Stock 7 V Sprint 7.

[Hasbeen]

I got lucky yesterday. Stag 76 gave me a drive of his Sprint engined 7 DHC. It is not only a Sprint, but he has converted it to an EFI system as well. Add the big brakes, power steering, & heavy duty shocks, & you start to get an idea of the car.

The first thing you notice is the throaty induction sound, & the nice exhaust burble. Then you notice the light steering, with light throttle & brake pedals, giving a different feel. I don't know how he's done it, but even the clutch is lighter than mine.

My 8V 7 is a very good performer, much better than the other 7s I have owned. I particularly like its low down torque. Of course it needs that torque, as it gets a bit breathless much above 4.000 RPM.

The injected Sprint car has lost some of this low down torque, but drop a gear or 2 & you suddenly don't mind the loss. It has quite a bit more get up & go from about 3000 on. I was changing under 5,000 out of respect for someone else's car, but it was obvious the way it was accelerating it wanted to get to the other side of 6,000 at least. I didn't have a stop watch, but it would have been seconds quicker to 100Km/H

I have a private handling test strip through the traffic calmer chicanes in a new acreage estate near home. It will be a pity when the houses go in & I loose it.

Having fitted heavier anti roll bars to both the 8 & the 7 years ago I had forgotten how these cars handle without them. Through my test Stag's sprint was easily quicker than the Rice burners, & Euro boxes I have put through there, but the way it jacked up on the outside back wheel, & then lost the back end reminded me. These cars really do respond to heavier bars, & that avoids having to fit the heavy springs, which will do the same job.

He has fitted a strut brace, & has made a roll bar, with a T piece to the top of the windscreen as standard on the Triumph Stag. This has really stiffened the DHC, & it felt as stiff as my FHC. With a little improvement to the rear it will be a very quick little car. I loved it.

Hasbeen

[FI Spyder]

What has he done with bushings on the front sway bar? I have hard black poly as found in the USA (as on the rest of front end) and find it nicely responsive with little body roll or dive (standard new springs). When I threw the car sideways when that car turn right in front of me a few weeks back I could have done with a little less body roll (there wasn't much), I was more concerned with the howling tires biting before I hit (they did). In even spirited driving and taking our small traffic circles as fast as the understeer will allow there isn't much body roll. I haven't driven large anti sway bars yet but hard poly bushings go a long way to doing the same things I suspect.


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

[Hasbeen]

Sorry Spyder, I was hoping Stag would answer, as I don't know.

The handling is not bad, just different. I used to quite like how the others would slide on command, with so little power to play with.

It could be tyres too. I can't remember what I had on the back of the others. The 205 Bridgestones on this one start to move at about the same speed, but they it doesn't dig in first, & body roll.

Hasbeen