Casting aluminium is difficult to get right, and doing a block back then would have been a nightmare, have you ever looked closely at an alloy block from a bd, they are not pretty.
Casting aluminium is difficult to get right, and doing a block back then would have been a nightmare, have you ever looked closely at an alloy block from a bd, they are not pretty.
Why didn't FoMoCo bring the RS (alu) version out at the same time as the STD block in 1970?
KL et al,
Paul Dunnell told me that Holbay made an alloy block for the Pinto back when they were putting Formula 2 engines together. I did hear of someone with one of these original blocks a couple of years ago, though never saw pictures of it.
Am I correct in thinking that there are different heads used on the Millingtons, most seem to be the YB type but Im sure I've seen a similar head where the cams/pulleys are a lot closer together, I think it was at Autosports last year.
Holbay built a batch of "Pinto" alloy block/16v head engines for a formula/series that was for (loosely) replica 1950s front engined GP cars to be run for rich "arrive and drive" types. It was bit of a disaster because of engine reliability. I don't know whether the head was the original Holbay, as homologated earlier for the RS2000, or something more recent of theirs. If they were the original head, I would have thought those heads would have emerged in historic rallying by now, even though the block isn't eligible. (Although the cynic might say: why use the correct Holbay when the better non-period Warrior is allowed....).
The early Millington blocks I saw used Warrior heads (and the block was a different width than a std iron Pinto and needed a spacer to fit the same brackets on one dyno). It was only comparatively recently that I realised Roy Millington now made his own head too (as used by at least one member on here).
This is a Holbay F3 engine (for the new 1600 F3 that replaced the 1000cc screamers) from the early 70s I think:
The story of holbay doing an alloy block for the pinto many moons ago is true and we have one of the blocks at millingtons (no its not for sale)
Roy also did a batch of early millington diamond blocks with holbay cast in the side of them, these were for holbay themselves.
The early millington engines didn't all have warrior heads but a couple were done.
The diamond engine that most people refer to, used a cosworth yb cylinder head that was cnc ported then finished off by hand and these engines stem back 12 years or more, with specs constantly changing and evolving.
The new engine with the cylinder head that has the cam pulley's closer together is a head made and machined by us, as is the block all machined in house, this head/ engine is known as the millington diamond series two as fitted in the McRae R4 project, and phil collins mk2 etc.
The millington engine is constantly being improved so much so that an engine purchased 3 months ago could now possibly benifit from a mod, however great or small.
As for rebuilds one of our rally engines will do about 1500 stage miles before a rebuild.
Millington racing engines is a small company of Roy Millington, and his wife Sheila, myself, and John our machinist, people alway's think we are a huge company!
ps: on my sig the bd isnt whats going into the red mk2, thats an engine i buit for david suttons rac winning mk2 at the hands of stig.
My car is to be a modern spec grp 4.
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