351w were running in UK events in 1967, BUT they were a far cry from production block 351w. They had 'dropped' combustion chamber that extended down into the cylinders and I think they may have had smaller dia rod & main bearings ( not sure on that ), those early events were under Mirage cars & entrants. So it looks like the engine @ 1967 would have been non production based.Evening guys,
Can any tell me if a Mk1 GT40 (not Mirage) ever ran with an early 351(EX) motor during 67 outside of South Africa & the other none UK or European championship races?
Thanks
Sim.
351w were running in UK events in 1967, BUT they were a far cry from production block 351w. They had 'dropped' combustion chamber that extended down into the cylinders and I think they may have had smaller dia rod & main bearings ( not sure on that ), those early events were under Mirage cars & entrants. So it looks like the engine @ 1967 would have been non production based.
The only reference todate I can find is in R. Spains book where 67/351/01 is the motor that won the first race for JWA & Gulf.might be worth seeing if there is any mention of engine numbers in the "racing in the rain" book.
Racing in the Rain
My Years with Brilliant Drivers, Legendary Sports Cars, and a Dedicated Team
By John Horsman · 2006
Racing in the Rain - Google Books
There is some mention of the 67/11 numbered engine in the "Ford GT40 Anthology"
I cant remember what the XE stands for when it comes to USA ford stuff. Is it "eXperimental Engine". Most of the development and race stuff seems to have XE castings.
The production 351 had larger diameter bearings, that allow for higher load, but carry more friction at higher RPM. Be interesting to know if this block has the smaller bearing sizes.