Just a wild thought

[Alpine 1789]

The attached article from Road & Track - "Lamborghini Had a Hilariously Simple Way to Make the Countach's Engine Bigger" - has had me thinking. In theory, one could take an old head, maybe one skimmed past the oval markers, cut off the bottom half inch or so and make a similar spacer for an Alpine. Making it all work would require quite a lot of ingenuity and investigation to find the right combination of custom and off the shelf parts, but in theory you could build quite a stroker engine. I'm sure I am missing a hundred reasons why this is a dumb idea, but I thought I would throw it out, if only to stimulate discussion.

Lamborghini Had a Hilariously Simple Way to Make the Countach's Engine Bigger

Instead of making new castings, Lamborghini stuck a metal spacer between the block and cylinder head. Brilliant.

www.roadandtrack.com

 

[husky drvr]

a hundred reasons why this is a dumb idea, but I thought I would throw it out, if only to stimulate discussion.

Jim,

I'm not sure it's a dumb idea at the manufacturing level, but it is unusual. Modifying a Rootes engine that way would probably be "challenging."

The only practical way of doing so it might work would be to not try to modify the head. Instead, machine your plate, attach it to the block, then bore block and plate oversize so that a cylinder sleeve can be installed through both plate and block. In that manner the rings have a continuous surface to seal against. The Rootes engine would have a difficult time with head gasket sealing due the tight bore spacing.

If you were to try to modify the head by your description, it seems the deck strength and combustion chamber geometry would both be compromised to doubtful usefulness.

I'll counter your thought with this one. Think of your newly modified plate on the block as an adapter. Is there another head manufactured that could replace the Rootes head and be a functional improvement? I don't know but is it a possibility? That could lead to OHC(s) and no shrouded valves. Just dreaming. Someone found a way to install a Volvo DOHC head on a Ford Lima(2.3) block.

Hope you had a good Fourth,

 

[alpine_64]

. Is there another head manufactured that could replace the Rootes head and be a functional improvement? I don't know but is it a possibility? That could lead to OHC(s) and no shrouded valves. Just dreaming. Someone found a way to install a Volvo DOHC head on a Ford Lima(2.3) block.

Hope you had a good Fourth,

Short answer.. yes... 2 I know of that were tried.

The Isuzu ballet GT was a metric evolution of the Rootes motors after they built CKD Hillmans in Japan...their motor ended up as OHC and the DOHC on the GTR version.... There was a guy in NSW in the late 90s who was doing this ( side note... The GTR motors are rarer than sunbeam ones by a long way)

Then iirc Dave Keon in NSW who raced a 2120cc bored and stroked alpine was mid way into a Suzuki Hayabusa head onto a Rootes block in the early 2000# before he passed away

 

[Series6]

Short answer.. yes... 2 I know of that were tried.

The Isuzu ballet GT was a metric evolution of the Rootes motors after they built CKD Hillmans in Japan...their motor ended up as OHC and the DOHC on the GTR version.... There was a guy in NSW in the late 90s who was doing this ( side note... The GTR motors are rarer than sunbeam ones by a long way)

Then iirc Dave Keon in NSW who raced a 2120cc bored and stroked alpine was mid way into a Suzuki Hayabusa head onto a Rootes block in the early 2000# before he passed away

That was out of the box thinking

 

[husky drvr]

That was out of the box thinking

Folks,

Here's an out of the box thought, why not just make a new replacement head with the mods you desire.

The first unit might be a bit of a substantial eye opener. Might be a good way leading to mold development for possible future production, though.

 

[jdoclogan]

I would put more likes if it were possible.