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barwell alum cyl head a series

Posted by mga564

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barwell alum cyl head a series #1
mga564 earle tucker raymond nh, USA 1956 MG MGA 1500	Posted: March 10, 2012 06:57PM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 7

I am cleaning up in the shop. I have had a barwell cylinder head for an a series engine sitting on the shelf for 10 years. It is numbered 1004. Does this head have any value? Thanx Earle

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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #2
Gofanu Fletcher Millmore Titusville PA, USA	Posted: March 11, 2012 01:16AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 618

Just the thing for real vintage resto.
Is it 9 stud or 11 stud?

Check this:
http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/barwell.htm

Read and weep!

FRM

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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #3
Speedracer Hap Waldrop Greenville, SC, USA 1967 MG MGB "The Biscuit"	Posted: March 11, 2012 09:26AM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 20,606

Well it's not legal for most vitage race groups, but if the combustion chamber volume is still in check for a street motor, maybe it will bring some bucks there maybe, I bet it's probably of better quailty than today's A series aluminum head offerings. From the pictures Fletchher linked, it shows it as a 9 stud samll bore head meaning 948, maybe 1098 engine, and it designs had a smaller combustion chamber that stated out th box it was 9.5 to 1 on a 948, that would have been on a normal 8.3 to 1 948 engine, so this would greatly limit it's use on the street if someone already had higher CR pistons, and it cannot be used on a 1275 engine, which greatly lessen the market that would want to buy it, but nevertheless, it is rare piece and to the right person, and may be valuable, the more you can find out about it's current state, the better.

Hap Waldrop
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2012 09:33AM by Speedracer.

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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #4
mga564 earle tucker raymond nh, USA 1956 MG MGA 1500	Posted: March 12, 2012 06:35AM Registered: 3 years ago Posts: 7

The barwell head looks like it has 11 studs. I am trying to post pictures. Earle

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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #5
Speedracer Hap Waldrop Greenville, SC, USA 1967 MG MGB "The Biscuit"	Posted: March 12, 2012 07:37AM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 20,606

The picture showed a 9 stud head in Fletcher's link, but you can convert any a series head to 11 studs, but I see no need for that, it fact alot of the time, it just end up being a hassle.

Hap Waldrop
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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #6
Gofanu Fletcher Millmore Titusville PA, USA	Posted: March 12, 2012 11:42AM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 618

"The picture showed a 9 stud head in Fletcher's link, but you can convert any a series head to 11 studs,"
True for factory heads, at least 1275/1300 ones, but only because the factory provided for it in the internal coring. Don't think you can necessarily say that about a completely different head, unless your X-ray vision is better than mine.

And the big lead picture shows an 11 stud head and a description stating that there are two different castings.

Funny thing with the Derrington connection. Guy I worked for tried to buy one about 67 or so. PITA as there was no internet and LD phones were costly and difficult. It didn't come for a long time, so we finally called, and Derrington told us the first batch of castings were bad and "pissed water all over the place". He was not happy, and we never did get the head.

FRM

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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #7
Speedracer Hap Waldrop Greenville, SC, USA 1967 MG MGB "The Biscuit"	Posted: March 12, 2012 01:19PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 20,606

We are not allowed to use 11 studs in SCCA, it's was a big no-no, against the rules and all,. of course in vintage things like this are overlooked, so you see it some there, anyway the compression ratio got pretty crazy in SCCA, 1275s at 15.5 to 1 and 948s at 16.0 to 1, and we albe to keep these things buttoned up with the 9 studs, so at the CR level most in vintage or on the street would run, the need for 11 studs would be even less. Bottom line it's a modification I talk my customer out of.

Hap Waldrop
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Re: barwell alum cyl head a series #8
bills Bill Spohn W. Vancouver, BC, Canada 1956 MG MGA 1958 MG MGA Twin-Cam 1962 MG MGA MkII Coupe 1965 Jensen CV8 1969 Lamborghini Countach → more	Posted: March 13, 2012 04:13PM Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 9,265

I had an Alexander downdrafted ally A series head (whoopee - no intake manifolds around) with the small valves - just the thing for 948/1098 in a Formula or sports racing car, but it took me a long time to find someone else that thought it was as neat as I did. Niche market. Narrow niche!

Bill Spohn www.rhodo.citymax.com/carstuff.html
1958 MGA Twincam (race car), 1962 MGA Deluxe Coupe
1969 MGC roadster, 1957 Jamaican MGA
1965 Jensen CV8, 1971 Jensen Interceptor
1969 Lamborghini Islero S, 1988 Fiero GT turbo
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe
West Vancouver BC

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