Hey everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late on this video, it took a bit longer than I thought, but that means there will probably be two this month. Hope you enjoy this project, I had a blast- I wanted to go for something that would've fit from the era- as always, 60's inspired, but not completely period correct of course. It does help that it's slightly lighter than a Shelby with the same block... Traction is now the biggest concern. Thanks for watching!
Don’t worry about deadlines. Just keep doing what you’re awesome at. Although I dream of a future where you have a videographer and/or editor to help you. I’d love to see your work on stuff for an hour kind like Andrew Caramata
I didn’t plan watching anything, because it’s almost dawn here in Ukraine right now, but I’ve watched the entire video somehow.🤔 Thank you very much for sharing!😎👍🏻 Awesome project!👏🏻
Bro take as much time as you need no point rushing content and it comes out crap(Not that you have❤) But are you gonna mess around with mx5 🙏 cos the head tech stuff you did is mind blowing and I'm now wondering if your gonna do the same to this project? Love your channel🎉
Any other TH-camr would have a 30min video every week for 6 months on a project like this but you rattle out the whole project in 2 weeks and a 15min video! You are clearly a very talented engineer, you don't do yourself justice at all. I'm pretty sure almost all of your subscribers would have watched 5 times as much video on this one project in several installments! Keep showing what you do Wesley, it's brilliant.
Anybody else would turn this into a 35 episode build...but not Wesley, no nonsense, straight to the point! Awesome as always, also we need that Jag back on here soon 😉
I owned a '65 Triumph TR4 many years back. It had ford 2000CC 4 Cylinder and manual transmission installed, but was really a "project car" I installed an Aluminum Volkswagen Radiator, made a replacement Dash out of Black Walnut and installed all the Lucas Gauges, and other controls. I also modified a small aftermarket Steering wheel. Reupholstered the interior, installed a new black Vinyl Top, designed a custom Tonneau cover which unzipped around the driver for use while the Soft Top was down if I wanted on colder days. The vehicle already had a roll bar installed. I installed a GM single wire Alternator, and completely rewired the car for 12V with new wiring harness eliminating the old relays. I designed it to incorporate the Ford Motor's wiring and other various components. I rebuilt the motor and designed a custom intake system which used 4 OMC Outboard motor side draft carburetors. I had a catastrophic failure with the Triumph Rear Differential as I was going over some railroad tracks at speed sending a few of the gear teeth from the ring gear through the differential cover. The price of a replacement Ring/Pinion gear set was outrageous, so after an intense "Scavenger Hunt" around Spokane Washington, I managed to go to a very old wrecking yard in the area and saw overgrown with weeds a TR4 Frame. I purchased the Rear End, and removed the Ring and Pinion Gears for installation in my Differential, along with the Diff Cover. I had already replaced all the wheel bearings and brake components prior to the incident. The car was a blast to drive and I got a lot of comments about it. Unfortunately it needed body/metal work which was beyond my capabilities as the lower rocker panels were rusted through in places, and the frame needed to be aligned properly. I sold the Triumph to the Manager at the Auto Hobby Shop on the Air Force Base I was working at. He was an excellent fabricator/builder and had the equipment needed to finish the car professionally. I had never started the newly rebuilt motor, and had painted it high gloss black with clear coat. His vision for the car was to build it for Autocross Racing. He dissembled the motor again and upgraded many of the internal components for better performance. He painted it with the gallon of Porsche Red and clear I had acquired to finish it with, and reassembled the car. I saw it after he finished it and was amazed at how nice it looked. He replaced the rear end with a later model unit and modified it for proper width and re drilled the axle hubs for use with the factory Triumph wheel pattern. I had the original wheels and hub caps on it. The Triumph TR4/TR4A has always been one of my favorite vehicles, along with the Spitfire. During the time I owned my TR4 I saw 2 others built professionally with V8 Engines. One had a Chevy 350 with a supercharger, and the other a Ford 302. They were wicked vehicles! Seeing your TR4 brought back a flood of memories, especially the british green with yellow racing stripe. Traditional vintage Lotus colors... I was fortunate enough as a kid to live in England from '73-'76, as my father was Air Force, and stationed at RAF Alconbury. He worked Photo Reconnaissance for many years, developing film from the U2 and SR-71 Aircraft. In either 1975 or 1976 he took me to the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. I watched the early F1 cars race, and saw some of the legends of the sport like Emerson Fittipaldi, I think Jackie Stewart was still racing at this time also. My favorite cars were the JPS (John Player Special) F1. I believe they were the Lotus 72 models. The back and gold scheme mirroring the JPS Cigarette Boxes was stunning! I had a huge laminated poster of JPS #1, on my bedroom wall for years after. I have watched videos of the '75 and '76 British Grand Prix and still haven't figured out which race I witnessed live. It was definitely at Brand's Hatch, and the race was paused for some time due to heavy rain. One of those years it was at Silverstone instead. During the race I saw an F1 left the track in corner directly in front of me impacting the barrier fence. Tonight I saw your video about your '60's F1 Car build. It is an incredible machine! your fabrication skills are amazing! I gather you're in the Phoenix Area from your comment about the heat. I too live in the area, Mesa. Your skills remind me of my Father, he was an excellent fabricator, but his vehicles were Street Rods. I helped him build a '54 Ford Truck, which had a Balanced and Blueprinted 650HP Ford 429, formally a stock car motor out of a Ford Starliner racecar, before it was sent to California to be rebuilt and reworked/balanced. The motor was installed in the truck when he bought it, the prior owner had all the work done, but after installation the motor had what sounded like a spun main bearing, with a loud "tick", so the truck was parked until my father bought it much later. Upon investigation we noticed the oil pan had been dented hitting the crossmember during installation. The "tick" was actually one of the connecting rod's cap lightly contacting the pan during rotation... We raised the motor, removed the pan, hammered out the dent, and reinstalled with new gasket. The noise was gone and it was now time to test out the truck! We lived on a narrow country road with about a 1/4 mile stretch to a 4 way stop intersection. The truck had open headers, I was in the bed, and my father was driving. It had a heavily built Ford C6 Automatic. The raw horsepower caused the ground to shake. He stepped on the gas and the truck launched like a cannonball. I had to hang on tightly to the front of the bed to keep from being ejected. With no working speedometer the top speed reached was unknown, but we covered the 1/4 mile in just a few seconds. The intense sound from the open headers directly below was deafening!. The truck got about 4 MPG during "normal" driving, and Gallons per Mile during a run like that, but my father wanted to build the truck to drive, so he removed the 429 and sold it to a guy wanting it for a Shelby Cobra. He used the money to build a Ford 302, and have the performance components from the C6 Tranny installed in one for the small block ford V8. We finished the truck with root beer brown paint with gold metallic, deep dish chrome wheels with "baby moon" hub caps, and the bumpers, grill, instrument cluster and engine covers all chrome plated. He installed new varnished boards in the bed, and installed a new interior with bucket seats. He also had a steel body '23 Ford T-Bucket with a 283 Chevy Motor w/327 "power pack" heads. he redid the car several times switching between the tunnel ram intake with 2 4 Barrel carbs, to Buick Tri-Power triple carbs, then to dual Holly 4 Barrels on an Edelbrock Tunnel Ram. He built custom headers and sidepipes and had them chromed. He replaced the '40 Ford rear end it had with a GM unit and redid the rear suspension. Boxed the frame with the lines/wires running internally. Also chromed most of the motor, front axle, backing plates, new paint, custom fabricated stainless fuel tank which was housed in a fiberglass "mini truck" style bed box behind the metal body. He also made a custom low profile removable upholstered hardtop. he installed narrow vintage Cragar 5 spoke wheels up front, and very wide matching wheels on the rear. The car was awesome. He later built a '39 Mercury, with '48 Merc rear fenders he went to Canada to purchase. it had a Chevy 350 & Turbo 350 Tranny, he installed an AMC Pacer independent front suspension, I designed and built a wiring harness and wired the vehicle. His last Street Rod was an ISCA Show Car he bought with a '36 Chevy with a Chevy 350/Turbo 350 combo. It was built originally in the '70's and toured the ISCA Show Circuit. It had chrome wire basket wheels with white wall tires, more of a taller profile, blue metallic flake with graphics, grey crushed velvet "Roll and Tuck" Interior and Rumble Seat Upholstery. He tore the car down completely, installed Mustang Independent front suspension, dropped the vehicle to a very low profile, he relocated the engine/tranny further back, did a new polished aluminum firewall, custom exhaust, and installed wide modern Crager chrome wheels with wide profile tires. I designed the wiring harness, fabricated it along with a custom fuse panel. He installed a Dakota Digital Instrument Cluster which I designed the wiring harness to utilize with it's computer. He along with many of his friends in the Duke's Auto Club spent endless hours over several years making the bodywork flawless, and he spent a fortune to have it painted gloss black with many, many coats of clear. It was the first vehicle painted in a brand new state of the art paint booth at a local Chevy Dealership. The paint looked like it was "still wet" with an absolutely smooth finish. He also built a '65 Mustang which he installed a Ford 300CI Inline 6 in. He lost interest and sold the car after fabrication. My first car was a 'basket case" '68 Mustang. It had a 289 which barely ran, only reverse in the C4 Transmission, slight body damage to the front, but the GT Hood was intact. the car was in primer, and the interior was a mess. I did the body work preparing it for Metallic Grey paint. I got a 302 Ford engine from a friend's '71 Fairlane. I had it rebuilt, installed all chrome covers and air cleaner. I added an additional leaf spring to each side of the rear to raise the back, installed Chrome and black modular wheels with T/A Radials. I then redid the interior and replaced much of the chrome exterior trim components and bumpers. Over the years working with my Father I learned to appreciate the many talents of welding, fabrication, painting and electrical. Seeing your amazing work is very inspirational! I would love to see the F1 car completed. I believe it will be stunning...
About 50 years ago, I remember being asked nicely to leave the Triumph dealer's showroom after opening the hood on a new TR-6 and measuring to see if a Windsor Ford would fit. I thought the 351 might be a little too tall and wide, but a 289 should go right in.
I saw the last TR 6 the local dealer had. Around $7000 maybe with the hard top and AC. You could buy a Cadillac or Lincoln for that. He used to have a lot full of new Spitfires. About $4400 if I recall. I had a GT 6 at the time. RIP.
@@rogersmith7396 Yea , my Sister was thinking of a new car , I was thinking spitfire but She got a TR 6. I drove it home from dealer. ( Phillyarea ) in a heavy rain not knowing a single switch.... bit heavy etc. eventually a tree ran into it. I had a TR6 as well , but English carbs / ignition +. US smog stuff =. horrible.
I had a Triumph Spitfire. I blew the engine and decided to sell that car for parts. My uncle, who was a mechanic, bought it from me. He decided to enslist his friend, a former F1 mechanic, to help him modify the car. It started with dropping a Rover V8 (3.5 litre) engine into it. It took extensive modications to the frame, hood and suspension. I am not a mechanic so I can't say what work was needed. I was also only 17 at the time and had just started working on cars. I admire the work you did. Amazing transformation.
Love it!, only thing i can nag about is hearing protection while grinding and cutting, ( As someone who have hearing damage from working in a garage on my junk ).
I really must admit I admire your commitment to building stuff. Nowadays I have trouble doing anything but watching You tube video's (getting old sucks, particularly after multiple surgeries from work accidents 'teaching')
Crazy that 1980 Toyota Pickup calipers bolt up - if you're not already aware, a common upgrade for those trucks is to go to a 1986+ IFS truck caliper which has slightly larger pistons and is wide enough to run vented rotors sourced from an FJ60. Though with how light that Triumph is the additional upgrade may have diminishing returns.
The 95 5.0 was a great car . Had 360k miles on her before she needed a new power train. My other 95 I still have has 160k on it and the brakes is the only thing I've had to replace.
I'm involved in a '63 TR4 build that is taking far too long. Amazing to see someone with the know-how and confidence just attack a project and finish it so quickly. Very cool project!
Nice conversion. Good engineering on your part. But as a vintage Spitfire racer, you are killing me. You have taken a perfectly good vintage racer with value in the market for any of the racing organizations such as has CVAR, SVRA, etc. and turned it into a hermaphrodite.
American V8 in a small brittish sportscar. One of the greatest combos in car history as evidenced by the the endless Shelby Cobra replicas being built to this day. Very tastefull execution. Cant wait for more V12 content!
I really appreciated the editing and general quality of the presentation. Some guys picture almost every turn of a nut, as if they had never seen a cooking show where they put the dish in the oven, and then pull; it out cooked, sparing the very obvious details .
Wesley, thanks for making these interesting and out of the ordinary videos! Many years ago I was fortunate to encounter a Rover V8 (1961 Buick 215 cid Fireball derivative) converted TR5 in Germany. With a much lighter and more powerful drivetrain, this IRS version of your car was totally transformed. Love your intelligent approach to your builds!
Great job! TR4 might be the car that I'm happiest about missing the chance to own. Loved the TR4, drove an earlier one with the solid axle and I think non-sychronized gearbox IIRC. Wanted one so bad. Was looking for one but ended up getting a 240Z. I think the ownership experience wouldn't have lived up to the fantasy. Did eventually V8 swap my Z though, so there is that. The Toy 4x4 calipers are a popular upgrade for Z's too, and in Z land the better upgrade is the vented Toy caliper with an early 300ZX rotor (84 would work), utilizing a spacer between the hub and rotor to get the caliper positioned correctly. Having had the 4x4 caliper on the solid rotor, I can tell you the heat would boil the fluid and the pedal would go straight to the floor within a 20 minute track session.
I've always dreamed of being an automotive TH-camr. But then I realised that today instead of working on my car, I sat on the sofa playing Faming Simulator.
The Classic British mod, although we only had the Buick 3.5l copy used by Rover (I had a P5B saloon, like Margaret Thatchers!) The other classic handling improver in the UK? Two sacks of King Edwards in the boot!
Are you crazy, a Ford in a Triumph TR !!!!! I love it, that’s a great little hot rod and you can get parts easy. Nice conversion, that must be a ton of fun 😎👍
Not sure if suggestions are welcome but I would love to see an in-line 5 build from you. Volvo, Audi, vw, even the Atlas GM made for the Colorado would be awesome.
the quality of work you do, the things you find interesting, your attention to detail, knowledge, capability, and content density are all top notch and the reasons i am subscribed to you. thank you for sharing your passions with the world!
Just awesome. Exactly what I want to do for fun. I love this. I always wanted to do this to a TR6. I have seen some very high end v8 transformations of the TR6. I like the way you did this. I am currently stuffing an LT1 on an S10 chassis into a 59 Rambler. Project has stalled for the last 4 months. Seeing this is inspiring!
I had 2 tr4 cars. You did the right thing. The engines were crap. They had cast into block main bearings. Although good runners, the repairs were not feasible. I do think the original windshield was better looking. Keep up the good work and don't flip it over. They like to flip
I wanna be like you when I'm older. The amount of skills I've seen you apply in this channel this last few days is amazing. Im sure there is somebody out there who would sponsor you for a special project (and sometimes duty makes things less interesting or fun, I know, but I cant help myself imagining you with double the budget or the time)
Great project, as a die hard Triumph hate (too much time spent fixing GT6s and Spitfires) the UP-engine sounds way better than the sewing machine that thing came with. Love your work keep the smiles coming please.
I love your project and what I think you have in mind to have fun with the car and drive it and not seriously race it or show it. I have similar project a tr6 but a built a frame out of 2 by3 mild steel and used all the suspension from a xjs jaguar and put in a 1965 300hp 327 corvette engine. This project was paused for awhile but ready to go soon. Goodluck with yours and enjoy.
In the mid '70s I owned a '68 Triumph TR250 (same body as your TR4 but with the TR6 6-cylinder). Someone made a kit to install a 289 Ford engine and trans but I never got around to it, the car was greatly improved by the swap but still had problems to iron out. Terrible Lucas wiring, bad brakes, weak rear end. The funny thing is that the Ford V8 and tranny weighed less than the stock 2500cc six-cylinder.
I tend to over complicate everything also. I need to build something simple that I can enjoy quickly rather than build forever. Thanks for the video and inspiration.
My brother -in-law dropped a 301 Chevy V8 into a '61 TR3A back in the mid-1960s. It was a monster at the drags and was also used as a daily driver. Issues? Yep, U-joint steering column to clear the headers, '59 Pontiac radiator that extended below the front bumper almost to ground level, drive shaft was little more than two U-joints end to end. It was fun to ride around in - those 3 deuces gave it a ton of go. Spun the wires out of the wire wheels on the rear wheels and replaced 'em with steelies.
Great job!!! I put a Chevy 262 V6 into a 71 Datsun pickup. Had hot cam and Z28 Posi rear end. It was fun, but if I had to do it again I would probably go with a more modern Japanese four cylinder. Would have made a better daily driver.
I drove a TR6 for many years, loved the light steering, handling and the braking, hated the rattling, flexing, bottoming out the suspension, no A/C (in Phoenix!) and it was not watertight or airtight. I probably would not have done the swap, but I'll watch you do it.
I good engine choice that may have not needed cutting the fire wall back is the Buick 3.5 liter V8 (215 cu. in.). It is very lightweight at just 324 pounds with stock 185 hp. and 230 ft. lbs. of torque. Rover also used it. Due to the light weight it may be the better choice for balance.
I'm a fan of American V8s in British sports cars (avatar is my '64 MGB (custom chassis/suspension, SBC/4-speed), there's a TR4 locally here with a SBC in it too, like your project alot, thanks for sharing
I just “finished” building a v8 Vega! Would love to race once it’s dialed in. It’s got a 327 small block from the early 60s, 4 speed manual, new rear end, and loads of goodies!
Very cool and the walnut dash is a nice touch. Some dymo labels for the switches and it would be straight out of the 60s/70s. Speaking of intakes and ideas, Bob Tullius raced a IIRC 289 powered TR6 in the early 70s that had a quad Weber setup on it...just saying 🙂
I think the one he tookout was an homebuilt job - in UK these often had a a standard walnut dash, or a flecked black metal thing ....the one that he pulled,out looked leather covered
They may have been as reliable as British public transport, but I really like the siimplicity and aesthetic of these old British cars. Love that engine note too.
I’m at about the 6 minute mark, and it seems to me you are making a Triumph Tiger! I don’t know much about either car, but I knew the engine as a 289 K code in a 1965 Mustang. Your 302 should give your Triumph stellar performance.
From Leo: nice job, looks like fun. You will need a rear end, The TR rear will not hold much. We blew ours up with a Datsun OHC Z engine, Other than sidedraft Webers and a cam sprocket, it was stock, and made a lot less torque than that V8 Ford. Good luck!
I wish I could get you to upload more regularly. I love your content. I like your presence in front of the camera and I just generally enjoy watching your videos. Can’t wait to see you build a body for your race car.
It’s been a minute since I watched one of your videos. So cool. I really like this channel. Of course that was a sweet project, even though you thought it small. Oh and by the way looking good Wesley. Great work too👏
@@WesleyKagan - minor suggestion (that you might have already done!)... pull your leads, move them around, and rotate the distro body ~90* counter clockwise. That'll move your power wire away from the carb body, and not have the advance can right over the belt (just in case it goes kershnap!).
in my opinion roll cage could be higher as it is not fully protecting your head......my tr6 is stock and i would not be a fan of changing an old car to a v8 as it means more speed and they were never designed with crumple zones for crashes as they have solid chassis...(for speeding i use my old boxter). Great to see a young man keeping the hobby going even if it is in a different way with mods..
awesome video! It is a bit unusual to see you work on stuff that just starts? Really cool build. Hope we can see more of the gem in the future. Cheers.
Hey everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late on this video, it took a bit longer than I thought, but that means there will probably be two this month. Hope you enjoy this project, I had a blast- I wanted to go for something that would've fit from the era- as always, 60's inspired, but not completely period correct of course. It does help that it's slightly lighter than a Shelby with the same block... Traction is now the biggest concern. Thanks for watching!
Don’t worry about deadlines. Just keep doing what you’re awesome at.
Although I dream of a future where you have a videographer and/or editor to help you. I’d love to see your work on stuff for an hour kind like Andrew Caramata
Yea budd keep up the good work!!! You should create a discord so we xan chitchat and share ideas.
You even bastardized it with a gm style hei distributor. Cool.
I didn’t plan watching anything, because it’s almost dawn here in Ukraine right now, but I’ve watched the entire video somehow.🤔 Thank you very much for sharing!😎👍🏻 Awesome project!👏🏻
Bro take as much time as you need no point rushing content and it comes out crap(Not that you have❤)
But are you gonna mess around with mx5 🙏 cos the head tech stuff you did is mind blowing and I'm now wondering if your gonna do the same to this project? Love your channel🎉
Dude you're getting consistently more comfortable in front of the camera. Thanks for letting us watch your shenanigans. 🤘
Thank you- it's only taken years hah. I appreciate you watching the shenanigans!
Any other TH-camr would have a 30min video every week for 6 months on a project like this but you rattle out the whole project in 2 weeks and a 15min video!
You are clearly a very talented engineer, you don't do yourself justice at all. I'm pretty sure almost all of your subscribers would have watched 5 times as much video on this one project in several installments!
Keep showing what you do Wesley, it's brilliant.
That's way we love to watch him!!🥰
My thoughts exactly.
Reminds me of "Aging Wheels" He is putting a 900 HP electric motor in a Ford Escape..
Anybody else would turn this into a 35 episode build...but not Wesley, no nonsense, straight to the point! Awesome as always, also we need that Jag back on here soon 😉
There are things in this life we must protect. Wesley is one of these things. I want this dude in my squad when the zombie apocalypse occurs.
He would probably find creative ways to dispatch the zombies.
I owned a '65 Triumph TR4 many years back. It had ford 2000CC 4 Cylinder and manual transmission installed, but was really a "project car" I installed an Aluminum Volkswagen Radiator, made a replacement Dash out of Black Walnut and installed all the Lucas Gauges, and other controls. I also modified a small aftermarket Steering wheel. Reupholstered the interior, installed a new black Vinyl Top, designed a custom Tonneau cover which unzipped around the driver for use while the Soft Top was down if I wanted on colder days. The vehicle already had a roll bar installed. I installed a GM single wire Alternator, and completely rewired the car for 12V with new wiring harness eliminating the old relays. I designed it to incorporate the Ford Motor's wiring and other various components. I rebuilt the motor and designed a custom intake system which used 4 OMC Outboard motor side draft carburetors. I had a catastrophic failure with the Triumph Rear Differential as I was going over some railroad tracks at speed sending a few of the gear teeth from the ring gear through the differential cover. The price of a replacement Ring/Pinion gear set was outrageous, so after an intense "Scavenger Hunt" around Spokane Washington, I managed to go to a very old wrecking yard in the area and saw overgrown with weeds a TR4 Frame. I purchased the Rear End, and removed the Ring and Pinion Gears for installation in my Differential, along with the Diff Cover. I had already replaced all the wheel bearings and brake components prior to the incident. The car was a blast to drive and I got a lot of comments about it. Unfortunately it needed body/metal work which was beyond my capabilities as the lower rocker panels were rusted through in places, and the frame needed to be aligned properly.
I sold the Triumph to the Manager at the Auto Hobby Shop on the Air Force Base I was working at. He was an excellent fabricator/builder and had the equipment needed to finish the car professionally. I had never started the newly rebuilt motor, and had painted it high gloss black with clear coat. His vision for the car was to build it for Autocross Racing. He dissembled the motor again and upgraded many of the internal components for better performance. He painted it with the gallon of Porsche Red and clear I had acquired to finish it with, and reassembled the car. I saw it after he finished it and was amazed at how nice it looked. He replaced the rear end with a later model unit and modified it for proper width and re drilled the axle hubs for use with the factory Triumph wheel pattern. I had the original wheels and hub caps on it.
The Triumph TR4/TR4A has always been one of my favorite vehicles, along with the Spitfire. During the time I owned my TR4 I saw 2 others built professionally with V8 Engines. One had a Chevy 350 with a supercharger, and the other a Ford 302. They were wicked vehicles! Seeing your TR4 brought back a flood of memories, especially the british green with yellow racing stripe. Traditional vintage Lotus colors...
I was fortunate enough as a kid to live in England from '73-'76, as my father was Air Force, and stationed at RAF Alconbury. He worked Photo Reconnaissance for many years, developing film from the U2 and SR-71 Aircraft. In either 1975 or 1976 he took me to the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. I watched the early F1 cars race, and saw some of the legends of the sport like Emerson Fittipaldi, I think Jackie Stewart was still racing at this time also. My favorite cars were the JPS (John Player Special) F1. I believe they were the Lotus 72 models. The back and gold scheme mirroring the JPS Cigarette Boxes was stunning! I had a huge laminated poster of JPS #1, on my bedroom wall for years after. I have watched videos of the '75 and '76 British Grand Prix and still haven't figured out which race I witnessed live. It was definitely at Brand's Hatch, and the race was paused for some time due to heavy rain. One of those years it was at Silverstone instead. During the race I saw an F1 left the track in corner directly in front of me impacting the barrier fence.
Tonight I saw your video about your '60's F1 Car build. It is an incredible machine! your fabrication skills are amazing! I gather you're in the Phoenix Area from your comment about the heat. I too live in the area, Mesa.
Your skills remind me of my Father, he was an excellent fabricator, but his vehicles were Street Rods. I helped him build a '54 Ford Truck, which had a Balanced and Blueprinted 650HP Ford 429, formally a stock car motor out of a Ford Starliner racecar, before it was sent to California to be rebuilt and reworked/balanced. The motor was installed in the truck when he bought it, the prior owner had all the work done, but after installation the motor had what sounded like a spun main bearing, with a loud "tick", so the truck was parked until my father bought it much later. Upon investigation we noticed the oil pan had been dented hitting the crossmember during installation. The "tick" was actually one of the connecting rod's cap lightly contacting the pan during rotation... We raised the motor, removed the pan, hammered out the dent, and reinstalled with new gasket. The noise was gone and it was now time to test out the truck! We lived on a narrow country road with about a 1/4 mile stretch to a 4 way stop intersection. The truck had open headers, I was in the bed, and my father was driving. It had a heavily built Ford C6 Automatic. The raw horsepower caused the ground to shake. He stepped on the gas and the truck launched like a cannonball. I had to hang on tightly to the front of the bed to keep from being ejected. With no working speedometer the top speed reached was unknown, but we covered the 1/4 mile in just a few seconds. The intense sound from the open headers directly below was deafening!.
The truck got about 4 MPG during "normal" driving, and Gallons per Mile during a run like that, but my father wanted to build the truck to drive, so he removed the 429 and sold it to a guy wanting it for a Shelby Cobra. He used the money to build a Ford 302, and have the performance components from the C6 Tranny installed in one for the small block ford V8. We finished the truck with root beer brown paint with gold metallic, deep dish chrome wheels with "baby moon" hub caps, and the bumpers, grill, instrument cluster and engine covers all chrome plated. He installed new varnished boards in the bed, and installed a new interior with bucket seats.
He also had a steel body '23 Ford T-Bucket with a 283 Chevy Motor w/327 "power pack" heads. he redid the car several times switching between the tunnel ram intake with 2 4 Barrel carbs, to Buick Tri-Power triple carbs, then to dual Holly 4 Barrels on an Edelbrock Tunnel Ram. He built custom headers and sidepipes and had them chromed. He replaced the '40 Ford rear end it had with a GM unit and redid the rear suspension. Boxed the frame with the lines/wires running internally. Also chromed most of the motor, front axle, backing plates, new paint, custom fabricated stainless fuel tank which was housed in a fiberglass "mini truck" style bed box behind the metal body. He also made a custom low profile removable upholstered hardtop. he installed narrow vintage Cragar 5 spoke wheels up front, and very wide matching wheels on the rear. The car was awesome.
He later built a '39 Mercury, with '48 Merc rear fenders he went to Canada to purchase. it had a Chevy 350 & Turbo 350 Tranny, he installed an AMC Pacer independent front suspension, I designed and built a wiring harness and wired the vehicle.
His last Street Rod was an ISCA Show Car he bought with a '36 Chevy with a Chevy 350/Turbo 350 combo. It was built originally in the '70's and toured the ISCA Show Circuit. It had chrome wire basket wheels with white wall tires, more of a taller profile, blue metallic flake with graphics, grey crushed velvet "Roll and Tuck" Interior and Rumble Seat Upholstery. He tore the car down completely, installed Mustang Independent front suspension, dropped the vehicle to a very low profile, he relocated the engine/tranny further back, did a new polished aluminum firewall, custom exhaust, and installed wide modern Crager chrome wheels with wide profile tires. I designed the wiring harness, fabricated it along with a custom fuse panel. He installed a Dakota Digital Instrument Cluster which I designed the wiring harness to utilize with it's computer. He along with many of his friends in the Duke's Auto Club spent endless hours over several years making the bodywork flawless, and he spent a fortune to have it painted gloss black with many, many coats of clear. It was the first vehicle painted in a brand new state of the art paint booth at a local Chevy Dealership. The paint looked like it was "still wet" with an absolutely smooth finish.
He also built a '65 Mustang which he installed a Ford 300CI Inline 6 in. He lost interest and sold the car after fabrication. My first car was a 'basket case" '68 Mustang. It had a 289 which barely ran, only reverse in the C4 Transmission, slight body damage to the front, but the GT Hood was intact. the car was in primer, and the interior was a mess. I did the body work preparing it for Metallic Grey paint. I got a 302 Ford engine from a friend's '71 Fairlane. I had it rebuilt, installed all chrome covers and air cleaner. I added an additional leaf spring to each side of the rear to raise the back, installed Chrome and black modular wheels with T/A Radials. I then redid the interior and replaced much of the chrome exterior trim components and bumpers.
Over the years working with my Father I learned to appreciate the many talents of welding, fabrication, painting and electrical. Seeing your amazing work is very inspirational! I would love to see the F1 car completed. I believe it will be stunning...
Coming off the back of a Superfast Matt video, this confuses me. A video. About a Project. And they end.
Nice work So refreshing to NOT see a hood scoop on a V8 swap. love the "stock" look to the race car.
Come back PLEASE!!!! Your videos are awesome and your projects too
About 50 years ago, I remember being asked nicely to leave the Triumph dealer's showroom after opening the hood on a new TR-6 and measuring to see if a Windsor Ford would fit. I thought the 351 might be a little too tall and wide, but a 289 should go right in.
I saw the last TR 6 the local dealer had. Around $7000 maybe with the hard top and AC. You could buy a Cadillac or Lincoln for that. He used to have a lot full of new Spitfires. About $4400 if I recall. I had a GT 6 at the time. RIP.
@@rogersmith7396 Yea , my Sister was thinking of a new car , I was thinking spitfire but She got a TR 6. I drove it home from dealer. ( Phillyarea ) in a heavy rain not knowing a single switch.... bit heavy etc. eventually a tree ran into it. I had a TR6 as well , but English carbs / ignition +. US smog stuff =. horrible.
I had a Triumph Spitfire. I blew the engine and decided to sell that car for parts. My uncle, who was a mechanic, bought it from me. He decided to enslist his friend, a former F1 mechanic, to help him modify the car. It started with dropping a Rover V8 (3.5 litre) engine into it. It took extensive modications to the frame, hood and suspension. I am not a mechanic so I can't say what work was needed. I was also only 17 at the time and had just started working on cars. I admire the work you did. Amazing transformation.
Waiting patiently 4 months for Wesley's next video.
Love it!, only thing i can nag about is hearing protection while grinding and cutting, ( As someone who have hearing damage from working in a garage on my junk ).
Hope you're doing well man, can't wait for the next thing you come up with 👍
Currently onto the same project with a351w in an MGB…..last one was a souped up Inline 6 in an MGB. Love this!
Thanks! 351 would be fun too, the '69 heads fit nicely on the 302.
I really must admit I admire your commitment to building stuff.
Nowadays I have trouble doing anything but watching You tube video's (getting old sucks, particularly after multiple surgeries from work accidents 'teaching')
Crazy that 1980 Toyota Pickup calipers bolt up - if you're not already aware, a common upgrade for those trucks is to go to a 1986+ IFS truck caliper which has slightly larger pistons and is wide enough to run vented rotors sourced from an FJ60. Though with how light that Triumph is the additional upgrade may have diminishing returns.
The 95 5.0 was a great car . Had 360k miles on her before she needed a new power train. My other 95 I still have has 160k on it and the brakes is the only thing I've had to replace.
These huge breaks in between uploads are killerrrrrrr. I need more sarcastic problem solving engineering content to watch
Miss your vids man, hope you’re doin alright.
I'm involved in a '63 TR4 build that is taking far too long. Amazing to see someone with the know-how and confidence just attack a project and finish it so quickly. Very cool project!
Nice conversion. Good engineering on your part. But as a vintage Spitfire racer, you are killing me. You have taken a perfectly good vintage racer with value in the market for any of the racing organizations such as has CVAR, SVRA, etc. and turned it into a hermaphrodite.
i love this one video and not strung out needlessly over 5 videos like other channels. awesome project!
Thanks! Yeah, I really try and only make a video if some good progress gets done!
American V8 in a small brittish sportscar. One of the greatest combos in car history as evidenced by the the endless Shelby Cobra replicas being built to this day. Very tastefull execution.
Cant wait for more V12 content!
I really appreciated the editing and general quality of the presentation. Some guys picture almost every turn of a nut, as if they had never seen a cooking show where they put the dish in the oven, and then pull; it out cooked, sparing the very obvious details .
Wesley, thanks for making these interesting and out of the ordinary videos! Many years ago I was fortunate to encounter a Rover V8 (1961 Buick 215 cid Fireball derivative) converted TR5 in Germany. With a much lighter and more powerful drivetrain, this IRS version of your car was totally transformed. Love your intelligent approach to your builds!
I feel like there was about 6 episodes in this project but you just smashed it out in 1!
Great job! TR4 might be the car that I'm happiest about missing the chance to own. Loved the TR4, drove an earlier one with the solid axle and I think non-sychronized gearbox IIRC. Wanted one so bad. Was looking for one but ended up getting a 240Z. I think the ownership experience wouldn't have lived up to the fantasy. Did eventually V8 swap my Z though, so there is that. The Toy 4x4 calipers are a popular upgrade for Z's too, and in Z land the better upgrade is the vented Toy caliper with an early 300ZX rotor (84 would work), utilizing a spacer between the hub and rotor to get the caliper positioned correctly. Having had the 4x4 caliper on the solid rotor, I can tell you the heat would boil the fluid and the pedal would go straight to the floor within a 20 minute track session.
"The only difference between Try and Triumph is a little UMPH!" And changing the "Y" to and "I". Nice job!!
I've always dreamed of being an automotive TH-camr. But then I realised that today instead of working on my car, I sat on the sofa playing Faming Simulator.
The Classic British mod, although we only had the Buick 3.5l copy used by Rover (I had a P5B saloon, like Margaret Thatchers!)
The other classic handling improver in the UK? Two sacks of King Edwards in the boot!
Good job. I’ve been building cars forever and I like your approach and work ethic, and no drama.
Are you crazy, a Ford in a Triumph TR !!!!! I love it, that’s a great little hot rod and you can get parts easy. Nice conversion, that must be a ton of fun 😎👍
No vlogs for 6 months -- is all good with you ?
Not sure if suggestions are welcome but I would love to see an in-line 5 build from you. Volvo, Audi, vw, even the Atlas GM made for the Colorado would be awesome.
Volvo in line 5 , great powerplant and great mpg's .
the quality of work you do, the things you find interesting, your attention to detail, knowledge, capability, and content density are all top notch and the reasons i am subscribed to you. thank you for sharing your passions with the world!
Just awesome. Exactly what I want to do for fun. I love this. I always wanted to do this to a TR6. I have seen some very high end v8 transformations of the TR6. I like the way you did this. I am currently stuffing an LT1 on an S10 chassis into a 59 Rambler. Project has stalled for the last 4 months. Seeing this is inspiring!
Nice choice of car, something out of the ordinary. You make it all look so easy though I'm sure it's not.
I had 2 tr4 cars. You did the right thing. The engines were crap. They had cast into block main bearings. Although good runners, the repairs were not feasible. I do think the original windshield was better looking. Keep up the good work and don't flip it over. They like to flip
I wanna be like you when I'm older. The amount of skills I've seen you apply in this channel this last few days is amazing. Im sure there is somebody out there who would sponsor you for a special project (and sometimes duty makes things less interesting or fun, I know, but I cant help myself imagining you with double the budget or the time)
Wesley your projects are beyond underrated, you’re an intelligent individual with a lot of skill, please upload your projects more often and detailed.
Another very interesting and very good executed project. Thanks for sharing
This might be the only channel I have post notifications on for. Love your work!
Great work! Just one suggestion - safety glasses. Love how you just dive right in and make it all work
Great project, as a die hard Triumph hate (too much time spent fixing GT6s and Spitfires) the UP-engine sounds way better than the sewing machine that thing came with. Love your work keep the smiles coming please.
I assumed the TR4 had a straight six like the TR6 GT6 and 2500, the reason a V8 fits!
I love your project and what I think you have in mind to have fun with the car and drive it and not seriously race it or show it. I have similar project a tr6 but a built a frame out of 2 by3 mild steel and used all the suspension from a xjs jaguar and put in a 1965 300hp 327 corvette engine. This project was paused for awhile but ready to go soon. Goodluck with yours and enjoy.
Fantastic. I’ve owned several British leyland cars and this has been a dream of mine. But only using a GT-6
Just a fun fact. Triumph TR4 have a transmission tunnel made out of cardboard. Yes, it is thick cardboard.
I have the cardboard one from the car, admittedly I don't think it's getting re-installed
This fella has no idea how good he is at everything he does.
In the mid '70s I owned a '68 Triumph TR250 (same body as your TR4 but with the TR6 6-cylinder). Someone made a kit to install a 289 Ford engine and trans but I never got around to it, the car was greatly improved by the swap but still had problems to iron out. Terrible Lucas wiring, bad brakes, weak rear end. The funny thing is that the Ford V8 and tranny weighed less than the stock 2500cc six-cylinder.
Loved the video! I could've actually watched this thing for a lot longer than just a bit more than 10 minutes. Keep rockin'!
IDK how you did that Wesley, but when the 302 fired right up at 10:18... That motor was Happy as it ever was in the donor mustang. Amazing stuff .
cool project dude. I've been wanting to tool around with an old MG, Triumph, or something like that.
My Spitfire was ton of fun and so easy to work on with the forward tilting bonnet/hood
I tend to over complicate everything also. I need to build something simple that I can enjoy quickly rather than build forever. Thanks for the video and inspiration.
How about a stick?
Great works and project as always. This one was among the most "normal" and simplest you've shown 👍
Wow, you made that look so easy, great work!
I love this. Looking forward to more videos on the V-8 Triumph!
I hope you are ok Wesley.
I've been missing your content and genuinely believe that you are among the top 5 automotive/engineering channels on TH-cam.
Damn, dude slimmed down! Looking good. Also the casual fit looking good.
My brother -in-law dropped a 301 Chevy V8 into a '61 TR3A back in the mid-1960s. It was a monster at the drags and was also used as a daily driver. Issues? Yep, U-joint steering column to clear the headers, '59 Pontiac radiator that extended below the front bumper almost to ground level, drive shaft was little more than two U-joints end to end. It was fun to ride around in - those 3 deuces gave it a ton of go. Spun the wires out of the wire wheels on the rear wheels and replaced 'em with steelies.
Nice project! Nice execution! And thank you for NOT stuffing an automatic behind that 302!! YAY!!!
That's a Shelby ideas at work😂 love it!!🥰🥰🥰🚀🏎️🏎️🏁
This was such an easy video to watch. I am dreaming about this car screaming around Goodwood Circuit.
Where’s Wesley ?
No more vidz ???
Great job!!! I put a Chevy 262 V6 into a 71 Datsun pickup. Had hot cam and Z28 Posi rear end. It was fun, but if I had to do it again I would probably go with a more modern Japanese four cylinder. Would have made a better daily driver.
There is a strong superfastmat vibes! I love your work
I drove a TR6 for many years, loved the light steering, handling and the braking, hated the rattling, flexing, bottoming out the suspension, no A/C (in Phoenix!) and it was not watertight or airtight. I probably would not have done the swap, but I'll watch you do it.
Yeah it’s a much better racecar than it is a car, I won’t lie.
I good engine choice that may have not needed cutting the fire wall back is the Buick 3.5 liter V8 (215 cu. in.). It is very lightweight at just 324 pounds with stock 185 hp. and 230 ft. lbs. of torque. Rover also used it. Due to the light weight it may be the better choice for balance.
I'm a fan of American V8s in British sports cars (avatar is my '64 MGB (custom chassis/suspension, SBC/4-speed), there's a TR4 locally here with a SBC in it too, like your project alot, thanks for sharing
That's going to be an awesome ride!
It's pretty great, I won't lie!
I just “finished” building a v8 Vega! Would love to race once it’s dialed in. It’s got a 327 small block from the early 60s, 4 speed manual, new rear end, and loads of goodies!
Very cool and the walnut dash is a nice touch. Some dymo labels for the switches and it would be straight out of the 60s/70s. Speaking of intakes and ideas, Bob Tullius raced a IIRC 289 powered TR6 in the early 70s that had a quad Weber setup on it...just saying 🙂
I would expect no less from Bob Tullius. LOL
I think the one he tookout was an homebuilt job - in UK these often had a a standard walnut dash, or a flecked black metal thing ....the one that he pulled,out looked leather covered
Always stoked to see a new vid man, very cool car. Loved the “this is vacation” bit hahHa
I love a triumph TR 4 great style fabulous. video was Incredible. extremely talented fabricator
They may have been as reliable as British public transport, but I really like the siimplicity and aesthetic of these old British cars. Love that engine note too.
Everything old was simple...
Oh my god that shit eating grin on the intro, 10/10 just from that you've made something you truly adore
Use lead wheel weights on un sprung parts like the rear axel over weight the rims .Lots of tricks to help it stick.
I’m at about the 6 minute mark, and it seems to me you are making a Triumph Tiger! I don’t know much about either car, but I knew the engine as a 289 K code in a 1965 Mustang. Your 302 should give your Triumph stellar performance.
Great project! Can't wait to see where it goes. Also big credit for the GMT-Master while wrenching!
Thanks! Yeah, it’s been my daily watch for years now. Still ticking!
Beautiful car, and props on finishing what would have taken most people 5 years and 40 videos/blog posts in a couple months.
From Leo: nice job, looks like fun. You will need a rear end, The TR rear will not hold much. We blew ours up with a Datsun OHC Z engine, Other than sidedraft Webers and a cam sprocket, it was stock, and made a lot less torque than that V8 Ford. Good luck!
Nice car, sounds good too, you make it look so easy, well done
I wish I could get you to upload more regularly. I love your content. I like your presence in front of the camera and I just generally enjoy watching your videos. Can’t wait to see you build a body for your race car.
If you arent the coolest channel ive stumbled in cross in years I truely don't know what is. This is coolest shit I've seen ever
Awesome job. You inspire my confidence in the younger generation.
I love the raw style, please post more often
Back in early '60s, a friend bought a TR4, and dropped a Buick 215 nail-head in....he said it was a relatively easy job! Certainly did sound sweet!!
I love your videos, my favourite car build videos. The active suspension video and solenoid valve project are amazing too!
It’s been a minute since I watched one of your videos. So cool. I really like this channel. Of course that was a sweet project, even though you thought it small. Oh and by the way looking good Wesley. Great work too👏
Considering some of (all of?!) your former projects - THIS will be a total cakewalk!!! :D
It was nice to take a break for a bit!
@@WesleyKagan - minor suggestion (that you might have already done!)... pull your leads, move them around, and rotate the distro body ~90* counter clockwise. That'll move your power wire away from the carb body, and not have the advance can right over the belt (just in case it goes kershnap!).
Good job mate. Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing 😁
awesome build, thanks for sharing!..
Looking sharp Wes! Keep it up
You know what would have been an absolute baller move? Sticking the turbocharged all aluminum buick 215 in it
That e body mopar clock that you have in your intro is badass
That 5.0 could use from a 8 stack bike throttle body intake 😁
in my opinion roll cage could be higher as it is not fully protecting your head......my tr6 is stock and i would not be a fan of changing an old car to a v8 as it means more speed and they were never designed with crumple zones for crashes as they have solid chassis...(for speeding i use my old boxter). Great to see a young man keeping the hobby going even if it is in a different way with mods..
awesome video! It is a bit unusual to see you work on stuff that just starts? Really cool build. Hope we can see more of the gem in the future. Cheers.
Awesome project Wesley!