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Bill Llewellin's Ford 302 V8-Powered Triumph TR6

Bill Llewellin · Triumph TR6

Triumph TR6

britishv8.orgas recorded by Dan Masters

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

Photo: britishv8.org

A Triumph TR6 converted to a Ford 302 V8 with a Mustang T5 gearbox

Bill Llewellin documents how he swapped his original 289 V8 for a 1979 Ford 302 from a Bronco, paired with a 1992 Mustang GT T5 gearbox, and has driven the car over ten years without trouble. The write-up walks through the clutch hydraulics, steering column changes, frame surgery for oil pan clearance, engine mounts, and a radiator relocation, giving practical detail useful to anyone attempting a similar V8 conversion.

Specs

As the owner states it.

Engine
1979 Ford 302 cubic inch V8 from a Bronco
Gearbox
1992 Ford T5 five-speed from a Mustang GT
Rear axle
Stock TR6 rear axle
Suspension
Aftermarket stock springs, Chrysler front shocks, Bronco rear shocks on homemade adaptors
Cooling
Plymouth Volare 318 V8 radiator mounted at an angle

Parts used

What the owner names in the write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.

Engine 4

  • Ford 302 cid V8 (1979, Bronco)Ford

    Replaced the original 289 as the main engine for the conversion

  • 1965 Galaxie engine mountsFord (Galaxie)

    Reused with added brackets, welded to new frame-longeron mounting points

  • Remote mount oil filter adapter

    Positioned low at the rear of the driver's side wheel well since the stock filter location would not fit

    In the shops
    Oil Filter Adapter, Spin-On (TR250/TR6) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $86.74 USD
    Oil Filter Adapter Sealing Ring Kit (TR250, TR6, GT6) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $4.29 USD
    Oil Filter for Spin-On Adapter ↗bpnorthwest.com· $10.19 USD
  • Late 1970s iron headersFord

    Stock headers tucked close to the block, pointing downward on the left side

Fuel & Ignition 1

  • Electric fuel pump

    Fitted because the stock mechanical pump would not clear the engine bay

Cooling 2

  • Plymouth Volare 318 V8 radiatorPlymouth

    Mounted on an angle to fit under the hood between original radiator mounts

  • 1-5/8 inch copper pipe fittings

    Used to route coolant around the steering rack and crossmember, avoiding hose kinking

Gearbox & Drivetrain 4

Suspension & Steering 5

Body & Trim 2

Photos

All 7 pictures in the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from britishv8.org. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.

Bill Llewellin's Triumph TR6, powered by a Ford 302cid V8Photo: britishv8.org
Steering intermediate shaft and u-jointsPhoto: britishv8.org
Frame modificationsPhoto: britishv8.org
LH engine mountPhoto: britishv8.org
RH engine mountPhoto: britishv8.org
Radiator detailsPhoto: britishv8.org
Donate Now!Photo: britishv8.org

How it was done

Engine and gearbox choice

Bill fitted a 1979 302 cubic inch V8 from a Bronco along with a 1992 T5 five-speed gearbox from a Mustang GT, replacing an earlier 289 and T4 combination. He notes the car has run reliably for over a decade with this setup.

Clutch hydraulics

Since the T5 uses a cable clutch with a softer, longer-travel spring than the earlier hydraulic setup, Bill made a slave cylinder with 0.687 inch bore, the smallest size that would still accept brake cylinder seals. Paired with a Datsun pickup master cylinder, this gave the right pedal travel. The stock Ford cover was modified to fit over the assembly.

Steering column modifications

The steering column needed a third universal joint, sourced from a Mustang, to make the geometry work. The column is supported at the fender by a furnace bearing bought from a hardware store. Bill notes it might have been possible to remove the upper joint and use only two, but he did not try this.

Frame and engine mount changes

The front cross member was cut and modified to clear the oil pan: cut in two inches, patched, and reinforced with a 2 inch C-channel welded all around to the frame longerons. Bill says he would cut another half inch deeper if redoing it. New engine mounts were fabricated from 1965 Galaxie mounts with added brackets, attached to the frame longerons rather than the original suspension towers.

Radiator and cooling

A radiator from a Plymouth Volare 318 V8 was installed at an angle to fit under the hood, requiring removal of some underhood bracing. Copper pipe fittings were used to route coolant hose around the steering rack and crossmember without kinking. Aluminum sheet filled gaps around the radiator sides, and Datsun Z car hood louvers were added for airflow.

Transmission tunnel and mounting

A U-shaped adapter from NAPA, chosen for its low overall height, mounts the T5 using the original transmission mount brackets. Bill built a new aluminum transmission tunnel because the original could not clear the rocker covers, requiring trimming about 2 by 2 inches from the firewall on each side.

Fuel, exhaust and suspension

Because the stock fuel pump and oil filter would not clear the TR6 engine bay, Bill fitted an electric fuel pump and a remote oil filter adapter, mounting the filter low at the rear of the driver's side wheel well. He used stock late 1970s iron headers tucked close to the block. Springs are aftermarket stock, front shocks are from a Chrysler, and rear shocks are from a Bronco on homemade adapters, with the rear axle remaining stock TR6.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is the owner's: read it at britishv8.org ↗

Worth knowing

  • Cut the frame cross member a bit deeper than seems necessary for oil pan clearance.
  • A single length of flexible hose can kink around tight corners; rigid pipe sections avoid this.
  • Sourcing a low-profile transmission mount adapter from a parts store can solve mounting height problems.
  • Matching clutch master and slave cylinder sizes carefully is needed to get correct pedal travel with a cable-clutch gearbox.
  • Relocating the oil filter and using an electric fuel pump may be necessary when the stock components will not clear the chassis.

britishv8.org

Read in full on 5 September 2026. The work, the words and the pictures are Bill Llewellin’s; this page is a catalogue of them in our own words, and a signpost.

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

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