Contemporary Crossflow builders

[Robin Marriott]

I wasn’t sure where to post this so apologies if it’s in the wrong place.

This might be a bit of a niche interest but I’m trying to build a complete list of Crossflow engine tuners, in particular ones who had their own rocker covers, a bit like this but for Crossflows - https://mk1-performance-conversions....er_covers.html

If you’ve got any pictures of crossflow engines in situ with a non standard rocker cover, I’d appreciate seeing them.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Robin Marriott

I wasn’t sure where to post this so apologies if it’s in the wrong place.

This might be a bit of a niche interest but I’m trying to build a complete list of Crossflow engine tuners, in particular ones who had their own rocker covers, a bit like this but for Crossflows - https://mk1-performance-conversions....er_covers.html

If you’ve got any pictures of crossflow engines in situ with a non standard rocker cover, I’d appreciate seeing them.

Hi Robin. I've no pictures unfortunately, but from memory I'm sure the crossflow & pre-crossflow rocker covers were the same?
If so, hopefully someone will have a picture of a Cosworth rocker cover. (I wonder how many people were sold a Cortina GT with a claimed Cosworth engine which in reality only had the rocker cover fitted?)

[Robin Marriott]

I think you’re right in pre-crossflow and crossflow ones, they certainly look the same.

Regarding the Cosworth one, there appears to be 2 types of those, I have pictures and will post them here later for prosperity, along with some others I’ve found.

What’s interesting to me is the fact that they exist at all, there’s no need for any of the tuners to have bothered making them.

[Robin Marriott]

Now I'm home I can post some pictures of what I've found so far -

[Robin Marriott]

The Burton one I think is modern rather than period

[Robin Marriott]

I particularly like the Ginetta and Elfin ones, they've got some good fonts going on

[Robin Marriott]

Not sure if the Lotus one is period, it doesn't seem right.

[Robin Marriott]

The Ford Racing one confuses me a bit, I can't see why an official Ford product would exist with that logo on for this engine, They didn't start using that logo until the 2000s and I can't see an application at the time for the crossflow/valencia in Ford backed motorsport.

[Robin Marriott]

There's quite a few Lotus/Caterham ones which are all variation of the same.

[Robin Marriott]

Final 4. The Ford lettered one is in a TVR, one of the few cars which used the engine but didn't disguise it with another rocker cover.

[Robin Marriott]

And that's it so far. I've heard rumours of one with ROWLANDS or ROWLAND on but can't find a picture and I think there's a Vegantune one but can only find images of the twin cam heads they made for the Kent blocks.

[Robin Marriott]

Found the Rowland one and several others while I was looking!

[Mike Harte]

Purely a guess, but could the oval Ford one be from a Formula Ford engine that may have been prepared by Boreham or possibly just created for an entry by a Ford dealership.

[Robin Marriott]

It’s a good question Mike and I’m not sure on the answer. I think by the time Ford Racing existed the cars were running 1.8 Zetec engines but them my ex boss raced a Spectrum 011 which I think was a 2008 or 2009 car with a crossflow. With that in mind you might be correct.

[GreenMachine]

Lol'd at the 'Lucas' one.

[Mike Harte]

I think that the Superspeed one is on a pre-crossflow, not that that makes much difference.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I think that the Superspeed one is on a pre-crossflow, not that that makes much difference.

Glad im not the only one that thought that.... I wasnt confident enough to point it out though, and went down the doesnt make much difference route.

I must confess that with the pics it has sparked a bit of a nostalgia trip of "I had one of them on engine x or y" or equally 'so and so' who I might have competed against had others.

Throwback to Happy Days

[Robin Marriott]

It’s definitely pre-crossflow but it was the only picture I’ve found and I’m counting it!

I found 7 more last night, here’s 6 of them, the first one is MASS, it’s not too clear unless you zoom in. I think the Throbnozzle one is very recent despite having an older look.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Robin Marriott

I think the Throbnozzle one is very recent despite having an older look.

Hi, Robin. If i'm correct, the one you named above is from a regular poster on here, Zefarelli. A french good mate just bought parts from John Wilcox. Could this help you? http://www.wilcoxengines.co.uk/xflow.htm

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Hi, Robin. If i'm correct, the one you named above is from a regular poster on here, Zefarelli. A french good mate just bought parts from John Wilcox. Could this help you? http://www.wilcoxengines.co.uk/xflow.htm

Blooming heck, Gérard, Joe's racing services went straight over my head; of course it's him.

And here's another one of his pre-crossflow rocker cover:


engine_bay_carbs.jpg

[Tel 911S]

Quite a bit of nostalgia here , so a bit of history .

Hollesley Bay , a small coastal village had a garage which started building racing engines . It was called HOLBAY Racing Engines .
Very successful in Formula ford , and most other things which used Ford engines .They also did the H120 engines for Rootes , [ as it was then ].
In about the 60s they moved to a unit on an industrial estate on the old Martlesham Heath airbase where they stayed for a long time until the death of John Read in [ I think ] the 90s when the company split up .

Very close to Holbay on Martlesham was a company called Scholar racing engines . They started of in an old School building , [ hence the name ].
They are still going but now work out of Mendlesham .

Both long time experts in building competition engines , especially Ford types .

[Robin Marriott]

I had no idea that either of those names were for those reasons, thanks for the info.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

Quite a bit of nostalgia here , so a bit of history.
Very close to Holbay on Martlesham was a company called Scholar racing engines . They started of in an old School building , [ hence the name ].
They are still going but now work out of Mendlesham .Both long time experts in building competition engines , especially Ford types .

Thanks you, Tel, good to read. I do remember Mike Bell having some engines refurbished/prep'd by Scholar Racing. (OT: just charged Idiocracy, great!).

[Gerard C]

Et voila, Mike. Sorry, I mean thank you, of course. Nowadays, you can have a bespoke writing on a rocker cover but as you say Robin, those are obviously modern ones.

[Robin Marriott]

Again, apologies for some of them being pre-crossflow but as you can imagine they’re not always easy to find pictures of so needs must.