• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, info?

Share this page

RickB

RickB

Yoda
Offline
An ad for a "1967 Midget" for $350 came up on Craigslist last week, the pictures looked pretty good and after several emails the owner finally responded Saturday.

My son and I drove 2 hours to see it, and well - it was a mess.
Badly rusted out, the vinyl top had come off the header and apparently had been out in the rain for a while. The dash was steel, but rusted. Most everything on the body and the interior was just a waste.

I was there to see the motor. What I found was some kind of an A motor that had a weber downdraft carb and a header installed. The usual tags that should tell you what you are looking at were gone.

I called BillM (phone a friend?) and asked him how I could tell if this was the motor I was looking for so we "looked at it" together. The telling bit was that it had the covers on the side of the block under the intake/exhaust ports. The owner insisted it was a 1275, Bill later said if it was then it was a very early 1275 and definitely not the one I'm looking for.

So - where do I find pictures & info about the 1275.
I'd like to educate myself a bit before I go out and look at the next one that comes along.
 
If it has side covers, I'm thinking it was probably a 1098 or earlier (948-998).
 
Heres what I know about the 948 has that a 1275 does not. If its a 948 it would have 950 cast into the lower front carb side of the block.
It would have 2 tappet covers below the manifolds on the block, and if its unmolested a road draft tube brazed on the the rear tappet cover.
There would also be a mech fuel pump below the cast 950 marking or at least a cover on the block were one would go. Also if its unmolested there will be no provision for water temp in the head. The temp bulb will be in the radiator.

Take a look at the dipstick if it sticks directly into the block and shares the stuff above likey
a 948 if it has a tube that the stick goes in it may be a 1098. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
 
It looked like "850" on the side where you say it might have a "950".
Definitely didn't look like the one in your pics Tom.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

1098cg draft tube (on front cover), FWIW
engine.JPG
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

Yes, that's it. Looked a lot like that - only the nightmare version.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

Could it be a Mini 848?
My 1098 CG has a metal plate with "1100" stamped on it, riveted to the block in front of the fuel pump opening.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

It was like somebody went out of their way to remove all id plates from the motor.
The cast markings were still there, but I didn't bring a flashlight and it wasn't a favorable situation for viewing. It didn't take long to see that the car had nothing I wanted. There was an "850" cast on the intake side of the block closer to the back than the front.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

Sorry, breather tube on front tappet cover.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

Ok front cover I have not looked at my pictures of my engine during resto in years. Have since changed to the canister type. Heres a good one of the manifold side of the block. There are some numbers down on the right side as was quoted mine is 700 dont know what they are but you can see the cast 950 on the front cast rather large. 1275 and 1098 also I belive had a large "tag" in the same location instead of the cast in digits.
 

Attachments

  • 18694.jpg
    18694.jpg
    63.7 KB · Views: 366
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

What year 1275 are you looking for??
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

CraigZ said:
So what is the road draft tube? The crankcase vent?
Click to expand...

Yep. The idea was to extend the tube down and for the low pressure created under the car would act as a suction to pull gases out of the crankcase better. Most vehicles had one back in the days before emission controls and PCV. Sounds better than it works.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

And a "bologna cut" on the end, so as wind swept past it created a draft.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

Thanks...I love it. Simple! My '73 lacks a PCV valve...evidently removed a long time ago and I've had the car for 20 years. There's a rubber line from the timing chain separator to a Y that feeds into each carb ahead of the needles. Seems to work well enough...

That's part of what keeps me in this car - it is just so simple, so elemental. And yet so entertaining.
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

RickB said:
It was like somebody went out of their way to remove all id plates from the motor.
The cast markings were still there, but I didn't bring a flashlight and it wasn't a favorable situation for viewing. It didn't take long to see that the car had nothing I wanted. There was an "850" cast on the intake side of the block closer to the back than the front.
Click to expand...



....well there you have it, you answerd your own question. If it looks like somebody went out of there way....then they did. Most likely whoever sold the motor to someone "looking for a 1275". An unscrupulious owner or junkyard maybe.
I've "wished" lots of useless junk on myself over the years so live by this, " when in doubt, head on out".

looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a ......... then again it could be a goose. But what is a goose anyway but a big freakin' duck !!!!!
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

TOC said:
And a "bologna cut" on the end, so as wind swept past it created a draft.
Click to expand...


sounds like the seller has some cut bologna alright......
 
Re: Had a trip to see a car - 1275 motor pics, inf

A couple small comments.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, they only made one type 1275 with side plates. It was the Cooper S "9F", "9FD", "9FE" engine (and it's variants "12H397" / "12H398").
https://www.minimania.com/MM/Engine___Identification_Data_UPDATED.htm
It had a side plate reading "1275". It didn't come from the factory in a rear wheel drive car, though it could be adapted. All other 1275s had a solid block wall. Likewise an 850 could be adapted to rear wheel drive, presumably if one wanted better gas mileage. :smile:
 
Back
Top