ok, ive got two model a engines, the first looks like all the pics in my books to be stock a.this needed the white metal redoing so i decided to have a look at the other one. this is very different to the other. it has a bore of only 3 1/8" seems to be normal stroke.it looks as though there are liners in the bores too.the head on this engine has the ford script, a cast A and in the bottom right corner it has A8 which looks cast in but has two screw heads and looks like it could be a small plate but its so rusty i cant tell yet.the combustion chamber is different shape to the other and is of a higher compression. i had wondered if it was a stock engine which had been lined for some reason with small pistons, but the chamber shape and head gasket all match!! so, ive not seen any like this before so what have i got?????????????????????????????? i shall take pics later and post them here tomorrow. cheers steve
Steve, the small bore one could be an English spec 14.9hp unit??? I have a 32 14.9hp engine here. If you look at the side of the block, where you can see the shape of the cylinders, the valleys are rounded on the small bore engine, the US spec 24hp engine has sharper valleys between the cylinders, when viewed from the side of the block. Mart.
cheers mart, just looked and thats what ive got.guess it means im gonna have a stupidly slow banger powered A then??this is what the english As had then? had trouble gettin box on too cos the splines smaller on the english one than is on the other.so havin to swap boxes now to make use of the best clutch disc. anyone have any info on theese english spec engines than?? cheers steve
[ QUOTE ] Mart, our Model A engines are rated at 40 hp. Do the English measure hp differently? [/ QUOTE ] No the British measure hp the same ! There is actually a metric rating of hp which is slightly smaller than the traditional imperial hp rating but thats a whole different story! The British Model A's were rated as 14.9 hp and were a smaller version of the American A engine which was known as the 24 hp. This was all due to the taxation on cars in Britain at the time which was on engine size. Alot of parts on the engines are not interchangeable. The hp ratings are the standard in the Model A world and until now it has never occured to me why that is when a Model A engine is 40hp !!
Isn't/wasn't 'HP' and 'BHP' slightly different? Ford reckoned the 24hp engine put out 40bhp (though in reality it was closer to 36bhp, just to complicate things.) The UK used to have crazy vehicle taxation laws that were related to engine power, so a less powerful lump was installed in UK A's and this was given a 14.9hp rating, though I don't know what this made the bhp. Steve, if you've got a 14.9hp engine, use it as garden art and hunt for a 24hp.
could be a model a engine from a power plant, the head is a little different sorry no pics of one. tt
Everyone's right, but not exactly. The british road tax was based on the RAC horsepower rating. BUT the horsepower was worked out using a formula that only took into account the BORE. SO to sneak into a lower road tax bracket the engines were given smaller bores. Thus British car design was held back in effect becuase everyone was designing seriously undersquare engines. Only when the road tax ratings were changed were the shackles released. A US spec model A motor is 24hp (RAC rating) A UK spec model A motor was 14.9 HP A 221 flathead V8 was 30 HP commonly known as a "30 horse Ford". Mart.
well, the lil lumps got to stay for now.just need new head studs and head gasket and should be a runner.got too much else to do for now so the engine stays till its registered and on the road.hope to make the meltdown next year so youve a chance of winning a race hey darren!!!!
I had a 14.9hp in my old T, it was still snappy of the line but after that dead in the water. I took it to the Flathead Meltdown a couple of years back and couldn't break out of the 30 second bracket! When you do get round to fixing up the 24hp you can use the head from the 14.9hp to up the compression, rumour is the cam is a bit more peppy as well, saves on buying aftermarket hop-up stuff.
[ QUOTE ] well, the lil lumps got to stay for now.just need new head studs and head gasket and should be a runner.hope to make the meltdown next year so youve a chance of winning a race hey darren!!!! [/ QUOTE ] You might have a problem there in regards to the head gasket as nobody makes them! You will have to find a NOS one. The only one I ever heard of was in Ireland! The restorers don't even bother with the 14.9 they are that bad! I would like to win a race one day......
so saturn and belchers dont do the gaskets then? ******,was gonna order one tomorrow.ok,so has anyone ever made there own head gasket???
[ QUOTE ] I would like to win a race one day...... [/ QUOTE ] Are you having a laugh? You were faster than a few of the V8's in September...You're also the current holder of the Flathead Meltdown Four-Banger trophy (even though there isn't actually a trophy). Anyway, I reckon winning is over-rated. Or so I've heard... Steve, my 24hp engine 'should' be available in about 12 months time if you're interested.
Very interesting thread, I never knew there were two engines available in the UK A. There were seveal different combustion chambers on stock A heads. After years of flipping heads over at flea markets I finlly found one of the heart shaped ones on the B motor I picked up last month. Solid copper sheet head gaskets work well, the local ARDUN V8 guys run them without problems.
Steve, I have a head gasket for a 14.9hp B engine, would it fit yours? You can have it for what it cost me. (£15) Mart.
...And a V8-60 is a 22. I too have heard from several people the head works a s a hi-comp head for the "big blocks", and that the cam is a bit hotter--though a used one is likely worn down to little nubbins. An Englishman on one of the A boards said that the BF head could not be used on a regular B like the AF could; he didn't elaborate. This isn't a Model A, by the way--it's an AF! Do you hace a picture of the heart-shaped B chamber? Is this a "Diamond head" with a diamond-shaped lump about 1/2" long cast near the waterpump opening??
Don't want to be a party pooper byt the BF gasket is no good for an AF motor. Give Bob Froch a call on 01284 764032 he'll have something or at least know of something for you.
[ QUOTE ] my 24hp engine 'should' be available in about 12 months time if you're interested. [/ QUOTE ] Does this mean your getting serious......
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