spridgets
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Light Headed

To: trunkie@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Light Headed
From: Paul A Asgeirsson <pasgeirsson@juno.com>
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 11:41:24 EDT
Cc: sefisher@cisco.com, spridgets@autox.team.net
References: <19990515065840.28887.qmail@hotmail.com>
Reply-to: Paul A Asgeirsson <pasgeirsson@juno.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
Cross Flow Head.

Stan Huntley in Portland Oregon has a cross flow cast iron head for his
old A series Morris Pick Up racer.  Sure have wondered about how much
improved the engine ran with this mod.  Anyone out there with experience
with this head?

Paul
PAsgeirsson@juno.com

On Sat, 15 May 1999 06:58:40 GMT "Andy Webster" <trunkie@hotmail.com>
writes:
>Any idea what stage this project got to?
>There may well be the dies sitting somewhere gathering dust when they 
>could 
>be at a foudry creating new heads for old engines. I often wonder what 
>
>happened to the "mould" for the REPCO high power X-flow head for the 
>138c.i. 
>"grey motor" that G.M.HOLDEN produced from 1948-1963. Only a handfull 
>of 
>thes heads were ever made, as rare as rocking horse sh*t, I've known 
>cars to 
>be stolen just for the X-flow head.
>Andy
>
>>From: Scott Fisher <sefisher@cisco.com>
>>Reply-To: Scott Fisher <sefisher@cisco.com>
>>To: Daniel1312@aol.com
>>CC: Ajhsys@aol.com, spritenut@Exit109.com, spridgets@autox.team.net,  
>      
>>toyman@htcomp.net
>>Subject: Light Headed
>>Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:23:02 -0700
>>
>>Daniel1312@aol.com wrote:
>> >
>> > In a message dated 13/5/1999  2:40:14PM,  Ajhsys@aol.com writes:
>> >
>> > << The A series cars could get close... >>
>> >
>> > I think you have to put this comment in perspective.  The A series 
>
>>engined
>> > cars were delibrately NOT fitted with the Cooper S head because 
>they 
>>were
>> > embarrasingly quite compared to the MGB.  In other words they made 
>them 
>>SLOW
>> > on purpose.
>>
>>And the perfect segue to the story of Eddie Maher and the Engine That
>>Never Was!
>>
>>In the mid-Sixties -- about the time Spridges were getting 1275s 
>instead
>>of 1098s -- Honda was making a first pass at a Grand Prix car, and
>>decided to try making some small sports cars.  The S600 and S800 that
>>developed were roughly Spridget-sized, using jewel-like little
>>motorcycle engines that put out considerably more power than the 10CG
>>*or* the 1275 (or even the Triumph 1500 :-).
>>
>>Geoff Healey, who tells the story, said that they were very worried
>>about the Honda taking sales away from Spridgets, so they got BMC to
>>throw a few pounds at them to see what they could come up with.  They
>>borrowed Eddie Maher, one of the racing/rally team members, and had 
>him
>>put together a new cylinder head which could be bolted onto the A
>>Series.
>>
>>Apparently, Eddie did such a good job that the head he came up with 
>not
>>only made the Spridget faster than the Honda, it also made it faster
>>than the MGB, and it would even have been easier to produce than the
>>12G940 head.  Honda allegedly got wind of this special head and 
>pulled
>>the S600 and S800 out of the UK market.  With the threat disappearing
>>before it even arrived, BMC realized they couldn't make a cheap car 
>that
>>went faster than an expensive one (a decision they'd make again with 
>the
>>MGB-V8), so Eddie's project was shelved.
>>
>>Geoff doesn't say anything else about that head, such as whether it 
>was
>>the inspiration for the eight-port alloy heads used on the Le Mans
>>Sprites, or even whether it was a crossflow design.  I can't imagine
>>that it was still a five-holer, but you never can tell.
>>
>>And speaking of cylinder heads, has anyone here used one of the
>>al-yew-minnie-um heads that Moss (et al.) are advertising in the back 
>of
>>the latest Spridget catalog?  My soon-to-arrive roundarch is said to
>>have a freshened up motor, so I'm not planning to do anything major 
>to
>>it for a year or so.  But a 9-lb aluminum head (allegedly with 35%
>>better flow capability, no less) has me thinking of Rimflo valves,
>>high-ratio rockers, and all the usual tweaks.  Many thanks to anyone 
>who
>>has experiences to share...
>>
>>--Scott Fisher
>
>

Get secure free e-mail that you don't need Web access to use
from Juno, the world's second largest online service.
Download your free software at http://www.juno.com/getit.b.html.

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>