I spoke to Malcolm on the phone just last Friday and he mentioned that their XPEG new blocks project is "very close" to being ready to start delivering blocks, and I told him we had been hearing about this project for quite a few years and I frankly thought it was dead. He said he wished they'd never gone down this road . . . "I could have an Aston for what this project has cost," I think I heard him say (not sure if that's a new Aston).
I have built and/or provided components for quite a few T-Series race engines as well as high-performance street engines and the biggest bore on a non-sleeved XPAG unit I have built was .135+. (69.9mm) which gave me pause.... but... a thorough ultrasound test showed there was adequate wall thickness, and that engine is in one of the fastest vintage racing TDs here in the states in the hands of Brit Mike Barstow with more than ten years of racing on it. This engine has a billet crank, modern competition rods and pistons of course as well as an upgraded competition oiling system, tricked out sump, etc. etc. I have not really tried to do the wet-sleeve conversion of an XPAG block altho did stupidly buy one years ago that was supposed to have been done properly and it never could hold water!
Several of my customers lately have opted for achieving XPEG displacement in an XPAG unit by having a billet crank made that increases the stroke to 96mm (vs. the stock 90mm). I routinely have these (and the rods) made to accept MGB 5-main rod bearings since the available stock of XPAG/XPEG rod bearings are such poor quality. I have had no internal clearance problems installing these cranks which also have some important design differences that improve counterweight distribution making for smoother running throughout the range.
Octagonally,-Manley Ford
On Monday, January 15, 2018, 9:05:45 AM EST, Roger Furneaux
roger.46tc@gmail.com [mg-tabc] mg-tabc-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Some time ago Brown and Gammons here in Olde England announced production of new 1500cc blocks, then it all went quiet! The last time I spoke to Malcolm (a year ago) he said they were "imminent".
Well, having just broused their website, there they are: 1500cc. blocks, p/n AEG22, for a mere [b]3000GBP[/b] (exc. VAT). I have not seen any mention of them in their [b][i]Safety Fast! [/i][/b]adverts, so don't know if they actually have any, and if so, how good they are...they also have sumps (395GBP), camshafts (various, over 400GBP for a cross-drilled one) and of course cranks (about 2000GBP), all exc. VAT.
I remember a few years ago a somebody in Australia also announced new blocks able to use MGB 5-bearing cranks and rear main seals, but looking like XPAG/XPEG externally: whatever happened to those?
oc[b]T[/b]agonally
Roger
On 14/01/2018 19:11, 'Bob Grunau'
grunau.garage@sympatico.ca [mg-tabc] wrote:
Clive 168421 is a 1250 cc block , no MG cast in, round water holes originally, with water passage between #1 and 2 bores and #3 and 4 bores. XPEG 72 mm 1500 block has no MG and number AEF117 cast on the left side of the block. In this block, cylinders 1 and 2 are siamized with no watwr passage between. Same for Cylinders 3 and 4 are siamized. So totally different blocks. BTW, TF 1500 heads are stamped AEF118 and are of course round hole and 3.022 thick . Hard to say when you will hit water, but 71 mm seems on the edge to me. However if you hit water, or a too thin wall thickness, you can liner the engine to 72 mm. Now for sure you will hit water with the liner bore. Bob Bob Grunau 150 Pinewood Trail, Mississauga, Ontario Canada, L5G-2L1 905-274-4136 From:
mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com [
mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of CLIVE SHERRIFF
csherriff99@gmail.com [mg-tabc] Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2018 1:42 PM To: yahoogroups Subject: [mg-tabc] Boring a late TD XPAG out to 1500cc with block casting number 168421 Boring a late TD XPAG out to 1500cc OK, I have acquired a competition XPAG block with casting number 168421. 168421 was used for the Wolseley 4/44, later TD, & TF cylinder block, (see below) so it has no Octagon cast in, and has round water holes on the block cylinder head face(blanked off on this competition block). Annoyingly, It does not have it's brass engine number plate to help matters. It has had a new rebore to 71mm, and has not been linered, so as a TF 1500 block is 72mm bore, I deduce this must be a 1250 TD/TF bored out. My question is therefore whether the 168421 block casting was the one used for the 1500 TF, or was there another, thicker walled block used for this, and how far I might be able to bore this block 168421 out before the pistons become water cooled ! If anyone knows, or has a TF 1500 handy to check their casting number, I'd be pleased to hera from them. Clive For interest, these are the block and head casting numbers I am aware of for the MG/Wolseley/Morris engines: Model/Item Casting Number Cylinder blocks Early Morris/Wolseley 10 1140cc X cylinder block, oval water holes 22500 Later post war 1140cc cylinder block, oval water holes 24144 Very early 1250cc cylinder vblock with no timing chain tensioner 24001 Early MG 1250cc X cylinder block, octagon cast in, oval water holes 24142 & 24146 Later post war 1250cc MG cylinder block, octagon cast in, oval holes 24445 4/44, later TD, & TF cylinder block, no octagon, round water holes 168421 Cylinder-heads Early 1140cc cylinder-head, no centre oil drain, oval water holes 22812 Later postwar 1140cc cylinder-head, same as early 'T' type, oval holes 22952 Later TD, & Y oval hole cylinder head, short reach plug 22952 4/44, TD & TF cylinder-head, round water holes, long reach plugs 168422 Late 4/44 cylinder-head, round water holes 168425 m mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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