A40 - Scottish Road trip. Utter hero of a car

[lesapandre]

Ah the wheel of fashion. Nothing to say the current crop of valuable cars will remain so...

The Sunbeam Talbot 90's are one of the nicer 50's cars - and unlike some drive well. Worth buying.

Pre-War cars are currently in the doldrums - but are actually great fun and easy to work on. Again a great buy at the moment.

And of course the A40 was alas virtually worthless for decades...

[Matty]

Stage one complete

[Matty]

Also, head is 12G202 re worked to 12G295 spec

(Edit to state. This could be bollox but it's what I've been told. There is evidence someone's been at the ports but wtf do I know)

[JMotor]

Nice!

It'll be running in a no time 👍. Joys of an A-Series, simple wee things.

[Matty]

30 minutes ago, JMotor said:

Nice!

It'll be running in a no time 👍. Joys of an A-Series, simple wee things.

I'm on my first holiday of the year next week so I start Tuesday morning.

 

(Finish Tuesday dinner 😆)

[MiniMinorMk3]

The 202 was used on the 997 Cooper. The inlet valve sizes and chambers were slightly smaller than the 206 and 295. The combustion chambers look like they have been worked on. Also it looks like someone has smoothed out the ports and removed the inlet manifold locating ring slots.

Number    Inlet dia.             Exhaust dia.    Nominal Chamber cc        Standard fitment 

12G202    1.156"/29.36   1.00"/25.4      26.1                                              997 Cooper, Austin 1100 Mk 
12G206    1.218"/30.93   1.00"/25.4      28.3                                              Early 998 Cooper, MG1100 
12G295    1.218"/30.93   1.00"/25.4      28.3                                              998 Cooper, MG1100 

[Matty]

Thanks @MiniMinorMk3. All good stuff to know. All I do know is that it goes very well for a 1098. Obvs when its not in bits.

[MiniMinorMk3]

It's surprising what a little bit of porting will do to a stock A-Series.

[Scrubworks]

I've used a 295 on my 998 Moggy engine build. The only difference between the 295 and 206 heads is that the 295 has recesses cut into the intake ports to allow for the centering spacers used with the factory twin carb manifold.

It's also very hard now to find a 295/206 that hasn't been skimmed, because it brings down the large chamber size and thus ups compression. My one has been skimmed 40 though which reportedly gives about a 25cc chamber.

202 heads are standard on 1098 engines. As far as I've seen, all Moggy 1098s have them, so they're nice and plentiful for modifying

See if your intake valve diameter matches a 295's one as per MiniMinor's data. Also check your head for thickness, you may have more compression yet

[Matty]

1 hour ago, Scrubworks said:

See if your intake valve diameter matches a 295's one as per MiniMinor's data

Patience never being one of my virtues, I will intend to do this as its something I want to know. Experience tells me I will have the top end rebuilt before I even remember!

Anyhow @Scrubworks, it's been a while. How's the car getting on?

[Matty]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

It's surprising what a little bit of porting will do to a stock A-Series.

While I'm gently encouraging people, do you have a thread that I've somehow missed? Would be interesting to read about the minis you've had/have

[Matty]

2 hours ago, Matty said:

Patience never being one of my virtues, I will intend to do this as its something I want to know. Experience tells me I will have the top end rebuilt before I even remember!

Anyhow @Scrubworks, it's been a while. How's the car getting on?

I've had a measure. According to @MiniMinorMk3s table it's been reworked to either 206 or 295. Got this to go on when I getvround to it as well

[Scrubworks]

2 hours ago, Matty said:

Patience never being one of my virtues, I will intend to do this as its something I want to know. Experience tells me I will have the top end rebuilt before I even remember!

Anyhow @Scrubworks, it's been a while. How's the car getting on?

I've put the Moggy to one side for the moment, though it has at least been actually out on the road with the new engine just to run it in. Time and energy has been diverted, firstly to the Demio, and then to trying to find a workshop. And then I needed to pull the dashboard out of my Nissan because a chip inside the gauge cluster packed up 😅.

I see you did go for a Maniflow system in the end?

[Matty]

10 minutes ago, Scrubworks said:

I've put the Moggy to one side for the moment, though it has at least been actually out on the road with the new engine just to run it in. Time and energy has been diverted, firstly to the Demio, and then to trying to find a workshop. And then I needed to pull the dashboard out of my Nissan because a chip inside the gauge cluster packed up 😅.

I see you did go for a Maniflow system in the end?

Easiest way. What's on it is biblical loud. Sounds well but way too vocal. The manifold that's on it is a Maniflow 3 into1 albeit a second hand Mini one that's been chopped about. So the exhaust should fit well, I'll hang it on the car and see how it mates up. If need be I can always chop the manifold in situ and tack it up then take it into work and tig it up. I've done a bit of reading up and Maniflow review well. I'll find out the reality in due course !

Looking forward to reading more about the Mog when you get chance to put something up.

[MiniMinorMk3]

16 hours ago, Matty said:

While I'm gently encouraging people, do you have a thread that I've somehow missed? Would be interesting to read about the minis you've had/have

I started one but have not added anything much to it. I should add more soon.

[Matty]

Picture heavy, words light update. Done it anyhow. Ran it up town, up the bypass and back. Oil pressure, temp etc all steady, running really well, no obvious ill effects from the break down. Old gasket was bolloxed, blowing accross all the combustion Chambers but a clean break between one and two.

[Matty]

[Matty]

Got a video too but site says it's too large. Any tips on how to put it on without having to join YouTube?

[Dyslexic Viking]

24 minutes ago, Matty said:

Got a video too but site says it's too large. Any tips on how to put it on without having to join YouTube?

The option to upload video here has been removed so you have to use something like youtube. But it is not difficult even I have managed to learn how to use youtube.

[Matty]

 

[Matty]

6 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

The option to upload video here has been removed so you have to use something like youtube. But it is not difficult even I have managed to learn how to use youtube.

How right you were 😆

[Dyslexic Viking]

3 minutes ago, Matty said:

 

That engine runs nicely and sounds nice.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Sound good. Is that with the Maniflow on?

And don't forget to retorque the head.

[Matty]

17 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Sound good. Is that with the Maniflow on?

And don't forget to retorque the head.

No not yet. That's still the home made system of a million clamps.

With you on the head. Due to my memory being a bit butterfly....

[Matty]

Obvs I've already set the clearances. I'll recheck after the retorque.

[Matty]

3 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Sound good. Is that with the Maniflow on?

And don't forget to retorque the head.

On the subject of, I'm getting different reports. I was going to re torque and reset now on the basis of I've had it hot, done a few miles and had coolant round it. Others are saying after a few hundred miles. What would you do? Copper gasket by the way if it helps.

[Mr Pastry]

34 minutes ago, Matty said:

On the subject of, I'm getting different reports. I was going to re torque and reset now on the basis of I've had it hot, done a few miles and had coolant round it. Others are saying after a few hundred miles. What would you do? Copper gasket by the way if it helps.

Both.

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, Matty said:

On the subject of, I'm getting different reports. I was going to re torque and reset now on the basis of I've had it hot, done a few miles and had coolant round it. Others are saying after a few hundred miles. What would you do? Copper gasket by the way if it helps.

If you have had anti-freeze in it already I would check the torque now and again after a few hundred miles.

A few years ago in the Mini world people were having problems with putting anti-freeze in with a new head gasket. Some have a layer of resin to help them seal to the head, but putting in glycol anti-freeze straight away was stopping the resin from doing its job and the school of thought was to run the car up with just water in the cooling system at first, and then add anti-freeze after the first retorque.

[Matty]

52 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

If you have had anti-freeze in it already I would check the torque now and again after a few hundred miles.

A few years ago in the Mini world people were having problems with putting anti-freeze in with a new head gasket. Some have a layer of resin to help them seal to the head, but putting in glycol anti-freeze straight away was stopping the resin from doing its job and the school of thought was to run the car up with just water in the cooling system at first, and then add anti-freeze after the first retorque.

What I did was run it till there was heat in the block but the stat hadn't opened then shut it off and waited for it to cool. Then re torqued. At this point there wasn't any coolant in the rad (dregs i reckon). Supposedly this copper gasket has a coating on it which "melts" with a bit of heat hence no coolant. Then I put coolant in it and drove it. No weeps between the block and head so far but we shall see. In response to you and @Mr Pastrys suggestion, ill be doing both. Reckon between you youll have forgotten more about the a series than ill learn.

[Mr Pastry]

@MattyHave you thought about reconnecting the manifold heating?  A little bit extra for the sake of a couple of bits of hose.  Internet expertz will probably say no, but there is a good reason for it, and the designers obviously thought it was worth the trouble.