Likewise, the very best of luck Tony.
For me the big question here is do you stick as close as possible to the original? = a proven design that most owners will be happy with, keeps the car as original as possible, as long as spares can be had and price isn't crazy. Let's face it, Phoenix cranks have been dependable and popular for the last 30-odd years.
Or do you 'improve' - bigger journals, metric sizing, counterbalancing, etc. etc. = will make some of the razz boys (no disrespect!) happy but I'm not sure your average A7 owner wants metric pins or a racing engine. Once you start innovating you will please some people and put others off - I wonder if any two of us would want it done the same way? And say an owner has the money for the crank but can't afford rods as well, will he be able to use Austin rods or does he have to shell out for the whole deal? Plus every step into the unknown increases your risk that something will go bad.
Personally if I were taking this on I'd want to keep costs as low as possible while delivering a reliable package as close as possible to the original parts and keeping all the bits interchangeable. Keep it simple...
Good that you are talking about flywheels. I spent the last couple of days sorting out one which wanted to be inside the crankcase instead of out!
p.s. My understanding is the same Ian - a forged crank is the optimum way to go for strength but unless you have the budget for production tooling a billet is a safer bet for small batches. I think simply having new parts is a huge step forward compared with (frequently cracked) 80-year-old originals.
For me the big question here is do you stick as close as possible to the original? = a proven design that most owners will be happy with, keeps the car as original as possible, as long as spares can be had and price isn't crazy. Let's face it, Phoenix cranks have been dependable and popular for the last 30-odd years.
Or do you 'improve' - bigger journals, metric sizing, counterbalancing, etc. etc. = will make some of the razz boys (no disrespect!) happy but I'm not sure your average A7 owner wants metric pins or a racing engine. Once you start innovating you will please some people and put others off - I wonder if any two of us would want it done the same way? And say an owner has the money for the crank but can't afford rods as well, will he be able to use Austin rods or does he have to shell out for the whole deal? Plus every step into the unknown increases your risk that something will go bad.
Personally if I were taking this on I'd want to keep costs as low as possible while delivering a reliable package as close as possible to the original parts and keeping all the bits interchangeable. Keep it simple...
Good that you are talking about flywheels. I spent the last couple of days sorting out one which wanted to be inside the crankcase instead of out!
p.s. My understanding is the same Ian - a forged crank is the optimum way to go for strength but unless you have the budget for production tooling a billet is a safer bet for small batches. I think simply having new parts is a huge step forward compared with (frequently cracked) 80-year-old originals.