Build catalogue
Joseph Moticker's 1960 Triumph TR3 with Ford Mustang 302 Engine
britishv8.org
Photo: britishv8.orgA 1960 Triumph TR3A rebuilt with a Ford Mustang 302 V8
Joseph Moticker converted his TR3A to run a 1988 Ford Mustang 302 V8 with a T5 five-speed and a narrowed Ford 8.8 rear end, fabricating his own crossmembers and moving the firewall to fit it all in. The result is a car he describes as fast and fun, finished in October 2013 and driven several hundred miles since. It is worth a look for the depth of home-fabricated chassis and interior work, including custom seats, roll hoop, and fuel tank.
Specs
As the owner states it.
- Engine
- 1988 Ford Mustang 302cid V8, stock camshaft and heads, Edelbrock intake, Holley carburetor
- Ignition
- MSD6AL capacitive discharge ignition, MSD Blaster 2 coil, Ford Racing spark plug wires
- Cooling
- Speedway Motors aluminum radiator
- Exhaust
- Sunbeam Tiger cast iron manifolds, Dynaflow mufflers
- Transmission
- T5 5-speed, Ford flywheel, pressure plate and clutch, Wilwood master and slave cylinders
- Rear axle
- Ford 8.8 inch housing, narrowed, Traction-Lok limited slip, 4.1:1 final drive, billet axles with 4x4.5 inch lug pattern
- Front suspension
- Brit Bits steering rack, heavy duty springs, KONI shock absorbers
- Rear suspension
- Stock Triumph leafsprings with extra mid leaf added, stock Triumph shock absorbers
- Brakes
- Wilwood master cylinder with remote reservoir, Toyota front calipers and rotors, Wilwood rear calipers and rotors
- Wheels
- Diamond Racing Pro-Street steel wheels
- Tyres
- Fuzion 205/70R15
- Body
- Custom chrome-moly tubular front and transmission crossmembers, firewall set back about two inches, rear fenders flared about one inch, exterior trim powder-coated black
- Interior
- Custom hand rolled aluminum seats covered in vinyl, Grant GT steering wheel, four point harnesses, Lexan windshield, custom roll hoop
- Electrical
- AC Delco battery, Advance Auto wire harness, Auto Meter Classic instruments
- Fuel system
- 8.5 gallon custom fuel tank, electric fuel pump mounted in trunk
- Weight
- 2250 lb
- Completed
- October 2013, 350 miles driven as of March 2014
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.
Shop suggestions are being prepared. The owner's parts list is available below.
Engine 4
- Ford 302cid V8 (1988 Mustang)Ford
Base engine for the conversion, retained stock camshaft and cylinder heads
- Cobra style aluminum air cleaner
Dress-up cover for the carburetor
- Cobra style aluminum valve covers
Dress-up covers for the V8
- Motor mount kitSpeedway Motors
Used as the basis for custom motor mounts
Fuel & Ignition 7
- Edelbrock intake manifoldEdelbrock
Fitted to the 302 for the swap
- Holley carburetorHolley
Paired with the Edelbrock intake
- MSD6AL ignition boxMSD
Capacitive discharge ignition control
- MSD Blaster 2 coilMSD
Ignition coil used with the MSD6AL
- Spark plug wiresFord Racing
Wired the ignition system
- Custom fuel tank, 8.5 gallon
Fabricated fuel tank for the car
- Electric fuel pump
Mounted in the trunk
Cooling 1
- Aluminum radiatorSpeedway Motors
Cooling for the V8 swap
Gearbox & Drivetrain 5
- T5 5-speed gearbox
Manual transmission fitted behind the V8
- Flywheel, pressure plate and clutchFord
Clutch assembly matched to the Ford drivetrain
- Ford 8.8 inch rear axle housingFord
Narrowed to fit the TR3, houses the differential
- Traction-Lok limited slip differentialFord
Fitted with 4.1:1 final drive gears
- Billet axles
4x4.5 inch lug pattern to suit new wheels
Suspension & Steering 4
- Steering rackBrit Bits
Front steering conversion
- Heavy duty front springs
Uprated front spring rate
- KONI shock absorbersKONI
Front shocks
- Extra mid leaf
Added to stock Triumph leafsprings at the rear
Brakes 4
- Wilwood master cylinderWilwood
Clutch actuation, remotely mounted reservoir
- Wilwood slave cylinderWilwood
Clutch actuation
- Front calipers and rotorsToyota
Fitted to the front brakes
- Rear calipers and rotorsWilwood
Fitted to the rear brakes
Wheels & Tyres 2
- Pro-Street steel wheelsDiamond Racing
Wheels fitted all round
- 205/70R15 tiresFuzion
Tyres fitted on the Diamond Racing wheels
Body & Trim 2
- Lexan windshield
Fitted in place of glass windscreen
- Custom roll hoopAC Car Craft, Oakland Park, Florida
Fabricated and fitted
Interior 3
- GT steering wheelGrant
Fitted in the cockpit
- Custom aluminum seats
Hand rolled and covered in vinyl by a local upholsterer
- Four point safety harnesses
Fitted for driver and passenger safety
Electrical 3
- BatteryAC Delco
Electrical system power source
- Wire harnessAdvance Auto
New wiring for the conversion
- Classic instrumentsAuto Meter
Gauge cluster fitted to the dash
Other 2
- Cast iron exhaust manifoldsSunbeam Tiger (parts source)
Sourced from Sunbeam Tiger for the V8 installation
- MufflersDynaflow
Fitted to the exhaust system
Photos
All 14 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.
How it was done
The swap
Moticker fitted a 1988 Ford Mustang 302 V8 into his 1960 TR3A, keeping the stock camshaft and cylinder heads but adding an Edelbrock intake and Holley carburetor. Ignition duties went to an MSD6AL box and Blaster 2 coil with Ford Racing plug wires, and he dressed the engine with a Cobra style aluminum air cleaner and valve covers.
Driveline
Behind the V8 sits a T5 five-speed gearbox using a Ford flywheel, pressure plate and clutch, actuated through Wilwood master and slave cylinders. Power reaches a narrowed Ford 8.8 inch rear housing fitted with a Traction-Lok limited slip differential, 4.1:1 gears, and billet axles on a 4x4.5 inch lug pattern.
Chassis fabrication
To fit the V8 and gearbox, Moticker replaced the stock front and transmission crossmembers with his own chrome-moly tubular fabrications and set the firewall back roughly two inches. Motor mounts were based on a Speedway Motors kit, and the clutch and brake pedals were shifted over about 1.5 inches to clear the new driveline.
Suspension and brakes
Up front he fitted a Brit Bits steering rack with heavy duty springs and KONI shocks. The rear kept the stock Triumph leafsprings, with an extra mid leaf added, and stock shock absorbers. Braking uses a Wilwood master cylinder with a remote reservoir, Toyota calipers and rotors up front, and Wilwood calipers and rotors at the rear.
Interior and safety
The cabin got hand rolled aluminum seats, covered in vinyl by a local upholsterer, a Grant GT steering wheel, Auto Meter Classic instruments, four point harnesses, and a custom roll hoop built by AC Car Craft in Oakland Park, Florida. A Lexan windshield was also fitted.
Body and finishing
The rear fenders were flared about one inch for tire clearance, and nearly all exterior trim was powder-coated black. An 8.5 gallon custom fuel tank was built with an electric fuel pump mounted in the trunk, and the car rides on Diamond Racing Pro-Street steel wheels with Fuzion 205/70R15 tires.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is the owner's: read it at britishv8.org ↗
Worth knowing
- Fitting four point harnesses without anti-submarine straps leaves a safety gap.
- Shoulder straps should not angle more than 30 degrees from horizontal per SCCA rules.
- A roll hoop without padding or headrests can be uncomfortable and risky.
- Moving the firewall back about two inches was necessary to make room for the V8.