Ditto. An Olds/Buick 215 is a small, light, engine and has been installed in Sprites/Midgets a few times in my shop in Boston...years ago. These engines are very swappable (is that a word?) in a variety of British, and other, cars. Sunbeam Alpine too. Do it!!
My friend Jery Szuter put a 2000cc Capri motor and automatic in a Spriget and I loaned him a Corvair turbocharger that he put on it. It ran good but it was always coming apart. If he wasn't a good man with a welder the car would have fallen apart within 6 months. He sold it to our insurance guy and it did fall apart.
I spoke with a nutcase in Phx that wrapped a Fiat 500 around a 454....literally...built the tube frame around the engine.... The fiat 500 is even smaller than the sprite....its deranged enough I say go for it...
A mechanic who rented the garage behind my house in college put a 327 in a bug eye with Pinto front suspension. Not sure what diff he used. It had wide wheels, fender flares and it looked like the wheel base and track were identical. The car was so over powered and nose heavy that any moderate application of the loud pedal just caused it to turn in circles. Great donut-mobile. It was virtually undrivable. Be careful what you wish for. Plan well. Gary
agreed. i don't think a V8 would make a driveable vehicle... certainly not a safe one anyway. and frankly, if you can have the car on the road weighing approximately 700kg, what the hell do you need a V8 for anyway? damn you guys, i can't stop imagining what i could do to my sprite now. "the mite" build diary was certainly inspiring!!
Aaron Couper built a sprite with a big Jag inline 6, and a toyota truck rear-end.... this thing scoots!!!
Just seen one done today with a 94 Nissan Twin Cam and 5 speed from a Skyline, Car weighs 1200Lb and the motor is pushing 250Hp. I just grabbed the pictures he had and the spec, saw it on Craigslist.
Small block Ford is only 18 3/4" wide less exhaust manifolds and weighs 470 pounds, and is similar to a SBC in length if you run a short water pump. This is only about 150 pounds more than the BOP/Rover, would be bunches cheaper to build up than the 215, and could be pumped up to just about any power level you could tolerate in a Spriget. Or you could always go the direction this guy did: http://members.cox.net/rdgrauman/Healey.html
another vote for http://forum.britishv8.org/ for info. Or forget the Sprite and but my Spitfire with a 215 already in it! Project car that runs ~ CHEAP!
I built a Buick 215 powered Bugeye back in 1972, used a muncie 4 speed. Some of the details that I remember. I made a simple bracket that mounted the stock Sprite hydraulic clutch slave cylinder to the Buick bell housing. I had to use a bearing-block and two U-joints on the steering shaft. Swapped the ex. manifolds side to side so they would dump at the front, welded the outlets on at a different angle. I set the engine well back, the back of the block was even with the stock firewall, had to cut the top portions of the foot-wells and weld in new metal, and a new trans cover/tunnel, still had sufficient foot room. The engine set-back actually took weight off the front end, and left plenty of room for the radiator (ferget what I scrounged that from but it was a used stocker ) Made up a drive-shaft, as I recall it was only around 18" long. Built up a dual exhaust system, with a couple of compact resonators employed as mufflers. The result of all this was one scary-fast ride. I could take off in second and still light the tires at will. I then built a set of wide rims for the rear, I got traction and promptly blew the stock rear axle (I knew it wouldn't take it, -but back then I could still buy entire rear ends for $10-20 each) The local Chevy dealers son built his Sprite with a brand-spanking new 327 Hi-Po and Tubo-hydro, this was simply too much as the thing was a virtually undrivable, and only suitable for display, he told me he wished he had went with the 215. I think I only spent around $600 including the original purchase of the Sprite. I moved on into muscle cars and sold off the Sprite for the down-payment on a SS-396 '69 Camaro, (had two kids, and needed a back seat) Wish I had either one of these now.
The 68 Sprites are like the MG Midgets not a Bugeye like the first Sprites though the Bugeye Sprite nose does bolt on to the later models.
Had to chime in on this one, before I got into vintage American iron I was a dyed in the wool British car guy (still am) the question that you need to ask your self is do you want to keep that honest British handling? if yes stick with a motor of the same weight so it doesn't become a nose heavy straight line monster. remember those cars only weigh about 1600lbs so you don't need much to be really fast. I don't know if it would work but what i would do is a Chrysler 2.2 turbo (or 2.5 turbo) mated to a Dakota transmission those 2.2 / 2.5 turbo motors are everywhere and DIRT cheap, same for the 4 cyl Dakota transmission. and you can tweak those turbo motors to make some good power really cheap. that's what i would do.
I remember a guy on LI had a 289 Ford in his Bug Eyed Sprite was really fast. I drove a Griffith with a 260 Ford was equally as fast. Those motors go in alright. Both these instences were in the mid 60s.
If anyone else is interested in this one, regular size AH 3000, with a Small Block Ford (pretty sure it's a 289, but might be a 302) for 1,500, PM me. It's in a tow yard here in town. Or, just get the number for Budget Towing, on Northcrest Drive in Crescent City, CA, and ask for Keith..If you need/want more photos, PM me with a regular e-mail address.
You beat me to it. Here's a link to a good web page on that site: Photo Gallery of Austin Healey "Resto-Mod" Sports Cars In particular there's a guy who squeezed a Rover V8 into a sprite. Skip past the part of his web page at the top where he's showing his earlier drag car and down to the section where he talks about the streetable one he built. Note that this wasn't exactly a drop in swap. A collection of sheet metal and mechanical mods were needed to get that thing into the car, and the Rover V8 is a small one. I'd suggest perhaps considering an alternative, perhaps a more recent 60 degree V6 of some sort, possibly a 3.4 out of a late 90's Camaro with the injection removed and 4 barrel carb intake from Edelbrock.
My Dad's friend in Denver that owns a machine shop has an Austin Healey with a sbc in it. I have been trying to get him to bring it to the HAMB Drags for the last few years.
I have a few pics of an austin I took over this past weekend - page 7 of the pics http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/BOOOGHAR/Hot%20Rod%20HoeDown%202010/?start=144
I thought so, too... it doesn't have that much rust, especially considering it sits outside in a place that rains 75-80 inches a year.. My Brother In law was interested for a while, but some family issues came up, and he had to let go of the idea. Supposedly, it ran to where it is now parked, about 1-1/2-2 years ago. It had a tarp covering it for most of the time, just this winter the tarp blew off. It will end up being a Tow Yard Lien Sale, and keith seemed to think some of the smaller pieces, ie, tail lights and etc are in a box, somewhere in the tow yard.. show up with $$ and I'm sure he'll get busy looking for them. Again, I have a bunch of photos I took when my brother in law was interested, so if anyone wants to pursue this, let me know. No, you CAN'T store it at my house, if I had the room, I would have already bought it !!! Carl, I've made it from San Diego, near the Mexico border, to my driveway, in a little over 14 hours....
That looks like a 57 100-6, first year for the 6 cyl Healey. The peak down the center of the hood is the give away. If it has a key lock on the outside door handle, it is a 57. Doesn't, necessarily, make it any more valuable. I've been out of the Healey game for many years, so things may have changed. At any rate, all big Healeys are going for big bux. The market could be a bit soft right now, but if I had the $$$, I'd buy it today and stick it away for future sale.
The Jalopy Journal
