If you were to start up a tuning/modification company...

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228) 11/14/2014 at 10:48 • Filed to: Bad ideas

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...would you envision yourself diversifying to lots of different cars, or specialising to do lots of different version of the same car? Me personally I could go either way, but if I did choose to specialise I'd definitely pick small-chassis Triumphs.

The latest idea is this:

Since the Saab B-engine (and the H-engine after that) is a direct development from the Triumph slant-4, it would be a way of getting big power from a Triumph-derived engine. Plus, they bolt up nicely to Volvo 5-speeds and weight about as much as the Triumph I6 including turbos. ECU remap and a free-flowing exhaust on a B234R should get me 300bhp.

That goes into a Mk2 GT6 with the same suspension setup as my Spit6, fibreglass boot and fibreglass doors (perhaps a fibreglass bonnet if I want a slightly more rearward distribution and less weight).

Even if there isn't enough space under the bonnet for the DOHC versions, there's still the SOHC B201 which is just a bigger turbo and better internals away from 300bhp as well (and lighter to boot).

So after my calculations the vital specs would be ~300bhp, ~800kg (~1750lbs), 49/51 distribution and ~375bhp/ton.

So add that to the stable of ideas:

- Spit6 : 2.5l injected I6, revised suspension, fibreglass and alloy bits to equalise weight. ~170bhp, ~750kg, 55/45 distribution and ~225bhp/ton.

- Spitfire K : 1.8l VVT K-Series, revised suspension, as much alloy and fibreglass as possible to reduce weight. ~190bhp, ~650kg, 52/48 distribution and ~290bhp/ton.

- GT6 Triple : 2.0l Triumph I6 balanced so it can achieve at least 7000rpm, triple Webers and the usual suspension modifications and as much alloy and fibreglass as possible. ~150bhp, ~800kg, 47/53 distribution and ~190bhp/ton.

- GT Sprint : 2.0l Triumph Sprint I4, rebuilt to make anything from 160-180bhp, and the usual suspension and chapman modifications. ~160bhp, ~780kg, 47/53 distribution and ~210bhp/ton+.

- GT Turbo : 2.3l Saab turbo I4, tuned up to 300bhp (with the potential for anything up to 500bhp reliably), usual suspension and chapman mods. ~300bhp, ~800kg, 49/51 distribution and ~375bhp/ton.

Then there's 4 different bodystyles on offer. There's the standard drop-top Spitfire:

Then there's a removable fibreglass hardtop:

Another idea is to take the steel version of this hardtop and weld it to the bodywork, creating a fixed-roof notchback.

Lastly, there's the good ol' fastback GT6:

Plenty of scope for a modification company to play around with :)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 10:52

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I would be doing batshit things with a wide variety of makes and models. Such as Ferrari powered Pintos and supervans and what have you.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 10:57

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My thing would be focused as much as possible on doing things that had never been done (like my current Ranchero project), mostly based in-period. "What if" crazy idea 1970, that sort of thing. If I had to specialize, it'd likely be in lightweights (Dart, Falcon, etc.) and bathtub cars from Nash to Hudson to Pontiac, Studebaker, and Packard.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 10:59

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That's a good question. I like the idea of being a specialist for certain vehicles, so I'd probably pick that. Maybe open up a shop that specializes on the still surprisingly cheap Mercedes W108/W109 series and do restomods and discrete audio/nav setups so the car can be daily driven, and of course some crazier projects if demanded. And if I say crazy, I mean things like Formula Drift showcars:

Klaus Schmoll > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:01

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I once had a dream that I was running a shop that specialised in these. Well, I was a bit disappointed when I woke up.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:02

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I think I'd go the specialized route sort of like RWB but using Vipers instead of Porsches

My favorite of the vipers for your time. The Second gen RT/10.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:08

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I think my motto would have to be "if it's made before the 80's, I will fuck around with it". I don't think I would confine myself to a certain type of car, but ze Germans would probably be my main focus. But, wanna bring me something cool and European/Japanese? I would be more than okay with that.

TxBrumski > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:10

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A THOUSAND TIMES YES. I've always wanted to tune early Spitfires.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:17

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I'd specialize in old Toyotas. AW11, MK2 Supra, RWD or FX16 Corollas, AE86s, etc. I'd keepg the engines small and NA, and instead build out that beautiful, beautiful 4AGE to Formula Atlantic specs, then lower the rev limiter a bit so that they can let it stream to 10k or so without eating their oil pumps. I'd also be building crazy rally AW11s.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:20

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My favorite New England tuning shop focuses on Subarus, Hondas and Miatas. As such, I can't really envision myself trying to compete there. On a complete fantasy level, I'd want to "unboring" cars...so I'd build a Toyota tuning shop specializing in putting 3SGTEs, 2ZZGEs and 4AGEs into Camrys, Corollas and Yarii.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 11/14/2014 at 11:25

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Ooh great idea :) take one engine, make an absolute firecracker and then put it into a handful of different chassis'

I like it :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 11/14/2014 at 11:27

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Yeah that would be the other way I'd go with it. I'd have GTV6s, Maser Biturbos, Rover SD1s, Spitfires, TR6s, Stags, MGB V8s, Lancia Betas, Matra Murenas, Jag XJS', all manner of obscure cool things. And that would only be my personal projects :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 11/14/2014 at 11:28

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Ooh now that's an idea. I hadn't really thought of Vipers that much as a tuning platform. I'm sure you could create some utter monsters from those if you like :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Klaus Schmoll 11/14/2014 at 11:30

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Now that's cool :) are those 'shops or real-life chops?

GhostZ > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:30

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I'd do Dirt Cheap custom builds for 240Zs. Something around $10,000 to $40,000 total build costs for DD/AutoX cars, all the way up to turbo 1/4 mile cars. Right now there's no good way to do powerful track Zs unless you can either do a LOT of work and fabrication yourself to swap the engine, get lucky and find a super clean Z with parts to spare, or you're willing to pay a lot for a custom engine build.

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:31

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As a Triumph man, I totally respect you. I currently do marketing for a place that specializes in the smaller British cars like, MGs, Triumphs, Healey Sprites, etc. I am working on a 1968 Spitfire right now myself.

I would pretty much keep doing what my company is doing. I would focus on marketing updated MGs and Triumphs with modern running gear and electrics. My powerplants of choice would be the Suzuki engine lineup, specifically the 4, and 6 cylinder engines that were in the Samurai and Tracker models. They have a 2.5 24v V6 that is really nice. For the big HP guys, it is the venerable Buick 215/R0ver 3.5 V8. Any car with a 3.5 V8 that weighs on 320lbs is going to be a killer. Upgrade to a modern 90amp electrical system so you can run heated seats and such.

I would not mind focusing the smaller British marques like Riley, Morgan, Gilbern and stuff like that.

Where do you live? On a technical note, what did you do to your personal Spit6 to account for all that weight in front of the axle when you put the I6 in there? Did you got with the 2.0 or the 2.5 for your swap?

One swap I wanted to investigate was the I6 from the 280z/zx turbo in a TR6. They share a similar basic architecture and I think a turbo I6 TR6/TR250 would be bonkers.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 11/14/2014 at 11:33

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Sweet idea :) you could definitely create some really kickass cars with old Merc saloons as a base :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Aaron M - MasoFiST 11/14/2014 at 11:34

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Bonus points for mid-engine conversions, and even more bonus points for mid-engined conversions hooked up to AWD for Group B-esque Corollas :)

Klaus Schmoll > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:36

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AFAIK they are just shops :(

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:36

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Goddamn. You would love my grandfather's restoration shop. We've had, or have, everything on that list minus (as far as I know) a Matra Murena.

Check them out if you want. They have an awesome "shop tour" video from an even they did with Limrock Park not too long ago here . It's not really a shop tour, but you can get an okay idea of what they work with.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/14/2014 at 11:37

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Ooh I really like the idea of specialising in things that have never been done before :) so many cool ideas

adamftw > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 11/14/2014 at 11:39

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Yup. Honda GSR powered Austin Minis for me.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 11/14/2014 at 11:45

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Bonus points if the engine weighs more than half of the weight of the original car (Jag V12 in classic mini etc.).

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 11:52

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Two of the things on my list are aircraft APU-powered '49-'51 Pontiac with air ride/electric drive, and radial engine-powered bullet-nose Studebaker.

In addition, a La Salle hot rod with an air-cooled (aircraft) boxer 8, 10, 0r 12, an Internation K powered by a Deutz air-cooled diesel, and a Renault Dauphine powered by a transverse motorcycle four - modified rear bonnet lid.

You may be noticing a theme here - wacky powerplants inspired by some aspect of the car's construction.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Trevor Slattery, ACTOR 11/14/2014 at 12:02

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Good man, and nice idea with the modern running gear :) I had a bit of an idea to do that with MGBs actually. There's a nice selection of late-model Rover engines to pick from over here in the UK if you want something modern.

There's the super-lightweight K-Series 1.8l engines, the bigger 2.0l O-Series (including turbo variants) and the updated 16v M-Series and T-Series (with turbo variants too) or the later injected Rover V8s. Again, plenty to choose from :)

For my Spit6, I've got a 2.5l injected 6 from a TR6 going in, and a whole host of lightweight bits and weight relocations. Here's the list so far:

Fibreglass bonnet: -16kg

Alloy engine frontplate: -1.72kg

Alloy engine backplate: -3.6kg

Fibreglass valences: -2kg

Alloy radiator: -2.2kg

Lightened flywheel: -6kg

Alloy water pump and housing: -2.9kg

Hi-torque starter: -0.5kg

Lightweight alternator: -2kg

Fibreglass front bumper: -2kg

GT6 fuel tank: moves a good chunk of weight from over the rear wheels to the back of the boot, I'm estimating ~10kg

Battery in the boot: 19kg to the rear

Then I've got a rotoflex rear suspension going in the back (with some CV joints and more alloy bits) which adds some weight at the back to get to the final distribution + a couple of other bits and bobs...

I've got all the updates on my Spit6 under the ' Spit6 ' tag here if you fancy a look :) it's far from finished though :S

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Klaus Schmoll 11/14/2014 at 12:06

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Bugger :( that's pretty much an E34 version of the E24 6-series, which is damn cool :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 11/14/2014 at 12:07

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Oh I wish I could, but I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic :S shall give that video a watch when I'm not at work :)

Klaus Schmoll > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 12:26

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Yep, I loved would love to drive that, or even the SEC-style 7 series coupe.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/14/2014 at 13:14

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Duuuuude, they're all kickass ideas :) you're not kidding about 'never been done before' :)

LumberJunk > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 16:10

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ARE YOU F#$^$@# KIDDING ME?! I wanted to do exactly this! Saab powerplant into a Spit! A friend of mine has a few of these kicking around and we wanted to build a 220hp Spit that would be absolutely gutted and reinforced to be a track bitch. Super raw and badass and cheap!

Please do this so you can help me out ;)

Pvrkcr > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/14/2014 at 16:28

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I'd push for more enthusiast builds and tunes focusing mostly on Toyota. Ranging from their sedans to their sports cars (or create a custom build using one of their platforms). Scion is included.

FR-S- Toyota gt86 badges and a v6 (N/A or Turbo) or v8 then built up with aftermarket performance parts. minor aesthetic modifications.

TC, IM, XB, XA-Turbo or supercharged. AWD(optional). performance mods, aero mods.

Corolla, Yaris, Camry Turbo- I4 or V6. Simple Perf mods to

Just to start.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > LumberJunk 11/14/2014 at 17:59

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If my life goes the way I hope, I'll definitely make one at some point :) I'll make a build-thread of it too, so people can learn from my mistakes :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Pvrkcr 11/14/2014 at 18:02

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Sounds good to me :) not enough people put Lexus V8s into GT86s as I'd like :)

Hoccy > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 11/15/2014 at 15:07

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I have two ideas, both kind of restomods:

Fix up 70's, 80's and early 90's Subarus. The drivetrain would be taken from either STI's or Porsches, depending on how much space there is in the engine bay. The interior should be rebuilt to the same design, but with modern materials and comforts. Suspension wise the cars would be adjustable from the lowest low to the offroader-high. The cars should be the only car you'll ever need, like a multitool.

The other idea is about old RWD Volvos. All the cars would get a modern 5-cylinder turbo, with both gas and diesel as options. Depending on the model the cars would either have an interior inspired by 50's American cars, or a modified V90 interior. The larger cars (Duett, Ambulances, 145 Express) could possibly become mini-RV's as well, making it possible to live in the car for a short period. The suspension would be inspired by the Volvos used in rally, so not very low or stiff, but capable of a lot of abuse.