Cylinder block spacer plate

[geoffharrison]

Malcolm , try Dobson Gaskets in Keighley , they made some spacers of varying thickness for me a few years ago.
Geoff.,

[Zetomagneto]

You have probably already tried Don Rawson?

[Malcolm Parker]

Thanks again for all your suggestions.   I think the best bet will be to get the existing spacer plate out and have a good look at it.   It maybe, with the use of one of the special gasket goos that are now available, that it will be possible to reuse it.
The block has an additional fixing stud which is from the centre main bearing retaining cap.   The camshaft is to be replaced as part of the engine work.  At present a standard cam is fitted.  The engine was originally blown and the advice from Stuart Rolt was to use a standard cam.   I have a Jack French cam which is destined for the engine.

[Chris KC]

Sounds like a plan Malcolm.
Don't forget the camshaft bush will have a restrictor in the oil supply hole too so needs transferring to the new shaft.
I have copious notes on the Reliant conversion, mainly gathered from Stuart, so feel free to message me if you or your engine builder need any info.

[Malcolm Parker]

Thanks for the kind offer Chris.   My engine was originally built by Walt Wheaton and Andy Hastings along the lines of Chris Goulds record attempt motor, except mine was designed to be super-charged.  The engine developed 32.5bhp at 5000rpm on Stuart Rolts dyno which was one of the most accurate around, having tested many well known Austin 7 engines.  The supercharger was subsequently removed and I think the engine was just as powerful but it lacked the prodigious torque it had when blown. In unblown form it was rather more useable as it did not boil up when stopped at traffic lights!
I once broke down just outside the village in North Yorkshire where I live whilst out on a test run.  To my horror a police car pulled up behind me and out stepped Mr Plod, I suspect purely out of interest.  I was a bit surprised as there is only ever one police car through the village during the week, at around 4.00pm on a Sunday, and my run was on a mid-week morning.  As I was working out how to explain to him that it was not currently taxed he asked if he could look under the bonnet.  I opened the bonnet as requested and he nearly had his eye-brows singed, the exhaust manifold was glowing cherry red whilst there was ice on the inlet manifold.  'Very Interesting' he said and after I told him it would be okay when it had cooled down he went on his way, much to my relief.
This is the same engine that destroyed a cylinder bore on a holiday to Grantown on Spey in the Highlands. It was still running but ended up consuming a gallon of oil every 25 miles.   My progress was visible from space as a trail of white smoke.  I remember stopping in Kelso at the KwiK-Save supermarket and buying eight gallons of cheap oil at £1.99 a gallon.  It successfully got over Carter Bar and was going like a train through Otterburn ranges when progress  was halted by Andy Hastings breaking the crank in his Ulsteroid.  He had been following me and most of my engine oil appeared to have ended up on him and his car.   When the recovery truck arrived for his car I convinced the driver that my car was equally knackered and I hitched a ride back to Boltby!

[Chris KC]

Great stories Malcolm! And the best of luck with the rebuild.

p.s. An afterthought: Is your engine running with plain frt & rear main bearings as Chris Gould's did? My comments above re oil pump relate to an engine as Stuart Rolt built them i.e. with A7 frt & rear bearings, a different kettle of fish altogether.

[Malcolm Parker]

My engine has plain front and rear bearings as per Chris Gould's engine.  It also had the Reliant crank machined to take the Austin flywheel.
I remember that the crank balancing was carried out by a small Midlands engineering firm who had done Nigel Mansell's Championship winning Williams F1 engine at around the same time.  That must have been in the late 1980's.