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Don Watson's 1974 TR-6 with Ford 5.0 H.O. V8 Conversion

Don Watson · 1974 Triumph TR-6

Triumph TR6

britishv8.orgBritish V8 Newsletter, Volume XV Issue 3, December 2007

Read the full write-up at britishv8.org ↗

Photo: britishv8.org

A 1974 Triumph TR6 rebuilt with a 1992 Ford 5.0 HO V8

Don and Debi Watson combined a 1971 TR6 frame with a 1976 driveline and swapped in a 1992 Ford 5.0 HO V8 with an automatic overdrive transmission. The car mixes parts from several makes, including a Nissan 300Z differential and Nissan 240SX rear brakes, and was finished and on the road by 2004 with thousands of miles since.

Specs

As the owner states it.

Owners
Don and Debi Watson
City
Wheeling WV
Model
1974 Triumph TR-6 ('71 frame, was '76 driveline)
Engine
1992 Ford 5.0 HO
Conversion performed by
Owners
Induction
Edelbrock 650 carburetor
Exhaust
Hedman headers, dual SS Monza mufflers
Cooling
Ford Mustang radiator
Transmission
Ford AOD (automatic / overdrive) transmission, Lokar shifter, custom driveshaft
Rear axle
Richard Good Nissan 300Z differential / carrier
Suspension
HD front springs, front sway bar, Richard Good bushings, HD rear springs
Brakes (front)
Brembo rotors and Toyota 4-piston calipers
Brakes (rear)
Nissan 240SX rotors and calipers on custom brackets
Wheels/Tires
8-spoke aluminum wheels
Chassis Mods
Frame reinforced in the rear, bolted-in (removeable) front crossmember, roll bar
Electrical
Autometer gauges including speedometer and tach, new 18-circuit Easy Harness plus full grounding harness
Completed
May 2004, driven approximately 10k miles as of November 2007

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.

Engine 3

  • 1992 Ford 5.0 HO V8Ford

    Replacement engine for the conversion

  • Hedman headersHedman

    Exhaust headers for the V8 swap

  • SS Monza mufflersMonza

    Dual stainless steel mufflers for the exhaust

Fuel & Ignition 2

  • Edelbrock 650 carburetorEdelbrock

    Provides induction for the V8

  • Holley air cleanerHolley

    Fitted atop the Edelbrock carburetor

Cooling 1

Gearbox & Drivetrain 4

Suspension & Steering 4

Brakes 3

Wheels & Tyres 1

  • 8-spoke aluminum wheels

    Wheels fitted to the finished car

Body & Trim 1

Electrical 2

  • Autometer gaugesAutometer

    Includes speedometer and tachometer

  • 18-circuit Easy Harness

    New wiring harness plus full grounding harness

Other 1

  • Bolted-in removable front crossmember

    Chassis modification allowing engine access

Photos

All 8 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.

Don Watson's 1974 TR-6 with 1992 Ford 5.0 H.O. V8 EnginePhoto: britishv8.org
Ford 5.0 enginePhoto: britishv8.org
Holley air cleaner on an Edelbrock carbPhoto: britishv8.org
headersPhoto: britishv8.org
engine installationPhoto: britishv8.org
blue TR6 5.0Photo: britishv8.org
Don Watson, enjoying his TR6 V8Photo: britishv8.org
Donate Now!Photo: britishv8.org

How it was done

The base car

The build started from a 1974 Triumph TR6, using a 1971 frame combined with what had been a 1976 driveline, before the V8 conversion replaced the drivetrain entirely. The owners performed the conversion themselves.

Engine and induction

A 1992 Ford 5.0 HO V8 was fitted, breathing through an Edelbrock 650 carburetor under a Holley air cleaner. Hedman headers feed dual stainless steel Monza mufflers, and a Ford Mustang radiator handles cooling.

Transmission and rear axle

Power goes through a Ford AOD automatic overdrive transmission with a Lokar shifter and a custom-built driveshaft. The rear axle is a Nissan 300Z differential and carrier, supplied and set up by Richard Good.

Suspension and brakes

Heavy-duty front springs and a front sway bar were added, along with Richard Good bushings and heavy-duty rear springs. Braking was upgraded with Brembo rotors and Toyota 4-piston calipers up front, and Nissan 240SX rotors and calipers on custom brackets at the rear.

Chassis and electrical

The frame was reinforced at the rear and fitted with a bolted-in, removable front crossmember and a roll bar. The electrical system was rewired with a new 18-circuit Easy Harness and a full grounding harness, and Autometer gauges including a speedometer and tach were installed.

On the road

The TR6 was completed in May 2004 and had covered about 10,000 miles by November 2007, riding on 8-spoke aluminum wheels.

A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is the owner's: read it at britishv8.org ↗

Worth knowing

  • Sourcing a differential and bushings from a known supplier like Richard Good simplified the rear axle swap.
  • Mixing components from other makes, such as Nissan brakes and a Nissan differential, can solve fitment problems affordably.
  • A removable front crossmember made engine access and installation easier.
  • Reinforcing the frame at the rear was needed to handle the added power and driveline changes.
  • Building a custom driveshaft was necessary to match the AOD transmission to the rear axle.

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