----- Original Message -----
From Tom Stone <tstone at frontierprecision.com>
To: Spridgets <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Sent: 20 July 2000 18:05
Subject: Supercharger (little LBC)
> Hey everyone my supercharger finally made it here from Scotland!!! I
figure
> I will start gathering the rest of the parts and building the engine for
my
> Bugeye late next month. It will be a Shorrock Supercharged 1380 with the
> 5-speed transmission conversion. The Shorrock is built to race spec. and
is
> designed to put out 10 psi at 5500 rpms. This engine should be a goer!!!
> Eh?!!
>
> I know what you all are saying "the walls will be too thin". The design
> calls for at least a A+ block if not a Cooper block. I have a Metro block
> for this build, and we intend to rig up all the proper mounts. I will
keep
> ya'll informed of the developments as they occur.
> If any of you have used a Shorrock before and have info please pass it
> along.
>
>
> Tom Stone
>
> Soon to be Blown '59 Bugeye
> 62 Mini Cooper
>
>
Metro A+ doesn't have the threaded port for the oil pickup. You would need
to secure the oil pickup into the block with JB Weld(?) and then get some
main bearing caps from another engine of the in-line variety and have them
line bored to fix your crank as I 'believe' they have not been designed with
the idea of a tin sump in mind and thus don't have cut-outs to hold the seal
between the tin sump and the bearing cap. Alternatively you could use a
complete Marina
A(sort of +, but not quite) engine with it's larger big-end bearing
crankshaft, a Marina and swap the crankshaft for the standard 1275 Spridget
crank or use a full A+ from the Ital. Machining a Metro block is not
impossible and judging by your e-mail title, you should be well equipped to
deal with it. Ital blocks use a very different type
of distributor fitting and will not accept many of the earlier dizzies.
Marina and Ital (and Maestro, blocks only) engines are useable but you will
need to find a suitable feed for the oil to the charger bearings as the
A+ish types don't have the external pipe to the oil filter (It is all
internally cast). I have seen the oil pressure warning switch T'd to
provide this instead of the A-series method of drilling/tapping a thread
into the large nut that holds the top end of the oil filter pipe to the
block. Are you using the Datsun conversion or the more robust Ford
close-ratio 5-speed?
PS Dare I ask how much they charged you for the kit? I was offered 2 kits
for £800 ( $1500 approx.) and a brand new unused kit for, I think, £1200.
Ian Bishop in the UK has lots of original details on Shorrock kits (and one
for sale but too expensive for me)
cavman@globalnet.co.uk
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