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Re: [Healeys] The AEC960 Healey 3000 Cylinder Head spark plug seat

To: "Chris Dimmock [Healey]" <austin.healey@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] The AEC960 Healey 3000 Cylinder Head spark plug seat
From: Bob Spidell <bspidell@comcast.net>
Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:31:28 -0700
  On heads and castings ...

How much did Weslake contribute to the design of Austin-Healey heads?  Our 
BN2's head has 'Weslake' on the casting; 
presumably he contributed to the design.  Our machinist, who assembled the 
head, got really excited when he saw 'Weslake.'


bs



On 10/5/2010 8:04 PM, Chris Dimmock [Healey] wrote:
> Hi Richard,
>
> Yes - since been confirmed AEC960 is a casting number.  And yes - it's the 
>machining
>
> And who or where the production AEC960 heads were machined, over a 6 year 
>period - is anyones guess. But some are 
> definately WRONGLY machined.
>
> I totally agree Richard - its a machining issue, and relatively easily fixed.
>
> Richard - if you look at your AEC721 head - I'll bet you it is machined 
>correctly. As are the earlier 100/6 "log" head.
>
> Harry Weslake's combustion chamber & port designs were subject of many 
>patents - and the reason for including pics of 
> two other Harry Weslake designed chambers was to show that the production/ 
>machining of the AEC960 heads I have is 
> just wrong - and I used exactly the SAME spark plug in all 3 pics.
>
> And if the plug is sitting down inside the plughole - that makes these AEC960 
>heads a lower compression than they were 
> originally designed to be.
>
> So as AEC960 head castings are used on all 3000's - from early MK1s to late 
>BJ8 - as well as other austin/ wolseley 
> sedans - such as the 6/1100 mk2 - its really a case of trying to find whether 
>they are all affected - or just some, or 
> a date range.
>
> But that's academic - the real issue is that I've finally had time to explain 
>in pictures what I had tried to explain 
> on this list for the past 12 years in words i.e. (some? all?) of these heads 
>are incorreectly machined.
>
> And Geoff Healey wouldn't have picked it up - the race cars and rally cars 
>were running the alloy head based on the 
> AEC721 post the 100/6, and all 100/6 AEC 721 castings appear fine.
>
> If you want some understanding of how much Harry Weslake did for engines, 
>design, bikes, cars and racing - and more 
> than just a heart shaped combustion chamber - you can start here 
> http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/2010/03/harry-weslake-and-swirl.html or here 
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weslake
>
> I'm probably more academically interested in anyone who can find an AEC960 
>head that doesn't exhibit this issue (other 
> than the one on my black & white car, which we machined 12 years ago...)
>
> Chris
>
*******************************************************************
Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell@comcast.net

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