Everything that everybody above said is true about the headaches of a TR setup. Another thing to think about, if you look at PSCA, most of the quickest and fastest cars are now running a single carb. Manifold technology has come a long way in the last ten years and there are some really impressive conventional head BBC manifolds from Edelbrock like the Super Victor II and the Super Victor CNC, by Reher-Morrison, both of which can support over 1,000 horsepower. The added weight and complexity just doesn’t make sense.
HOWEVER, I know what it is like to want a TR for the cool factor. Anything can be made to work with enough time, effort, and money. The money also doesn’t stop after all the parts are purchased. As was mentioned above, it will use more fuel and you will want increased horsepower to go along with the looks, so that means supporting parts like cam, heads, and compression which all increase operating expenses.
Bottom line, it is your boat and your money. Do what makes you happy. Just understand the expenses and pitfalls associated with every compromise and formulate a plan that works best for your intended use.
If you do decide to go the TR route, choose one with the longest runners with the smallest cross-section so that intake charge velocity is high. Don’t go crazy on carb size, most people can’t tell the difference between a 450 vacuum secondary and an 850 double pumper. Anything is possible.
Here is a pic of my family station wagon.
Cheers,
Joe
