68 valiant signet

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i built this '47 austin 12 with a 318 if that counts :thumbsup:
95% original paint and i bought it stock from the original owner who was a good friend of my grandfather.
neil.

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i ordered a motor plate yesterday. i'll be removing the k member, torsion bars etc anyway when i install the tube axle so i need somewhere to hang the motor from. it'll stop me worrying about the rubber mounts breaking too so win win.
 
it's been a while and lots has changed re the valiant. firstly the 383/727 has been sold.
i need to get the garage up over the road from my house on the land i bought from my neighbour. this needs a slab of concrete to stand on and selling the engine will pay for that. my thoughts were i can always buy another engine later on but i need the 2nd garage to store my wedding car so.....
anyway friday i'm collecting a 318 small block from leighton buzzard and on the way home a toyota supra 5 speed manual trans from ilford. the mopar bellhousing, flywheel and clutch will be collected once it's out of the only other 68 valiant in the uk (coincidentally) that's getting an sfi approved bellhousing etc for racing. i'll need a toyota centre plate for the clutch but i'd rather that was new anyway. it goes without saying i'll be making an adapter plate for the toyota trans.
all of this still leaves enough left over for the concrete slab as i have a cement mixer and can do it myself with only the ballast and cement to buy (already got 5 bags of cement for £10 the wife found me on faceache.
 
interesting, any idea how much torque that 5 speed can handle?
 
not sure exactly but the import guys make big hp/torque numbers from those supra's so fingers crossed. i'm know with the 318 it'll be fine. with a 390 stroker or a couple of turbos i guess i'll find out when the time comes. the good thing is with them being so popular uprated internals are readily available.
 
today went very well. even the excursion into n/e london. i usually avoid london at all costs (i'm just too impatient) but sometimes you just have to and this time it went well. maybe i was just driving more sedately as i had the 318 in the boot of my little c class merc already along with spare heads in the front footwell? then the trans went on the back seat and the poor old girl was weighed down. it was fine, i've had 2 (at the same time) 350 chevy engines in it before so.....
got to get my wedding car out in the morning so i can back in the garage and unload it all. pics tomorrow.
neil.
 
kursplat said:
interesting, any idea how much torque that 5 speed can handle?
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i spoke to a buddy today who builds jap drift cars and he says the r154 trans from the turbo supra is a lot stronger than the non turbo w58 trans i've bought. they are more than twice what i just paid tough for mine. he says the weak link in the w58 is the input shaft but uprated ones are readily available so i'll cross that bridge if/when i get to it.
neil.
 
i thought that from pics i'd seen but in 'the flesh' as it were it's not much different to a borgwarner t5 and the toyota box is stronger stock than one of those and they're about the same money as i paid.
 
boy it was hot out today, 34 degrees in faversham apparently. anyway i got yesterdays haul unloaded and packed away, some in my van and the short block in the garage ready to tear down. it looks like a load of crap but it'll be just fine
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neil.

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it has 318 cast on the block and the bores measure at 3.91". i've not fully checked the numbers yet but i'm guessing it's early, it's got a single crank pulley and even has a points dizzy.
 
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I started looking into parts to freshen the 318 for now and bought from ebay a set of new boxed Mahle flat top pistons for £55 sterling. bargain I thought, they are +60 but I don't care. One of the bores (standard at present) has had water in it during storage and is quite pitted so the larger pistons will work in my favour. Pics when they arrive.
Neil.
 
i had another result on ebay yesterday. i bought another supra w58 trans for only £87!! so now if i break the first one i can swap in the spare while i get the first rebuilt/uprated :thumbsup:
the block goes to the machine shop to be bored this week and the crank to be reground.
oh, and i've been offered 2 late (2006 0n) ford transit rear axles at only £100 each. they use like a lot of full size american trucks a dana 60 so by swapping the bearing housings and halfshafts i'll have 2 very cheap axles
neil.
 
glad to see your still at it. did you get the 318 together?
 
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