World Leadership
1n GRAND PRIX RACING ENGINES
(Cooper Climax • Lotus Climax, ere.)
FORK LIFT TRUCKS · FIRE PUMPS
COVENTRY CLIMAX ENGINES LIMITED (DEPT. A) COVENTRY
CLUB ELITE
Dues $10.00 payable April
September 1973
P.O. Box 351
Ci arksvi 11 e, Tennesse:e, 37040.
(61 5) Office 648-1119
(615) home
Volume 3, Issue 6.
375-3355
Dear i"•embe r s;
This month we concentrate on the Coventry Climax engine which we all love or
loath, depending on whether we are running on four or three cylinders today.
With the help of Coventry Climax and our members, we have compiled a few
articles cocerning maintenance, racing and history of the engine.
h'hi]e at Doug Frazer 1 s engine works after Pocono this
year~
we spot1:ed the
tongt~~:
in cheek ad. used on our front cover.
This originally appeared in "Punch"
in the early 60 1 s.
Coventry Climax were very kind to supply us with an original,
l'lhl ch apparent] y came out of someone 1 s scrap book as it has been glued on the
reverse side.
This courtesy is always typical of the folks you deal with at
Coventry Climax.
You will note the very detailed letter to Tom Sargent
(who by the way writes that the Club letterhead will be completed before long)
from Mr. Geoffrey Densham.
Of particular interest is the seventh paragraph
mentioning how lightly worked the FWE is when fitted to an Elite. Club Elite
of Great Britain confirmed this a while back, noting that the Climax only nee~~
about 24 horse power when pushing the Elite at a constant 60 m.p.h.
One can always rely on a royal welcome at Coventry Climax when one mentions an
interest in the racirlg Climax engines~
Mr. Geoffrey Densham, Mr~ Ted Hewitt
and Mr. Syd Emerton are a 1 ways wil 1i ng to discuss the days ,.Jhen Coventry C1 i rna:'
ruled the racing world.
And Certainly the Elite had its share of the glory.
The article "The Fire Pump Engine that wins· Races" from Autocar, lOth August, 1 67
also sent to us by Tom Sargent, gives a good brief history of the Coventry
Climax engines. Remarkably, Barbara and I found Mr. Densahm can not only quote
the record at the end of this article from memory, but can expound on the problem'
encountered by many of the losers in the championship races.
Jn conversation with Mr~ Hewitt and Mr. Emerton, we discovered a rather interes~:
fact to Elite owners regarding engine numbering4 The numbers for the FWE engine
range as used in Elites started at FWE/15/7500 and proceededbFWE 400/41/10972 •<hie
'"as built October 1963. Of great interest to Elite owners is the middle pair or
thenumber grouping. A 15 indic~tes the engine was supplied by Climax with one
SU carburetor and a 41 indicates two carburetors. A few engines were prepare2 ••·
racing and wer~ d~noted by a 30~ A11 FWEts sold to Lotus left Clima~ with a
Stage one cam(except the few racing engines). Apparently Lotus installed the
Stage I! cam in Super 95 Models.
The Arti c 1e "The Coventry Climax Engi ne 11 repri nted by COLlrtesy of the Lc tus
West C1ub from
11
Stresscracks! 1 describes quite accur::::te]y the reasonin::: for the
FWE's existence. As mentioned the FWE is a conglomeration of FWA and~FWB parts
2nd the racing version has a few parts from the little 750 c.c. FWC engins, .,hjc;
v.·as half of the 1500 c.c .. V8 F-i engine, and which pov.,ered an ELeven to an ir,c::
of Performance Win at Le Mans in 1957, and powered an Elite in the 750 =~c. Cles~
at Le Mans in 1961. Mre Hewitt told us that only ~bout a dozen FWB exrerimente'
rocing engines were ever built 1 which were used by Cooper and Lotus between
1956 and 195'? in Fo,-;o~L\la 2.
1ne long stroke FWB cranks were all hand forged from BPN40 steftl and are
nep-existant today.
For this reason you will not find 2n FWB engine in
en Elite. Of interest is the fact that Fisher/Pierce Bearcat Company of
Mass. contracted with Climax to build several hundred special FWB engines
i' or use1n a motorboat outboard application.
The engine stands vertically
>~ith
the f1yvthee1 at the top9
The crank used here is a
11
tuftrided 11 iron
and ·only capable of 5500 r.p.m.
The engine has a few modifications that
might be applicable on an FWE though, as the exhaust valves are stellite
and a special rot~ting device is fitted on the valve spring. Consequently
burnt valves are rare. Also a lip seal is used on the rear of the crank
replacing the two sealing rings which Elite owners are familiar ;,ith.
But don't get excited about th~ possibility if r~placing those crank
sealing rinks with this lip seal before you read the Barry Brown ''Coventry
~":imax Engines 11 article ,~ent us by Club Member Noel Chandler of Miami.
In commenting on the preparation of an F1AE ;-1r. Brown states in regard :.o
the crank sealing rings 11 A.·sea1 that is set up properly will not leaL-. a drop
under any condition", and he describes quite extensively how the seal should
be set up.
So we hope the information found in these articles and the letters will be
of interes:; and benefit to Owners, Also for those of you who bought your
Elite in a basket (or who took the car down a couple of years ago and have
since lost the sequence cards) He included "How l built my Lotus Elite" an
article reprint .loaned by Doug Frazer.
Gregory Nolten writes on behalf of our North Calif chapter this month and we
are pleased to read that Bob Greenels Sanchez Andobe Art and Car Show was a
success although the numbers of Elites entered was a little disappointing.
l t \·IOUld seem amost impossible to gather more than 4 Elites in the U.S. at
any one timel
Both our previous annual Club Meets have had a total of 4 cars
present each time. l wonder what it would take to get 5 together. Our
response to last month's suggested locations of the Annual Heet 1>1as of no
consequence. Lime Rock, Greenfield Village anJ Harold Lancels Lotus ~arm
each received one vote. Therefore, l suppose Barbara and l will have to cast
the tie breaker later in the year.
The October ne~'lsletter wi 11 be coming to you from ,lim and Lorry Goodman of
Ellington, Conn. For a change, Barbara and I will look forward to receiving
a newsletter. Frankly l feel that if the Club is to =ontinue on a regular
basis !n its 4th year, we will have to have three or four volunteers such as
Lorry and Jim, next ye~r. ~o, please consider the possibility of taking
a month fn 1974 if at all possible. And certainly if you desire ~ur assistance
here, it will be readily available.
The November issue will be combined with
Decem~er as in the past and such celebrities as Allen GirdLer and Geoffrey
Griffith will be contributing. For the Eleven owners we will have the first oF
a e.•_,rfes of the Eleven chassis listings, prepared especially for us by Mr,
Hr. c~lin Fish of Lotus. This is similar to the Elite listing but much
clearer, and you will be quite surprized to read who bought some of the
Elevens. Al~o the interchangeable parts list will be expanded. So the
reading promises to be interesting and again we hope your enthusiasm will
be wetted to the extent of handling the letter one month during 1974,
such as Geoffrey Griffith
Larry
G~odman
and Dick Buckingham did in 1972 and Jim and
ar·! doing in October.
Best Wishes,
Barbara and Bill Hutton.
FOR.S~L'O
~r~~~~ed
Club
~lit~
~~~cia1
Christmas
Car~s
-
Desi]n~d
by a Cl•Jb Member
~;::--,;,o1-~-~ssi<;nal 1~-~- prin-c-edin Ci ~rksvi lie~
Package of 20 cards and envelo9es
~~~~~:
If this interests j0U, drop us a post ~ard i~~ediat~ly and ~1e
'·11 i ~ pursue the matter if inter~.st ~·:arrants ..
ss.oo&
~,d
Club Elite
s~eci31
:: i 1 tz l.,iorksho? !-lanuai .,
Available i1ow- Xeroxed copies of the
Seri~s
I l Lotus
$20*00 inci uding ~ostage ..
Club Elite, P.O. Box 351, Clarksville, Tennes~ee 37040.
#1284
[LIT~ PXEB 1~34- Seri~s ! l, Staqe I, 1962 L.H.O. B~M~C~
c1utr.:h..
rle··J r~ar :\onis ..
Sh21::' i1an Jal.
tr~de on street car considered4
1
~8cent
Y-=11ovJ \·lith b1ack
head work and
1r;t-~rior
$2300 or part
St'!H,qrt Reed, 602 Fairl::rook Road, Northville, 1·1ichigan 48.167. (313)956-5937 days
and (313) 349-4962
nights~
32 SPORTS CAR GRAPHIC late issue for sale- S15.00 including postage.
F~b~ Sept~ Dec~ 1966.
Jan-July
1967~ Jan,Apr.May,June,~ug,Sept,Oct ,Nov,Dec,
1969. All 1970.
January through final issue of June 1971.
Bi'll Hutton, P,O. Box 351, Clarksvil'le, Tennessee 37040.
W\NTED.
Lotus X! nose sec1:1on and SU dual intake manifolds for FHA engine as fitted on the
slant as in an Eleven.
Doug Frazer,
Beringer Way, Marblehead, Mass 01945 (617) 631-2500.
For Elite restoration project : Rear deck 1 id hinges'"
~iood steering l.·Jhee1,
4 branch Derrington exhaust 1 Dual SU intake manifolds w1~n or without carbs.
Also comments from members who have replace generator Hith alternator and
w~~ have installed oil coolers.
Don Galarneau, 7117, ti.Sel>~ard, Portland, Oregon, 97.?.17. (503) 289-2326.
Elit~-
Preferably Series I l, right hand drive with ZF, not too far from
San Francisco.
;~1
Barry A~ Swackhamer, 870 East Eamino Road, Apt~ 95, Mountain View 1 Calif 94041~
(lfl5) 964-5605.
Elit~
-RHO good condition~
p.,,. Briem, 5761.-;_ S2lma
Jeff~-2Y
Road~
SpringField, Ohio:- 45505,.
.•
TELEPHONE: COVENTRY 2848{
& SHIPPING: COVENTRY 87M2
TEL£GAAMS: PCliMAX COVEHTRY"TEt.eX
~!:~VICE
TElEX Ho. 31632
,8
WIOORINGTON ROAD WORKS
COVENTRY, CVI 4DX. ENGLAND
Our P..ef:- <J.I¥'JG
Mr..R. :&01:1113 Sargent,
18.5 Hall st, apt 1115.
Brookl,r.l N, Y. 1120!),
u.s.A.
llear
5th, "May' 1970.
sir.
We the.nk yea far your letter dated 29th A:pr:-il concerning one
i;;;rpe engir~s in a =r..otus- Elite~ ~ arii aa reg~ oil
eoN~umption, our inqlression gained. f.rom users of thi.a ear model ia tbat
a llOl:'llll\l o:U consumption after a few years use is about 500 milaa. per
qu3I'i; or 250 m:Ues per pint.
·
cf cur
F. w.E.
In O"..sea where the oil consumption is greater approe.ehing 300
miles per qu~~.rt, the uaua.l cause is failure ctf the"piston r~ to bed
in f'ul.l;y to the linera due to excessively gentle treat=t ctf the enginS
in its earl,y lif'e.
lly the time tho oar baa covered about 5,coo wl1ea the cy:.l.:in:l.er
Ut¥>ra will beccme glazed on the workil'.g surface. If the car baa 'been
cki"'.1"3n ao gently for running in purposes that :l.nsut'fioient lead has been
placed on the engine to bea the I'iJISil to the linera within this diatanco,
then the piston rings will not bed in acy t\u·tner anee the liners beo0118
glAzed.
This is the usual cauee of high oil oona1llllption with the 1 Elite•
oar uaea far road. duty and to avoid tr.ia condition it is beat for the eer
to be driven in its earJ,y lite with adeauate bu..."'Sts of acceleration on t'u1l
throttle fran ~ 2,000 rpm up to 5 1 000 -rpm to achieve Pedding in of the
piston rings.
When these engines have been used far aporia oar racing ~
rat.ain an entirely aatiafactor;r oil =t¢1Ption o;;ing to the harder ~ga
ill'ml'liliately at the beginning of their duty •
Continued
A
MEMBER
OF"
THE:
BRITISH
LEYLAND MOTOR
•••
•••
CORPORA'i"ION
•••
-2Con-tillua.tion
Or.J.'! reason why the F. W.E. type engine is not intended to have
a particularly low oil consumption ia -l;hat in view Of its deve:lppemant
from a fire pump eng~. it retains sane of i:ha features of t..l}e fire
PUJ!lP lllOd.el which has to start an! run at full pcwet' irmnedjatoly fi·m cold.
to conr the require~nt11 of emerg$ncy tire fighting. Thua with theee
e~a th$re is a somewhat generou.s suppl,y of oil to the val:ll'tt gelt:' and
all bearl.ngs, but this is no detriment wi.th an engine which is o:t'tan
used f1:1r ~titi® '!rork or epo:rts oar racillg.
You do not B1J3 ..mat items you have replaced during re-buildi!lg
ana poSl!libl,y you have replaced both the piatcns am liDeno
Should this be the caze then the engine should be given plenty of work to
do euch as the repeated e.ooeleration from 2.000 to 5,000 rpm. described
above in or-der to bed the rings into the J.illers. Mere gentle treatme.'lt
of the car for .rutllling in ;purpcaes. IOOkes it difficult with the 'Elite'
with its lightweight ana gocd a~ to put er..ough load on the
engille ana thus work it hard enough to achieve bedd:lng of the pistcn
ring~.
.
of the eng:inll
If' perhap11 new pistons IUld rings have been used without relleWL"lS
the cyliilder liners then new piston r-!...ngs will never bed into the old.
limra an! oil consumption v'-11 1-eJW.i.n high beea.i:tae of t..lul glazed ccx:ilitien
of th& existing cyJ'lriler llner1;s. It is possible to remo~ the g~d au..;f"ace
f'rotll the bore of the lil'!en by roughen.ing them with =r.r cloth so thAt
new pieton ril'lgs 1i'Ol.il.d then be able to bed into the :Dfi'W sur:f'aoe, but ideall,y
lW'!:r J,?iston rings shoulil be mated to new lir.ers.
This ellgine being intelllled onJ;y for duty on oarburettors with
induction, ,.,., have never oarri~d e:rr:r work out 'ldth 8'-;per clw.rgers and cannot offer aey advice. It would appear likely to raiao
ap_preciable problems and. perhap8 necessitate ll. epecial type ot ±i~l in
vl.mr of tilt: stamprd ~asion ratio of 10:1
·
·
a~.gphed.e
Yours t'aithf'ull,y,
COVENTRY C
' -
·"'nms
I.:!1!ITED
/~~
~ IJENSHAM,
~
Et<GDiE S.4..1ES }.lAJ.'fAGER
14EN00:3
l~!J., i:!?Yi$l.l.trt
Clillli!l\::t Ensin<a
i!l!l e;E~nerall.J kllown. thi!! covant:ry ClimAX aingl~~J overhead oauhatt
«>ns:LM .MI'ie;1Mted aa a unit d.@ll'lign<ad for driving a light'ii'e1ght, .tire·
AJj
fighting p~p. The ba~1e requ1r*m~nt~ tar this dut7, such as ability
to run tor long periods at high speeds demanded a d1reot-ocuplod centrifugal pump and the neceBr:~it7 for l1~ht-allor construction where
f~aAible, are obvioualr s1~1lar to tho8e epees aall!~d tor 1n a competition car engine. It war:~ !'leon ev1d~nt to those int&reated in the
latt~r application that her&~as ~ ~ngine tullJ capablG of being
adapt8d with little modification to the more e%aot1ng needs of a
variabl~ speed high power unit tor sports and c~etition cars.
Engineering Co. of Covent:rJ England is one of
the old!!i&t in the !llpttoiaUnd fi>:~ld of •nutacturing engine•. In .
1950, the Br1t1lllh Oove~nt reque111ted Climax to design and build a
prototJPe package ocn•1st1ng of a 35 hor8epower gasoline engine
coupled to a 'll'lll.ter pump, th6 whole unit to be encl~ed in a light
tubular f~ework. The pump oharaoteristiea de~ a speed of 3500
rpa and thti engine thu• begar1 - ~ with a clean •host ot paper.
Th~ OOTentr,-Cli~
Cli~ea t~chn1~l
direotor. Walter Ra111~on aas1gned a man n~wl7
imported troa B. R. M. to the proj~ct, Mr. Harry Mundaf• Tcgeth~r.
tht~IIIID ~~~~ d1recttl4 the layout~ eoMtNotion and tuting ot an eti:r.l;r
liMtW ponrplant.
Th~ pump lllpeci:fioatio:m~ on W4111ght · ( 3.'50 poond!i) .
~uirod al~inu. alloy whersv•r po~~1ble and it ~ qutckl1 d~oid$4
to build a tour OJ'l1nd~l:' 1nl1ne unit or only 61 oub1o inohea~ featuring
a eingl• overhead o~hatt. Pu~hrods and rocker a~ would have b•en
perteotlr 111at1•taotor:r for JSOO :!!'Plllt u~t ev•n at thi111 earl:r 111tage
·
the dellli8nera felt that th1111 very light engine might poae1bl;r hav• other
u.os for ~1ch apoeda of 6000 or even 1000 rpm would ~ neoess&rJ.
rurt~~~ors a puMhroi eng1n~.hae definite l1mitat1ons am to porting
beca·;Y:ih~ the pullhrod oleu~o~ hoblll mu!llt pilliUI through the c;rUnder
h~~ on one eid~ or the other. The SOHC 'ii'lll.!l not muon zo~ e%pena1ve,
illlpo,;;txt no 1~1t on revoluttonlli 5 ~d of oou:i:'llle illlowed aple UlUII
port~,, It does •nta1l a, weight peXl~Alt;y of po~~Ja:l.bl;r S lblli. 'l:m.t 1n tire
p~p lilerYioe ths &dvant~e of pe~~ntl;y adJullitllid tappet• 9 'ii'hioh ata7
put att•r aa long a5 • week of eont1nuou111 running 'II'&S considered
extremel7 ad~t~lliOU!Il.
•~ lliquare o;yl1~er 41m~n~~1ons were desirable And the original
c~rotal version had a bore and etrok111 or 2.75 x 2.625 inohe!ll.
~ter, 'ii'h111n it was dseided to build a 111porta car engine the d1·
!llentionD beeam~ 2.85 z 2.625 (1097 co) FWA. Th~ ).oo % 3.15 (1460 co)
d«~~81snated FWB and the :3.10 x 2.625 {1216 oo) designated FWE
follO'ii'od the initial de~ign. The type PWE engine wa8 developed atter
:~@
!find PWB • The idea bl!lh1nd th13 PWE W&m to get an e~1n• nearsr
1111 ep ot the 1300 co Grand Touring olaea.
The 1216
ongtn~ 1s a
o:rol!l~t~ bfiltften the 1100 &~nd the l.SOO co. Probleu With00th«~t ·0 1'1Ulk
&hart in th~ 1500 engine limited the rpa to leas than 6ooo
•
The 1216 engine used the 1100 crank and the 1500 bore tn a ~:·block.
rA
"The Fire Pump
Engine that
ins Races"
lay
P. WIND30Rw~U'f!ITH
Chit/ ewe~-.
D<mn/<1' ~Lui.
NDOU!ITEDLY
the
pabticity value cf ,.,..
<:<>sM
Gmld
Prix
~ ;. vet¥ hish ind«<< and
the """"' Cov<n!r)' Cinw: hu
!'Ut\11 round !he world w bec<l<!le alma" • ~
Tedmlcslly, 1 'l""tlid ""1 tlmt
•1"'1- from loorning the ""' of_
<I~ and ~ l!lgh per-
U
wro.
for-
-
~
we lumod tc
lliht
olley>.
'This llO\l.llll "" ood •~ate=t, bu: r
am stare that miuminium lilloyt
lake slot of~ ~lefor& JW
can opp!y them aucc<nfully.
The ~ raced in 1954
were fire pwnp uruu with very
!ow ~ti<ms and it is wortil
ccnsiderlns th"'"' ~. as ""
"' mony accuicou the fire pwnp
heritsge lt!ls been douw.!.
Firat. the fire pump engine,
type FW, wac ax~ id1l&nced de ..
clan even for '!hose days and hJ...
corpon:ted an o.luminium block
and hesd1 cMin-driven single
overhea.i Cf'..T.i:,'!'hnft, and was of
ahort·sfl'Oke design with &
capsclty of !,020 c.c. To make
the -">e ou.itable lor 1,100
C.'C:..d.aus opens car raci.lg a ated
~"<
"""' substituted for
the original cost iron one, the
be"' ~ed from 2·75 in. to
2·85 in. to give ~~ c.1:., ~
simt'ing new pi1atom; the com·
~""''""' ratio raised by moohin·
q the cylinder heed; aod ta.rger
vabu witlt •tronil"l' sprilJI!ll fit·
!<d. Twin SU osrburetton
"'ICft; used with a simple nJu ..
minium .,.,ifold and • distributor ouba!ltuted for the mqneto uaed "" the fire pump
e~ The bo<lri.'l!l ~~hello were
~ from white-mttll!·tiaed
10 ""P!>"t-leod indium fa>hed
type, the ail pump copsclty in........t and sump bal!les intro-
<i=d ro otop oil
A
to -
""'~"·
'"'""'"ful
1954 ""-"' led
interest wi!ilin the
"'""!>OI>Y and inewllilbl)l ~
~ llO<IIt plm<e for the 1!15'1
""""·''" A """' ~ wi<h
...,.
~
""'! •
~y
~ ~ rotio--new
!0 ttl l-bt:moted the oot!Y"t "'
75 b.h.p. at 6,000 r.p.tn.-<~!li!
witll&mlltitJi &JcibiUty ~f pGWU
spread over ttrt'l: rev-u.nge The
enidnea were also very cmtsiz.t·
ent ooe to rumtbtr an& all ~ve ·
the 75 b.h.p. ""l"ir<<l.
For Ill% the ~ pGW<r ll"'M"
continued nr.d • few l006ft•
atroke urutt, dilil~lllit«l FWlJ,
with botea i~~ by i jn.,
wf!ie made. These 1,400 c.t::.
rngim! were atill baaed on the
fire pump d-::sign end in fact
utifired me FWA cylinder head
of t!u: 1,460 c.c. engint. I re ...
memher one of the fitst outings
of thh engine when Mike: lhwth!..ll"tl gav~ it a !~hocking toming.
1rying tn ke1..1' up with the for ..
tun:ttc few who had ~
as raced the rm~vWus ye~r. The
output was now % b.h.p. at
61500 r.p.m, stiU on SU car~
,bwtttvn and with .un engino:
weiz!tinm • lilti< over the ZOO lb tn get their 1,460 c.c. ~.A':3.
'roark.
.. I 'lmuld •dd thaltlw efll!lne •ur·
vivcd-for that uce at lea:u:~
To eopG with the demand for
this engine a 1,2.16 c.c. version Thls. 1,216 ex. enghv:, the
was. imrOO~ which enabled u~ l:WE. was used later in lh\3
Low' Elite, badeally in $ingir:
to u~ the oris,inat t,!OO c.c.
cmnkehm!t but the bigg~r bor!o! cnrburettor form, whco.n it gave
70 b.h.p.
Much uf the ro.Mr:ar de~
velupment of tbit ene,ine was
done by putting it in an MG
Magnene ZA btl.ioon which
proved to be quite $. Q-<3r.
With u maximum 2-peed of over
100 m.p.h. and u acceleration
of o to 50 in to sec it proved
more thaa a match for moo.: an
of that en.
When we fitted me engine the
uniu were weighed and Ute
!,.!16 c.c. Coventty Clilll!l>: <n·
gine was found ro be cuctly
one
hundredweight
iigirtu
than the 1,500 c.c. ~ine it A""
pl:l<OO. To be eltl<Ol, the 100
m.p.h.
perf""""'""'
w&>
acltievcd with a tvM ~hA.ttet·
tor verolon · of tho Cllline bu:
using !he original fire PtrJ.l>!>
""""'tu.ft which, with no iW
clermer, s~~ r:tc.: P,'ft- U
b.h.p. I tried te IV~ ...lmn:ttor ~ """~ - .
i
~.
'
T H E COVENTRY C LI MAX t 220 c.c. FEATHERWEiGH T
AUTOMOTIVE ENG INE TY?E FW f:.
DIME NS IONS
PC WE R
C U.R V E
SPECI F ICATIO N
o: cylinders :
Bore a Stroke:
No.
...
~
..... 3.00 ~ X 2.625..
(76.2mm x 66.6mm)
Capadty:
_ 7·4.25 cu.lns. 1220 c.c..
M~x . B.H.P.:
.... 90 @ 6,800 r.p.m.
Max. Torque:
.... 82 @ .f,900 r.p.m.
Compreulon nt.lo~ ... 10 : 1
C2rburettors:
..... Twin S.U.
W eight (dry) :
.... 215 lb.
'(97-73 kgm.)
with electrical equipment and carburettors
Fuel:
..... Pr~mium Grade.
NOTE- Also supplied In de-tune<! form with
Calt Iron Cylinder Bleck. 0\-!talb supplied on
requ<!~t.
Spt:tlficatlon and design subj~t to variation
without notice.
. ,... I~++IT; 1-'--4-' ,.i
+
10
COVENTRY CLIMAX ENGINES liMITED
COVEN!RY
ka/, H.. O ,IJeS.
Te!ephono ~ Co!!. 62601
THE COVENTRY CLiMAX 1097 c.c. FEATHERWEIGHT
AUTOMOTIVE ENGlNE TYPE FWA
Dlt-iENSIONS
,-":;·-:.·.
P 0 WE R
CURVE
S P E C I F I C .A T i 0 N
~.
of ejlinders:
... 4
Bore & Stroke :
..... 2.850.. x 2.615"'
(nAmm x 66.6rnm)
Capacity:
_67cu.lns. 1097c.c.
M;ax. B.H.P. :
-··· 8-i @ 6,900 r.p.m.
Max. Torque:
,_ 71 (t.f !o. @ 5,000 r.p.m.
Compre$Sion ratio: .. 9.8 : 1
Carburettcrs:
..... Twin S.U.
We!~ht
-~.115
{dry):
Fuel:
Sp«ific:~tlon
wit~t
lb.
r;1·n kgm.)
with electrical C!q\lip.
ment and c:arbureuon
__ Premium Grade.
and deslan subject to variation
notke.
COVENT:tY CLIMAX ENGINES UMIUO
i·p~: tov. 62607
COVENTRY
,r!Mo4 •• '--'-'
:-~~ ;,:/·::.. _...... <·~:·· ,, '<: . :·.<:·;:~·-.:.··"/)'?~-. ,~. ;_ .
.
~~!.:t~t:.Wlt't:~fu!h)!"'t'~4-:.... ~~---- .....- .... ··.-~1958 Argentine G.P.-First-ever Coventry Clinwx Formula I Grand PriK vlaory. Stirling Moss
COVENTRY CLIMAX
vvouid give me 30 m.:p.g., but
d.riveu ~u a " fun" car it would
always fall just short at 28 to
29 m.p.g.
The FW series
should oot be left without men~
1ion of the shortkstroke 744 c.c.,
type FWC. which won the index of Performance at Le Pt/- am
in 1957.
Pa.raU~l to the developm.t:nt
and rncing of f1re pump engines
a design had been laid down for
a Z!~litre ve:e-8 engine which
might be considered as an inversion of the pht!lse and desig~
nated 4' the racing engine that
drives n fire pump}' The
thought was undoubtedly to
make an engine for the then~
existing 2t-Htre Grand Prix
formula and utilize such an
engine for a high perfor:rumce
lightweight fire pump. Although
this. engine did not Set into n
car until many years later under
the present 3-litre fonnu!a~ end
then in non·works-supported,
undeveloped fonrr) it neverthe~
les:>o fcnn«t the basis on which
much of our knowledge of the
tuning ·of high performance engines was .acquired~ snd it
taught w the lesson ro keep
thing!i ~implc.
1 remember the frustration
fell OV!!r the time it took to
::.trip nod rebuild that engine.
D~igMted the type FPE, this
engine Will~ developed on akohol-based fuel:> and used SU
fuel injection equipment that
wai very similar to the cypc
used on aircraft engines. It developed 260 b.h.p. at 8*000
r .p.m., a figure I ttm sure would
have made the engine competitive with the Ferrari and
Masers.u enbrines being rar:.e-d at
that time.
PIOOCGP Cnnnaught
It b mteresting to note that
Connuught btlllt a cnr to iake
this engine, placed behind th~
driver, some years before this
arrangement became generally
ao:epted as "the thing."
Analy'@.!a of all lntornatlon4'J.i Fornmht 1 Rtc.tJ.Ing-Tha
Top "ten Engines up to Ua~.ta
(2~/itre
Cooper.)
A four cylinder 1!-litre
e-ngine, the type FPF. WU!'. next
dt:velo~d.
Thh• utilized JA
cylir..der head from the 21-litr.e
vee-8 which had a "'ignifican£
cff~t on future eventl>.
'l11c
disunce between <.:ylinder~ in
each hank of a vee~B engine is
oi n~ess!ty more spread, due to
rhe sid~:-by-sidc connectin_s rod~;
on a common crankpin, than
they would be if dt!signing from
acratch a four-cylinde-r engine.
The use) therdore, oi the \'C;!~8
cylinder head made the four~
cylinder engine long,.:t· than
!.trktly neccs~ary, buc when we
eventually opened the capacity
up in successive ~tagcs-from 1t
to 2 tirres, to 2.2 litrcs 1 to 2.5
and finnlly, for Indianapolis, to
2.7 litres-the extra room to
manoeuvre the de;<;ign was a
boon.
Reverting tu the H-litre edition of the FPF, we worked
furiously to get an l:!ngine: to
each uf the major 'cams in 1:imc
for the 1957 Easter Goodwood
meeting and it!> first appearance,
only 1o be bcatt>n in the race
by a Rob Walker-cn1ereJ <:ar
which had a wcll-Umt~<i " fire
pump'' l."nginc-rhc single camshaft FWB! There was much
muttering after that race from
red-faced driver-:; ubout "ruddy
twin camshaft engines and all the
power at the top cod, etc." In
fact the <:ngine w:u; giving: HR
b.h.p. as against the repurcd
l!2 b.h.p. of Walker', FWB
t'ngine, and thi:, FPF went on to
win rhree !>UCcc-,-,iv<! formula 2
champi\)nships.
'I1t.e 2~1irre vJ:n.i•m re-kindled
enthusiasm at CJwntry Clln'\.aX
when it won tht" 1958 Grund
Prix of Argendna in a ('..ooper
car owned by Rob Walker and
driven by Stirling Moss. A
2-2-litre version was !lOOn
produced> r.nd subcequendy
by
f:tirly · considerable
re~
design a fuH 2·5-litre engine
for the then er.lstL'1g 2.5-Jitre
formula l. 1ni:; engine was
used by C'..ooper .1nd Jack Bro.b-
ham to win the Drivers' World
Championship in bo:h 1959 and
1960, and subsequently became
highly succl.!ssful ell over the
wo:r1d 1 norab1y in the Tasman
series. Since its Indianapolis
d6but, the 2.7~litr~: unit has
gained a similarly fine reputation and----even in 1967-Bob
Anderson's BrabhAm is ~till
picking up Championship p-oints
in the current G.P. formula!
Now Engine Nol)d1Ul
:Formula l for l%1 changed
1! liucs' C!!pacicy, unsuper~
charged, and, while the first
year saw the use by BR.M,
Lotus and Cooper of tht: Coventry Climax four-cylinder FPF
{Mk. 2) engi.fre, a new power·
to
unir was obviously required.
Again a series of fortuitous
events led to the design and
bui!d-up of the H-lirrr:: vee-8
engine, type FWMV, that was
to win 22 Grands Prix in four
seasons-19 of thet>e being
;pined by jim Clark (Loruo).
Briefly, a small 650 c.c. engine
(later increased to 742 c.c.) had
been designed nnd built for fire~
pump use a year or two previously, and this was ,,dditionatly
aimed at an outboard motor
application (type FWM). Thill
engine has, in fact, sua-,pkmcnted the earlier FW cngiul!
for fire pump applications. The
742 c.c. four-cylinder siuglecamshaft version was first rJced
at Le Mnns in 1958 and subsequently a double-camshaft head
w.ns developed; the vec::-8 Hlitre was clos-ely related in
ing: ret:ord. The consternation
exprea>ed by the Ferrari team,
.seconds after we had clicked
our watches~ waz -one of those
momenta in moror racing I
shsU never forget.
The PWMV engine was
ili::veiopr.d f(.)r; the 1962 searon
to give 196 b.h.p., .and the :sub$l!Qmmt fou.r-v:dve venion gave
up to 220 b.h.p., still from li
iitrc.1. Still with the fire pump
application in rnind we de~igned
at th: same- time a :Jingle...overhead-<:nnuhoft-per-banJ; 1,600
c.c. vee..S engine. Both this
and th>: twin can:mhaft per bank
rBcing engine \vere subsequently
opened out to 2 litrcs, t.~e twin
camshaft version giving 244
b.h.p.-suffidem to give jim
C'Jarlt'!!. Lotus a new lap record
at as recent a rnce as thia year•,
Monaco G.P.!
The last of the !le;rks of rae~
ing engines was. a l !-litre flat~
16 designed to try to k.cep
Grcrn Bri-min's karl in thi!!
mmt competitive of Sp()rt~. AU
our knowledge and experience
weau iJUG thin er..gine to u:y to.
make it not only a world beater
FPF 2i-lltre 4--qlinder-G.P. World Champiomhip winner in 1?59' and
19611; 240 b.ll.p. at 6,75(j r.p.m.
tl:.r tmqine
'f, ••
fJJOUld not start • ~ •"
but~
in spite
a(
itc multiplicity
of pru:to, an en~ !hot could be
strippt:d and rebuilt ro auit a
racing programme and be com....
petitive in we.ight. Lotua built
n car to take the engine wblclt
wa1 de.t~igned to form a stresaed
member of the car and ted~
weight nit of the engiruHodriver bulkhead; today'll- LotusCosworth Grand PrO\ earn are
constructed in thiv. ll'l.!Uml!1'.
Succ.es3 of the foo.r~wlve
vee-8 in the 1965 World Ch•mpions.hip, with the deci!!ioo to
cot~.ae our racing activities, apclt
the end of the fu>t-16. We
regularly ran it on the test
bench to 12,000 r.p.m.. and there
ia no doubt that~ supert'.hft!ied
or exhaust rurbo-chuged~ we
could have aimed at a Utrget ci
600 b.h.p. The •ir<ht •.nd sound
of thin engine, b!Qwn and. running tn 13,000 r.p.m., is some·
thing we ma.y neYer aperienoe
-but wha~ 11 lovely thought to
end witlt!
II
FWAW 11;-liue vee..S t:ngiM. World Champioruhip wlnnu of 1961
and 196!'
PWMP (742 c.c.)-PNM engl;re ill fire-pump (llfm. }..5() gat p.~r minute
Fir!l~
outp'lt. Abo produced in diesel (FWMDP) form.
engine in 1958
design to thi5 twin carmhaft
and 176 b.h.p. .,...,
developed for the ftrnt seuoo.
After succ~~Jiful testing io a
car at Silven;t:one we aU set elf
f<>t me Geona,-. Gnnd Prix •t
the NiirbUI'(lring. '!'he poddock
there is a large >1'1""-fu>gged
oren with loci;·up t}'Jl< g;uogeo
nll round, and the unloading ot
the. tim vee~8 engined car
caused the biggest cameraclicking: setaion I have ever
seen. HO"WCVer1 worne was ro
rome; the engine: would not
stan. Eventually we fnund the
trouble; a mechanic, no OOubt
givitli all the outs a last run
overl lutd £Wcrtighten...~ the distributor securing clamp and the
obaft h•d ocized and theared
the drive pin.
A sve<JaUy •»owed cady
morning teat aesaioo with ®ly
Ferrari und Cooper participat..
ing and the circuit YirtuaUy
d.e!erted, enabled Jock llmblwm
to do a lap well inside the exist ..
e~
COVENTRY CLIMAX 11\1 WORLD
-
~trr Cillll4t \
f\.IUf.
y-..-,u
CHAMPION~HIP
FWMV voa-8
~,.,...._,,,:.f' .. tl»n!.<! t"vlo:
RACI!:fl
""'
FPF 4-cyUndor
---,
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used a! racine
I
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c.~n~J
llrablwn 1111
4o
Pmui
14
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Jiln Cl.&r!l (l.<>\<lll)
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ilt races with oil~ovcred CHrnm£ ctl·
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c~tt'ty ~ e~tgut~
-Arll<lo by
\.nVEl'\TIW CUMAX is Rn uJtraconsetV'.J.·
Hve industrial roncem that spedalizes
in the manufadure of Hft tsucks; L'w
l:cot in the world, they say. On Widd·
ringlnn Road in Coventry, romething
else gne-~'i on: the manufacture of eightcy1ind~r Formuia One engines and
four-cylinder single-and twin-eam en·
gines, of all sizes and applicatiorlll.
The.w engines bear the imprint of Lady
Godiva, riding nude through the streelll
of Coventry. TI1e same comervatism
( ?) applies to their mcln~ engiiW! that
is evident in the rest of. tneir producl$;
we lmve learned, however, 'to take
factory advice with Lady Godiva in
gines, it is probably because they use
too much clearance. After trying them
all we like seven-thousandths the best,·
because it gives a good seal and keeps
the oil consumption at a .n!Asonable
level .. Knurll7.e the pist01fs apprmdm:llely half the gougfi 'si7.e. 1-"or in· .
~tnn~. hone until yOu_·- can tL.re an
elght-thousondth• gouge M de.>eribed.
Then knurl two thousandths on each
a..,., K. !rowft
remain so unless the block ha.' been
damaged very hadly. We :;omctimes
have to slart them out with a disc that
hilS been cut to fit the in.•ide di~me!et
and overhtp slightly.
The pistons rarely wear uul. If the
land clearance with n ring il'.stalled is
alright and the thrust
is not too
badly worn, you can ,..,.,.., therp. Alwnys test the deamnce in a new liner
before making your deci>ion. If there
are no recess<!!~ in the piston head lo
dear the vnlves, as specified in the
r.,
m:an~l, Ue s:ure to cut them. You may
also c-Jt the continuation nf the groove
into the side of the liner with n little
grinder. The pistons may be '"""""sed
mind.
The .<ingle-<:am FW series of engines
by making a valve into ll cutter and
h-P-"' been r-: f~H .. .mg r.--.agr:LJ::..cc::tJy fur . · t::W..g t.~ v~h-c g-uicl~ ;s a pilvt. Plllc-e
years in a multitude oi mt~rquu. The
the piston at TDC, put the Valve in the
II OOcc da~ would not exist but fur
he-ail ami the head owr the studs.
the FWA." The 1220cc FWE p<>Wet$
Turn the e><fJOS<'<l end of the valve in
the Elite and many other rond autoa drill while holding the l1ead down.
mobile•·• The limited series FWB.
If you are careful not to go too deep
1480<:c., was avniL1ble at one time, and
or to damage the valve seat, yon can
conld probablv still be obtained. Thi•
duplicate the work of a milling maenghe wos not too sncce<sful for iac·
chine with this homt•mnde jig.
"Mike"' the liners car~fullv for barrel,
ing l>e<.-au"" of the stringent rpm
limits impo.sed UJ'O" it, hut within itn
ns specified in the manual: If they ""'
true ynu can cnntinu4! to use them.
rar.g" il has wonilerful torque characteri>tico nnd wouhl be fine on the road.
Just hooo to remove tl•e varnish, and
We :~rc primarily concerned with the
check the piston clearance to make
sure it is satisfactorv. We tued the
FWA nnd FWE engines, the only dif·
same Hncr:; and pist;>ns For two sea~
fercnc-c between them being that the
FWE hns a three-inch bore and the
SOllS, and onJy at the VC!)" end did We
l"W A ;, 2.85-inch bore. If you change
hcgin to use oil and get e:<ccssive hMre1.
Hone the lineN until vou can insert
liners ;md piston, in the recent types
the piston upside dow~ into the 1iner
the transformation is complete.
with a four-thous.1ndths gauge next
M11nuab are available that will an·
to the thmst face. You •honld be able
:'I:We"f a1moot every question. Unfortnnto just pull the gauge out while hold·
ntelv they are very much outdated, a.•
ing the piston in the hole. Knurl the
is th~ factory parts list. We will trv
thmst faces one thousandth each. This
to fill in the gaps to the present; with
serves to retain oil in the bore, control
an engine before you and the manual
exCes.<ive slap and reduce friction. The
in your hand, everything will bt'come
quite clear.
above procedure will suffice for an en·
gine used on the road. The oil con·
TIIC block i! a Brancusi-type alusumption should be excellent. For me·
minum c-o~sting that can be easily reing follow tr.e same procedure, but
paired in the <"Vent of overoptimism
use· o thicker gauge. We like to mrt
about rpm. Heliarc bas worked
with o six-thousandth:! gauge, and work
wonderfully many times for us; be sure
up to ten as the linen and pl!tmu wear
to choose an ~. not the little mo.n
out. The lcooe< the engine the better,
on the corner with a Hell outfit. The
up to a p<>int. When you notice fellows
dry liners
a muual fit, and should
=
thmst face of the ,pist01l11. Totnl knurl
is four thousandth•, , still giving four
thm13andth.< cle-•ra..,e. This wili give
you n very loose "engine thnt will not
hum too much· oil, ~~:nd· you wil,l. still
have a. nice s.ifety margin. Use the
larg...t ring-gap ,<pedficalion in the
manual,. and _check al1 rin!TS in. the
liners into which thev wiill>e fitted.
Make sure that the llnmpmject from
the block one or two thousandths.
Place a one-thomamltm ·gauge on. the
blotlc next to the lin<'l", nnd run your
· ~mil from one to the otoo; there should
be no level cha.nge,·to catch ymn nail.
Cut shims from· one·thou.'l<mdtho stock
to the proper .circular shape, and pla<'tl
them under the posi\lo~ing ledge of
the· liner, so. that tl>e"liners project at
least ·~ thotl3nndih. No more tlw1 ·
two· thciusaOdth.... l>rojection l$ desir·
nbje~
·and aii Jin'Cr.f-shol!M. profe<.-t up-
proximately, the ,..me amount. ·
These engines have. n]loy main bear-·
in" caps. Earlier engines have a weaker
tyP,e, but ours have never given us n.ny
trouble. Do not. change the caps and
reline bore just to """ the Jatdt ,
strengthened type. A5 long /10" there is ; ·.
no indication of faUure leave the old
type in. If you convert to f220cc, and,
you expect, to use; the engine hard; ;
you must naturally .lise the stronger .
bottom end. The new FW engjnes a"'-'
coming through with this bottom entl :anywny, so look before you leap. Line~
horing the<e assemblie.•, as specified in
the manual, is a critical operation arul
ml!St )Je expertly done; we know of .
only one shop that vie trust. Have the
machinist bore \o tl)e .smallest specifi·
cation.
It i• in the nature,· of alloy blocks
nnd caps to increru.e clenrance con·
siderahlv when the engine gets hot.
be rat.hersiidden and, <:Oupled .
This
with.thinning of the. oi1, can ca~e you :
quite a shock. You can be running at :
6,500 rpm and have ~5 .r.ounds; in- .
<'!"ease to 7,200 rpm and the pressure
will quickly drop to. 45. If everything,
is perfect this will not happen, so you
must make sure that your engine has:-,
the minimum opeciBecl main 1>-..aring ·
clearan<:e.lfthe clearance i• any higher
you can expect thls di.1wll<l!aling drop .
can
SPOUS CA.-,
;·;
wiwu yuu are tryin14 h;~rd. After n fc\v
··. :mc<~s you ·mas. hoiVe-·on1y _40 ·pol.hids
\\~~·11 ynu .an• pn~hing. A tchuiJd will
· smm he ht':t·c·ss;~_ry; either thnt or a h.t:\R
kcr!•.Sotll~ fdfcl\\:s. ~tn-.poli~hcd cmnks
tlmt haw.,sl~"h!lv1 greater. thnnmorm;tl
deo.mtm·<'!i.- \~·~ .<fn11nt like .this; a.t len~t
nnt- on tiw l_n;.1in. hearings. The 40
pouud.-. th~tt results is too c.·1ose to the
('_ncl (~f_
roiul fnr c~mfort.
nw
. \Vt! hy to hnve the-crank:'i ~t up so
that thf' main: hearing deamnce.-is one
thousandth. :md--th~. con rod clearance
is t.wu and a_ half thous<\n{lths. AJwavs
chC<'k · ~arl'fnlly _-.with ''Plastigaug.i...
Hatlwr-than: grind the crankshafts we
hnve them . \velded, · regrmind and
poli•hed tn theo·.finnl specifications al
found ill the ma:nu.·d~- This is done hv
!l1e Cnmkshnft Company in Califoml~.
Jt·mo.ty ~ound :oiilly~·but such:attention
to the jnnmri'ls .. resnlts in a season's
. raciug withnut ·having to .chringe the
hmri"l''· We ·have :just completed n
~€'ason -,vith ·:·the·-~n-~ine .ap~r· every
other- n.we hcrnnsc -.we d1d· not heecl
our own advicP, If vnn do not feel Jike
;welding. ynU ·c.in ..go .under:d;ee a.,- far
as .yml 1lan• and h01Ve the crank poJ...
ished tn the. ~mdeti<ize sped66ntions.
Bcarin,.;s are ·;\Vniln.ble --.from two
thousan~1ths' tn·, furtv thoUsandths un~
dersize. ·Mak" sure 'that the .llnal·pol·
i<hiri~ r<-sults itUhe.crank l5e!ng nt the
·upper .end of tlte tolemrn:e; Beware of
,hearhl~s made. for -~he fire ·pump ver."ihm of this engine. '.,ince the:;e nrc not
of tlw \'rnper ma!~al; the •uffix letter
nft<'r I 1r \"nndervell part number is
iu.rt·ntl of "L: Make <lire that
whitkvPr you put into the-engine is o
fat·tory pa~·t Sp<><'Hi-c·d for raciri~~ ·
·. .~h<·,,~, remnv~ oll oil gullety' pluh"'
' an<l han- thP hlr'<·k steam cleaned. 11>c
nil !(allnY ami tl1C palisages should he
c•xarni11f'1\ ·c:trdtdly: and ·tnnde immnc·
· u1at'-'·
•
·:o-r
. .. A C..'crt;1i1.1. :l~wtmt, ~£ gn11i';lg inside
tJ.l'-" oil pump _is !1Prt:nn11Jecnu~. it has
.sh'el ge-.al'.'i_ nm_J,lji_lg._,in an aHoy .cnsting.
.Alwa~s di~a~"!•t:~~1e .the pr~uie relt".asf' valv<' and.,check fnr· valVe free--
·.,.dom aniJ .. s1~rii_1~- ..itmsiOn.. ~JRrk :the
g(~.m~ ar.d t.rv to. wassc:-mb1e 'them in
.tlie soltllf w·a~·-the\·.(.-ame.ont, with the
. •arne tt•t·ih engag\~·g. \j/hen you replat't' th~ pul"p...on the l1locl< do so
";th it disass~r'(>hle<l. In.sert the. pump
driv~ shaft ii>,!nJhe blQCk rind plnce the
pump hody in po<iti~ qver it.· Install
the two. nul:<'· flnger'tight; ·The· drive
gear fits onto·the 'ohaft with lhe other
gE?ar h<-!\id<> ·it. "POur some· oil into tht..,.pump. Pin<"' the cover oVer the gears
•·t-nrefullv nnd install the nuts linger. '':t!ght. Tnm the pump .!rive by hand,
:tu~d- ali~n the bmly nnd the cover t.iii•
til then~_ is t."ftmp!etdy· frt..'t' muvr.mcnt
of the shaft. Grach!nllv ii~htcn the
two nub that huld th(• hil:se to ...tlw
block. TighttnJ· tlw- fuur to()Vt..'t' nuts to
10 fr..ot-r-mn(h,' gnuhu~Hy- nnd ·evenly.
Th~ slmft .should turn frf'~ly: if it doe:t
not, repent tht• prl'Vinu.~ !;ft~ps until
it does.
'
The shnft t.•an lx• n•movt'tl und reinstalled nftcr the jatbhaft i.< in. In·
thb way ynn <.•tm ntljH:it the pn.<iiHon of
the shaft tn suit th(! tli1>1ributor posi·
tinn thnt ynu d~sin.•. Jt is cert.tinlv not
neces!i:at)' to foHow thr f:l<.inrY rt.:<:tnn·
mendatiim, After a hit of t'XJ}critn('Ut·
·ing you can p.nsitiou the shaft so that
the spark plug l(•ad:4 nre shurt and the
low·t:m:;inn lt>:td i;o nnt s}l(lrting tlgainst
the engine. Tightt'1t the .'iump holts to
15 foot-pountts, and {'OHiimu, to do so
until you get <:onst1u1t rl:'<ldiug.~ on the
torc1ue Y..Tench.
!f you hav<' an t•ugiu~ with a fiber
timing ge~r. think twit.-e uhnut reinstall·
ing it. Originally tlu~ gt•ars \\"t'rc \t~ed
hecausc they Wl'r~ 'JIIi<'t. W•· had one
fnil, resulting in d~ht la~nt valves
and ·a hcurt ~llllt·k. 11"' factory te·
placed th;. with a ,.,,.t iron nm•: ;nul
steel one~Fart• l'\lfT('Htlv av;\i)ahlt•. llt:'gardless nf what U!«• tl;P t•ughw i?i pnt.
the ,;tecl b~:tr is ~ood. frir ~et- Of
mind. Rep Ia('{• tlot• kt-ys th.,t line· op · ·
the timing !!:<:'ttr nnd tfw <.·hoJin drive..
•pn><>kct on th!> jat·k,].,ft. Do !h!• "-'
often"' the,en~itw is upart; tlw•~ k~"'
bend nn<l ~"'"'' limitoR chnnj.!<'<. Chain
tensioners break, :o~n if \'Ours lnnks
worn rt>placl' it; it i"i clu ..;p \ttl\'e in·
!Ui;,tn<"t~. }"onJ\11'·on tlw front t'U\'1'1' sim~
. ilarly to th<' sump. The :'iPttl rnrely
leaks, nnd •lumltllx- t·hnn~<'l '"'"'if it
has ],...,, leaking.
·
EVf!ry timr- tht• f'nghw is reas!iembled. horrnw a dio.ll ~01 uge >lml
d•tck top clcncl t•o•nlo>r. &·rilw ,, mark
on the timing ('ti\-Tr nu<t a t'Ofr('Spi)IHl·
ing m;uk on tlu• front pnllrY. Scribe
two marks tlm''' sixto•..ntlL< of no inc•h
npart on the periplwry of th& front
pulley. These will imli<·nlr. five nnd ten
degrees of cmnksh;~ft rotation for pur::poses of: setting spnrk advance in the
field.
We hnvt• hc..~·n tt'iia~ Amcrkm 1 hich
quality seo\led hall h(•nrings in the pil~t.
· ·
· D 1'fferent transmiSSIU!Hi
rt'qHire dif~
fcrent inside dinwn,inn• of the hearing, hut they nll un· ;!,.. "'""" O.D. If
necessarv h:n"t" 11 "h"M''" fitted to the
flmt ·"'"ii<m •lmft that is n tight sliding fit inside n t'fnn-..niconcJy..sizcd hearing. These lwaring< la•t indoRnitely
and are rt.'1>tlily av•>lahlt• •t any L1 rge
beating house. 111e ring gear is n
stnndard item nt any fur~i~n car dealer
that stock; BMC fWI•. R<•iac;, tl-.e
dukh with Ruscn Fused Fahric.onlv.
Our dulche:i are ;ehuHt by an expert;
we have had many ruined by the runof-the-mill .. rehnikler. TI1e clutch .on
these erlgines is nsoaHy marginal l--,ecan!ie n 1a•ger di:uneter dutch will not
!itand the rpm p..~Ssible. Only the finest
work and the heaviest springs possible
will permit trouble-fren operation.
Tor<JUe the flywheel hnlls to :J5 footpounds, nnd the dutch bolts to 30 foot·
pound3.
The rl'ar li:C""rll is one ~)f the most d!f·
ficult places on tlw engine. Some of
the best Climax en~ir-w5 in the cnuntry
leak there hec:tuse the mechanic doe&·
not nnder:stancl how to set up the s~l.
Originally there V.'nS no ~~. al at the rear.
"hut the fac~ory found that oil wn..'t
forced out onto-the clntch at high tpm.
They cut two grooves into the sctoU on
the crank und put piston rings into the·
. grooves. These rings crnep around in·
side a senHng ring on the backing p1at~.
Some engine; have the factory·:iup-pli<>d steel hacking plate. nnd some
have the buHdf!l"~supplied nluminum
one. This i• detennined hy the mak..of \he car into which the l'ngine g~.
&1ch plate is individually fitted to f?';K'h
engine nnd gearbo:t rombinatiDn.
in:<thdl. dle' uaukil"Mfi: wid'-a~ ;lit:
: rirrgs. ApP~,;· the bo<:l<ing plat<!, antl
pnt most of the holt.s_on.flrmly hut not
too tightly. ln:<ert a feeler gauge hetwe<"n the sealing ring and tl"' cnu'.\;
'CrolL Strike the backill!;•Plate lightl:·
with n hammer in the direCtion indi·
cated unti1 the dt>..a.rnnce bem·een the .
:>cro11 nnd thf" ting is uniform every·
where; that is. until 'the ring is con ..
centric with the ""roll. We ·find that
mo>t m1gines will ultimately take a
seven-thousandths feeler. and 1he feeler
wiU slide all around with a very 1ight
pull at all points. l! there is a c!ore
~pot it will stop the gauge; hit the plate
on the opposite •ide. The hole.• that
mount the plate are naturally drilled a
bit oversize. •o that this can be don<>.
Once the pL,te is properly located•
tighten the nuts evenh· to 15 foot·
pounds. The four. smail nuts on the
water passage are done to 10 footpounds each. Check the clen.rnnce
again, and then drill two small dowel~
locatin!!
·· holes in convenient
Study the block carefully before oing
this to insure that you do not drill clear
through some critical spot. Tiwse clow·
els will locate the plate in pGSition pet'·
manent1y. Naturally, all recent engines
have had this done to them at the foetory. You will have to duplicate the
:£:·
above procedure and relocate the dowels to a convenient .spot if you reiine
tl-.., bore or li you replace the """ling
ri11g,. Also. if the r.:rankfihaft is cnreJes~ly
Around ynu may hove to do this. 1f you
do have· a scored sealing ring:. yon can
n.1Jiacc it very nicely using American~ize rivets.
Failure to check this important fit
t·ach Hrm.~ the engine is apart is to invite trouhlerome leaks. There 3hould
be no !iig:n nf brrooving on the sea..Jing
ring. TI1e_ side clearance of the rings:
in th" crank should be checked. and if
y(fu hav~ the nld-type ring:t replace
· them with th" newer overlapping type.
Tn prevf'nt the rings seizing on the
shaft ;:tnd scoring the sea.!ing ring1 lap
e;lch ring into its gmove with vaive
grinding pastt!; do not overdo. this.
Wh~n yon reassemble the seal place
a great deal of oil on the scroll, apply
the plate carefully in the proper plane
;md pre'-< the plate on as you gently
rotate t1te crnnk. With a little carefu]
manipulation the ring• will slide into
the sealing ring in the proper manner.
A SClll that i:J set up properly will not
leak " drop under any condition.
· Two type< of connecting rods are
available. Tl1~ weaker type will usually be found in older engines. Since the
ro<l holts began tp fnil under the pres~mre for mote and OY.:!_re h~~r
and higher rpm, the factory elmnged
from 7mm to 9mm bolts-· Any engin<>
used for ·racing, or- converted io the
I 220ci: :<ize, ·should have the ·9mm
holt rods. the 7mm bolts arc safe to
7,000 rpm with the lower compression Iwad. If you mill the head, change
Ihe rotlr. to the heavy duty version.
We have !milt engines with 7mm ~It
rods that have the latest modifications,
including · h!~her compre5:<ion. But
they are !!sed only on the road and
are never token over 6,500 rpm with
the Mk. l, or road-type, c:~mshaft. ·
The 9mm bolt rods are a good ·invesfment at $30 each; a full Stage 3
engine can be tumed up to 7,500 with
thelle rods. Do not mOdifv· the older
type rod to· take 9mm ·bolts: the fnc-
The New York RegiOft
presents
NATIONAL RACES
.•t
Bridgehampton Rmway
Bridgeh>mpton, L I.
on
June 2-3, 29~2
On~
at
of A.meric:a•, fotelt covrnlJ!
tnrv Considen.~l 'this_ for a whilex.-but
wl;.n failures heg<m to <><:cur they\decided against it. In all cnses replnce
md holi. nml tab washers w~er·
the engine is apart.·
Nnw we consider the head; where
misinformation has led I he unwary into
heavy ex:pendit!lre«. Three heads are
t....'llrrcatlv
available; nnd vou will have
to decide what type you have and
therchv decide what modification·s -..·ou
can m;ke. The oltlest-Mk. l-ean' be
morlified ;tCCOrding to the mmmal;
has never been milled before. If it has
f.,.,n' milled and you don't ·know how
much, forget it. The only way to accurately check the head depth i• with
•pecial factory gauges. ·
. The latest-type'sc;>ts are.nice, butJJOI·
nece;sary unles.'li you have to make 11
change anyway. The latest-type guides
ure nicer,·and since they are easy to
change ym·J _might consider tht:1 when
recutting the seat,.- When the h<!a<l
ha, been mille-d ~nd the tappet block
rnised with the ptlddng w~hers, ym1
wl~l nc.-ed a different range of shims:
this bring• it to Mk. 2 specifications.
The Mk. 3 head·;, similar to the Mk. 2.
i.e., from .115 ~o ·.146 inches. You can
but it affords higher compres.<ion and
go do\\'n to .00.5 intake clearance and
has been spot-faced for Mk. 3 valve
.007 exhau.•t clearance for ro.cing. If
springs. These springs can only be
you happen to have the old· type valves
used with · the P.ve·lx-.arinl( tappet
throw them out the window; thev have
block nnd Mk. 3 camshaft. The Mk. 2
flat faces as compared to the roncaVe
head can be. mooilled to Mk. 3 speciface of the latest type.· Always follow
Se;ltions by milling 40 thousandth•
the manual's timing method to the letfrom its face, spot-fnclng the valve
ter each time the iprocket and the
chain ore disas!<ernbled, no matter
spring scats and fitting special tnppct
what precantin.,• .you· think you are
block packing washers tn raire the
taking not to let the engine get out of
tappet bl<ick 40 thousandth>-in thi•
time.
··
manner the liming i< unchanged. After
milling the compres.iinn will .he apThe factory 'uses SU carbs, which
proximately 10.5-1. Whm> milling th.,.e
:~re quite simple' and satisfactory'
heads. It is best to achmlly mill 35
Wehcrs have. proven superior for most
thousandths, and then lap off the rest.
nppHcations~ rcgnrdl~,_, of what vm·,
It is necessary to have nn abrolutelv
have been told hy tbooe who don't have
smooth surface for a good seal wilh
them;
are .. very ....y to tune. if
the liners.
.
you •r.~nd hO\v they work. Goon
There has been a great deal of confuInternational in·Creat Neck, N.Y., has
sion about this Stage 3 busipess. Stage
the technical manual which describes
3 refer8 to 10..5~1 compression-ratio entheir operaticn. It is essentiol to start
gines. The same amount of power is
with a bask! setting, as followsi
achieved with either the. milled Mk.
.3/l DC03
.J.5 DC0.1. I"'
.
2 head :md the Mk. 2 camshaft, or the
33Choke ·
.32 Chok~
Mk. .3 head and the Mk. 3 camshaft.
110 Main
The characteristics of hoth camshafts
1.'50
Air
.
!50 Air
are the same. The 0!1ly advantage of
the five-bearing camshaft is i11creased
iO Pump
l>OPnmp ,
reliabili!y nt high rpm. The five-benr- · 55SJownm
, ·:;:o Slow 11m
ing valve gear is safe to 7,000 ·rpm;
TS 760 Emulsion tuhe'
Same
the three-bearing valve gear ;., .,.re to
.120
Slow
run
air
...
Same
7,500 rpm if it is in 'perfect shape.
.. The setti1lg~ f(\r the ·40 DCOE a.re
lloth grinds peak at 7,2-'iO,.·so there
the same Vo!ith either choke >ize. A good
is very little' rea.>;<>n for ·ever going
nil «rmii"l si7.e is 32mm, and the 33min
higher than 7,!500 where the power beshould only be IL<ed for longer courses.
¢ns to drop. Many successful engines,
Set .the llont'.]evel:very carefull>· ac:
therefore, combine the 9mm bolt rods
wrding to the w cbcr specification
with the three-bearing <.'am and use ex~11eets~ Or·Rsk :m Alf~ man.
· · · ··
treme caution whenever exceeding
7,000 rpm. We must emphasize that · · · The oil pres.sure. problem is critical.
as de5cribed earlier..The factory sugit is extremelv unsafe . to mill more
gests . re;,•tilar 30:weight, mineral-base
than 40 thousandtl". The valves when
oil. They recommend mixing it haff.
lifted hy tl1e Mk. 2 or Mk. 3 cam have
very little clearance in the piston reand-half with .40-we.ight on hot day!;
·cesses. We have tried ci1tting the pi,_
we do not. We have tried Castor·hase
tons deeper, and then milling tbe head
lubncanl:l with .fuir .. success, but ·!hev
more or using a higher-lift cam. The .require coll3!arit .changing and
re:mlt is unreliability that does not
prematUre teardowm to dean
for·
wnrrant the increased power. Experimation!. We hRve.had the most~
.meot In thi• direction with caution. · with Oilzum HP 50.. This oil Js as good
Be sure that the haul you are milling . •• or snper'.or to the Cnstor-l>Ose oil:;,
tl•er.
cause
aut
IPOIIft·CAII
plug ix to he preferred. lt ;, handy to
hnve ot set of N-8'~ for' starting; it wiH
half a.'i much, gives superior
make life easier on a cold moming.
oil prt:>s.sures at higher temperntu~
rind dOf'S nnt bre-nk down into that
Never even pradice with N-8 plOg'i.
-· ililv lllil-"-5 that is sn. familiar to Some
Tm~rc is a tlewer type Of l . tica.s dispeOple. \V~\~c;t• 'Qi17.11m 'HPJffi fOr rc~ · tributor tht~t has nn upper support for
assemhlv, and it has :::;olved a two~year~
:the sh:~ft; -it ha~ a greater res.istnnre
tu failure of the lower· ·bushing and
riid·Clin~mx luhrication prohiem. Every
. docs not h:1vc to he changed .every
Tal'{', t'1t!it~
part·nf tJw e-ngine ,;hould be thoroughly
doma_·d with this nil during nssemhly~
The most si.tccii..'i."iful engines that we
know of also usc OiJznm HP 50. Since
. nne .of the major· virtues of the Climax
engine i."> cxtrc•me re1iahiHty, the type
of p11 ynu use is ";cry fmportant. \Ve do
'consetiuent wiggiing of the shaft. We
use paper nil fllters made by Tecttle~
mit. ·nu~ jackshaft bearings very rorely
wear, .but new ones can he pressed
in ca:::ily .hy your machine shop. Check
the extcrnnl nil feed to the h~ad for
cracks at the junclinn of the hanjo
te~u:. ~OV'ffl OUT
fittings and the pipe. This pipe often
not
CXfK'd
t_o bav_e to
f'ni;inl':'i very often.
Crank the new engine nn the~starter
as Jvng as possible. It shnuld tum very
em:ily with the ~park plug.c;· removed.
Start- mHl nm for one minute with no
water in th(' svstem to seat the hend
gask~t .. Tiw .oil. pr~'i~n~e ~hould be a.t ..
I<'a!it .S:O pounds per squan~ inch, cold,
with 40~\\'t>ight oil~ le~s with t1lirmer oil,
Break in engine..~ by accelerating and
dccdemtin[!. .tl1em. tltJder lood· h€hveen
. 2000-3001) rpm., . ~ndually increase
this miCr eight Ho'ti~ tuinling~ time.
Racing engintj_s.shou1~ lw .~~n .as many
hours a.'J possih1e undeT the above cir~
cumstances. In ··actual '!'tieing practice
there is ~ever ~pough time for adecttmte brenk ·in; Stf we pnictice €ti:nti- ·
cally, watching the gauges. When the
time comes to roc~. ·we race.
A fC''~· miscellaneous. suggestions
may l1elp. llcplnce the ·littk "0" ring
that j:>in• the tr.ppd,blocJ, to.:t.he head
us ·often~ as possible; always hnve a
spare nn~;.. ,vith-·you. -This Htt1C ring is·
the major t•;tusc.~ ..Qf ,othen"ise unex·
p1aini't:l ~1i1 pteiSu·tc lOSi ·A~'s.emble the
··~·ng{ue '~sing ~u~r ·.~0 -PerrJ.l.af("X.
forc1uo all holts and" use Perniatex
. -~nti-Sci7.(' (;o!flJl<lliJ~<l: on the critica.l
· ones so that vou wiU net an accurate
-
<>
reading \\.·ithnut interferirtg .frict~on. be·
twe(•n tlw, nut and the. bolt •.The nicest
fnrc1ue wrench W4~ lnow of is 't"h.i"Proto-- ·
·Torque Limiting one, ·with an a.uto-
matk reJ,:ase and a ratcheHng head.
· We use C.;h:nl•pim! N-3 . plugs, rorque
them to 20 foot-pounds and discard
them <1ftr.r ,r,Vcr.; race. The N58-R is n.
hit wltler ami
b_e used If you prefer. hut for fiui<.short r'aees 'bit' hotter
can
a
leaks suddenly and badly. We use
DtJw~Guard ·as a et.m1ant. It i:; ideal for
rn~ing b_ecause it. keeps the wa!.er pas~
sage~ Spotless and shiny; it aiso keeps
the engine a bit cooler nnd prov~des a
helpful margin of safety near th<l boiling point. The factory balanco joh i•
fair., hut for any scrinu5 work ha.ve a
specialist baJanre the ent:ine and
clutch; it will make " hig diffi,rence in
Jougeviry. Jgnition·· timing ·1~ decided
euch day
each course. It genernlly
tums oUt to be about si~ degrees he.
fore TOC with Golden Eosn.
Let's take a IO<>k at Lady Godiva
now. Most of the factory rpm recommendations are rnt1Jer conservative,
and some nfthe other information may
also lead the owner to o•·eremtion. Itis ·a common occt1rrcnce to nm three·
hearing cnmshaft engines up to 8,000
rpm and over, as long as they have the
heavy duty hottom ci1d. If you do this
you· will have to change the valves
every so often, because the .litt1e valve
hounce tlu\t occun; will .c<tU!'ie damage.
The flve-h<laring camshaft wil~ of
course, pennit this abuse for nn in·
definite period. !sky makes a camshaft that peaks at 8,000 rpm. The
factory is horrified at this, but you
might trv it for kicks ... possibly expensive ones! Isky. is now regrinding
. stock Mk. ·II and Mk; III camshafts,
Grind ZM 74 L, so that they peak at
7,500 rpm. This..'iice;ms to be an interesting compromise. '!hey also supplv
springs for the three-bearing camshaft
thnt reduce valve hounce at high rpm.
Th""e are $12 for a set of eight outer•.
It only costs ahonl ~40 to regrind your
nt
eamslu~f.t. so why Jtnt try it? \Ve have
never bothered to convert" to five bear~
ing,~ on nny of our tnginf':i; ·and we
nc<:ept the slight valve mortality. One
c:otnpe!itor u~~ a thrce~henring cam,
no tachomete:r and .'.-pccial valve springs.
Judging by his shift points.he tun!:; ove~
.8l0th1 rpm. \Ve mention th~ thing5
to indicate thnt an expertly :t.c;semh1ed
engine will put out more than the fa.c ..
tory specified 116 bhp at 7,250 rpm .
with 3.1mm chokes in 38 DCOE 'Nehcrs and the Mk. 2 or Mk. 3 cam. So far
we have not used an~· other than 1.he
stOck cumshafts. and tl!eV nre VC'r.' con. servntive. \Ve have be~ \'ery suiis6ecl
by 01ll the area under the power cur.,..e,
especially at the lx>ltvm end. Now that
li OOcc pur.hrod engines are putting
out well over 100 bhp, so they :ro.y.
the question of more el;treme c~m·
shafls is open to experiment. It iii weU
to remember that when a lift tmck
manufacturer ~ys 98 bhp. you can
realty believe it.
FWA llOOcc Mk. !II (or with Mk.
Jl camshaft in milled Mk. II head). 90
bhp with a pair of single SU mrb., ot
7,200 rpm; 9.5 bhp with n pair of 3.8mm·
type twin choke Wehers at 7,2-50 rpm.
FWE 1220cc Mk. III, 98 bhp with n
pair of single SU carbs at 7,000 rpm;
99-100 bhp with a pair of 38mm-type
twin choke Webers at 7,250 rpm.
The Climax C11gine nas provided
muny of us with inexpensive and reliable radng, and it will continue to
do so .•Expert and meticulous assembly.
cardullubrication, attention to rea.son~
ahle rpm·limits: these are the roads to
a happy acquaintanceship with the
Ladv. Power is available race-after-
r~ce": unlike some overstressed pushrod
engines which lose power even lapby-lap during n race. The Lady not
only has guts. ;he has a good figure tool
TH~
HISTORIC
NSW YORK RALLY
NR62-6
Juntt 15-17,1962
TmlU3L!: 5HifTJHt:iU'
'..·
... us•
OIL FORTUFFIER& r ..... Lu""
For "Drass:lna"
T~nsmln!-ons
o Reduces Gatuns and S•!%mc
At..,_., Sh<>P' .,. Sport> Car Ooalors $2.50
-orw- H!I.Dl!ElH RES. AND ENG. CO,
Rancoca-. NJ.
MAY 1962
Rally Relf/.>tmr:
Mrs. Helen Cerino
367 Fernwood Avenuo
Rochester 9, New York
fiNG!iR !.AK!S REGION
Northern California Club Elite
On a beautiful sunny September 16, the Sanchez Adobe Art and Car Show was
held in Pacifica, Call.fornia, The combination of a car show wHh the art, show
put on by the Pacifica Artists Guild was the idea of Mr, Robert Green, This
event enabled Bob, an artist in his own right, to partake in two of his hobbies at the same time, The car show was to be a low pressure concourse type of
event, with awards going to the best and cleanest as well as the worst and
dirtiest, Four car clubs were invited to participate: Club Elite of North America, Golden Gate Lotus Club, Lotus West, and the Morgan Plus Four Club, As is
usual with most events sponsored by Northern CaUfornia Club EUte, the turnout was modest indeed,
Three Elites participated in the show from Club Elite. The always-present
Elites of Bob Green (while Leo is in absentla) and Lansing Lee were there and
in fine order, This scribe's Elite is now running once again and represented
the third Elite, From Golden Gate Lotus Club came the 1.969 Elan of Susan Woods
and the 1969 Europa of Brian Cano, Lotus West member Detlef Claudius trailored
his immaculately prepared 1969 Europa from Southern California, Tim and Carol
McCoy arrived without their Elite which isn't operating due to a non-functioning transmission,
Most of us arrived between 9 and 10 in the morning, While waiting for mo:re
arrivals; we examined the cars, talked of J)21rts problems, ails and curesr The
usua!. behavior for all Lotus· owners! There was also time to do some last-minute polishing and look at the art works on display as well, Tim and Carol sensed
hung~r in the air, and after a quick trip returned with a good suply of donutsl
Rodney and Mary Smith later arrived in their beautiful silver-topped Series II
Elite, but did not enter the show as they had to leave early, Hopes arose at
one point when a Morgan was spotted driving by the Sanchez Adobe, but its destination was not to be the car sho;;,
After waiting a good deal of time for the hoped-for more arrivals, ,the
judging finally began, Tim McCoy acted as one of the judges, along with Mayor
Aubrey Sumley and Councilwoman Grace McCarthy of Pacifica, A general point system based on cleanliness, appearance, accessories, and mechanical order of the
car was used in judging each car, Categories for ,judging the cars included
engine, body, interior, tr~~. wheels a~A tires, and special points,
With the judging completed, points Here totaled up and the winners in the
Elite, Elan, and Europa classes determined. At this time, special awards for
cleanest engine, cleanest trunk, and d1.rtiest wheels were also selected, All
the judges and participants gathered at last for the awa-ited presentation of
the awards, Susan Woods ;1on the award :for best Elan, having the only Elan! It
was no surprise when Detlef Claudius was awarded the trophy for best
E~~pa.
On the contrary, it was a surprise to me that I was awardsd the trophy for
best Elite. Specia._1 award for cleanest engtne went to Detlef Claudius, Awards
for cleanest trunk and dirtiest wheels (!) went ·to the Elite of yours truly,
A special note must be made concerning the extraordinary trophies used for the
awards in the show. These were art works in themselves wade by Bob out of his
"dignified junk" and were much more pleasing than the ordinary mass produced
items one sees everywhere,
As this was a special outing for Club Elite of Northern California, the
Neet Elite trophy was to change hands as well, Ironically, dirtiest wheels was
selected by chance for this month's category, Lar.sing Lee, who \ron the trophy
last time for cleanest engine, and therefore became this month's judge, wasted
no time in awarding me the second trophy of the day for my Elite's infamous
wheels, At this time I had more trophies than I could carry and a lot of pointed
comments from Bob about "this ungrateful so and so who hogs all the trophies!"
Poor
Be~,
o~m!
In appreciation though, the fact that my Elite ls even running at the pre-
he makes all the trophies and then never manages to win one of his
sent is due to the great amount of time and energy that Bob has given to my
car, not to mention those essential parts, I figure I owe him about six months
of h<,.rd labor!
All those in attendance did have an enjoyable time, Those of us who took
the car show as a good opportunity to clean up the Lotus, apply a coat of wax
and attempt to prepare the car for a concourse, found out llhat a tremendous
task it is to produce a concourse ;;inner, Lansing and I are planning to drive
to Los Angeles shortly for the Le Circle Concourse at the Hollywood Bowl, and
this event enabled us to get a head start on the endless cleaning that must be
done, We're expecting stiff competition as we've heard stories of all those im•
maculate Elites down south, Up until the present, the major concern for NCCE
has been to keep the cars driving and on the road,
Jru~t
wait a couple of years
until enough time has been spent makl.ng the cars look good!
As the event drew to a close and people were preparing to leave, two moTe
Elite owners showed up (~<~ithout their cars) in the person O'f Morris Kindig and
David Wrench, In spite of the modest turnout of Elites, the event at least gave
the incentive for some new faces to appear, It would be great to one day in the
near future get most of the Bay Area Elites together for an event, Ten
~r
fifteen
Elites would certainly be a slght compared to the usuaJ (at best) three or four,
Gregory Nolten
,
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HEAR YE •....
HEAR YE ....•.
HAL MOSELEY DESIGNED CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR CLUB ELITE.
Place your orders now for the Club's own Christmas
Card.
20 cards and envelopes only $5.00 including
postage.
Send your checks today and you will receive
your cards by the early part of December. Do not delay!
-
The proceeds of the sale of this card will be donated to
a charity and we think it appropriate that it should be
connected with auto racing, such as the Jim Clark Foundation.
We would welcome suggestions from the Club Members so that
we can make a selection and will make the contribution in the
name of Club Elite.
Please help to make this venture a success.
(
So that you may know the design of the card, we have reproduced
the design on the front cover. It will· be reduced to the.
standard Christmas card size, and printed on white paper with
the usual type of inscription inside.
1-Je do hope you like
this idea. and will give it. your support. )
....