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Mystery Driveline

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In answer to a number of peoples posts -

"Princess Limo" - used a bigger engine than 1098!
"Taxi" didn't use 1098
"A110 sedan" used big healey engine
"Didn't they make a little sports sedan too A55?" Can't think of it - there was an A40 sports, but that was early 50s and used the 1200 B series
"AH Sprite?" not with mechanical clutch and long propshaft

"Minors" all used 14" wheels (if you had one with 13 it was probably one that had been upgraded with spridget parts)
"Morris Cowley" wasn't A series, and didn't last long enough for the 1098 big crank anyway

"And the Austin valve cover may well mean it is from a van." In 65 the Austin vans available were Mini, Minor (yes, there was an austin as well as a Morris badged version) A50 (50s Cambridge shape, B series) and one or the other of JU, J2, J4, can't remember when these all stopped and started, but anyway they all used B series.

Minors had mechanical clutch (have a look here for parts https://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=781_872&osCsid=5b3b328ff7712f15bdb708a578496d3c) so I wonder if it is LHD minor gearbox with a Sprite engine, or a minor engine with sprite carbs?

Do you have the engine number - the one on the plate near plug #1, not the one cast in, that should tell us where the engine came from.

It could always be from some sort of special - home made long wheelbase Minor?!?
 
there was an A55 but not with the 1098
 

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John, thanks for the input. It's been over 30 years since I had my Minor, so I could be wrong about the 13" wheels. ( Anymore, I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday!) I only had the thing briefly, and never really got into any maintenance on it, so I was unsure as to clutch actuation.
The engine ID tag would have allowed me to instantly identify the engine, but it, as well as the 1100 tag on the left front of the block is gone too. Definitely AUD 136 SU's. PCV Valve, and the standard 1098 side cover breather / oil separator. Apparent original plug wires, screw on vacuum advance fitting.
As I said in the initial post, remnants of cable actuated park brake attached to the levers at the backing plates, a 4.55 diff, (stamped 9/41), and goofy looking rear brake bleeders.
It well may be a Sprite engine that was transplanted.
Jeff
 
I think it's an A30 / A35 derivitive of some kind !
Realy only the A30s Minors and Spridgets used the rear wheel drive "A" series engines, A 40s and larger were all "B" or "C" series and so not in the hunt for your mystery. The usual brake for those early units was the Lockheed cylinder with the cable or rod actuated park brake. All the A30 types were badged Austin (out here in Oz anyway) their competition from Morris the "Minor" were all badged as Morris, and I think that is the same worldwide. Just remember it's easy to replace a generator so the time frame looks a bit out. Does it have a mechanical fuel pump ? All the minors I had anything to do with had "electric" fuel pumps and had a plate fitted over the fuel pump hole in the block ! They stopped bringing the minor into Australia well before production ceased in the UK and later ones may be mechanical, I don't know but I doubt it. The A 30s out here used a mechanical pump driven off the camshaft in the conventional way. Out here only Morris's got SU carbys the Austins all had Zeniths, but the only twin SUs were on Sprites and Midgets, comercials had the standard carby used on the various marque, so it may have been hotted up with some non standard carbs fitted.

It's been 30 years last August since I stopped working on these cars, but I think most of what I have said is reasonably acurate for Australia, although we did have a local production and a lot of our vehicles may differ slightly from UK production.
Goodluck, I hope you get to figure it out somehow.

Graham
 
Graham, the engine in question has the pad for the fuel pump, but is undrilled for the mechanical pump. Just a blank pad with a single stud installed.
The block is identical to one I have out in the garage, a 10CC 1098. I would guess that it's a Sprite engine that was retrofitted into a Minor driveline.
Jeff
 
Graham said:
A 40s and larger were all "B" or "C" series
Click to expand...
Early A40s were B series, A40 Farina were a series as they were pretty well an A35 with a new body.
 
I reckon the box and rear axle are off a mark 1 A40 Farina (smooth box, 4.55 diff) and the engine out of an 1100 Spridget. I don't recognise the head casting, its not in the A seies bible (David Visard) either, are you sure its not 12G295?
 
Tavistock, I never pulled the valve cover to check the head casting number. It should be a 295, or maybe a 202 or 206.
The casting number I referenced is on the side of the block, and it's the same number I find on my 10CC series 1098's.
Jeff
 
As in tavistock's first post, I would agree, though I don't think the A40 came to America (I may be wrong here).

I would say that the 1098 most certainly never came with a smooth case trans. It would therefore be a replacement engine, probably from a Sprite. Mechanical clutch and 14 inch wheels tell me... Morris Minor. Rear axle width was different between Sprites, Minors and Minor vans, the latter having a very wide track and either 4.55 or 4.875 gearing.
 
The A40 Farina was exported to the USA and there are still some around, even one on Ebay the other week. Donn is right the smooth case gearbox was only fitted to the 948, all 1098s had the ribbed box. In general the diffs were 948=4.55, 4.22=1098, the 4.88 was fitted to A30 saloons and vans and probably 803cc Minors. The diffs are all interchangeable. The cylinder head casting is probably the best clue to the parentage, standard 1098s had 12G202 whereas the Spridget 1100 had the 12G295. The 14" wheels are a mystery, of the A series engines only the Minor had them fitted.
 
Guys, I'd already figured that since it's a twin carb, big crank, 1098 that it's a Sprite transplant. Yes, it should be a 295 head.
I guess I'll go measure the rear end width this weekend, to see if it's the wide one. If it is, I may know someone with an Elva Courier that could use it.
The 948 Sprites & Midgets ran a 4.22 gear as stock.
Jeff
 
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