ottocycle Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hello all, I am testing the waters here and hopefully this enquiry is purely academic but here goes. I re-commissioned an old 1969 Mallock U2 Mk8 this week that I had stored for the past 5 years. It has a Lotus Ford Twincam engine. A friend asked me if I would put into a local car show this weekend that is featuring old race cars. When I stored the car I was very careful about draining fluids and preserving things. After building oil pressure I fired her up and she ran like a top except I have a big water leak from the block behind the flywheel under the bell-housing. It sickened me as I thought I had stored the motor well. I have not removed the gearbox and diagnosed what happened yet, I will do it after the show. I am hoping that I popped a freeze plug but cannot help but assume the worst and cracked the block. What I want to know is how hard is it to find a Kent block, does anyone have one (it might be good to have a spare) and what can I get one for. I have been out of the 1600cc Ford loop for a while and need to refresh my memory. Any website recommendations? Cheers- Dermot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMax Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hopefully it’s just a freeze plug, however if you end up needing an engine I have good used vintage 711M engine out of a FF with Carb, Dizzy and dry sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 2 years ago, it would have been tough to find one and it wouldn't have been cheap. Now that formula ford has become formula F, blocks are pretty easy to come by. Check craigslist, apexspeed.com. Ford is actually making brand new kent blocks as well. Can you post some pictures of your Mallock? I'd love to own one some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 there's one on apexspeed as we speak..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottocycle Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 Thanks guys, I am hoping too it is just a plug but Murphy is alive and well..... I will take some pictures of it tomorrow. I am hoping there is a Seven at the show and I can get a photo of the two together. Mine is an early pre aero car, and when I tell people it is like a minimalist Seven they look at me as if I am crazy until they see it. It is hard to have less car than a Seven and still have a car, but Mallock did it. I have been a big fan of specialist car builders for years and Arthur Mallock was one of those characters England produces from time to time that was a genius with live axled cars. He was devoted to improving vehicle dynamics and considered engines to be a necessary evil. His later designs along with Mike Mc Dermott (no relation) created front engined live axled cars that could lap some English race tracks within a couple of seconds of the fastest Formula 3 cars of the day. Pretty impressive. I will check on the leads you gave me and hopefully get some pics uploaded this weekend. Cheers-, Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escondidoron Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hello all, What I want to know is how hard is it to find a Kent block, does anyone have one (it might be good to have a spare) and what can I get one for. Hi Dermot; I have several Kent blocks. Some original "L" (Lotus Twin Cam), some 711Ms, a couple of short blocks, etc. Also a complete 711M crossflow engine for rebuild. All in good servicable condition. I'm very interested in seeing some pics of and hearing about your Mallock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottocycle Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Here are a couple of photos as promised. The Mallock is built along the same lines as a Lotus Seven. It is a little narrower and lower. When I got it in Cornwall, UK it had a 2 gallon Shell jerrycan as a fuel tank and a 1.25" roll bar that came up to the base of my skull that was a U shaped affectation that did not have any bracing. The whole car weighed 875 lbs. I added a fuel cell and aluminum containment box, a proper roll bar and another roll bar in front of the engine to meet SCCA requirements. The car now weighs about 1,000 lbs. The engine is offset to the left and the rear axle is shortened on the left side. It is a hoot to drive. I have not driven it in a long time because my local track requires one to be able to carry an instructor unless one has a current racing license, which I do not. When I got it I wanted to go vintage racing and I got my license. I am not a gifted driver and they put me in with a group that was way too fast for me. I was a complete rookie and they put me in with a group of Chevrons and other fast mid engined sportsracers. I was too slow and was "driving in my mirrors" all the time. I felt like a mackerel among shark. I then ran in a group of big American sedans, Camaros and GT350 Mustangs. This was a little better as the speed differential was not so great since what I lost on the straights I could make up in the corners but I ran into the problem of invisibility. When I got close enough to pass the cars I was too low to be safely seen, they could not hear me as they had thundering V8's, so the whole process became one of extreme defensive driving and no fun. I since built "The Heretic", a 2 seater bike engined car (See cars for sale section) where I am learning to drive and deal with traffic. I do not know if I wil ever race it again but I really like it and think it is a really cool car. Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea. /Users/dermot/Desktop/100_1643.JPG /Users/dermot/Desktop/100_1645.JPG /Users/dermot/Desktop/100_1644.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottocycle Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Sorry, I cannot get it to upload the files. I will try again later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I went to the Pegasus Auto Racing web site to do some browsing, and saw newly manufactured and strengthened Kent blocks advertised right on their front page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossD Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Drive down to your local Ford dealership and pick up one of these: http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=12181 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Not sure where you're located, but here is a 711M listed on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Ford-Cortina-Lotus-7-Formula-Ford-Kent-Crossflow-1600-711M-Engine-?cmd=ViewItem&hash=item4aafd08355&item=320777257813&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locost7018 Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Why can't that 711m be closer!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Drive down to your local Ford dealership and pick up one of these: http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=12181 That looks to be the same thing Pegasus offers, but $300 more. Caveat emptor and whatnot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossD Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 The "normal" kent block newly available from ford is $1299, while the lotus block is $1599. Pegasus is probably selling the kent version. I dont know the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Oh, I see. It did seem odd to have such a price difference on what looked like two identical engine blocks. I should have read a bit more before posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDingo8MyBaby Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 The "normal" kent block newly available from ford is $1299, while the lotus block is $1599. Pegasus is probably selling the kent version. I dont know the difference. The Twincam block is slightly longer. More on using a crossflow block here: http://www.lotuselan.net/publish/twink_rebuild.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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