Engine Notes and Queries

[AlfaLofa]

I just bought myself a spare engine to play with.

It seems to have been cobbled together from all sorts of disparate but "genuine" parts.

It was/is smothered in thick paint - almost vandalised

Some of the details:

a) It is a T2 block

b) The Ford block designation has been ground completely away and has no over stamping

c) It is not an L Block

d) The engine number is LP4210LB-A

e) The block has the second alternative rear dipstick position

f) It has an AKS timing cover with very smooth and freely moving pump (but knackered Allen key heads - looks like a problem )

g) It has a Big Valve cam cover

h) It has a mark 2 head but no Z/N on the boss (or anything else I can see see beneath the paint)

i) The head is marked CH9 at the rear

j) It came with Dellorto carbs.

k) it seems to have unmatched cams with a C-type cam on the exhaust side.

l) It has a 6 bolt crank.

Most importantly it turns over very easily.

Any observations would be welcome - for example what does CH9 mean and why has the Ford block type been totally erased?

Also - is that a little weld above CH9?

[AHM]

Well you have got the expensive bits! At least the paint preserved it.

The engine number looks a bit too clean to me - the ones I have seen look like they were done in a hurry and had a / rather than a -.

f) It has an AKS timing cover with very smooth and freely moving pump (but knackered Allen key heads - looks like a problem )

Could just be that someone only had a metric allen key

Also - is that a little weld above CH9?

I cant even see CH9!

[AlfaLofa]

I forgot the CH9 photo:

[S2Jay]

That splotch above the ?CH9? is more likely a portion of casting slag that may have spilled from the mold, and since it is in an unmachined, non-critical area it was left as-is, passed over or not noticed. It is essentially part of the casting now and does not weaken or have any detrimental effect on the base casting. It does not appear to be from a weld repair. Just my guess.

[SJ Lambert]

The engine block looks like it's a 120E casting from 1965.

[AlfaLofa]

SJ - I found that the engine number is from an Elan registered/delivered/whatever on June 7th 1965.

So the dates match!