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Wedge TR7 Engine Swap

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BritishSteel

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For some reason i let my father talk me into dropping a 302 into a TR7. Now i know some have done it before and ive heard plenty of people talk about doing it, but the only ones that i can find with this engine swap done are dragsters, which i atributed to the weight of the engine, but i found that when i pulled the original motor out the weight difference wasnt that great,and that many things lined up. With that said in theory i beleive that giving it TR8 Suspension and Cooling system i could make the swap a little easier for my self instead of having to custom build more parts, so what do you think.
 
I'd stick with the rover v8. they are pretty plentiful and just as easy to work on as a 302.
 
If your gonna do that might as well do this
15844_167554420687_724775687_2793137_2962333_n.jpg
 
philman said:
I'd stick with the rover v8. they are pretty plentiful and just as easy to work on as a 302.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! The Rover V8 is what the car was designed and engineered to run. You'll need to change the subframe, but aside from that, no major differences. Plus, there is much more tech support for that switch than any other.
 
im pretty far into the swap already so im gonna stick with the 302, so far the only real issues that ive come across were the oil pan, motor and tranny mounts, exhaust and the ones im still workin on suspension and cooling. Im really doing this just to see if i can do it not for the HP really, so far its been smooth sailing ,knock on wood, and its been really fun trying figure out how to go about things.
thanks for the responses
Ian
 
One of these radiators should work for you.

https://www.summitracing.com/search/Part-...uminum+radiator

On the TR7, the rad sits vertically. On the TR8, it sits forward and the bottom slopes forward. This is done to clear the lower pulley and the oil filter. There are two sets of mounting holes on the bottom of the frame rails. The rear ones are for mounting the & lower rad bracket and the forward ones are for mounting the 8 lower rad bracket. Finding a TR8 radiator bracket will be difficult and expensive. It's a rare piece. I have fabricated brackets to mount similar radiators to the ones above in the past. Not very hard to do, and should only take a couple or three hours to do.
 
The suspension on a TR7 and a TR8 are essentially the same. They had slightly different spring rates, but that is about it. Just go with uprated springs, some decent shocks, and some better bushings and you should be good to go. A bone stock TR8 with AC will corner weigh around 675-700 lbs per front wheel and around 575-600 lbs per rear wheel without a driver. Once you start removing all of the anti smog equipment and other junk off the front of the car, the weight gets a lot closer to a 50/50 weight distribution. If you can weigh your car with the Ford engine installed, you can use these weights to see if you are in the ball park.
 
I would think that the TR8 cooling system would be unlikely to be sufficient for a 302. Cooling an aluminum 215 ia a lot easier than cooling a cast iron 302. And British cars are not generally known for overbuilt cooling systems. A lot of British cars tended to overheat in American climates, back in the day.

The suspension for the TR8 may be close, but again I'd be prepared for different needs. The aluminum 215 is much lighter than the 302, and puts out a lot less power, especially torque.
 
I think you are correct on the cooling. A stock TR7 or TR8 radiator won't do the job. That is why the link I posted is for 3" aluminum cored radiators which are what most of the guys running stroker Rover motors have gone to. You will be surprised on the weight. There is a ton of extra weight in the front of a wedge. A stock TR8 vert weighs in at around 2550. The ones that have been modified and put on a diet come in around 2300-2400, with all of that weight coming off the front wheels. Start adding up the combined weights of AC components, power steering, cast iron exhaust manifolds, anti smog items, and misc bracketry- all of which would come off with the engine swap. Throw some aluminum heads on that 302 and you are real close.
 
Do all the TR7s come through Wisconsin? I got mine there, my brother got one for his wife there, and now I see that is where you are from. Anyway, would mind taking pictures as you go through the stages of your project? It would be nice to see it written up on the How it was done section on the BritishV8 site. According to what I have seen over there, the 5 liter Ford engine doesn't weigh that much more.
 
I like the idea of a 302. If you haven't already, check out the hotrod community for ideas on configuring a 302 so it fits. The engine is somewhat long because of the stock water pump and it has a front sump, don't know if that is a problem in TR7. If you can find aluminum heads, much of the weight problem goes away. I have been doing a little research, I am going to put a 302 and an AOD in my 39 Ford Standard.

Now if anybody wants to put a Ford V60 in their T series MG (it used to be done years ago), I will have one available.
 
What is the difference in size and weight between that and say an early millenium Vette motor
 
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