heraldcoupe Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I encountered this engine today. No precise history known, but it appears to have never been in a car, and it's (now deceased) former owner had connections with Cranfield.I'll hopefully have some photographs by the end of the week, but for now I was wondering if the suffux UCE was familiar to anyone. The prefix is FM, number somewhere in the middle of 1500 Spitfire production. There's plenty to suggest it's experimental, of which more when I have photos....Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Here are a few images of the engine: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Ultra low emission Californian engine??Air injectors on the head by the looks of it?Perhaps?CheersColin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotoflex Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Late "Federal" spec Spitfire engines had air injection even outside of California.Andy Mace might have an insight here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 I hadn't thought of air injection, but that would make sense.Karen suggested that the adaptor between oil filter and block might be part of with a dry sump configuration. The regular dipstick port blanked off, there is a dipstick on the lefthand side with it's tube entering the sump near the bottom edge. I've not taken out the dipstick to check it's appearance, I suspect it may be a flexible type which reaches to the very bottom of the sump.Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drofgum Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Bill,That dipstick arrangement is distinctive. It is the mark of a California spec Spitfire engine of the very late 1970s. I believe the catalytic converter interfered with the usual location of the dipstick so Leyland resorted to adapting it to the sump drain using a banjo fitting. There was a thread on this subject this spring on the Triumph Experience Forum site in North America. A member needed to replace the banjo bolt as the one on his engine had been rounded to the point of uselessness. Cheers, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Thanks Paul, that makes sense.Do you recognise the thick plate between filter and block?Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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