I have just been given an old 948cc engine by the university i attend and have been told i can rebuild it using all the tools and they dyno in our engine room when there is a little space
As i am doing a motorsport engineering course i thought it would be good to build a race-engine and have read in various places that 948's are used for this.
If any body can provide me with any information on this, such as carbs, cams, porting, bore sizes etc. then i would be very grateful for any help.
If anyone has extensive information ie. a word document then please e-mail it to me at ricombi@hotmail.com
Best bet is to buy 'Tuning BL's A-series engine' by David Vizard. It will contain pretty much all the info that you need.
Usually you need to pick an application before you build your engine. If you want a full race engine then that's pretty much all it will be able to be used for after the build..........
I'm no use for the technical specs, but I clearly remember watching a green 948cc 2-door in a classic saloon race at Goodwood a few years ago. It made quite a throaty noise as it passed. Unfortunately a valve stuck or broke soon after & I watched it's support team desperately trying to swap the head before it's next race. I also remember seeing a Lotus Cortina there which had been wrecked in a high speed shunt (the shell was badly twisted).
Chris, the Green saloon is raced by Barry Williams, he was a top saloon/race car driver, and still is pretty usefull, being employed by loads of vintage/classic racing teams/owners. I'll give him a call and see if he can help with engine specs.
We use a company called Southam Motorsport who are the guru's on A series engines, and at a competitive price. Their engines have powered many Monty Carlo mini's and championship winners in grass track racing.
Give them a call on 01926 815681. Mention I sent you!!.
If you want someone to build/machine the parts for you then one of the best in the business for A-series engines is MED: http://www.med-engineering.co.uk/
Vizards book is THE BIBLE on the subject but it is very deep and a bit of a mish-mash in places; jumping from engine to engine and confusing you to boot.
A 948 based engine can be a real peach. The standard proceedure for these units is to bore out to a 998cc and take the rest of the modifications from there. There is a book called 'how to powertune and modify small bore BLMC engines' (or something similar) by Des Hammil. I have a copy at home. I will try to dig it out and let you know the ISBN No.
Older and more confused than I could ever imagine possible.
You need to get the rotating assembly in top condition - and fit cam bearings in the block. Fit a crankshaft damper, and lighten the flywheel as much as possible. Then look for a 300 degree camshaft (the old BMC 649) although there are more modern versions about - usually some on ebay. Fit this with duplex timing gear. Also look out for either an MG Metro 1275 engine cylinder head (12g940) - the early leaded one with bigger inlet valve, or a more expensive Cooper S head. To fit this you must pocket the block under the exhaust valves. A pair of twin 1.5" SU carbs, or a single 1.75" SU on the MG Metro alloy inlet manifold, and a decent exhaust manifold and system, and off you go ! Should be good for close to 100 bhp at high revs, but don't expect it to last for ever !!
I don't think you want the 998 book as it is aimed at the Mini/Metro 998 engine rather than the In-line 948cc engine. The 998 already had fully floating conrods, cam bearings and probably a crank damper. and different bore/stroke ratio.
All the facts about the 998 are going to be relevant to the 948. It's just bored out +65thou to get 998. In fact this would be a good source of flat-top pistons to get the compression ratio even higher. If you could start with a 1098 block it already has the cam bearings fitted - just use 948 crank and the 998 pistons.
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