Bristol Engines
 

This will probably sound daft, but here goes anyway.

I was told that many 6 cyl Bristol's have had their engines removed, and these were then installed in AC's or FN's, some of which which are then raced.

Some engines must surely get destroyed during racing, and what happens to these destroyed engines and does anyone know who may have one available.

Thanks Hal

Hal, that's probably why there are fewer engines than cars nowadays, but I wouldn't think that many get blown up now, because the ACs and FNs are becoming too valuable to race hard. But if they are blown up today they are probably repaired/rebuilt, because the engines have become so expensive.

Although I suspect the cannibalisation of 6 cyl Bristols is not over yet.

Andrew Blow would probably have a good handle on the market for the engines.

Kevin

bristol engines
 

I am a recovering Clyde`s 406 to my own house tomorrow. Alpine Eagle have re-engineered the engine bay ready for the four-cylinder Volvo motor and gearbox to be dropped in. Given the unavailability of the original engine and its expense, this certainly begins to make sense. Further, the reason Bristol abandoned the long serving in line 6 was that it was no longer powerful enough. (Incidentally, there is some very useful stuff about the Star/ Sapphire engine project and the attempts to make a new motor in Christopher Balfour's new book.) These Volvo motors are so readily available. Clyde got his out of a scrapper for very little. They are hugely tough and reliable and turbocharging gives the power boost that is needed. Add to that the fact that you can keep the weight distribution unaffected and Clyde`s project makes a great deal of sense. I can prepare some photos of the engine bay if there is interest. Peter

Guys, What i was thinking, was to get hold of a knackered engine, and then take it to some of my casting contacts and have copies made and see if i could have the block and other bits cast in the original alloy or maybe some newer alloy.

It was just an idea of the top as a means of sourcing new engines.

Regards, Hal

Guys, What i was thinking, was to get hold of a knackered engine, and then take it to some of my casting contacts and have copies made and see if i could have the block and other bits cast in the original alloy or maybe some newer alloy.

It was just an idea of the top as a means of sourcing new engines.

Regards, Hal

Bristol Engines
 

Hal,
I was thinking along similar lines and had preliminary discussions with a firm in the UK who had already produced a cylinder head of similar complexity to the Bristol head. The major cost is in the pattern making, rough guide to produce the fist head around £20/25k after that castings could be turned out, they thought, at about £450 to £600 each on top of which you would have all the machining costs. This puts into perspective the £7500 being currently quoted by someone who has taken the plunge and is producing small batches of new heads. Cylinder blocks are or will shortly be available from another source I am told for around the same price. Sadly the current value of the majority of the early cars simply does not I suspect for most of us justify that kind of expenditure .
This is probably why when I recently advertised two complete 401's and two complete 403's for sale for £35k the lot the majority of calls were from people wanting to buy the engines and gearboxes. The AC's and Frazer Nash's are far more valuable and the figures stack up. The other problem is that you will need at lest one scrap head to start with to be cut open for the pattern maker to copy the internal as well as external features, plus a good one for reference, I suspect the same applies to blocks. I had thought about going out of the UK. to get heads made as I have family connections in China but now production is actually starting in the UK I don't think it is a gamble I want to take anymore. I would rather join other owners to see if a larger order or commitment to buy in greater volume could bring the unit cost down.
To go the other route different engine and box I would be very interested in thoughts on ways of converting the earlier cars to disc brakes without sacrificing any more 406's'. Whichever way you go with your project I think the effort will be worth it.
Geoff.

Bristol Engines
 

TT Workshops are offering brand new reproduction 100D2 engines for
GBP40,000 delivery 12 months from order.

I assume the 12 months is needed for the poor enthusiast to save/earn the
necessary cash!!!!! or do we need 36 months.

Geoff

Hi As a very new to this forum"observer" but a lifelong fan of all things mechanical especially English made cars,A thought crossed my mind when reading this posting, Could these complex Bristol 6 cylinder heads not be simplefied ,What im suggesting is that the head be made of two castings which would far easier to manufacture and machine,yes i know they would not be original as also would a volvo engine and gearbox in a Bristol not be original.
The "modular" head im visualising could even have the option of OHC.
I best stop now as i may be branded a heretic and sent to join a honda forum or similar,
By the way I have found the forums very interesting .Regards Tom

Bristol Engines
 

That's nearly twice the price of a Melling V12 which might fit in the engine compartment of a 403, but how would you make it stop?
His V8 is light in weight and only 21inches long, wide and high, quite a compact unit and a hell of a lot more powerful than £40000 worth of re pro 100D2 Bristol from TT Workshops.
If I needed 4 new engines for my lot I think I'd need about 36 years!
Geoff.

£40,000 :eek:

But there must be market if they're offering them, but still !!!

Geoff,

Exactly mate. I think you've nailed it on the head. There seems to be a large reservoir of people who need engines, and would ideally like to stay as original as possible, but its so cost prohibitive.

Lets be real,we are in the middle of a major recession, people losing their jobs, pensions being decimated etc etc. Its hard then to justify a big outlay of money for an engine, and that outlay then evaporates. In the real world, it cant be justified.

The alternative is not exactly fantastic. Go for a more modern engine and gearbox, costing a fraction of the price, but losing some of the authenticity.

But trying to find someone who will install a modern combo and do it effectively and properly, is not easy, as i'm finding.

If i do go down the more modern route, i may try and record all the technical specs, and what was done and how, and post this information, so that other owners can if they want, go down the same route, knowing that it works, hopefully at a sensible cost, thereby making more of the older cars viable to restore etc.

Hal

Burn the witch..Burn the witch :mad:

Just joking. An interesting idea, and one i can keep in mind, and can mention to the pattern maker.


Nice one Geoff, i'd never heard of Melling, and after looking him up, very impressive bloke.

Hi , I have been thinking more about these Bristol cylinder heads( 6 cylinder) , in a previous post i suggested a" modular " head might be easier cheaper to make, castings mold patterns etc. would be less complex , also machining would be less complex,
A futher thought occured to me ,why not have the easy part of the head,the lower half machined from a solid blank of alloy .this may sound like a lot of work,but it is not nowadays when you consider the number of engineering companys that have CNC Milling machines and very highly trained operators,
The CNC program only has to be created once.
Regards Tom

The CNC idea is a possibility. However, once again i would need an engine to play around to determine best way forward.

Engine Survey
 

Gentlemen,

To further this along, I have created a survey on the web that asks how much you would pay for a newly manufactured Bristol 6 (long block), made to Bristol standards using their blueprints?

I am looking for critical mass, where we get X buyers prepared to buy their engine for UKP-XXXX. Then I intend to float this number so engineering firms can determine it is worth their while to bid. Actually, since I do not own a Bristol 6, I intend to pass this on to another enthusiast who does, once the survey creates the numbers. Volunteers please!

If you like this approach, please pass the survey link on to the other clubs that use Bristol engines.

If you can't find the survey on the web click here or copy and paste into your browser the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GCZQ3TJ

Claude

Engine Survey
 

Claude,
The survey is an excellent idea but I can't seem to get the link to it to work it takes me to the part of their site that allows you to create a survey rather than answer questions, any idea what might be wrong or what I am doing wrong or is there another way to get to it?
I will try and find the details of the firm I spoke to last August about the cylinder heads I put the information somewhere and the magazine their detail were in and of course can't find it!
I suspect that currently it is not to difficult to get new rods pistons and camshafts but not sure about the crank and how many suppliers are out there. Nor am I aware of the current prices for those items, it would be interesting if anyone else dose know if they could give us some indication. The big problem is the lack of availability of heads and blocks, several people have apparently been talking about making or having some made but as far as I am aware only Peter Jaye has so far actually produced new heads , he will be doing them in small batches and I understand they will be to a better specification than the original, if memory serves me right I think he said they were lighter and stronger than the original and slightly deeper / thicker on the actual head face.
When I spoke to him he mentioned that IN Racing were about to start producing blocks including a 2.5 litre version but I have not made any enquiries with that firm. In both cases I think the prices were going to be around £7.5k contrast this with some reproduction alloy heads I saw recently advertised for the. 6 cyl Austin Healey at around £2.5k and the effect of a larger potential market in unit cost is quite apparent, I suspect also the Healey head may be a simpler casting and easier to machine?
Tom suggested in his posting alternative ways of making a head,someone more knowledgeable in these matters than me may know if it is possible to use CAD to produce the patterns for the initial castings and if this would work out cheaper than the traditional methods, this might bring the costs down a bit but as I said previously if production of the first casting including the pattern making works out at £20/£25k, and subsequent casting average out at say £500 each, a batch of 10 is going to cost £2500 to £3000 each before machining. on the estimated cost I was given. The only way to reduce this is if someone can be sure of selling a larger number. If you consider that a good 401 or 403 will probably make around £30000 for a really nice car I think that to be viable a new engine or kit of parts to build one up would need to come out around £15000 maximum to stand much chance of significant sales , coincidentally roughly the price of one of Al
Mellings new V8 engines, an engine I am thinking about to put in one of my own cars.
If the price were nearer £20000 then for me at least it would probably be the alternative engine route and at £40000 no way, I would rather buy a good used Brigand from Bristol Cars or a nice coachbuilt Bentley Mk6 or R Type!
Geoff.

There were a couple of extra/unwanted characters on the end of the raw URL. I have now removed them from Claude's post.

Try this one http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GCZQ3TJ

Kevin

Bristol Engines
 

Thanks Kevin,
That worked fine lets hope enough people are interested to make this a viable and affordable project.
Geoff.

Claude..Guys,

Its a great idea to come up with a pricing idea and a list of people who are in search of engines.

Sometime in the next few weeks, i will try and speak to my contact about casting the replica heads and blocks. If he thinks that he can do it, then i'm happy to carry the baton, as i also know of some people who could machine the castings afterwards.

What do people think about tinkering with the design to gain more power,
2.5 / 3 litre etc.

Bristol Engines
 

There is a reason that Bristol went to 2.2 liters and not 2.5. If you
bore out the engine that much you are looking at new piston designs,
connecting rods, and most important a revised crankshaft. The fuel fog
problem may dissipate with more space to suck in the fuel.
I am a fence sitter on the project. If a new block were available would
I buy one, it is price dependent. Do I want to commit myself today to
buying one, no.
I like the idea.
Another Kevin

I have been following this thread with interest and would like to add an observation regarding engine capacity.The cylinder head at present when as standard has a certain intake port capacity/volume usually described in cubic centimeters( CCs)and has an ability to flow so many cubic feet per minute(CFM) All very basic stuff that applies to any engine.So if a new block was manufactured with a little more room/clearence for a longer throw on the crankshaft,or larger diameter cylinder liners , or both, then extra capacity maybe up to or even more than 3 litres would be possible.
Now the cylinder head with its siamesed inlet tracts will need to be able to flow more CFM to feed the extra capacity therefore the new head will need a slight redeseign to allow it to breathe better, all this = more hp.
With some careful research its possible that con rods could be sourced from another engine,as Brabham did many years ago on their Repco FI engines,if memory serves me right those con rods were standard Daimler Dart 2.5 V8 items.Pistons are not an issue as custom pistons are available from numerous manufacturers and relatively cheap.The crankshaft could be sourced from many countrys nowadays. I look forward to others views . Tom

Bristol Engines
 

Kevin,
The last time I looked at Bristol Cars website in the section covering upgrades there was mention of a. 2.5 liter engine, I assumed that this was a conversion of the existing engine but when I was speaking to Peter Jaye about his new cylinder heads he told me this was going to be based on. new block castings. made or about to be made by IN Racing and that his heads would fit this block.
Bristol Cars obviously think these problems can be overcome quite probably with the other additional new parts you outline, but I would certainly be interested in the larger engine option if it were available.
Another thought but what about a project based on the Larger BMW engine that the Aldingtons wanted Bristol to use instead of the 328 unit, that must have been designed to fit the same type of chassis layout as the smaller unit, same probably goes for the post war BMW V8 though that may be even shorter supply than the Bristol unit.
Geoff.

If you are going to vary the capacity and design of the new engine you should probably look at incorporating this into any survey of the potential market, because purists may be put off by something which moves too far away from the original.

Kevin H

Bristol Engines
 

--- On Tue, 9/3/10, Bristol Cars - Owners and Enthusiasts Forum <webmaster@bristolcars.info> wrote:

From: Bristol Cars - Owners and Enthusiasts Forum <webmaster@bristolcars.info>
Subject: RE: [6 cyl Bristol cars-t-396] Bristol Engines
To: geoffkingston15@btinternet.com
Date: Tuesday, 9 March, 2010, 20:46

(Please type your reply below this line!!)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Kevin,
.I think for this exercise and in respect of the survey you are probably right most will probably want to stick to the basic original specification but if Bristol themselves are going down the route of a 2.5 engine it has to be worth considering as an option.
Otherwise as long as its based on one of the 100 series engines and does not cost an arm and a leg I am seriously interested in what develops out of all this.
The BMW meanderings especially the V8 were based more on past than present thoughts.
Geoff




-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(Please type your reply above this line!!)

You may increase the space between the above lines as needed.

______________________
CURRENT MESSAGE FROM: Kevin Howard

If you are going to vary the capacity and design of the new engine you should probably look at incorporating this into any survey of the potential market, because purists may be put off by something which moves too far away from the original.

Kevin H



______________________
PREVIOUS MESSAGE FROM: Geoff Kingston

Kevin,
The last time I looked at Bristol Cars website in the section covering upgrades there was mention of a. 2.5 liter engine, I assumed that this was a conversion of the existing engine but when I was speaking to Peter Jaye about his new cylinder heads he told me this was going to be based on. new block castings. made or about to be made by IN Racing and that his heads would fit this block.
Bristol Cars obviously think these problems can be overcome quite probably with the other additional new parts you outline, but I would certainly be interested in the larger engine option if it were available.
Another thought but what about a project based on the Larger BMW engine that the Aldingtons wanted Bristol to use instead of the 328 unit, that must have been designed to fit the same type of chassis layout as the smaller unit, same probably goes for the post war BMW V8 though that may be even shorter supply than the Bristol unit.
Geoff.

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I read on the BOC site about the Bristol Sports engines. So how about using the Bristol Sports engines as a starting point, which i think used the 100 series block.

Could this be a way of gaining the extra power without sacrificing any originality ?

Is this possible / feasible or barking up the wrong tree again.

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Enthusiasts,
If you are keen to build a cost effective 2.5L "Bristol" engine which looks very much like the "real deal" then you may like to consider the following:

1. Utilise a Triumph 2500 block and crank - strong,affordable,4brg mains, 75bore by 95mm stroke.

2. Cast a "Bristol" style - cross pushrod head utilising 3 IDA webbers (a la 12 port racing Bristol head) or 3 ICH carbs. Recall that BMW retrofitted their std block in the same fashion to arrive at the legendary 328 hemi head arrangement. In essence, you would be going down the same pathway!

170 bhp and suitable torque would be guaranteed- at a reasonable price.
The key point being that the engine would look like a Bristol product!
The bonus being that aftermarket TR to Celica or Supra bellhousings already exist.


Brett

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Why dont you just fit a TR engine , saves the cost of the expensive alloy
head, just don't open the bonnet at the Annual Concourse.

Who will spend big money fitting a replica 2 litre engine to a Bristol
saloon , I'd say no one . There are plenty of good used ones around from
cars that have been wrecked.
Only AC , Frazer Nash and Cooper owners might spend big money on a engine ,
but they are more likely to buy another tatty 405 and sent it to its
grave for just a few engine parts that they will probably never use.
Original blocks are always repairable , new cranks & other moving parts are
available , original heads can be repaired . I think this forum talk about
new replica engines will lead no where, but good luck anyway.
When I got the Bristol bug about 35 years ago the BOCA members said it was
impossible to get a 100 series engine , let alone a 100D engine . Within a
few years I had 2 D engines and a 100A fitted in a Ace , Aceca and my 400 ,
then later a 100A for a engineless 404 .
The same still applies , if you want one it's only a matter of looking , now
it's so much easier with a computer & Forums like this.
Save the planet and use existing parts.
Geoff
Geoff

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Geoff D,
I agree that that the most cost effective approach to re equipe an
engineless Bristol saloon would be to hunt down original gear and restore
it. A couple of people on the forum broached the topic of a big bore 6 cyl
Bristol engine ie 2.5/3L. My suggestion is just that - if you want a
significantly bigger engine that looks something like the original without
having to build the bottom end you may consider starting with something like
a TR bottom end and fit a specially cast Bristol type head ( not an original
Bristol head). As you well know, even Jack Brabham or Mike Hawthorn could
not overbore a std block to 2.5L and get it to hang together! I would take a
guess that a fully engineered 2.5L 100D2 engine (which I don't think exists)
would require at least 40 000 pounds.
A specially cast oversized head (for the sake of the argument, lets call it
a 2.5L head) may cost 10 000 pounds. I know that I am oversimplifying the
engineering problem and indeed ,the market/volume/unit price problem, but
the TR route would have to save 30 000 pounds!

I reiterate Geoff's question, how many people really want a bigger 6 cyl
engine which looks like a Bristol if the complete engine and modern 5 spd
box is going to cost (at a guess) upwards of 12 000 pounds? (engine and box
not fitted to your car)

Brett

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Brett,



maybe I did not express my self clearly , but what is the point of a 2.5 -
3 litre TR block with a very expensive oversize copy of a Bristol head that
will not fit in a Bristol chassis with major surgery , removing the gearbox
X member and cutting the firewall & floors , new engine mounting brackets
etc .
The cost of all that would be greater than buying a 2 litre engine from one
of the many wrecker / specialists . If you went the TR special head route
you would only end up having re engined special that would be worth far less
than one fitted with the correct Bristol six.


The others that imagine they can make a 2 litre Bristol into 2.5 - 3
litre (and retain the same external dimensions) had better get their
measuring tools out and have a good look at a 2 litre six's bore spacings ,
centre main sizes , crank , head design etc .

I believe Bob Gerard in the late 50's removed the liners from a 2 litre
block and ran special pistons straight in the block , giving about 2.3
litre . He used this engine in his rear engined Cooper Bristol with 6 port
head running on methanol and reportedly produced about 190 - 200 bhp . Ivan
Glasby in Sydney has this Cooper and engine but is now back to 2 litre , I
doubt that Gerard could make it reliable.

Geoff

.

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Geoff,
I am fully aware of what you outlined - I only offered a technical
alternative to acheive a larger bore "Bristol" engine for those who
expressed an interest. I am not arguing with you re relative costs of
staying original vs the "big block" idea - I agree with you that staying
original is cheaper -see my previous post. Re cutting x member etc, let's
not forget that the 405's got the "gas axe" treatment from the factory to
allow the installation of the laycock overdrive.

Brett

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

If one was thinking about producing a new block and head one should
consider the weak points of the existing design and if it would be possible to
improve on this without building a complete new engine.
One point to think about is the amount of land between the bores especially
between number five and six cylinders.(a hot area) If Bob Gerard removed
the liners to increase the size of the engine it would have made the
reliability a serious factor. Percy Kemish (responsible for the racing engines)
told me the head sealing to the block gave them a problem with the racing
engines although he did find a way to make the engines last the length of a
race but this was always at the back of this mind.
Food for thought.
Bellerophon

Cost Effective 2.5l "bristol" Engine
 

Geoff
We don't really have to do the imagining on the 2.5Litre engine because Peter Jaye of Jaye engineering is already producing new cylinder heads and tells me that another very well known and well respected firm is or are about to produce new blocks for a 2.5 litre. version of the engine, which his heads will fit with, if memory serves me right, he said minor modifications.
As to second hand engines these are neither as plentiful and certainly nowhere as cheap as the were years ago and while blocks and heads can be repaired and built up it does not get over the fact that the original casting are 50 to 60 years old
and if nothing else weakened by years of use and probable corrosion of waterways etc.
I don't see that producing. a replica engine or even the major parts to build one ether in standard or modified form for cars of the age is a waste of any ones time or effort. If you look at specialists supporting the Rolls Royce and Bentley market the practise is both widespread and well established. and for those of us who like to use. there cars frequently and enjoy their performance to the full the knowledge that people are making these parts, some to a better design that the original components and more able to stand up to modern road conditions is a great comfort.
Geoff.

On Period Engine Options
 

Borgward Hansa 6cyl 2400 anyone? -see attached.

.....sadly, these well made machines are rarer than Bristols!
Perhaps our German friends can elaborate.
I believe that these engines developed approx 100 bhp in their final production form.

Brett

ps The enterprising owner of the attached car is running his machine on gas!

Hi, Just to add a few more observations regarding past attempts to enlarge the Bristol 6 cylinder engines by the likes of Bob Gerards , Jack Brabham Mike Hawthorn ETC.

My suggestion that a modern engine and cylinder head built to almost exact Bristol original specs.needs some clarification,When i suggested that the "New"2010 engines dimensions be altered a little i was well aware of the limitations that existed in the say 50s even 60s ,and those were no modern synthetic oils no computer aided design .less empirical knowledge ,This list could go on and on.

One other area that has improved dramatically is the balancing of engine components by computer aided machinery. Some of the engine designers of the 40s50s60s era were incredibly clever futuristic engineers who in my opinion were at least 50 years ahead of their time, imagine what they could do with all the modern computer help/metallurgy that is now available.

The engine i visualise if it ever happens would be externally identical to the present engine and would be available in more than one capacity,the customer could choose standard bore and stroke at one price and bigger bore or stroke at another price.

There are endless examples of engines that have been made " big bore" and it was thought that the limit was found, using a Ford crossflow as an example at 1760 CC Only to discover later that someone managed to make them 1970 ccs.And who would have thought a 3500cc Rover V8 would eventually be more than 5 litres.

Tom

Bristol Engines
 

Tom,
Re overboring cylinders whilst keeping the external dimensions of the
block the same - I think that you will have insufficient sealing area
between the bores. The original engine is already marginal in this area!
The other issue, as correctly pointed out by Geoff Dowdle, is that a
substantially overbored block from say 66 to 75mm diameter would
encroach/erode your main bearing area of your block.
In short, if you increase your bores to enable 2.5L or more you need a new
longer block casting and crankshaft. Hence my TR 2500 engine block and
crankshaft suggestion earlier. Can I suggest that you have another look
inside any block and you will see what I mean.

I guess you could design a "modular" engine with different stroke
crankshafts and vary the rod length. Unfortunately the 6cyl Bristol motor is
already substantially undersquare and thus increasing the swept volume by
increasing the crank throw and fitting shorter rods would be a backward step
in efficiency. I think that most designers just set out to optimise the bore
to stroke ratio and allow say, a 3mm overbore capacity.

Regards,

Brett

Casting new block/head.
 

Might this new fangled 3D printing provide a cost effective way for fabricating patterns for heads and blocks? Anyone embraced this technology yet?

Jag Motor??
 

I must admit that I've been thinking of selling the motor and gearbox from my 401. Then possibly installing a 2.4 Jag motor, which I have. Hopefully not much weight added, as the 2.4 is lighter than a 3.4, though I have no info as to how much less.

Then the 401 would be driven more, with less chance of being stolen and gutted for a fake Ace, etc.

I don't think plastic blocks and heads would work very well :)

The Jag engine and manifolds would need to weigh roughly the same as the Bristol engine. Isn't the 2.4 a small V8? lovely engine but would it fit width wise?

How does that work - would you have a sign on it saying "Not worth nicking cos it has a Jag engine" ?

Cars tub new head/block
 

Kevin

The clue is in the word "pattern". My (serious) suggestion was to consider using 3D printing to make a pattern of the needed part in plastic, not the part itself. Then use this in a mould to cast the part in iron or aluminium, using the lost wax process. Must be vastly cheaper than constructing a pattern using traditional processes.

The Jag 2.4 is a straight 6 in the XK series. Fine design for its time, long stroke, a bit limp compared with its 3.4 and 3.8 litre brethren. You may be thinking of the small V8 that Jaguar fitted in the 250 and Dart. Nice, compact, but I think you may be right that it might be a bit tricky to slip into a Bristol. But maybe it's been done.

Selling off the original Bristol engine and replacing it with another unit sounds sacrilegious to me. But if it must be done, why not emulate AC, and slip in a 2.6 litre six cylinder Ford unit from a Zodiac. It's what they did with the later editions of the Ace and Aceca. So not that awful, and there is a distinguished precedent.

Oops! I'm sorry Jonathan, and somewhat red faced :o

The 2.4 is a short stroke 3.4 straight 6, and is almost 2" shorter, so should be lighter also. Nice looking engine and I already have one, with triple 1/1/2" SU's!

InRacing in Nottingham seem to be energetically using new technology to simplify the manufacture of replacement parts in all kinds of impressive ways, so they might well be using 3D printing to make patterns. They do make new 2-litre heads and blocks already. The fitter who showed me all all this didn't know how much a new block would cost. It might be a matter of 'if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it'.
Hugh