Randall wrote:
"Even then, it is going to be hard to say which is "better", since I've
never seen any evidence that lack of water flow is a problem with our
engines."
Far be it from me to challenge our technical guru on any technical aspect of
Standard-Triumph engineering standards, but I think there's a possibility
Randall that you may not have 'explored' as many Stag blocks as I have over
the years :)? I know you have a number of misgivings about the Stag V8 as a
whole and I respect you for that because you're entitled to your opinion.
However, it needs to be noted the Stag engine did have a number of serious
flaws on the Mk 1 model to do with cooling issues and these were:
A water pump that wasn't up to the job in terms of moving the amount of
water required of it. This was down to the Purchasing Department accepting a
smaller vaned pump was just as acceptable as the one specified by
Engineering - and for the simple fact it was cheaper.
A radiator that wasn't up to the job in terms of size or cooling capability.
Again, Purchasing entirely believed Coventry Radiator and Presswork in
foisting an untried "but just as good" unit.
Warped cylinder heads caused by overheated water adversely affecting the
head alloy that once again, dear old Purchasing insisted was acceptable
because it was cheaper than the grade laid down by Engineering and which in
the several prototype cars had never caused any trouble. They reverted to
the correct alloy with the Mk 2 and head warpage was mostly a thing of the
past.
Finally, we can point a very accusatory finger at Birmid Qualcast who was
the cylinder block foundry supplier (as they were for all other 4 and 6 pot
engines) for incompetence in entirely failing to ensure casting media and
foundry sand was by no means fully removed from all the blocks they
supplied. When Joe Pawlak and his team of Busted Knucklers at ISOA rebuilt
the engine for 'uncle jack' , Joe removed about half a pound of foundry
sand, bits of bent wire and solid sand core from that block. He gave it to
me as a present the following year when he came to the UK to stay with us
and commented that in his opinion it was that junk which had caused head
warpage on the car in the dim and distant past when they started tearing
down the unit. It's worth mentioning that I drove that car over 18,000 miles
in some pretty hot weather in 2009 and kept a detailed log of all top-ups,
oil changes and fuel used throughout the trip. It was in Tallahassee FL (and
at the start of the journey) where I added just three paper cups of water
from a hotel water fountain. This was because I'd discovered (and sorted) an
airlock in the heater - and I never had to touch it again until the last day
but one of the trip when I added another single cup in Grand Junction on the
way to Glenn Merrell's place near Denver. This was after Texas, Canadian
prairie, driving up Pike's Peak fairly rapidly, the Rockies and all down the
West Coast. Come to that, over that journey I only used a quart and a half
of oil in top ups, apart from oil changes at 3,000 mile intervals.
Cooling-wise and after his superb rebuild, 'uncle jack' was what all Stags
*should* have been from the outset - but so few ever were.
Jonmac
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