Update by Tim Suddard to the
Tornado Typhoon project car
Oct 16, 2014
Jere starts assembling the 1172cc E93A, side-valve Ford engine that came standard in our Tornado Typhoon. Luckily it had just been rebuilt, but never assembled.
Our transmission passed muster as well. We replaced a couple of seals and gaskets and will run it as is.
These engines were originally painted dark green, like a Model A Ford engine. We are getting the water pump rebuilt and then will paint everything up. We also found a cool period correct header and dual SU intake manifold, which we will get into later.
The Typhoon originally came equipped with an E93A English Ford, flat head drivetrain. Mated to this 1172cc engine that greatly resembles a smaller Model A Ford engine, is a three-speed transmission with synchronization only on the top two gears.
Admittedly, this is not exactly the drive train that racing dreams are made of, but it was the cheapest engine and transmission combination available to enthusiasts in post war England.
Just as we Americans had our small block Chevy engines and our flat head Ford V8s, the English had these E93A, side-valve engines. While not awe inspiring at a rated 36 horsepower, they were robust, if not a bit crude.
Initially, we had contemplated changing power trains, but we decided that this is the way this car came, we had an engine and transmission in good condition and we didn’t want to waste the time and money to totally reengineer this car and potentially ruin its collector car value and originality. Another factor in this decision was that this set up uses a torque tube drive, which also acts as a locating device for the rear end, so a drive train change was going to mean a major re-engineering of the rear suspension as well.
Our man Jere starting measuring out the engine and found our first bit of good news. The engine was in very sound condition. In fact, as the receipts that came with our car also proved, the engine had been totally rebuilt, with all new parts and the machine work had all been done, including new babbit main bearings.
For some reason, the engine had just never been assembled after the time and money had been spent.
Jere carefully cleaned every piece up and assembled our engine in just a few days. Our transmission was also in very good condition, so we installed a new rear seal and decided to use it as is.
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