am i seeing a distributor from a 12 cylinder engine there?
Spotted this one at the Vintage Speedcar Spectacular yesterday. A DOHC head conversion for a sideplate (grey) Holden. This is not one of the well known Waggott conversions. This one was designed, cast, and finished in Brisbane. Two were made. This one was made by Fred Foster and used in racing boats. The second one was finished a few years later by Terry Moran and also used in racing boats. The second one has disappeared from sight. Anyone here know anything of it?
URSUSMAJOR
am i seeing a distributor from a 12 cylinder engine there?
Brian you find all the cool stuff! thanks for posting
if you find a twin cam head for a 2002 let me know...I may have a buyer.
That's interesting Brian. I've never even heard of a DOHC head for a grey motor. Have built up quite a few greys years ago. About the quickest one I ever came across was in a speedway car in Merredin years ago - apart from what was done to it internally, it had a massive Hitachi 4 barrel carby hanging off it.
There were only two speedway / sprint cars in Merredin at the time - one had a 390 cu inch V8 in it and the other the grey motor. The one with the grey motor was always the quicker of the two. The rest of us ran modified sedans - mine was a Torana with a souped up 186 in it.
The grey motor was eventually pulled out of the sprinter and dropped into a street registered FC sedan. It didn't last long in that duty.
Cheers .........
BMKAL
BMKal, here is a photo of a Waggott DOHC conversion. Designed by Merv. Waggott in the mid 50's and made in his works, Waggott Engineering, at Bankstown. Numbers uncertain, depends who you talk to. Believed to be around nine to twelve cast and the numbers finished are conjecture. Most were used in boats but a few made their way into race cars such as Jack Myers' Wm-Cooper, the Centaur-Waggott (pictured), and a Holden sedan. Much sought after for historic racing. Now and then one is offered for sale and usually fetches good money.
Look at the thread LEYBURN SPRINTS 2010 for the photos. System won't let me attach them here.
URSUSMAJOR
Whats even better and is even obtainable is a Head from JZED
7.7 secs @172 MPH out of a Standard 186/202 block !!!!
(Looks funny, the Blower is bigger than the engine !!!!)
Generally accepted now that the most powerful (and reliable!) GM-H head sideplate Holden ever to compete in any form of motor sport is the one in Bill Kelly's midget Q11. This beat Offenhauser lap records and had one major overhaul in twenty+ years. Bill is a first class motor engineer and only retired two years ago aged 79. He was apprenticed to Downings at Wooloongabba as a motor engineer in the days before the trades of motor mechanic and engine reconditioning were made separate. At Downings they made crankshafts, made con-rods out of surplus WW2 propellor blades, pressed their own chassis rails, hand made aluminium bodies, did their own heat treatment etc.
as well as the full range of motor repairs.
Bill was the last riding mechanic to be entered in the Australian GP, Leyburn 1949, in Cyril Tritton's Wolseley Special. Unfortunately a failure of an ignition condenser could not be replaced in time and the car practiced only. Bill built the car at Downings.
The Kelly brothers raced the Crowfoot Holden Special, an Austin Healey 6, a Ferrari Super Squalo Formula 1 car, the Q11 midget, an Offy midget, all prepared by Bill as well as looking after several other race cars for other competitors. Bill is noted for meticulous preparation.
URSUSMAJOR
has Bill passed on his specialised knowledge to any fortunate apprentice or mechanic? The world is fast losing these masters. Maybe someone should sit and spend some time with Bill, maybe a book.....there must be a huge amount of information and knowledge in this guys head.
Slightly OT, but still on grey motors, is my air compressor ....... an old 'Pullford' 4cfm original factory build from a grey crank, rod and piston.
Those old donks sure did get around.
Cheers.
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