JoelP
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 08:12 AM |
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would it be blasphemy...
to get an old triumph vitesse convertable, and stick a v8 in it?
im thinking that if its a mint example theh it would be, but if it involves restoring one it isnt.
i just love the look of the car.
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DavidM
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 08:32 AM |
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I've seen a few in Custom Car over the years. (the 70's years that is!)
That probably means that nowadays it's "Retro."
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 08:42 AM |
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IMHO the chassis was on the limit with a 1250cc motor, I used to have a spitfire and if I got a bit ambitious with the cornering, I could get a door
to open or the dash to lurch - just due to chassis twist
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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JoelP
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 08:54 AM |
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well made then! maybe, as a slightly more extreme approach, i could dress a space frame in vitesse panels! that might be taking it too far, but at
least i'd know where the rot was!
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Dick Axtell
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 08:57 AM |
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Old Article
Got an old mag which shows a Vitesse convertible modded to fit a Jag 6 cyl motor.
Didn't look very professional, finish-wise.
Work-in-Progress: Changed to Zetec + T9. Still trying!!
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blueshift
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 09:31 AM |
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you could always beef it up with a few astutely-placed tubes. who needs passenger space?
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Surrey Dave
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 10:59 AM |
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The back suspension was fab on Herald's and Vitesse's it used to allow the outside rear wheel to tuck under when cornering!
Scary with any engine..........................
also in my day they where definetely known as a 'hairdressers car'!!
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pbura
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 12:27 PM |
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Didn't know what a Vitesse was, so Googled and found one with a Rover V8 and another with a Datsun (180b?) rear end.
The chassis is a slender little thing. Wonder if you could build your own cross-braced ladder chassis?
Pete
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andyps
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 04:48 PM |
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It could be done without needing to modify the appearance, but the chassis would need some serious strengthening to take that much power.
It would definitely be best based on a late Vitesse as they did not have hte swing axle suspension which gave the entertaining handling.
Rather than a V8 a nicely tuned Triumph 2.5 pi engine would make a very nice motor.
I still love the shape, my family has had a Herald convertible for years, it currently resides in my Mum's garage in need of some tlc. One
day............
Andy
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 04:57 PM |
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a triump herald (vitesse was 2 litre version) was a hairdressers car?
it was an average family runaround. Only a minority were open top.
I passed my test in one. hardtop.
I think any convertable sports car can be considered a hairdressers car, inc tvr and ferrari. why should price be an excluding factor?
I would keep any decent condition one bog standard and not frig with different engines. This was a 40hp chassis after all..... even the vitsse barely
broke a ton and 10 seconds.
Older cars should be restored as they were and not messed up. If they have survived 40 years (herald came out in 1959 - and the mini) its in my view
wrong to trash one. Likely to have lower value too - enthusiasts want A1 conditioned cars, and I dont think a herald would appeal to the saxo crowd
atb
steve
[Edited on 25/9/04 by stephen_gusterson]
[Edited on 25/9/04 by stephen_gusterson]
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 05:57 PM |
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hard top herald
hard top herald
 
Rescued attachment herald.jpg
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JoelP
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 07:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
Older cars should be restored as they were and not messed up. If they have survived 40 years (herald came out in 1959 - and the mini) its in my view
wrong to trash one.
quite right steve, but if its already junk (ie stuffed, needing a lot of work) i think that by merit of the amount of work the converter will have to
do, and also by the fact that the car is being saved from the great scrapyard in the sky, it is ok.
the vitesse looks great.
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 25/9/04 at 09:59 PM |
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Joel, you are going to die young!
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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