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Dan Furey's 1973 TR-6 with Ford 289 V8 Engine

Dan Furey · 1973 Triumph TR-6

Triumph TR6

britishv8.orgBritish V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 2, September 2007

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

Photo: britishv8.org

A 1973 Triumph TR-6 rebuilt with a Ford 289 V8

Dan Furey of Power Technologies in Columbus, Ohio converted a 1973 TR-6 to run a Ford 289 V8 with a T5 five-speed and a narrowed Ford 8" rear axle. The car got a partial tube frame and reinforced chassis to carry the axle, upgraded brakes, wheels and interior, and sold at auction in July 2007. It is a compact but thorough spec sheet worth reading for anyone considering a similar V8 swap.

Specs

As the owner states it.

Engine
Ford 289 V8
Intake
High rise manifold and Holley 4bbl carburetor
Exhaust
Headers
Transmission
Borg-Warner T5 and Ford SVO heavy duty clutch
Rear axle
Narrowed Ford 8"
Suspension
Adco front sway bar, gas front shocks
Other chassis mods
Partial tube frame to mount axle, reinforced chassis
Wheels/Tires
Panasport 15 x 7 wheels (4-lug front and 5-lug rear), Dunlop tires
Body/Interior
Corbeau seats w/Sparco seat belts, custom 2-hoop roll bar
Electrical
Battery re-located to the trunk

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 3

Fuel & Ignition 1

  • Holley 4-barrel carburetorHolley

    Fitted on a high rise manifold to feed the V8

Gearbox & Drivetrain 3

Suspension & Steering 2

Wheels & Tyres 2

Body & Trim 1

Interior 2

Electrical 1

  • Relocated battery

    Moved to the trunk from the engine bay

Photos

All 17 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.

Dan Furey's 1973 TR-6 with Ford 289 V8 EnginePhoto: britishv8.org
electric fanPhoto: britishv8.org
modified TR6 cooling systemPhoto: britishv8.org
Ford starter solenoidPhoto: britishv8.org
Ford rear axlePhoto: britishv8.org
exhaust tipsPhoto: britishv8.org
leather steering wheelPhoto: britishv8.org
Corbeau seats w/Sparco seat beltsPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 door panelsPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 doorPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 twin roll hoops with vinyl coversPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 fender flaresPhoto: britishv8.org
TR6 grillePhoto: britishv8.org
De-badged TR6 rearPhoto: britishv8.org
Talbot mirrorsPhoto: britishv8.org
Panasport wheels, Dunlop tiresPhoto: britishv8.org
Donate Now!Photo: britishv8.org

How it was done

The swap

A Ford 289 V8 was fitted with a high rise intake manifold and a Holley four-barrel carburetor, paired with headers. Drive went through a Borg-Warner T5 five-speed gearbox and a Ford SVO heavy duty clutch to a narrowed Ford 8" rear axle.

Chassis work

To mount the new rear axle and cope with the V8's demands, the builder added a partial tube frame and reinforced the chassis. This structural work underpinned the rest of the drivetrain and suspension changes.

Suspension and stopping

An Adco front sway bar and gas front shocks were added to sharpen handling under the added weight and power of the V8 conversion.

Wheels and rolling stock

The car was fitted with Panasport 15x7 wheels, using a 4-lug pattern at the front and 5-lug at the rear, wrapped in Dunlop tires.

Body and interior

Inside, Corbeau seats were fitted with Sparco seat belts, and a custom two-hoop roll bar was installed for safety and structure.

Electrical relocation

The battery was moved to the trunk, likely for weight distribution and to free up space in the engine bay for the V8 installation.

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

Worth knowing

  • A partial tube frame helps properly mount a narrowed rear axle under the V8's added torque.
  • Reinforcing the chassis is worthwhile when adding V8 power and weight.
  • Matching a heavy duty clutch like the Ford SVO unit to the T5 helps it cope with V8 torque.
  • Relocating the battery to the trunk can help balance weight in a front-engine V8 swap.
  • Mixing lug patterns (4-lug front, 5-lug rear) is workable when matching wheels to the axle swap.

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