Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi. As a new member who has inherited what I believe to be an early A series engine which has not seen the light of day since the mid sixties. I’m wondering if anyone can give me some info regarding it. I’ve found what I think is the casting number 2A221 AF2 under that is 9’5’4
There is a riveted plate which says BMC REPLACEMENT Unit unit number 33750 part number SRA3 RAM
The engine is free as is the water pump but has no manifold or distributor. Not sure what size engine it is or what to do with it.
Any information or advice would by appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

One or more photos of the engine in question would be of benefit in identifying the engine and then go from there.

From the oil filter position it is an 803 cc A Series engine.

firedrake1942 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2026 4:57 pm From the oil filter position it is an 803 cc A Series engine.

I agree, that's a unique identifier.
Unfortunately, AFAIA, the Block Casting Number doesn't appear in any regular parts lists because a completely bare block was never sold as a spare part.

Thanks for the info and taking the time look at the post. Do you think the engine will be worth trying to sell being an 813 cc unit or do people still want originality? I wouldn’t have a clue what it’s worth or where to sell it. It would be nice for it to back into a car it was designed for.

Do you think the engine will be worth trying to sell being an 813 cc unit or do people still want originality? I wouldn’t have a clue what it’s worth or where to sell it. It would be nice for it to back into a car it was designed for.

Hi,
803 cc units were fitted to the Series 2 splitscreen Minors, alot of these cars have had this replaced over the years for a later Minor unit with greater capacity, as the 803 gained a reputation for being "unable to pull the skin off a rice pudding".
Therefore there may indeed be someone out there who would gladly take it off your hands, to restore their car back to original spec.
The gold paint and sticker may also indicate that this was once a 'Goldseal' replacement unit, although I'm not an expert on these, so will leave this to someone else to confirm or refute.
Does it still retain it's engine number?
Best wishes,
Mike.

Engine number located as arrowed, either stamped into the block or by a small attached plate:

Hi
The plate appears to have been removed and there seems evidence where it was riveted on. There is a plate attached to the block and I’ll upload the photo..

See this MGA Guru page for details of Goldseal replacement engines.
As mentioned on that page, yours is an early Goldseal replacement. Later ones they did not use the large plate you have, they simply put a new plate where the old one used to be, as jagnut66 has indicated.
https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/engine/be100a.htm

My SII has a Goldseal 1098 fitted, with an 8G prefix serial number.
On your plate they hadn't yet got around to using the '8'.

Glad that's confirmed for you, I did think the engine number position looked a bit smooth to have a number stamped into it but couldn't be sure from your picture. The plates were riveted on, so your description fits.
Also a Goldseal unit should work for Series 2 owners who want to reinstate an 803 unit, as, whilst their original may be lost to time, a Goldseal unit would be a natural replacement for a worn out original engine and would tie nicely into the story of an original spec car.

You need to price it as an untested but free engine, its value won't be great, we're only talking a couple of hundred, at the most.
Still, not bad for something that has cost you nothing in the first place.
Hopefully someone else on here can give you a better idea.

In the meanwhile, why not advertise it on the Series 2 forum on facebook, you could always state 'open to offers' and see what response you get.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1565882983632968/
Best wishes,
Mike.

Thanks for the info and advice. I’ve done a bit more research and because of the genuine BMC Factory Replacement plate with SRA and casting 2A221 on the block indicating a gold seal engine on a 1952-56. Hopefully with it being free running and original 803cc unit it will appeal to an enthusiast. Thanks again.

To give you an idea of value I recently bought a similar 803 cc gold seal engine off ebay but also complete with good water pump, carb, dynamo, air filter and disssie still attached and all appears in good order with nice clean oil and great valve gear. It was listed for quite a few weeks and was mine with a £45 offer. I'm sure someone will be interested in yours.

Yours looks like it will need a new starter ring gear.

Mine has a similar plate fixed in the same place as yours.

I think the plate cast in below the block casting number is the casting date......8/6/ (5)4

Taupe