Very Tempting!

[Westfield 129]

The 7 port head intake manifolds are integral to the cylinder head. Also, the A series engine is a little shorter than the Ford. The problem is that the carbs will end up resting on the frame rail, or the rail would cross the intakes, and there would be no way to attach a proper set of air cleaners or velocity stacks.

We were about to spend all the money to acquire the head and carbs for the 1380 short block, but the measurements never really worked out to where we were comfortable that the parts would fit without causing all kinds of additional problems and fabrication headaches.

If it were easy, someone would have done it already. We really wanted to, but every time we mocked it up, it didn't fit so that it would be useable. It could be that it really does fit, but since the 7 port may not be available, and the rest of the exotic cylinder heads are significantly taller than the stock A head, we lost interest.

Most of the cars you have photos of have large bulges in the bonnet. Not an option for us as we prefer the nice original Costin body lines.

1300 Fords are not really available locally, and would not present much of an advantage over a properly prepped A series.

Once you decide to go with either the Ford engine, or try one of the exotic cylinder heads, you will find out that the installation is not as easy as one might think, unless, of course, you saw a hole in the bonnet... I could be wrong, but we decided not to bother and spend the extra money elsewhere.

In the end, we ended up with a nice Longman race head with a Weber on a scatter cammed 1380 short block. We spent the rest of the money on a set of proper race axles, and an LSD. If you have a good 1380, those two modifications are worth the equivalent of 20 HP, and will take seconds off your lap times. I am pretty sure that with improved dampers, the car can be even quicker, and be more comfortable to drive. I may order some ProTechs in a couple of months.

Sometimes, it's better to work on the chassis. Once you have about 120 HP, you need to be able to put the power to the road.

[Mknight702]

Ah well, having looked very closely at the chassis rail and engine bay I think it may be possible to fit, but given the additional head height and chassis rail/inlet interference probabilities I guess safer to look at something else.

Alternative source for more power under investigation. New radiator arrived today and Mintex brake pads ready to fit.

Further updates to follow.....

[erictharg]

I'm seriously falling in love with the idea of a Dolomite Sprint engine. Decent power and torque to get me up to my class limit of around 135hp. Looks pretty cool and retro with that hemi head cam cover and twin SU's. Left hand exhaust and leans over at 45 deg. Mate it to say an MX5 box, and it could be very sweet. Just need to find one to measure overall height, or if necessary buy one to play with. It's like a big grown up Climax...ooer, can I say that one the forum?

[sgrant]

and then......as if by magic....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-DOLOM ... 336c941a0e

oh my goodness, it's all coming back. I had a girlfriend with a dolly once (not the sprint). And my first two cars were both Triumph Toledo's.....I think i'd rather stick with the A-series myself......

[erictharg]

Be cool Stephen! It's only the engine I want. Apologies for bringing back memories of former girlfriends - or maybe you quite enjoyed that...? Let's not dwell on that thought. I'm just thinking of a reliable 135 hp which is stretch for an A Series. I was even somewhat miffed to have to change valve springs on mine before the end of one season. As we keep saying there's not much wrong with the A Series. But 2 litres trumps it! If it fits under the bonnet.

[Westfield 129]

A Dolly? Funny, but there are only two in the US, and one is owned by a friend of mine. I went through the suspension on it a few years ago. Nice car.
But the engine is a little tall. And a bit heavier than the A series.

Weight is a big deal, and even an extra few HP wont make up for the chassis setup problems. A good 1380 works fine, but you have to be serious about the build. 10 HP doesn't make up for the extra weight. The advantage is in torque, but the W11 is pretty light to start with. My guess is that the car would pick up 100 lbs, and gain only 10 HP. That's a lot of trouble for 10 hp.

Installing a better cylinder head is a good idea, but it works better if you have more compression, and a cam to match. The cam works better with 1.5 roller rockers in most cases, along with better carburetion. A 6" long manifold works better than a 5", and if you have a 6" with a 3/8" rise, it will clear the frame, and allow the use of a good K&N air filter. The westy header is bad in a number of ways, so installing a better one, derived from a Maniflow Mini header is a good way to go. 120 Hp @6500 is a good number, and your W11 will be plenty fast. Mine works fine in Los Angeles traffic, and does a good job at the races. I drive the car to and from, and have not had any problems with reliability.

Or, take the same A series combination as above, but with a lower compression ratio, and supercharge it. Torque and HP. It should all fit fine.

[Mknight702]

Only trouble with supercharging is that it isn't permitted for the class that Charles races in. My understanding is that power to weight is the deciding factor for which class you fall in, but forced induction is specifically excluded.

For road use there is no issue.

[erictharg]

I think you're right Jan, but the notion is interesting. We do keep coming back to the fact that the A Series is very hard to beat.
I'm already running an MED race head, and coincidentally the two engine upgrades I have planned for the winter are a set of 1.5:1 rockers and a better exhaust manifold! Great minds etc.
I was going to buy one of Peter May's Midget manifolds and tweak it for the Eleven. But I can see that a Mini version may be even easier to "adjust". Not to mention probably cheaper!
Already running the 7" large port Maniflow inlet with a 45. I reckon I'm getting around 110 bhp at present, and as you suggest the rockers and exhaust should get me close to 120. Not too bad on the road either. Not really happy cruising below 50 mph in top (still partly on the idle / progression jets I suspect) but over that it's sweet. Near to 40 mpg cruising.
Also just bought an ex-works Marina Salisbury LSD on eBay for halfway sensible money ( less than half the cost of a new one) so that will be overhauled and built into my existing diff.

[erictharg]

You are correct Matthew. I've got to have a minimum of 4kg per hp in my class, and forced induction is out (although they are very flexible if it means getting cars onto the grid). Assuming a weight without driver of around 550kg that gives me a ceiling of around 137hp. Nobody checks of course, but I suspect that the Wilkinson's Eleven is pretty much on that. But I'm far more interested in keeping it reliable and affordable than trying to win anything - so far, anyway.

[Westfield 129]

I decided not to modify any more manifolds. You can order just what you need from Maniflow, in length, and the amount of rise that you need to clear the air cleaner, and the bonnet. My 6" on my early chassis has a 3/8" rise, with a 45DCOE with a low profile top mounted linkage and a K&N filter. It clears everything fine.

With a Sytec top linkage, which is lower profile, this configuration would work fine on all W11 chassis.

Of course, a bottom mounted linkage would solve these problems as well if you can get a good routing for your throttle cable.

I am currently installing a "flat" 5" Maniflow on my new RHD chassis. The air cleaner barely clears the frame, but it should be OK.

Modifying the manifolds so that they have a good interface at the cylinder head is not so easy, and surface grinding of the manifold flanges is also problematic, as when the manifold heads during the grinding, it changes shape. I have modified manifolds, and it is more trouble than it is worth, Just order what you need from Maniflow. it didn't cost any extra for me here in the 'States.

My 1st series production W11 weighs in at 490 kg with half a tank of fuel, no driver. That gives me a 10 HP advantage, right off. Perhaps you guys should be looking at some other parts of the car to get more performance. 550KG is a big difference from 490 (actually, only 485. Less if I toss the passenger seat base. It even has a roll bar.