Winter Projects

[delta]

Friend of mine has just got back from looking at this Escort in Belgium . It really is rotten . Need to have a think .

[gt917]

Well, it,s been some time since I last reported on the Lola build, but thought I would just say I, and the car, are still alive, but the ******* thing is aging me rapidly !!!!!!!!!

Bodywork is more or less finished, and will soon be taken off the chassis to go to the paint shop. Big headache though is the engine, as what looked good from the outside, when stripped, was a nightmare. Water had been left in bores for at least two years before I got it and the Chevy now needs a rebore of +40 and two bores re sleeved !!!!!!! It was all standard and a 4bolt main cap to boot. I know there has been previous debate of re sleeving, but for a race engine I,m not so sure.

Any one have any well founded views on the matter, or better still, is there a good, well seasoned, standard sized, 4 bolt main Chevy 350 small block lying in one of your workshops gathering dust ??

[Willmaz223]

Originally Posted by gt917

Well, it,s been some time since I last reported on the Lola build, but thought I would just say I, and the car, are still alive, but the ******* thing is aging me rapidly !!!!!!!!!

Bodywork is more or less finished, and will soon be taken off the chassis to go to the paint shop. Big headache though is the engine, as what looked good from the outside, when stripped, was a nightmare. Water had been left in bores for at least two years before I got it and the Chevy now needs a rebore of +40 and two bores re sleeved !!!!!!! It was all standard and a 4bolt main cap to boot. I know there has been previous debate of re sleeving, but for a race engine I,m not so sure.

Any one have any well founded views on the matter, or better still, is there a good, well seasoned, standard sized, 4 bolt main Chevy 350 small block lying in one of your workshops gathering dust ??

Looks mega.

[Gerard C]

Hi GT. Probably its worth a call to Ric Wood. He builds GAA's, can machine many things, has some casings and so on. Good experience with the yank tanks. For instance its a no to put sleeves in a Essex while the GA has. As to re-sleeve the 350 I can't tell you but we just sourced what we need for a Corvette, a 427, and found the same kind of nightmare. Too happy to find one for cheap, around 2500€, but now the machine shop is asking for more than 5k€.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by delta

Friend of mine has just got back from looking at this Escort in Belgium . It really is rotten . Need to have a think .

Me? I’d walk away. Anything is restorable, though, if the need is that great. Depends how many non revenue earning man hours you are prepared to put into the project, I guess....

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by gt917

Well, it,s been some time since I last reported on the Lola build, but thought I would just say I, and the car, are still alive, but the ******* thing is aging me rapidly !!!!!!!!!

Good to hear from you Graham, and thanks for the update!

Sorry to hear about the engine. I guess if you are the other side of the pond Chevy small-blocks are easier to come by..... Bit heavy for hand luggage though!

[zefarelly]

I've seen early flow iron blocks with external oil way bosses Mike, possibly FV series, although could be BD. When I did the Marcos engine, I made a 90 degree boss to mainline oiled direct from the front mounted cosworth pump into the oil gallery at the front, it had previouslY had several metres of external pipe work and fed oil from the dark side, back across the block , which just seemed daft to me!

As fas as I'm awar, all Ford 4 cyl engine are based around Kent blocks, from the early 1340 twin cam on, even a diff is an evolution of a bda?

I've still to find any info about a Wilmment 16v Ford based engine, which I'm not even sure was ever built, but I have all the drawings, for the head, cam. Carriers and front covers, as well as 120e 1500 block, and a letter from Harry Mundy, in a Jaguar evele, to Jeff Uren with some minor design changes. All very early 1964!

My personal experience of lingering blocks is, it's all down to who's doing it, and exactly how! Assuming you have a good quality liner and a stable block, it should be reliable.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by gt917

Any one have any well founded views on the matter, or better still, is there a good, well seasoned, standard sized, 4 bolt main Chevy 350 small block lying in one of your workshops gathering dust ??

If you're not worried about engine numbers why not get a crate engine from Real Steel or Roadcraft, would probably work out cheaper than machining what you have or could find SH

[zefarelly]

I wish I knew how to turn off spell check on this I pad

Originally Posted by zefarelly

I've seen early flow iron blocks with external oil way bosses Mike, possibly FV series, although could be BD. When I did the Marcos engine, I made a 90 degree boss to mainline oiled direct from the front mounted cosworth pump into the oil gallery at the front, it had previouslY had several metres of external pipe work and fed oil from the dark side, back across the block , which just seemed daft to me!

As fas as I'm awar, all Ford 4 cyl engine are based around Kent blocks, from the early 1340 twin cam on, even a diff is an evolution of a bda?

I've still to find any info about a Wilmment 16v Ford based engine, which I'm not even sure was ever built, but I have all the drawings, for the head, cam. Carriers and front covers, as well as 120e 1500 block, and a letter from Harry Mundy, in a Jaguar evele, to Jeff Uren with some minor design changes. All very early 1964!

My personal experience of lingering blocks is, it's all down to who's doing it, and exactly how! Assuming you have a good quality liner and a stable block, it should be reliable.

[Gerard C]

There's an application for that. Called the f****** I button!

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

If you're not worried about engine numbers why not get a crate engine from Real Steel or Roadcraft, would probably work out cheaper than machining what you have or could find SH

No good at all Tim. This is going to be an FIA papers car, and crate engines are of no use to me as most of the rotating parts have got to be replaced !!!!

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Good to hear from you Graham, and thanks for the update!

Sorry to hear about the engine. I guess if you are the other side of the pond Chevy small-blocks are easier to come by..... Bit heavy for hand luggage though!

Mike, you are missed at the Fressingfield Oily Rag Club events, and I,ve not been able to see you at some past race meetings.

You are right about being too heavy for hand luggage, but it could well be that I,ll have to import a good one from the States.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by gt917

No good at all Tim. This is going to be an FIA papers car, and crate engines are of no use to me as most of the rotating parts have got to be replaced !!!!

So has it got to be an early or late block?

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

So has it got to be an early or late block?

Early Tim. The modern ones are a no-go.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by gt917

Early Tim. The modern ones are a no-go.

What I meant was early as in two piece rear seal and crank balanced or late as in one piece seal and flywheel balanced not the later LS and LT versions from around 95 onward

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

What I meant was early as in two piece rear seal and crank balanced or late as in one piece seal and flywheel balanced not the later LS and LT versions from around 95 onward

OK tim, I see what you mean. Not the LS and LT versions.

My existing engine is a two piece seal, but, and please excuse my ignorance on this matter, I think the one piece seal blocks are more or less identical to the earlier ones and are acceptable.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by gt917

OK tim, I see what you mean. Not the LS and LT versions.

My existing engine is a two piece seal, but, and please excuse my ignorance on this matter, I think the one piece seal blocks are more or less identical to the earlier ones and are acceptable.

I probably know no more than you but I believe the later 1 piece seal blocks have a different casting for the rear seal, dipstick on right (looking from rear) and different crank casting with no balance weight.
I just found this Graham https://roadcraftuk.co.uk/index.php?...product_id=771

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

I probably know no more than you but I believe the later 1 piece seal blocks have a different casting for the rear seal, dipstick on right (looking from rear) and different crank casting with no balance weight.
I just found this Graham https://roadcraftuk.co.uk/index.php?...product_id=771

Thanks Tim.

I shall call them tomorrow.

[Tim Falce]

Let me know how you get on with them as i might be in the market for a crate engine from them

[gt917]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Let me know how you get on with them as i might be in the market for a crate engine from them

Tim,

spoke with them this afternoon. Polite and helpful, but suprised at their lack of FIA compatability knowledge. I would have thought that engine people with their reputation would have their fingers on the pulse for the historic side of the V8 world.

Certainly they will be able to do a crate engine for you, but they do NOT do any of their own machining. It is all outsourced, and crate engines will come from the US.

They can do me a new 1 piece seal block, but were unable to give me any advice as to whether or not the older, but later, oil seal block is acceptable for FIA.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by gt917

Tim,

spoke with them this afternoon. Polite and helpful, but suprised at their lack of FIA compatability knowledge. I would have thought that engine people with their reputation would have their fingers on the pulse for the historic side of the V8 world.

Certainly they will be able to do a crate engine for you, but they do NOT do any of their own machining. It is all outsourced, and crate engines will come from the US.

They can do me a new 1 piece seal block, but were unable to give me any advice as to whether or not the older, but later, oil seal block is acceptable for FIA.

They wouldn't know, they mainly supply to the kit car and rodders market. You need to find out yourself what's compatible and go from there.

[grantp]

Graham,

Is there any constraint that leads you avoid the existing regular V8 builders supplying the Historic teams? (Other than cost maybe?)

I would imagine they know what is and is not acceptable.

[gt917]

Originally Posted by grantp

Graham,

Is there any constraint that leads you avoid the existing regular V8 builders supplying the Historic teams? (Other than cost maybe?)

I would imagine they know what is and is not acceptable.

Grant,

there is just one constraint …….. £36,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by gt917

Grant,

there is just one constraint …….. £36,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm,

That much eh?

Is that starting price or the full kit and caboodle?

BTW, some years back the son of a pal of mine built a Cobra kit car and imported a new Chevvy engine from one of the better known suppliers on the East Coast USA.

They got it installed and running and drove it to the testing centre to obtain it road legality cert.

The tester couldn't get a reading out one of the exhausts, which puzzled everyone. So they drove it back again and eventually decided to take the rocker cover off on that bank only to discover that, basically, none of the push rods were doing anything.

Apparently it still felt quite quick ...

He took the opportunity to upgrade the rods and the rockers and as far as I am aware it passed the test at the second attempt.

Quite how they had not spotted the problem before heading for the test was not clear to me but I lost touch before I had the opportunity to ask the question face to face.

[gt917]

Originally Posted by grantp

Hmm,

That much eh?

Is that starting price or the full kit and caboodle?

BTW, some years back the son of a pal of mine built a Cobra kit car and imported a new Chevvy engine from one of the better known suppliers on the East Coast USA.

They got it installed and running and drove it to the testing centre to obtain it road legality cert.

The tester couldn't get a reading out one of the exhausts, which puzzled everyone. So they drove it back again and eventually decided to take the rocker cover off on that bank only to discover that, basically, none of the push rods were doing anything.

Apparently it still felt quite quick ...

He took the opportunity to upgrade the rods and the rockers and as far as I am aware it passed the test at the second attempt.

Quite how they had not spotted the problem before heading for the test was not clear to me but I lost touch before I had the opportunity to ask the question face to face.

That,s a great story.
I can easily get a Chevy V8, both here and the US, but they will not be period FIA acceptable. My Lola T70 mk3B is being built up for HTP standard and as such things are going to be "big bucks". That price is for a complete engine, to 5ltr period spec.