hotrod build

[little kwaka]

hi folks, so im building a hotrod,,, ive got a few bits together 3.9 rover v8 auto,, going to be fed via a webber dgas carb,,,, triumph spitfire rolling chassis and all steel 34 model y body,,,,my question is,, has anybody on here run a v8 through the stock spitfire rear axle

thanks in advanvce for replies / advise,,, ps wont be for dragway use or doing doughnuts

cheers
tony

[stinkey]

Are you running an auto box? And I'm assuming your building this to BIVA specs?

[Manky Monkey]

Hello Tony -& welcome.

[Manky Monkey]

O.K, I've checked with Kev, (Kapri), our resident registration expert. He says you'll need to re-register the vehicle once it's built as it won't have enough original components to qualify as a simple re-body under the 8 point rule -unless you do it before you change the engine & gearbox.
Unfortunately he also says the Spitfire diffs are notoriously weak & will "grenade into a million bits" if you hook it up to a V8.
So, to be legal, you'd need to register it with DVLA as a re-bodied original Spitfire first, then swap the motor once you've got the updated paperwork, (they'll probably want to inspect it). It's perfectly legal to modify a vehicle once it's registered, but remember you can add body mounting brackets to the Spitfire chassis, but can't remove anything.
I've got a 3.5 Rover with a 3.9 cam in my Ford Pop. It uses a 2 litre Sherpa van rear axle, which has roughly the right gearing for the tall cross-ply tyres I'm using.

[little kwaka]

thanks for the replies guys

[Manky Monkey]