[Healeys] BN1 Head

John Harper ah100register at gmail.com
Mon Jul 8 04:30:06 MDT 2013


Regarding the Westlake patent. I agree with Joe. It is my understanding
that the patent was sold initially to the Austin Motor Company for their
use of the heart shaped combustion chamber on most if not all overhead
valve engines. I believe that the first was the Austin 16 in December 1945
where immediately after the war the pre war Austin 12 body was given more
power There was no additional patent for use on the 100M.

The Westlake company I believe no longer exists but about twenty years ago
I found an ex employee who would polish and profile a head. He told me of
many 'specials' they were involved in and no doubt this included work on
individual owners' engines.

Best regards


On 8 July 2013 09:43, Joe and Lenore Armour <sebring at hotkey.net.au> wrote:

> 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
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-- 
Best wishes

John Harper

AHC UK 100 Register Secretary


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