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- Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
- Path: sparky!uunet!psgrain!hippo!ba16.ru.ac.za!bakc
- From: bakc@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR KR COMAN)
- Subject: Re: '57 TR3 no engine go jap?
- Message-ID: <bakc.94.713779557@giraffe.ru.ac.za>
- Sender: news@hippo.ru.ac.za
- Organization: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- References: <1992Aug10.231238.420@gtephx.UUCP> <1992Aug12.063427.9552@mr.med.ge.com> <l14m0br@dixie.com>
- Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 08:05:57 GMT
- Lines: 37
-
-
- >>I personally feel that he is trying to 'improve' the Mona Lisa with
- >>a crayon, however.
-
- >Ya, I bet everyone who has sat on the side of the road while the Lucas,
- >Prince of Darkness, lights forgot to suck darkness and the ignition forgot
- >what it was supposed to do because the piece of garbage bag wiretie
- >some "Fine British Craftsman" used to make the connection rusted in two,
- >would have other terms for this "masterpiece" than Mona Lisa. Anyone who
- >has viewed a Triumph crankshaft, a device that markedly resembles a
- >large gutter nail forged with loving care using a 10 pound sledge hammer,
- >would concur.
-
- Guys,
- As the "guilty party" re V-8's in Jaguars, let me just say that the
- motivations behind folk in this part of the world (S.A.) to doing such
- engine transplants are two-fold: (1) The price of Jaguar spares locally is
- exhorbitant compared with those for the V-8. (2) Despite what seems to be
- the popular image that US automotive manufacturing is source of junk, when
- rebuilding this engine using US sourced components the quality and attention
- to detail is bloody marvellous -- especially when compared with that knocked
- together by Fine British Craftsmen (tm). E.g compare a set of ignition
- points for a 4.2l Jaguar distributor (good 'ol Joe Lucas!!) with Echelin's
- for a Chevvy V-8.
- BTW, the Jag in question has to WORK for a living 7 days a week, and since
- the V-8 transplant has FINALLY done so. The initial motivation was because
- the Jag engine needed rebuilding and a costing of the parts compared with
- the V-8 route showed it to be uneconomic -- the reliability, power and
- better fuel consumption benefits of the V-8 became apparent as a pleasant
- surprise once the car was put back into service.
- As a car-rebuilder hobbiest, however, I have to agree that taking a sound
- and original car and hacking it around with all sorts of mods and
- conversions is *personally* distasteful --- Street rods based on a
- perfectly sound orignal car make me want to puke!!
-
- Cheers,
- Keith "please-pass-me-a-1/2"-lime-green-Colleen" Coman
-