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Rick Vandenberg's '72 TR6 with Chevy 350 and 700R4 transmission

Rick Vandenberg · 1972 Triumph TR6

Triumph TR6

britishv8.orgas published in British V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 3, December 2007

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

Photo: britishv8.org

A 1972 TR6 rebuilt around a 405ci Chevy 350 and 700R4

Rick Vandenberg spent about four years and three months fitting his TR6 with a stroked, 560hp Chevy 350 and a 700R4 overdrive automatic, fabricating a new firewall, footboxes, driveshaft tunnel and suspension mounts along the way. The result is a daily-driven car claimed to run 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and the quarter mile in 10.4, while still handling in a balanced way. It is a good read for anyone weighing how much structural fabrication a big-power V8 swap really demands.

Specs

As the owner states it.

Engine
Chevy 350 with four-bolt mains, bored and stroked to 405cid, Berg cam, 560HP at the flywheel
Induction
Air Gap intake manifold and Edelbrock Performer 750 carburetor
Exhaust
Home-made headers into a single 3.5" pipe to behind the axle, into dual stainless mufflers
Electrical
GM HEI ignition, Delco-Remy alternator, Painless wiring harness
Cooling
V8 conversion radiator for a Jeep Wrangler, Corvette water pump, 180 degree thermostat, runs 185-190 all day
Transmission
700R4 4-speed automatic with overdrive, B&M 2400 stall converter, 23 5/8" driveshaft from A1 Driveshaft
Rear Axle
GM 10-bolt with 4.10:1 ratio
Front Suspension
Forged one-piece spindles and hand-made A-arms
Rear Suspension
Trailing arm suspension with Triumph springs and Panhard bar
Brakes
GM 13" vented front disc brakes, GM 11.5" vented rear disc brakes
Wheels/Tires
3-piece Centerline wheels with Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires
Gauges
Modified Smiths gauges
Body
Custom driveshaft tunnel fabricated from 1/8" steel, reinforced frame and subframe, firewall and footboxes fabricated from 1/8" stainless steel and ceramic coated with Lizard Skin, suspension mounts fabricated from 1/4" steel, fourteen gallon fuel cell installed
Performance
0-60 in 2.9 seconds, quarter mile in 10.4 seconds, estimated top speed 194mph at 5800rpm

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 2

  • Chevy 350 four-bolt main block, bored and stroked to 405cid

    Built as the base engine for the swap, rated 560HP at the flywheel

  • Berg camshaftBerg

    Fitted to the stroked 350 for performance

Fuel & Ignition 3

Cooling 3

  • V8 conversion radiator for Jeep Wrangler

    Repurposed to cool the swapped V8

  • Corvette water pump

    Used in the cooling system

  • 180 degree thermostat

    Keeps running temperature at 185-190 degrees

    In the shops
    Thermostat 88 Degree ↗TRGB· £4.95 GBP
    Thermostat 82 Degree ↗TRGB· £5.23 GBP
    Thermostat 74 Degree ↗TRGB· £4.68 GBP

Gearbox & Drivetrain 4

Suspension & Steering 3

Brakes 2

Wheels & Tyres 2

  • 3-piece Centerline wheelsCenterline

    Fitted as the final wheel choice

  • Mickey Thompson Sportsman tiresMickey Thompson

    Paired with the Centerline wheels

Body & Trim 1

  • Lizard Skin ceramic coatingLizard Skin

    Applied to the fabricated stainless firewall and footboxes

Interior 2

Electrical 3

  • Delco-Remy alternatorDelco-Remy

    Charges the electrical system

  • Painless wiring harnessPainless

    Used to rewire the car for the V8 conversion

    In the shops
    Complete Wiring Harness ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $594.00 USD
    Main Wiring Harness (1969) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $699.99 USD
    Main Wiring Harness (1975) ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $684.00 USD
  • Odyssey batteryOdyssey

    Shown as part of the electrical setup

Other 1

  • Fourteen gallon fuel cell

    Installed as part of the body/fuel system rebuild

Photos

All 27 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.

Rick Vandenberg's 1972 Triumph TR6 with Chevy 350 V8 and 700R4 transmissionPhoto: britishv8.org
Chevy 350 with four-bolt mainsPhoto: britishv8.org
stainless steel firewallPhoto: britishv8.org
V8 conversion radiator for a Jeep WranglerPhoto: britishv8.org
Edelbrock Performer 750 carburetorPhoto: britishv8.org
Delco alternatorPhoto: britishv8.org
Air Gap manifoldPhoto: britishv8.org
Odyssey batteryPhoto: britishv8.org
GM HEI distributorPhoto: britishv8.org
modified and reinforced TR6 framePhoto: britishv8.org
Panhard rodPhoto: britishv8.org
custom trailing linksPhoto: britishv8.org
Chevy 10-bolt differentialPhoto: britishv8.org
dual stainless mufflersPhoto: britishv8.org
B&M shifter?Photo: britishv8.org
modified TR6 interiorPhoto: britishv8.org
modified Smiths gauges in a TR6Photo: britishv8.org
roll hoopPhoto: britishv8.org
Corbeau racing harnessesPhoto: britishv8.org
Chevy third brake lightPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 with customized grillePhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 with hardtopPhoto: britishv8.org
Le Mans style fuel capPhoto: britishv8.org
The tail lights say Chevy, don't they?Photo: britishv8.org
Mickey Thompson Sportsman tiresPhoto: britishv8.org
3-piece Centerline wheelsPhoto: britishv8.org
Donate Now!Photo: britishv8.org

How it was done

The engine build

Rick built a Chevy 350 with four-bolt mains, boring and stroking it out to 405 cubic inches and fitting a Berg cam. The result is rated at 560 horsepower at the flywheel. Induction is handled by an Air Gap intake manifold and an Edelbrock Performer 750 carburetor, with home-made headers feeding a single 3.5 inch pipe back to dual stainless mufflers.

Drivetrain

Power goes through a 700R4 four-speed automatic with overdrive, fitted with a B&M 2400 stall converter, down a 23 5/8 inch driveshaft supplied by A1 Driveshaft. The rear axle is a GM 10-bolt running a 4.10:1 ratio.

Cooling and electrical

To keep the big small-block cool, Rick used a V8 conversion radiator meant for a Jeep Wrangler, a Corvette water pump and a 180 degree thermostat, which keeps it running at 185-190 degrees all day. Electrics were updated with a GM HEI ignition, a Delco-Remy alternator, and a Painless wiring harness.

Chassis and suspension

Up front the car uses forged one-piece spindles with hand-made A-arms. At the rear, Rick kept a trailing arm layout with the original Triumph springs but added a Panhard bar to locate the axle. Braking was upgraded to GM 13 inch vented front and 11.5 inch vented rear disc brakes, on 3-piece Centerline wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires.

Body and structural fabrication

The scope of the fabrication work was extensive: a custom driveshaft tunnel made from 1/8 inch steel, substantial reinforcement of the frame and subframe, a firewall and footboxes fabricated entirely from 1/8 inch stainless steel and ceramic coated with Lizard Skin, and all suspension mounts remade from 1/4 inch steel. A fourteen gallon fuel cell was also installed.

Result and future plans

The build took about four years and three months, finishing in September 2006. By the following year's Colorado Conclave the car had covered about 1100 miles, driven daily and described by the owner as surprisingly well-balanced in corners. Rick was planning winter body and paint work, and eventually a GM 671 supercharger to push output toward 900 horsepower.

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

Worth knowing

  • Big power swaps demand serious structural reinforcement, not just an engine and gearbox change.
  • Repurposing parts like a Jeep Wrangler radiator and Corvette water pump can solve cooling for a swapped V8.
  • A stiffened frame, subframe and stainless firewall help the chassis handle the extra torque and heat.
  • Choosing a stall converter matched to the transmission and engine helps launch performance.
  • Major fabrication projects like this can take several years of part time work to finish properly.

britishv8.org

Read in full on 5 September 2026. The work, the words and the pictures are Rick Vandenberg’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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