-x, Feb.5th, summerville)
01-23-06, 04:37 PM
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I'll be there, assuming the rotary gods don't decide to smite me for blasphemy. 
Listen for the obnoxiously loud Spitfire. I'll try to post some pics soon.
Listen for the obnoxiously loud Spitfire. I'll try to post some pics soon.
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01-25-06, 12:57 PM
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Originally Posted by MrFC3S
Are you Tim with the Famous Rospit?
Mine's similar in execution, but not in dollars spent. In fact, GRM sold that car. Word was it went for $25K. 
And I swear I'll get some pics up when I get a few spare minutes.
01-25-06, 08:34 PM
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Okey doke, I promised some pics. The files are huge so 56k beware! I couldn't resize the damn things small enough to thumbnail.
Here ya go:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...frontjan06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rightjan06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...netopjan06.jpg
Here ya go:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...frontjan06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...rightjan06.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...netopjan06.jpg
Last edited by RX744CSP; 01-25-06 at 08:37 PM.
01-27-06, 10:39 AM
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Thanks for the positive responses. I'll link some more pics over the weekend.
The front suspension uses Miata ball joints and steering knuckles with modified Spitfire control arms. The rear suspension uses Miata uprights with shortened Miata upper control arms and lower control arms I made from mild steel tubing. I made my own suspension bushings from Ertalyte plastic rod, turned them on a lathe I borrowed from a buddy.
The shocks are Yamaha R1 motorcycle pieces (they have 11 rebound and compression damping adjustments and remote reservoirs, and cost about $25 each on eBay!)
The diff is a 2nd gen RX7 GXL limited slip, the rear CV axles are hybrids (RX7 inner joint, and 1.6 Miata outers), I turned the axle shafts down in a lathe, pressed the stubs into steel tubing, and welded them up. The driveshaft is a radically shortened early 1st gen, the tranny is a 1980 RX7 5 speed.
Since it's a GRM Challenge car, I've scrounged a lot of stuff here and there. I bought the Dellorto and intake from a guy here on the forum, the headers are a RB mild steel 'u build it' kit, the exhaust was cobbled together from an exhaust system I got out of the Dumpster here at work, it was a Flowmaster with dual outlets that came off of a Dodge Ram pickup. Damn, but it's LOUD. I bought a bunch of .080 sheet aluminum from a local scrap dealer, it was originally truck body sheet, and I've been making interior panels etc out of that. The only things I bought new and completely made by someone else was the K&N air filter and the wheels, they are 13x7 Diamonds with zero offset.
The paint is an improperly mixed Chevy Truck color which was given to me free along with hardener of questionable parentage. Man, I'm glad it worked!
The fuel cell is a 4 gal. trapezoidal that came out of a Legends car. I bought the roll bar tubing for $7 a foot (damn Chinese! Steel prices have gone through the ROOF) and bent/welded it up myself. I bought the seat from a guy including the cover for $35.
So far, it looks like I'll have around $1875.00 total in it.
The other night, I backed it down my driveway, put it in 1st, let the clutch out and got it rolling, then stomped the gas. It left two 15' black marks on my driveway, the only reason they aren't longer is I was running out of room.
The front suspension uses Miata ball joints and steering knuckles with modified Spitfire control arms. The rear suspension uses Miata uprights with shortened Miata upper control arms and lower control arms I made from mild steel tubing. I made my own suspension bushings from Ertalyte plastic rod, turned them on a lathe I borrowed from a buddy.
The shocks are Yamaha R1 motorcycle pieces (they have 11 rebound and compression damping adjustments and remote reservoirs, and cost about $25 each on eBay!)
The diff is a 2nd gen RX7 GXL limited slip, the rear CV axles are hybrids (RX7 inner joint, and 1.6 Miata outers), I turned the axle shafts down in a lathe, pressed the stubs into steel tubing, and welded them up. The driveshaft is a radically shortened early 1st gen, the tranny is a 1980 RX7 5 speed.
Since it's a GRM Challenge car, I've scrounged a lot of stuff here and there. I bought the Dellorto and intake from a guy here on the forum, the headers are a RB mild steel 'u build it' kit, the exhaust was cobbled together from an exhaust system I got out of the Dumpster here at work, it was a Flowmaster with dual outlets that came off of a Dodge Ram pickup. Damn, but it's LOUD. I bought a bunch of .080 sheet aluminum from a local scrap dealer, it was originally truck body sheet, and I've been making interior panels etc out of that. The only things I bought new and completely made by someone else was the K&N air filter and the wheels, they are 13x7 Diamonds with zero offset.
The paint is an improperly mixed Chevy Truck color which was given to me free along with hardener of questionable parentage.
Man, I'm glad it worked! The fuel cell is a 4 gal. trapezoidal that came out of a Legends car. I bought the roll bar tubing for $7 a foot (damn Chinese! Steel prices have gone through the ROOF) and bent/welded it up myself. I bought the seat from a guy including the cover for $35.
So far, it looks like I'll have around $1875.00 total in it.
The other night, I backed it down my driveway, put it in 1st, let the clutch out and got it rolling, then stomped the gas. It left two 15' black marks on my driveway, the only reason they aren't longer is I was running out of room.
Last edited by RX744CSP; 01-27-06 at 10:47 AM.
01-30-06, 07:00 AM
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I'm not a Midget!
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Originally Posted by RX744CSP
RX-Midget, wasn't your car featured in the magazine a while back? Beautiful car!
Thanks for the compliment.
If anyone wants to do a Midget or Sprite conversion, let me know as I am fabricating motor mounts and trans-mounts/crossmembers for both 12A and 13B conversions for rubber and chrome bumper cars.
back on topic....
Do you have any velocity stacks on the carb? The air filter looks too small to house a good stack, but it is a ton better than the foam "socks" that some people put over the stacks (I know from experience!).
01-30-06, 02:33 PM
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The carb does have velocity stacks, the filter is 3 1/2" tall which gives about an inch clearance. It's the same fiilter setup I use on the 45 mm Dellortos on my Jensen Healey. I guess I could have run it without a filter to save a few bucks and possibly pick up a couple of horsepuppies, but I hate to take a chance on ruining a good running 12A.
IIRC, you used a GSL-SE front cover to do your swap. Do you think it's possible to use the stock placed 13B engine mount brackets in a swap like yours?
IIRC, you used a GSL-SE front cover to do your swap. Do you think it's possible to use the stock placed 13B engine mount brackets in a swap like yours?
01-30-06, 04:29 PM
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maybe you didn't know it, but I too have a rotary spitfire here in charleston, sc. I went a slightly different route, but they are still close brothers. Wouldn't it be cool having the two rotospits showing up at an RX7 meet? I live off of exit 205B on I-26. Gimme a shout and we will compare. Neat!
Aaron
Aaron
Last edited by Xavier8; 01-30-06 at 04:38 PM.