1275 Marina engine

[racingenglishcars]

I've picked up on a project engine. It's out of a MG Marina, 1275 and mechanically in decent shape. It just needs assembling. Very good standard size crank with 1.75 rod journals, and the block is bored +.020. Oh, also there didn't come a cylinder head with it, but I'll find a 12G940 around somewhere.
Pictures here:
https://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x288/frogeye61/1275/
I have inquired at APT about all the wear-parts and they will get back to me with availability.
If anyone otherwise has any good Fast-parts that they want to send to Denmark, just give me a notice.
I'll probably start putting it together soon after I get the body painted.

 

[aeronca65t]

Funny you should mention these. I haven't seen one in years, but I just scanned a picture of a factory racing Marina this week
(it ran in the Cypress Rally).
I always thought they were OK.
Some US Marinas had the 1800 engine, I think.
And the trans shared by later Spitfire and Midgets is often called the "Marina trans", due to it's source.

The race Marina I just scanned below and a ~LINK~ to other old pictures I've just scanned along with it.

 

[racingenglishcars]

I remember working on a Marina at a garage in Falls Church back in 1980 and seeing that it had the 1275 engine and Spitfire transmission. I didn't pay much attention to the engine but I'm almost certain that it had the Sprite type oil filter.
Also when I had just bought my Land Rover, back in 78, I drove by the British car dealer in Arlington and a salesman wanted to trade a brand new Marina for my LR, which was at the time 15 years old.

Nice set of pictures Nial. A lot more than the last time I saw the page.
That TR8 is the Group 44 one which was built out in Herndon Va. along side the XJS racer. They used to be in Falls Church in a little garage on Gordon Rd. where my brother and I used to stop by all the time. They had a Bugeye racer belonging to Mike Dale and another belonging to Paul Brand, as well as their usual assortment of British Leyland cars packed into that small space. MGB GT6 TR6 Spitfire. and then ran out of space.

 

[Morris]

Nial,

Are you saying that the Marina had an A or B series motor attached to a Triumph gear box?

 

[aeronca65t]

Morris:

The Marina had both engines, but I am not sure if the "B" engine used the smaller trans. I would guess it used the MGB trans.
There was also a 1.5 diesel version.

More info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Marina

 

[healeyboz]

Did the spit trannys have overdrive?

 

[JPSmit]

Nial,

Are you saying that the Marina had an A or B series motor attached to a Triumph gear box?

'

I actually think it is the other way around. My understanding is that the gearbox attached to the Midget 1500 Spitfire engine is derived from the Marina Tranny. Now, for us 1500 Midget owners, here is the mystery. In 1972 the managing director of British Leyland, George Turnbull resigned. He was offered a car as a farewell gift and took 2 Marinas. He then started working for Hyundai and used the Marina as the basis for the Hyundai Pony. The pony was a terrible car and I don't think ever went to the USA. However, the question I keep wondering about is whether a Pony 5-speed would fit a 1500 Midget. I have tried to find out but have had no luck so far.

The story is here

https://pages.eidosnet.co.uk/~morrismarina/Korean%20Connection.htm

 

[weewillie]

The marina was only 1.8 in canada but here is an interesting thing


In Denmark, the Morris Marina name was used for a badge-engineered version of the Morris 1100 in the early- to mid-1960s.(from wikipedia)

 

[piman]

Hello Barry,

I'm not sure if Spitfires, with the single rail gearbox had overdrives, but certainly some Triumph cars had that gearbox with overdrive (J type) I have one in our Morris 1000 Traveller. (Which has a 1275 Marina engine fitted.)

Alec

 

[racingenglishcars]

There ya go. The "easy" way to get an overdrive into a Spridget. Use the Marina oil pan (it has a mounting bracket for the gearbox) and back plate, and a Spit trans with overdrive. Just modify the tunnel to fit the extra bulk.

BTW, a couple "Danish" Marinas. Notice the second one is $4000
https://www.dba.dk/asp/soegning/detail.asp?annonceid=53094192
https://www.dba.dk/asp/soegning/detail.asp?annonceid=53300483

 

[bugimike]

Funny you should mention these. I haven't seen one in years, but I just scanned a picture of a factory racing Marina this week
(it ran in the Cypress Rally).
I always thought they were OK.
Some US Marinas had the 1800 engine, I think.
And the trans shared by later Spitfire and Midgets is often called the "Marina trans", due to it's source.

The race Marina I just scanned below and a ~LINK~ to other old pictures I've just scanned along with it.

Not to be a hair-splitter Nial, but that is the CYPRUS rally, not Cypress (which is the tree!). Since I was born there (my dad was the national rally champion there way back in the 50s) I thought I should point that out. By the way, one of your old buddies (sitting on the back of the Spridget) looks mighty familiar to me!! GREAT old pix!!!!!

 

[68Sprite]

Cool photos Nial, thanks for sharing.

 

[aeronca65t]

...Not to be a hair-splitter Nial, but that is the CYPRUS rally, not Cypress (which is the tree!). Since I was born there (my dad was the national rally champion there way back in the 50s)

Ack! My Bad!

Anywho.....Your dad was the national rally champion?
That's *really* cool!
Do you have any old pictures of him with the rally cars? What did he drive?

 

[Morris]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]my dad was the national rally champion there way back in the 50s[/QUOTE]

We DEMAND pictures!


Ps. I thought it was spelled the same way as the tree, too. Doh!

 

[aeronca65t]

Ps. I thought it was spelled the same way as the tree, too. Doh!

Ahh, See! Morris has my back!

Us 1500 Midget drivers...we may be dumb, but we're dumb <u>together</u>! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

 

[Morris]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Us 1500 Midget drivers...we may be dumb, but we're dumb together![/QUOTE]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

You made milk come out of my nose!

 

[bugimike]

The only stuff I have are some old super 8 film stuff that I have posted before. At the end of the rally they generally had a "special stage" that was basically a gymkhana which is mainly what I have film of along with the wreck of one of my uncles cars. Dad has a scrap book with old newspaper clippings and stuff that I hope to get one day! He and his brothers ran MG T series (Dad had a TC and his brothers had TDs). I have these films on youtube so I will post one as a link, and then if you want you can browse the rest! Well, on second thoughts I will post a couple or three /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif Dads is the yellow one with green grill!
(excuse the quality, in 1952/3 even super 8s were a new, high tech gadget! and when I put them on DVD my bird decided to add som sound-track embelishments /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/rolleyes.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2unooQigbxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kywxWcvBYUA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Y_fD-4FKo

 

[jlaird]

Good deal, sounds like fun.

 

[Morris]

Too cool. Makes me want a TC.

 

[aeronca65t]

Wow! Great stuff!

I do recall you posted some of this before, but I'm not sure I ever saw those great spins in the second one. Folks standing right next to the car as it's spinning backwards...eek!

Great stuff!