Mystery engine number

Post by **67trav** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:40 pm

Hi
Calling you number gurus;
A challenge for you. Our traveller is fitted with a (presumably) 1275 engine (bought as it is). The engine has plainly been worked on, has a stage (1?) cam and the previous owner told us a cooper head. So it is a bit of an unknown quantity and is quite rapid (surprises a few people, although I suspect it is undergeared with a 4.22 diff).
I would like to know what the block is from. All the A-series I have known before have had the engine number prefixed by a number relating to cc'c, eg 998=99, 1098=10, 1275=12, etc. This one starts BHM1256ET (followed by final 4 numbers), the id plate has presumably been refitted as it is not rivetted on as original. Can anybody help identify it?? The oil filter is not suspended downward as it would have been on the original engine, but mounted coming off the upper side of the block (distributor area) (weren't the Maestro ones like this?). In which case, which oil filter should fit?
Hope someone might be able to venture suggestions
Regards
Ben

Post by **Cam** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 9:06 pm

It sounds like either an Ital or Marina unit. Does the distributer have a forked clamp holding it in or a pinch bolt type assembly?

Yes, the Maestros had oil filters in this location but so did the Ital and Marina engines.

Whichever the case, the oil filter should be equivalent to Halfords HOF209 which is what I use on my Ital engine, I think (from memory) that the Champion filter is a D102 but check before getting one.

Post by **67trav** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 6:51 pm

Cheers Cam
It does indeed have a pinch bolt arrangement for the distributor.

What I'm a bit puzzled by though is if it is a Cooper head (I understand these have an extra stud hole, this one between the rocker cover and the rear edge of the head, which from memory a standard head does not have), how would that mate with a standard 1275 block (without the extra stud). Maybe the block would be safe to drill and tap to insert the stud??
It also has a (smaller) bolt forward of the rocker cover, between said rocker cover and the thermostat housing.
I am intrigued to find out about this engine. I guess the only way of getting the full picture is a stripdown, but we're not ready for that yet!
Many thanks
Ben

Post by **Cam** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 10:10 pm

If it has a pinch bolt then it is a Marina engine.

There are various cooper heads and from memory some have an 11 stud arrangement but some only have 9. yours may be a 9. or are you saying that you HAVE 11 studs??

I would not have thought that the block would have been drilled and tapped for the extra fixings although it is possible.....

It also has a (smaller) bolt forward of the rocker cover, between said rocker cover and the thermostat housing.

That does sound like an 11 stud cooper head.

Post by **les** » Wed Aug 13, 2003 10:34 pm

If you remove the rocker cover , an early cooper 's' head should have aeg163 cast in, there may even have been an earlier one but I can't remember offhand, however the later ones, (Mk 3 I believe) have 12g940, the former was only made with 11 stud holes, the latter had 11 or 9.

Post by **67trav** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 9:08 pm

Thanks v much Guys,
shall investigate further at the next opportunity.
I'd have liked to put a picture here to try to illustrate, but I'm not sure my IT skills stretch to this....
Cam, speaking of the distributor, this does not seem to have a vacuum advance unit....should I presume this is the original Minor dizzy...and would we be better off with a vacuum advance type(?) if so which model to source from do you think?

sorry to labour on with this one, but any suggestions for valve clearances (bearing in mind the 'unknown factors' of this engine). It seems to be running nicely and quietly at the moment (let's not put the mockers on that though!), so I could measure as of current and maintain at that (?)

Not only, but also.......plugs; grade and gap (recomendations, any make/grade especially preferred??)
all suggestions welcome
Many thanks again.
Regards,
Ben

Post by **les** » Thu Aug 14, 2003 9:59 pm

The cooper s engine also had a distributor with no advance unit fitted, my understanding is, the fitting of this feature helps with economy.

Post by **Cam** » Fri Aug 15, 2003 12:54 am

The Marina engines were a bit prone to crank rumble, so these dizzys were fitted as a dodge around this. They will be fine as they are, so don't worry about changing them. They are suited to the engine.

Yes, the vacuum advance units do help with economy but it's not the end of the world if you don't have them.

Set the valve clearances to 12-15 thou (try 15, if still noisy try 12). Use NGK spark plugs (have a flick through the parts list in Halfords for the exact one).

Also get a Haynes manual for the 1.3 Marina. Should be some on eBay. That should give you all the clearances needed.