The Jaguar engine in my ECTA car has what was the latest thinking in water jacket design back about 2000. Since it has overhead cams, there is no necessity for a cam tunnel. The water pump fits into the front of the block and the water jackets only extend down about two inches around the tops of the cylinders. The block is aluminum with ferrous sleeves cast in place.

I'm doing a re-design of some features of the FE block---specifically in order to optimize for the SOHC lay-out---both for cooling and strengthening.

Your comments are solicited in regard to copying the most obvious cooling features of the AJ (Jag) block.

KS

My first new car was a '64 Ford Custom with a 425 horsepower 427-T engine, the required four speed, and so on.

And, unfortunately, I wrecked it while street-racing a 409 Chevrolet. (Yeah, the Beach Boys and all that!) It was a little after midnight and he was out with his girlfriend---and challenged me. The first time we ran, I was beating him so badly that I let off in third gear. He said he missed a shift and wanted to go again. So we went up around the curve we could see ahead and went at it one more time. The result was about the same except that I stayed in it.

Those of you who've driven a '64 Ford will remember that the sweep of the speedo needle was such that above 120 MPH the needle disappeared into the side of the housing. But slightly beyond that you'd be able to see it again in the little red idiot light to the right.

I'd got to that point---and a couple of bus-lengths ahead of the 409---when I realized that there was another curve ahead. I took my foot out of it and tried to ride it out, but I was drifting pretty good and ran out of pavement. When I hit the dirt along the edge, the rear end came around. I hit a sign saying 'curve' with my rear tire and the sign post pushed the rear quarter panel in. The head of the sign whipped over and came through the back window. I ended up setting with the passenger rear tire down in a swale---facing back the way I'd come.

The 409 had not made it nearly as far around the curve and was 25 yards out in the field. And to make it worse, he'd hit the far side of the ditch in such a way that he'd warped the frame enough to blow all the glass out of his car.

I ran over there and made sure that they were unhurt and then went back to my car. I was trying to figure out where to put the jack in order to change the tire when a guy I worked with at Ford’s Livonia Transmission Plant came along in his ‘40s Ford pick-up truck. He first pulled me back across the swale to flat ground and then drove out in the frozen field and fastened on to the Impala. We were almost to the corner at Levan Rd. so he hooked on and pulled the Chevrolet down through the intersection and further enough along so it wasn't visible.

I was there all by myself when the Wayne County Sheriff patrol car showed up. I claimed to not have been watching the speedometer and said I must have hit a patch of frost. They stayed, with their headlights on, until I changed the tire.

It cost me $400 to get the rear quarter-panel and back glass replaced and the top straightened. That was close to a month's take-home. (The car cost $2700) A couple of weeks later I got a bill from the county for $12.50 for the cost to replace the sign.

The Impala was totaled.

over on the other board that John V has been in the hospital for several days. Let's all send prayers and good thoughts his way.

KS

Ecoboost 6 first---chibrolay nowhere!

KS

   
A Short Story---And it's all true!
   
________________________________________
My first new car was a '64 Ford Custom with a 427-T engine, the required four speed, et cetera.

And, unfortunately, when it was only a few weeks old, I wrecked it while street-racing a 409 Chevrolet. (Yeah, the Beach Boys and so on!) He was out with his girlfriend and challenged me. The first time we ran, I was beating him so badly that I let off in third gear. He said he missed a shift and wanted to go again. So we went up around the curve we could see ahead and went at it one more time. The result was about the same except that I stayed in it.

Those of you who've driven a '64 Ford will remember that the sweep of the speedo needle was such that above 120 MPH the needle disappeared into the housing---but slightly beyond that you'd be able to see it again in the little red idiot light to the right.

I'd got to that point---and a bus-length or so ahead of the 409---when I realized that there was another curve ahead. I took my foot out of it and tried to ride it out, but I was drifting pretty good and ran out of pavement. When I hit the dirt along the edge, the rear end came around. I struck a sign saying 'curve' with my left rear tire and the sign post pushed the rear quarter panel in. And the head of the sign came through the back window. I ended up setting with the passenger rear tire down in a swale---facing back the way I'd come.

The 409 had not made it nearly as far around the curve and was 25 or thirty yards out in the field. And to make it worse, he'd hit the far side of the ditch in such a way that he'd warped the frame enough to blow all the glass out of his car.

I ran over there and made sure that they were unhurt and then went back to my car. I was trying to figure out where to put the jack in order to change the tire when a guy I worked with at Ford’s Livonia Transmission Plant came along in his ‘40s Ford pick-up. He first pulled me back across the swale to flat ground and then drove out in the field and fastened on to the Impala. We were almost to the corner at Levan Rd. so he hooked on and pulled the Chevrolet out of the field and down through the intersection. And then further enough along so it wasn't visible from my location.

I was there all by myself when the Wayne County Sheriff patrol car showed up. I claimed to not have been watching the speedometer and said I must have hit a patch of frost. They stayed, with their headlights on, until I changed the tire.

It cost me $400 to get the rear quarter-panel and back glass replaced and the top straightened. That was close to a month's take-home. (The car cost $2700) A couple of weeks later I got a bill from the county for $12.50 for the cost to replace the sign.

The Impala was totaled. 

In case you haven't been watching, Monty---the owner of YB---has sold out and the new owner seems to be known for messing with the sites they buy.

There is rampant abandoning of the ship. The new site that seems most favoured is 'turbobullet.com' but it's brand new and having troubles. Are we having fun yet?

 

KS

It seems that things have, predictably, gone rapidly down hill over at the '54' Forum. I'd post this there but things have descended to such an extent that it's probably better to just let things be.

But considering the hostility that popped-up regarding your recounting of facts, Jay, I do think it bears saying that I believe we all have a responsibility to to issue warnings of bad experiences.

The personal attacks on you were completely un-called-for. Nastiness from some quarters is just to be expected. I was quite surprised at some of it!

KS

Without spending days at it, I've spent some time trying to get an accurate number as to the weight of an all-aluminum SOHC engine. Does anyone have definitive info on this?

KS