1275 Block options

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:38 pm

Don't doubt it Jonathon - and if one can 'justify that that expense' for a 1360 engine - then I'm sure it will be fine ! Was jolly glad to get rid of my 1360 Mini a while back. Meantime I'm building up 2 x 1275 engines - and I'm sure they will be very very reliable and plenty powerful enough for my purpose! That wall thickness between cylinders is just asking for problems. If you don't 'need' the little bit of extra power - ask yourself -how often do you actually run the engine flat out - then it's far far better to keep to standard bores for reliability.

Post by **jonathon** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:48 pm

Blimey BM, you must squeek when you walk, and if you read my post as to why go, 1360 or 1380 its for torque not high rpm, torque starts very low on these motors so you do not need revs, hence helping to prolong the engine life, which in my engine builders experience is not compromised by the bore size.
The cost of the 1360 is about £300 more than a std or upto +60 bore, not too much to ask really for 'the real world' benefits.
Still you pays yer money......................but give me a Zetec anyday

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:52 pm

Yes I know J - the total power will be limited by the head /valve sizes/cam lift - and so indeed these bigger motors do give good torque if used with wise cam choice. My two 1275 engines will cost me a fraction of your one 1360!

Post by **jonathon** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:57 pm

Probably because you are building it yourself, do not instalation nor provide a 12 month warranty, but I suppose your really just pulling my chain ehh!!!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:01 pm

Of course I have no labour costs - and i'm sure mine will last 12 months. I'm also sure your engines are excellent J !! And for those who can't/don't have time to DIY - then your 1360 will be fine provided they want/can afford to spend that kind of money. Me - i'm just a poor Scotsman who has to make do!

Post by **jonathon** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:13 pm

Tosh

you run a Mini, Minor TR7 and a modern, have the funds to build two new engines buy vast stocks of marigold gloves and play with trains, I wish I was as hard up as you !!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:18 pm

Well - actually - two moderns - but the Mini has gone. The lad who bought it broke the crank before he got it home ! I warned him about these big capacity engines - not to rev it stupidly high. He admitted he had been giving it some stick. I'm still using up used Marigolds ex work -- and the trains come FREE!

Post by **jonathon** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:22 pm

Hope the Mini motor was still under warranty , and the gloves,.... were they stolen

Biggest sin though TWO moderns, think of the fuel ,road tax, insurance, depreciation, blimey mate, I see the recession has hit hard in central Scotland

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 6:32 pm

The gloves are all well used - others threw theirs in the bin at end of day - I 'recycled' mine. He bought the Mini 'as tried and tested' - so absolutely no warranty. It was fine when it left me ! I agree - the 'two moderns' is indeed a sin! But both wife and daughter need to have transport.

Post by **jonathon** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 6:35 pm

Sorry , there's no wriggling out of this one Sir !!

Post by **les** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:03 pm

Hmm, I wonder if I could be so dismissive if a car I sold blew up that soon after selling, I might tend to think it was already on its way out!
Maybe I'm just a soft touch.

Post by **aupickup** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:22 pm

i couldn`t

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:49 pm

Crankshaft was fine when it left me! As was oil pressure. And he had a very thorough test drive. I did offer him another engine (and indeed money back on the car) but he was happy enough with the deal (the bodyshell alone was well worth what he paid)- and didn't even come to collect the spare engine !!

Post by **les** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 3:46 pm

did offer him another engine (and indeed money back on the car)

Well that seems reasonable, your previous post didn't mention this!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 4:44 pm

Aye - well - he was a Copper! He accepted he had been thrashing the engine, but the price he paid was too good a deal for him to go back - and as I said I also offered him another perfectly good engine - but he said he would just fix what he had - and I never heard from him again.
The main point I was making was that a highly modified 1340/60/80 engine is quite a fragile thing - the crank is not as strong as the EN40B Cooper S crank, and so some moderation is required. But as Jonathon points out - his modifications are intended to give more torque at moderate revs, not necessarily needing high (crank breaking!) revs !!

Post by **les** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:12 pm

I must admit I had in mind the story you told a while ago about you breaking a couple of crankshafts yourself, so this latest event was rather ironic! Still all's well that ends well, and probably got away with just a caution!!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Fri Dec 26, 2008 9:27 pm

Aye -that was old good 948 cranks -but when I fitted a crankshaft damper and an oil cooler - no more broken cranks. Which one sorted the problem I have no idea - probably the damper. Strangely, both times I was able to drive the car (slowly) home. The Mini 1360 break was unusual - the nose broke off and the timing chain stopped going round.