[Healeys] BN1 Head

[Joe and Lenore Armour]

Simon Griffin wrote:

>I have been reading Bill Piggott's book about the 100 and of course there are
>several references to Westlake being contracted to design the head for the
>100M.  However, is it not fair to say that Westlake designed the stock cast
>iron head on the BN1?  Or I suppose if being honest he desinged it for the
>A90, not the AH.  Poking around and photographing everything today, I note a
>Westlake patent number cast into the head just in front of the #1 spark plug.
>
>Simon
>Troy, Il
>______________
>  
>
        Harry Weslake was a proflic engine designer.   He has quite a 
number of patents for head design and combustion chamber details in 
particular.  Re BMC he was responsible for the 'heart' shape of the 
cylinder combustion chamber which gave good swirl to the incoming 
fuel/air     mixture promoting the burn characteristics he considered 
optimum.
    This combustion chamber was applied to a number of BMC cylinder 
heads.  
    Harry was also given credit for the A-Series cross flow semi 
downdraught head used on the late ( 1967 & 68 )  Sebring and LeMans 
Sprites that used Lucas mechanical fuel injection.  Good for 150mph at 
LeMans with a 1293cc engine

    Dan Gurney used him to design his formula one 12 cylinder 
Guerny-Weslake engine

    Harry also was called upon to design a single cylinder speedway bike 
engine.

        Joe