Thanks guys....but we might have got lucky with my European connections. My old friend Dick from the Netherlands has put me in touch with some folk in the States who are replacing an engine in an early LUV.
We're just trying to sort the shipping as we speak. We wait and hope.

Good luck Mark. Hope it all happens and works out ok,

Glenn

Well Glen, we got there....from Colorado US to Bognor UK.

Now the work begins again....strip down and remove the perfectly STRAIGHT crank and build the best race engine we've built to date. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a trip.......

Good news Mark. I see that engine has the smog crap on it, not that it matters for your purposes. Hope it all goes well and HP doubles at least !!

Well, I'm not sure about double Glen, but we're hoping for a 'significant' improvement.
We're actually trying to get a bit clever and combine the 1600 head from my earlier engine (which has a better squish zone) with the 1800 bottom end.
This should lead to a decent gain in compression...….etc, etc....

And now we're playing musical valves, errr, which one goes where? ….urmmm

Were u running as a 1600 before? What are the rules for this, you can run any similar configuration engine from Isuzu maybe ?

Yes, we were running the 1600cc G161ss motor......we got a bit greedy with the pistons, and as we managed to steadily improve the revs, they started to slap the under side of the head.
We had to prep another engine in a hurry, and it just so happened I had an 1800 out of a Chev LUV under the bench, we reckoned on it being quicker to do this than sort the problems with the 1600.

Historic club racing's pretty flexible here, and as long as you're not ripping up trees, or running an Impreza engine, the organisers will let you play.....and let's face it, there's not a lot known about Belletts on these shores!

Slapping the head, not good. OK on the rules being a bit flexible. For a Bellett they would have to be due to parts availability if nothing else.

Talking of parts availability Glen...because we've mashed up so many flywheels in our attempts to lighten them.....I've bitten the bullet.


Well...…I keep saying it's our last engine.....and it's pretty!

Very pretty. Pity it's hidden.

Nearly there....we found a cam company who are prepared to push the cam re-grind a bit further, and the work is finished on the 1600 head we intend to use, this should give us more compression than the 1800 head was offering us.

In the picture you can see our funky new sump extender/insert..

Nice work Mark..... getting there for sure.

Interesting, mine (72 1800cc) has a steel sump.

Well, the 1600 head has gone onto the 1800 block..and our Frankenstein engine is taking shape. The theory behind this strange hybrid, is that the smaller combustion chamber of the 1600 will give us more of our much sought after compression. Top is 1600 above the 1800.

We calculate we'll get somewhere around 10.5 - 10.6 : 1
There was a bit of fiddling around with one of the oilways,but otherwise it's on

The weird looking overhang under the plugs is the wider part of the 1600 head that covered over the blanked off pushrod galleries in the 1600 block.
Not pretty, but this isn't a beauty pageant is it?

We calculate we'll get somewhere around 10.5 - 10.6 : 1
There was a bit of fiddling around with one of the oilways,but otherwise it's on

That should set it alight, Mark.

glenn

Hi Mark
The 1600 head looks like a better shape than the salad bowl 1800
Is it an optical illusion or are the 1800 valves bigger?
Regards Flying

From memory the 1800's valves are marginally bigger....but rather annoyingly they are also a couple mm longer.
Mark

The new cam, with its higher lift, is now attacking the rockers all wrong.

To correct this longer valve stems would do it....or easier thicker lash caps....here's some we made earlier!

This will allow us to wind the pivot screw in a few mm and pull the follower back toward the middle of the pad on the cam.
To remind me why we're going through all this I've posted these two shots that have just surfaced.


I think it's a nice depiction a bunch of relaxed amateurs loafing around, before they go at each other, hell for leather on the track.

And people wonder why racing costs a lot of money. Lots of 'little' things.

Looks like a little blue Alfa there ?

Wonder if he has seen this series of videos, an Alfa having a V8 Ferrari engine fitted to it. LOT's of work.
This is part 51 so its a long story......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKhaF1Lr9zU

True enough Glen, lots of little things. But, funnily enough, it's this 'development ' process that I increasing enjoy. When I was younger I never understood these older gentlemen tipping money into their race cars, and then letting some hot-shoe drive the thing.....I'm beginning to understand it now.

Anyway, our tall lash caps have certainly improved the rocker geometry.....

Where do those gadgets fit ? Even though I have a SOHC I have never seen inside one.