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The Whatmough Hewitt head I have, is from circa 1928 (I am told):
Very, very, good head to use, this one is now repaired and ready to go back on the car.
Quite different from the one on eBay externally and internally.
Thanks Austin, link amended. I have both links stored in my "Favourites" but tend to use yours from an expectation that the original archive site will just disappear one day.
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
Very, very, good head to use, this one is now repaired and ready to go back on the car.
Quite different from the one on eBay externally and internally.
Ruairidh,I would have thought that this was the later version. Cambridge evolved the same way. Plugs look like 14mm indicating a later date as well. Mid thirties? Has the Ricardo shape unlike the earlier one.
Very, very, good head to use, this one is now repaired and ready to go back on the car.
Quite different from the one on eBay externally and internally.
Ruairidh,I would have thought that this was the later version. Cambridge evolved the same way. Plugs look like 14mm indicating a later date as well. Mid thirties? Has the Ricardo shape unlike the earlier one.
It has 18mm to 14mm plug adapters fitted Frank.
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
Ian is correct, I fitted inserts as some of the threads were a bit "loose"!!
I have a Ricardo head on the Chummy, it isn't like the eBay one however, the water take off is integral like my W-H shown above, no photos on file but will take a photo at next opportunity. This head is also very, very, good.
Some more heads I have, these are untested (by me at least) however:
Alta:
Aluminium Head Company:
Early Cambridge head (??)
LRM
Speedex
Supaloy
Hopefully of interest to someone....
I have just realised that the patent No. on the 9E1 head in Ian Williams photo, 148046, is the same as the one quoted by the vendor as cast into the eBay head i.e. 148046/19. Whatever that might prove, or not!
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
Another one, I had not photographed it until today,
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Nothing more than a guess, Ruairidh but, I would say that it has the characteristics of a latish Ricardo design.
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
I have seen one before at a jumble. The chamber is quite horrible, it makes you wonder what they were thinking.At least they had reduced the two most useless water passages. Your Whatmough is quite elegant by comparison. You mention Ricardo as others do but my understanding is that he did research on chamber design and patented the shape which Austin's then used on the Ruby. Basically a round corner triangle with a deepening of the chamber as it enters the bore and a central plug position.I believe that he did not make heads, is that correct?. I have also seen your Whatmough head but with 14mm plugs -no adapter which is why I have always thought that they were thirties. On the other hand I have seen heads identical to the Ebay one stamped "Whatmough" on the side with a 1929 date stamp. So was Whatmough the first alloy head maker?
A couple of items from 1932 Austin Magazine
Bryan
Location: Hertfordshire
Bryan
It must be refering to the early head , i.e Ebay one
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Yes, it is a Ricardo, but designed as a "Shock Absorber" I think this is due to detonation problems possibly due to the fuels at the time. I think it is a late thirties patent.
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Yes, it is a Ricardo, but designed as a "Shock Absorber" I think this is due to detonation problems possibly due to the fuels at the time. I think it is a late thirties patent.
Frank, entirely "off the wall" and probably stupid but, I wonder if this was a head designed for supercharging? It would seem to fit with the peculiarities, low CR, little regard given to good breathing, plugs over the inlets rather than the exhaust valves????
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Yes, it is a Ricardo, but designed as a "Shock Absorber" I think this is due to detonation problems possibly due to the fuels at the time. I think it is a late thirties patent.
Frank, entirely "off the wall" and probably stupid but, I wonder if this was a head designed for supercharging? It would seem to fit with the peculiarities, low CR, little regard given to good breathing, plugs over the inlets rather than the exhaust valves????
Ian Mc.
Ian, that idea seems far from stupid. I feel rather daft for not contemplating the blown explanation. I am also less sure about my presumption that the Ebay head is a W-H. Having seen an identical one with W-H stamped on the side is not really conclusive. The advert from 1932 makes me more doubtful since if it was a new design I would have expected them to make something of it.
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Yes, it is a Ricardo, but designed as a "Shock Absorber" I think this is due to detonation problems possibly due to the fuels at the time. I think it is a late thirties patent.
The ricardo was patent was applied for in 1927 and approved in 1929.
His principal was to create turbulence to mix air and fuel better to reduce detonation.
According to automobile engineering in 1932 the top designers re compression chamber design were Ricardo.whatmough,and janeway in America.
Ricardo believed in swirl whatmough and janeway in free flow in gasses.
Interestingly rolls Royce used Ricardo in the 20's for chamber design.
I have machined a WH head,very good quality material,the Alta,like milk bottle tops!
With the Alta though,I 've always thought the the early head with plugs at 45 degrees,should work better than the later head,any one know?
Anyone tell me what it is (Ricardo?)?
Yes, it is a Ricardo, but designed as a "Shock Absorber" I think this is due to detonation problems possibly due to the fuels at the time. I think it is a late thirties patent.
The ricardo was patent was applied for in 1927 and approved in 1929.
His principal was to create turbulence to mix air and fuel better to reduce detonation.
According to automobile engineering in 1932 the top designers re compression chamber design were Ricardo.whatmough,and janeway in America.
Ricardo believed in swirl whatmough and janeway in free flow in gasses.
Interestingly rolls Royce used Ricardo in the 20's for chamber design.
I have machined a WH head,very good quality material,the Alta,like milk bottle tops!
With the Alta though,I 've always thought the the early head with plugs at 45 degrees,should work better than the later head,any one know?
Are you sure that the patent you mention is for the design we are looking at?. He patented various swirl devices. In his and Clyde's 1941 publication this specific design is mentioned but the patent recently applied for.
Talking of swirl here is one more that may be of interest to some of you. This one although suffering at the hands of a previous owner is I believe from an American Bantam. Has "Made in USA D-3528" cast in.
I think the main thing I get from these photo's is on the top of the heads, the water is extracted from the rear of the head by the incorporated water manifold.
Look at the amount of outlets etc., on Andy Storers Ulster here - With many thanks to Austin Harris for taking us to that A7 Mille Miglia web site.
I'm not walking with these wonderful heads, I'm stuck with the bog standard, low compression heads. Overheating has been the main problem for me in the past and it's always the rear core plugs that blow. I agree it would help if I cleaned out the water channels in the block occasionally, but who does that on a 'bread&butter' RP. - Hold on, yes I do clean out the blocks now, but I still feel there's not enough 'flow'.
Again, many thanks Austin for nudging us to look a little deeper into the OP.
Re. the photo above this post, what on earth were they trying to do to the head, that's vandalism.
Location: West of Watford, through the gap
I would have thought it difficult to do that much damage if you were trying and, presumably, he wasn't! What is it made out of, chocolate??
Ian Mc.
Location: Shropshire
