P 1800 updated daily driver

[Markh]

Anyone here use a P1800 as a daily driver?, are there any upgrades, power, brakes etc that work well to subtly up date these cars, (a friend told me a T-5 engine and 5 speed box can be coaxed to fit.

Cheers Mark

[1800MAD]

This is an old post, but as a longtime owner of a 1800S I feel the need to encourage fellow drivers...I'll agree 100% with Valentin, personally I wouldn't go nuts with mods on the 1800 as I feel it "is what it is" being a GT not quite a sportscar. But if you do want to make some upgrades, I'd highly recommend the Weber conversion, and a simple electronic ignition that replaces points. Both of these upgrades, along with a bit of a stiffer suspension transformed my car in performance and above all reliability. As far as I've experienced and read, there's no real negligible "power gain" from the Weber (downdraft, that is) or from the pointless ignition, but I would definitely say that the "fluffiness" that comes from never-quite-in-sync dual SUs in the low revs is greatly overcome, which gives (an illusion of?) smoother acceleration. Not to mention being stuck out on a winter day with a new set of crap "OEM" points in one hand and a vacuum tuner for the carbs in the other. Made my car a flawless daily driver. If you DO want to get crazy, check out the guys in Syracuse, New York called Vintage Performace Developments, they race 1800's and have all kinds of upgrades (even a supercharger!!!)