Austin Healey Original Works Alloy Block
One of the original Austin Healey Works Alloy Blocks owned by John Chatham. Six blocks were said to have been produced.
Note the iron liners and screw in core (freeze) plugs. It is believed that the 3 brass plugs in the valve chest were added to fill holes left by additional core prints in the pattern, designed to correct the problem in 3000 iron blocks of cores moving causing uneven casting wall thickness.
A standard iron engine block sectioned to provide accurate details of the original construction. Note the oil galley running from the cam bearing on left across the block between the cylinders to the main oil galley on the right, then down to the main (crank) bearing. Oil from the pump is delivered via this bearing t the rest of the engine.
