411 Door handle and Bonnet

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Philip

The factory were doing LS conversions, yes.

What's LS ?


PS/Edit: I see, it's the GM engine. So what engine did the 411 S6 use?

When did they start using the GM engines?

[Geoff Kingston]

Kevin
When I went to the event at Windlesham to celebrate Brian's long service with the company there were at least two possibly three 411's there which were being rebuilt and all had the Chevrolet LS engine and gearbox conversions, I got the impression that was what was then being offered as part of the up grade package and that there had been a move away from using the Chrysler units, obviously I am referring to the period just before the recent liquidation not the run up to 2011 when Bristol had started to offer cars rebuilt to series 6 specification.
Geoff.

[Philip]

The Series 6 cars had a 5.9 Chrysler Magnum small block, as per the Blenheims.

[Geoff Kingston]

The parts of the series 6 package that appealed to me were the upgrades to the brakes, the suspension and the four speed box, I was offered a crashed Chrysler 300 with the magnum engine and four speed box when I still had my 411 but we were focused on work on a 401 so I let it pass.
If I ever need to overhaul the mechanics on my 603 it will be a stroker conversion and an uprated or four speed box.

[Kevin H]

I feel it's unfortunate that Bristol started using a GM powertrain in the final chapter of the company's history. Given the small number of cars they were upgrading why not continue using the Chrysler engine they used in the 411 Series 6.

[Philip]

By that point the Magnum small block was obsolete, and the replacement Gen III Hemi has never had the aftermarket support in terms of management and tuning and accessories that the LS has, so the LS is the obvious answer. Think Brabazon offered a Gen III Hemi conversion..

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Philip

By that point the Magnum small block was obsolete,

That didn't stop them in the past. They could have used the LA engine in the 410, but they continued using the 318 poly A series after it had ceased production.

[Philip]

They could have done, of course - but as this was an upgrade to a modern drivetrain, who’d really choose a Magnum/A518 ahead of an LS3/6L80?