Mystery bracket. What is it?

[Sam Christie]

I need a front engine bracket for an OHC Minor engine and I have the opportunity of this one (I have only the picture to go by).It is not the familiar type and I wonder,is it OHC Minor or perhaps from a six cylinder Wolseley? It looks a stronger improved design.



Could it be used in place of the standard example below?

[Ian Grace]

Hi Sam,

It certainly looks like it might do the job - and is a much sturdier design. I'll take a look at my illustrated Hornet parts list tonight and see if it looks like anything in there.

[Ian Grace]

And here it is - mystery solved. This from the Hornet spare parts list for cars 82501 upwards, published 8/30. Looks like you are good to go!



Next question - so why didn't Wolseley fit these improved brackets to the Minor engines - which they made? Answer - probably because the 6-cylinder engine was heavier and put out more power, so it was beefed up for that engine only.

[Sam Christie]

Thanks Ian for this research.If the price for this bracket turns out to be reasonable I will take a chance and report on how it works out.

[Ronald]

The only thing i would say from simply looking at the two pictures, is that it appear that using the different bracket would raise the engine a little, which in a worst case scenario could alter the position of not only the engine, but gearbox a fraction and prop angles .... etc etc etc.....

[Ian Grace]

It's hard to tell from the two photos, because they are taken from slightly different angles - it might just be that the geometry is the same, but it will only be possible to be definitive with both of them in hand.

[Sam Christie]

It does look as though there would be a difference in the elevation of the front of the engine -the lower central hole seems lower on the original plate but I am still interested to try it.Of course the ideal solution is to find the correct bracket.

[Sam Christie]

It is now possible to compare the two brackets. Both fit an OHC Minor engine front housing and both have matching chassis mounting holes.

Contrary to appearances the fundimental dimensions of the two brackets seem to be as good as the same.



When both are rested on surfaces which are at the same height the openings on the brackets which the front of the crank comes through seem to be so similar in height as to suggest the brackets really are interchangeable.So far as I can tell any difference in height is between 1/16" and 1/32" which the elasticity of the rubber mountings would easily tolerate.

[Sam Christie]

The apparent interchangeability of these brackets makes me wonder how many other parts can swap between the the Hornet and the OHC Minor.I believe the cam supports might be similar as well as the con rods and I wonder about such items as the flywheel housing and the oil pump.

[Ian Grace]

I've come across several cast alloy cam supports in the past, and have been told that they are from a Hornet. Similar story on the ali rods.

But great news that the Hornet front mount is a direct swap - and much stronger. Problem is - they are probably rarer than Minors ones!

[Ronald]

Pretty sure I have an alloy rear cam support somewhere.......... and a set of alloy rods, but never knew what they were from... other than some Minor sort of engine, as they are Minor size etc!

[Sam Christie]

Ronald I spotted alloy cam supports once on eBay which looked familiar and were described as 'Wolseley'. I know a chap in Wales who had a very early M-type (with a low mileage and known history) and he said that his car had started out with alloy con rods. I understand that while alloy con rods may be lighter there are concerns about their fatigue life.

What I find really strange is that under William Morris so many small apparently not very rational component variations were tolerated. For sales reasons it seems there was a policy of giving the impression that MG and Wolseley and Morris had nothing in common when, in fact, they could all have worn a Nuffield badge. Meanwhile the buying public would have been influenced by the external appearance and reputation of the cars and not by variations in alloys hidden within.

[Ronald]

Sam, there is nothing new ion the motor industry.......

these days we have the VAG group, buy an Audi, VW, Seat, Bugatti, Bentley or lambo, and they pretty much all have parts in common, in fact, some of the VW bits and seat bits under the bponnet are even badged as Audi parts....!!!

[Sam Christie]

What puzzles me is why so many 'Morris' parts which interchange and have the same appearance were cast in different materials for no apparent reason when in the era only a mechanic was ever likely to notice any difference.I can see the need for a stronger bracket for a heavier engine but I wonder what the point was in making the same cam supports (for example) in different materials for different models.

[ColinWLee]

Nought so strange as Morris men