tr7triumph.com

Just curious really, and forgive my ignorance here....but does anyone know why Triumph didn't fit the Dolly Sprint engine from day 1 - or is the 'standard' 2.0 litre engine a re-worked (downgraded) version of the Dolomite engine?

Thanks

My understanding was they were a bit disillusioned by its propensity to eat head gaskets (They hadn't yet worked out like we have today that regularly re-torquing the head and keeping the cooling system in A1 nick solves this) But they did do a few prototypes - c.30 FHC iirc. Shame really, because I think the TR7 with two engine variants from day one (the 16v and the V8)in FHC and DHC would have been a world beater

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Well, yes, that too. The primary reason was because that nasty ol' U.S. federal government E.P.A. said the 16 valve engine couldn't be made to meet the emissions standards of that era using normal carburetion. If they had used direct fuel injection as on the 1981 models, it would have passed, however the cost increase would have pushed the car's price way out of bounds for a new model in 1975. That is why the U.S. model was so mild in it's power output. Without the low compression pistons, the EGR, AIR pump, retarded ignition timing, and all the rest, the TR7 would never have seen the light of day.

Mildred Hargis

Mildreds right, because the 16V could not meet US emissions and 9 out of 10 were sent to N/A and it would cost too much money that they didn't have to do the engineering to make it comply. As for Europe because they expected to have the V-8 available for it (that didn't happen because the availabilty wasn't there initially and Rover got priority) and because the performance was too close to the V-8 it didn't make marketing sense to have both the 16V and the V-8 for the 10% that could use it. So only a few where made to comply with homologation to rallye it until the V-8 was available and when it was they switched to the V-8 for rallying and the sales room.


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Mildred</i>

Well, yes, that too. The primary reason was because that nasty ol' U.S. federal government E.P.A.
Mildred Hargis
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Just what I wuz gonna say. Damn enviromentalists! LOL By todays progress, it could deff be made to pass US emmissions. But back then, times werent as progressed.

Johnny

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by swifty</i>

My understanding was they were a bit disillusioned by its propensity to eat head gaskets ... They hadn't yet worked out that regularly re-torquing the head solves this<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
No need for that.
Just make sure you torque it down properly when you rebuilt the engine (and during running in of it).

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)
1980 TR7 DHC (my first car currently being restored)
In parts a 1980 TR7 PI DHC, 1981 TR7 DHC, 1981 TR7 FHC</font id="blue">
<font color="red">http://tr7beans.blogspot.com/</i></font id="red"></center>