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12A185 head

Posted by saysprite

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12A185 head #1
saysprite Darryl Saylor TN, USA 1953 Austin-Healey 100 "Ole Blue" 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Smokey" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Porky" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Speedracer" 1970 MG Midget "Jack" → more	Posted: October 16, 2011 06:12PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 1,490

What engine is the 12A185 head for? Vizard's book pg 161 says "all "S" engines other than group E"

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Re: 12A185 head #2
Speedracer Hap Waldrop Greenville, SC, USA 1967 MG MGB "The Biscuit"	Posted: October 16, 2011 06:45PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 20,606

Darryl, if I'm not mistaken, I think that is a 948 head. These days 948 engine work is so rare, I seemd to have forgotten most of that stuff smiling smiley

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Re: 12A185 head #3
saysprite Darryl Saylor TN, USA 1953 Austin-Healey 100 "Ole Blue" 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Smokey" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Porky" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Speedracer" 1970 MG Midget "Jack" → more	Posted: October 16, 2011 08:34PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 1,490

I have a good one but I also have 1 that we dropped a valve in. The only time I've dropped valves was racing. It could be the head off the first engine I blew up at Roebling in 1988. I put it in my stack to go to the metal recyclers or dump. The good head, I think I'm going to keep.

ps. I'll try to call you Friday.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2011 08:34PM by saysprite.

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Re: 12A185 head #4
ggnagy Gregory Nagy Harpers Ferry, WV, USA 1961 MG Midget "Ace" 1961 MG Midget "27" 1962 Austin-Healey Sprite 1971 MG MGB GT "Bumble" 1976 MG Midget 1500	Posted: October 17, 2011 01:35PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 413

Is it a 11 stud head or a 9 stud head? Two different heads, and same casting number.

11 Stud = Cooper S
9 Stud = Cooper 997. This also might have been the "G Prod" head for the 948cc

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Re: 12A185 head #5
Elva Bob Bob Lembcke Florida, USA	Posted: October 17, 2011 08:34PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 114

185 heads were on Mark 2 Sprites, Mk1 Midgets, 62/63.... ie 948. Were the most readily available "trick" heads for H cars... 629's were stock, 202's were factory replacement (from dealer) and 185 were the only "legal" SCCA casting in H.

The 206's came on the early 1098's, small mains...not legal in H. However, are plentify in vintage "H" cars today...as is 60 overbores...go figure. 206's could flow much better, bigger valves, more meat, etc...

I used to seek out 185's, as did Dave Taber Sr....best start for big flows...but always were slightly inferior to the 206's from the G cars.. Today, not sure if any real value for 185's, unless you need one and don't have a 206, and want to build a "real" 948...not many seem to follow this approach today.

They don't have the extra 2 studs on Cooper S's... 9 studs, not 11.

Bob L.

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Re: 12A185 head #6
saysprite Darryl Saylor TN, USA 1953 Austin-Healey 100 "Ole Blue" 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Smokey" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Porky" 1965 Austin-Healey Sprite "Speedracer" 1970 MG Midget "Jack" → more	Posted: October 18, 2011 06:01AM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 1,490

I'm probably going to keep this one as an extra to to my 948. It appears to be in decent shape. used but decent.
Thanks!!!

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Re: 12A185 head #7
ggnagy Gregory Nagy Harpers Ferry, WV, USA 1961 MG Midget "Ace" 1961 MG Midget "27" 1962 Austin-Healey Sprite 1971 MG MGB GT "Bumble" 1976 MG Midget 1500	Posted: October 18, 2011 12:54PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 413

In reply to a post by Elva Bob 185 heads were on Mark 2 Sprites, Mk1 Midgets, 62/63.... ie 948. Were the most readily available "trick" heads for H cars... 629's were stock, 202's were factory replacement (from dealer) and 185 were the only "legal" SCCA casting in H.

The 206's came on the early 1098's, small mains...not legal in H. However, are plentify in vintage "H" cars today...as is 60 overbores...go figure. 206's could flow much better, bigger valves, more meat, etc...

I used to seek out 185's, as did Dave Taber Sr....best start for big flows...but always were slightly inferior to the 206's from the G cars.. Today, not sure if any real value for 185's, unless you need one and don't have a 206, and want to build a "real" 948...not many seem to follow this approach today.

They don't have the extra 2 studs on Cooper S's... 9 studs, not 11.

Bob L.

I am trying to find a copy of the 62 PCS listing(s) for the Sprite/Midget, but when I researched this before, the '185 was a one of a list homolglated items for a GP spec line for the 948cc cars. If you look at results of races during the 1962 season, you can see Spridgets listed in GP before the 1098 engine was introduced. I think that the homolglated parts were moved to the HP spec line a year or two later.

Are you saying Cooper S heads don't have 11 studs, or that 12A185 was only ever stamped on 9 stud heads?

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Re: 12A185 head #8
Elva Bob Bob Lembcke Florida, USA	Posted: October 18, 2011 10:12PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 114

I'm an "old guy", just not quite that old...so will take questions in reverse order..(started hanging around H in about 67....but that time only place for 948's)

1. Saying the 185 has 9 studs... As I recall most/all real "S's" 998, 1071, and 1275's got the 2 extra studs... but don't hold me to that...

2. On the early stuff... When I got to looking back at old results, etc... discovered Bugeyes in both H and G in early days... Chatted with several folks that ran back in early 60's.... From what I can tell, if the car had a swaybar, disk brakes, 1 1/4 carbs, and "other" special tuning parts (like the red crank and even wire wheels) it ran in G. If closer to "as sold" they were in H. Seems that they started in H, got too fast with dealer available parts, so got booted to G, then took the cranks back to stock, lost the WW, left the disk brakes, carbs, etc. as ok in H, when the 1100's started showing up in G. I don't have 60/61/62 rule books...so don't know if a PCS existed at that time or not... think rules was in production, that stuff available/installed from factory became the basis...and stuff installed by dealers even though factory supplied wasn't so accepted..bounce around a bit.

I know that Butch Gilbert has/had a Factory Sebring Bugeye that had a bunch of different stuff than most SCCA cars at the time, however it ran in SCCA races after Sebring...

Not sure it that helps or not... Bugeyes did run both G and H at one point.

Bob L.

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