Camshafts - Scatter cams, pros and cons

To scatter or not to scatter, that is the question. This whole 'scattering' deal has befuddled many. The only real prose produced on the subject, and 'advice' handed out by many so-called 'specialists' tends to be somewhat tainted with large chunks of mysticism - inferring there's some kind of black art involved. The simple fact is the principle is very basic and easy; it's getting a cam with the right profile and figures applied to it that will actually work as a scatter profile that's the hard part. And this article does not mean I am all for scatter pattern cams. I will illuminate… We are all pretty much aware that the A-series is a real oddity, largely because of the siamese (shared) port work - cylinders 1 & 2 share an inlet port, cylinders 3 & 4 share an inlet port, and cylinders 2 & 3 share an exhaust port. Very weird compared to the more familiar head designs found on almost every other engine type that has one inlet and one exhaust port per cylinder.

Camshaft Design

Elgin Cams is a company that is a direct descendent of such famous California specialists as Isky, Delong, Winfield, etc. etc. Elgin has taken the art of cams into the science of the '90's. Computer designed and handcrafted workmanship guarantee a first class camshaft. Custom designed cams are a specialty. Part No Applications: CAM001, CAM002, CAM003, CAM004, CAM005, CAM006, CAM007 Elgin has made cams or sold his design to General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Nissan Corp., Zakespped International, Porsche Motor Sports, Winston Cup "Engine Builders. Elgin has the largest percentage of cams used at the SCCA Runoffs from GT-1 to Formula-V. He also has provided original or new technology for antique and vintage racers. Much information has been recorded about the four stroke internal combustion engine and yet only a small percentage of people really understand how it works and fewer people know how to modify an engine to suit their needs.

Super Mighty Mini championship to rounds 3 and 4 at Snetterton, Norfolk.

A barmy mid summer-esque May weekend greeted the Super Mighty Mini championship to rounds 3 and 4 at Snetterton, Norfolk. Jokingly nick-named the Far East round by some drivers due to its location, Snetterton is a circuit that as seen some of my better results.

Saturday qualifying saw me achieve a hassle...

Engine - Running in Procedure

This is another of those subjects that crops up on the message board frequently. I am constantly surprised by the number of engine builders - or people who charge other folk for building engines at any rate - that never hand out such an information sheet. It seems pretty daft to me that having taken a wad of money off of a customer for an engine you've lovingly put together, you'd want to help that person get the very best out of the engine. And the running/breaking in procedure is absolutely crucial. It at least ensures no damage is incurred when the engine first bursts into life. A collection of the usual suspects have explained their own methods on the board, along with various others - many of which probably work just as well for them, a few which are down-right dubious. Following is a sheet I administer with every customer engine I build.

Winter is coming.........

Cold running and why tuned Minis simply quit running when pulling up.

Winter is coming, and with it various issues that affect Minis used throughout the year, no matter what the conditions.

This month's consideration is cold running and why a plethora of tuned Minis simply quit running when pulling up. Ignoring the few that are down to various other ailments, the main issue is just the cold weather. Those that suffer more ...

Cylinder head - Combustion chamber shape

Since the reasonably recent publishing of a certain Mini tuning, performance and maintenance guide that has strangely coincided with a batch of new readers/devotees of a certain prolifically quoted 'bible' on A-series engine modifications - the subject of all things cylinder head have bounced into the fore once more.

Something I was heavily canvassed over at this years (2003) Mini in The Park event whilst doing duty as Mini 'agony aunt' and 'doctor'… In particular the subject of the combustion chamber was foremost in discussion since the aforementioned 'guide' exhibited a number of wildly different chamber profiles with very little in the way of supportive technical information. Now, I have considered the pros and cons of doing this missive. On one hand, I am not out to increase sales of said guide since I'm not one of its supporters in any way. On the other I am certainly not attempting to belittle the efforts of the featured company as they have long been at the forefront of perf

RUNNING IN NEW ENGINES

Install engine. It is absolutely imperative that the cooling system is more than sufficient to deal with any temperatures likely to be produced by the engine. More power means more heat to be dissipated. A standard radiator is very unlikely to be able to cope with a reasonable power increase over standard.

Do not fill cooling system yet. Set clutch throw-out and free-play take up. Double-check all connections electrical, oil, fuel and cooling system. Put in engine oil – use a cheap multi-grade mineral oil. DO NOT use either semi or full synthetic oils. They will stop the rings from bedding in. Remove spark plugs, and spin engine over in bursts of a few seconds to pick up oil pressure and prevent starter motor damage. DO NOT start engine until oil pressure picks up.

Once oil pressure is showing, check ignition timing statically. Set to figure advised by distributor maker, or if no figures available, set at around 6-8 degrees BTDC. Re-fit spark plugs a

Ignition - Establishing a TDC reference point

Establishing an accurate TDC reference point is of paramount importance when developing and monitoring ignition timing (and cam timing come to that). Terminology - TDC - Top Dead Centre BTDC - Before Top Dead Centre Establishing an accurate TDC reference point is of paramount importance when developing and monitoring ignition timing (and cam timing come to that). When an experienced engine builder assembles an engine - no matter whether for road or race - he will establish an accurate TDC indicator that can be used for ignition purposes. Usually contrived as a rigid pointer aligning to a corresponding mark on the crank pulley in a position easy to see with the engine installed. Unfortunately, many of us have to deal with engines that haven't had such attention to detail - so either have to make do with the standard ignition timing graduated scale if it's there or sort something else out.

Ignition - Pertronix Ignitor issues

I have been using the Ignitor ignition systems for some 8 years or so, as long as they have available in the UK, and have never found fault with them nor had any reliability issues. Until the beginning of this year… A new customer for this year, racing an MG Midget here in UK under a limited mods category, was doing splendidly for the first couple of races, then started experiencing a misfire. Initially it was believed to be a fuel starvation/vaporization issue. All fuel pipes were checked and re-routed where it was considered necessary. Those still considered in danger of getting too warm were heat shielded. The misfire persisted. On to the ignition system. All was checked, but then a loose alternator wire was found and blamed for the fault. It wasn't. Back to the ignition system then.

Ignition - Possible pre-ignition/pinking cause

Something that came to light during a conversation with a colleague and friend may be worth passing along.

It's one of those things that, once ingested, lurks in the dark corners of the mind until a pertinent situation comes along. Such a situation reared its head a couple of weeks back - so now's the time to spread the word before it disappears back into obscurity.

Engine's that run on or pink (detonate) for some seemingly illusive reason may well be suffering from a problem that causes an apparently correctly chosen heat range spark plug to run too hot. The problem is worn spark plug threads in the head. This reduces the heat-path required to cool the plug, consequently it over-heats and causes the aforementioned problems. So if you come across this one, check the plugs for fit in their threads. If they're loose, try the next heat range up!

Ignition - What's needed

Firstly - re-runs or re-hashes of technical literary prose always brings to light either new, or old forgotten subjects for close scrutiny/re-examination. The arrival of 'A Well Known A-Series Tuning Bible' is no exception. Good news as far as I'm concerned as it keeps me gainfully employed!

This dissertation is centred upon that old chestnut 'ignition systems'. Technological advances running through the entire automotive world hasn't ignored the system that supplies life-giving sparks to bring your engine alive. It's true - no spark, no power. Much of the technology applied has been about making bigger, fatter, longer lasting, and more consistent sparks. The plethora of Mini spares suppliers have embraced this whole-heartedly as it's another string to their bows of profit generation. And it's this that's causing the problem - again Mini owners are being sold stuff that they don't need, or more pointedly will NOT increase power out-puts one iota.

Pistons - Whys and wherefores

For many, trying to make an informed decision about which type of pistons they should use for their application is a very difficult thing to do. Mostly you have to rely on guidance from a very few sources such as engine builders  and Mini spares specialists, who are most likely to recommend whatever it is they use or sell.
And that is not necessarily a bad thing where those companies have strong reputations for good quality products. But even those specialists may not know all that much about the pistons they use or sell. Particularly since trying to get any really useful information out of the manufacturers concerned is practically impossible. Try contacting AE Hepolite technical. Getting hold of someone takes real perseverance. Having achieved that meagre goal, enquiring about piston specification gets those ‘lemon sucking’ sorts of noises – anybody would think you are asking for the Holy Grail! So I’m going to try and cut through the techno-babble to help you identify a

C-AEG410, C-AEG411, C-AEG412, C-AEG413, C-AEG414, and GLP110MSSUREFLOW OIL PUMPS...

PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

The pumps are thoroughly cleaned when assembled, so only priming the pump is necessary prior to fitment. A precautionary testing of the pump prior to priming is recommended - merely turn the rotor using thumb and forefinger engaged on the pump drive. It should turn freely. If it does not, it will be necessary to strip the pump down to make sure no debris is causing the problem. Make careful note which way up the annulus fits and ensure it goes back the same way. Prime the pump with preferably engine building lubricant (less likely to drain away before start up is effected).

If not properly primed, oil pressure may not be obtained; crankshaft and bearing damage may result.

Make sure the retaining bolts do not bottom out in the relevant tapped holes in the block before securely clamping the pump to the block. Any air leaks caused by using bolts that are too long will cause oil pressure deficiencies, drai...

C-AHT413 & C-AJJ4083 – CYLINDER BLOCK INFO

When using a new unmachined cylinder block, the block face can be machined to within 0.25”(0.635mm) of the piston crown at T.D.C. This will give approximately 12.5:1 on a 1293cc engine with 13cc chamber.

If the cylinder block being used has undergone machining to bring the piston to within 0.10”(0.254mm) of the block face, machining the piston crown is necessary.

Providing forged pistons are used...

C-AJJ4064 – 8 PORT CYLINDER HEAD

The combustion chambers are left in a basic shape only with a nominal 16.4cc which allows enough metal for those with the latest advanced ideas of shape to apply them and create the correct compression ratios for the desired use.

Valve and seat material specification allows use of unleaded fuel. Thoroughly clean the cylinder head before final assembly. Check that the small circlip is in the correct position in the valve guide at a point where the guide protrudes through the cylinder head beneath the valve seat. Place the valve spring seat over...

C-STN20 SPI PERFORMANCE KIT and C-STN20BUDGET KITSINGLE POINT 1992-1996

This kit has been specifically designed to work with the factory fitted existing single point engine management system. No modifications are necessary

Please beware that if prolonged speeds of 100mph are envisaged the engine may run lean and could eventually lead to engine failure. Power output figures of around 80bhp are normally expected after fitment but is dependant on the original engine build (rolling road tests have consistently shown 20-25% increases).

Figures confirmed by Swiftune Racing. Extra BHP can be obtained with professional air box modification. Further power increases would necessitate modifications to inlet manifold and use of a tubular steel LCB exhaust manifold. These performance figures apply equally to both kits and the only difference is the material of the valves and the different type of 1.5 rockers used. The budget kit uses forged rockers and includes 4 extra washers to shim correct alignment over the valve stems. Fit 2 of AEG168 washers b...

02.09.07 - Donington Park Report by Keith Calver

Once again I found myself swamped with work causing the now familiar last minute rush to check the race car over before departing to Donnington. This race weekend was going to be a very different affair than what has become the norm. Karin was having to work the weekend, my 'opposition' in my class and in another Clubby - Steve (Young) - has resigned himself to doing the last race of the year at Oulton park due to work pressures, and stats man and hospitality provider Keith (Manning – now Otto v

ARDEN 8 PORT ALLOY HEAD

Still produced from the original tooling purchased in 1990 from Jim Whitehouse these Arden alloy 8 port heads were never a straight bolt on conversion. Designed with racing in mind it was developed in 1966/7 to take full advantage of the change to Group 2 racing regulations which allowed more freedom in cylinder head design.

Cylinder head 2022

Historical Article - March 1992 - Wild Thing!

In 1988, a humble 1973 Mini 1000 was minding its own business somewhere in London, when along came a young Mini freak called Jason King, who wanted to change it for ever, and make it famous.

Jason persuaded the owner to take £450 for the car, and then proceeded to throw £12,000 worth of presents at it for the next 3 years. Every minute of Jason’s spare time was spent working on his new car and every minute of his working time was spent looking for spares.