Vintage Austin 7 chassis fitted with the sidevalve Ford 8/10hp E93A engine.

Ford/Austin Engine conversion.

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In the 1950s it was popular to fit a tuned Ford sidevalve (E93A) engine into all manner of small chassis, kit-car, competition car, and special. The article, reproduced here for the benefit of anyone interested in Austins, was originally published by the Bowden Engineering Co. Ltd, a company well-known for their tuning parts. This article concerned itself with replacing the engine used in an Austin 7 powered 750 racing car, with the more robust Ford lump...

FITTING INSTRUCTIONS
Ford 8 - 10hp Engine in Austin 7 Chassis

Whilst the Austin 7 engine is a must for 750 formula events, when given any degree of tuning is liable, due to its age and method of construction, to disintegrate at all too frequent and inconvenient intervals.

A second hand Ford 8 unit costs from 5 to 8 GBP from any car breakers. It is cheaper, quicker and far easier to recondition. The latter meaning, in 90 per cent of cases, about 6 GBP odd for a rebore and pistons. The unit is smooth, indestructible, trouble free, potent and uses no more petrol than the A7 unit.

Fitting the Ford E93A engine into an Austin chassis

Part 2 of the Bowden Engineering article

One of our price lists deals with the 4 speed gearbox conversion. All gearboxes in the Wolseley, Morris Minor, MG range 1933-1938 were manufactured by Wolseley, the geartooth construction being of the herringbone type, which imposes no end thrust. The cases are made in three sections the centre being aluminium. It is extremely rare to find one after 25 years usage that shows any serious signs of wear. Cost ex-car breakers 2.10s.0d to 4.10s.0d. Remote control units off MG, J or P, and Wolseley Hornet fit straight on except the Wolseley box post-1936 which will have to have the top of one selector trimmed down as this projects above the top of the gearbox case when the lid is taken off.

What follows is fairly comprehensive and the minor details I have left to the reader to adapt to his particular car. The undertaking is guaranteed to take more than five minutes, keep you awake at night, and give immense satisfaction when finished.

If the car in question is a special and the radiator can be moved forward of its original position, the least amount of work will be involved by mounting the engine with the fan pulley out over the chassis nose; centre of pulley in line and above the two forward nuts of the spring retaining the U bolts.

Next, remove a semi-circular section approx 1in deep from the nearside chassis sidemember; this includes part of the nosepiece forging. Remove the rivets securing sidemember to nosepiece and cut a reinforcing plate of 3/16in material about 6ins long, drill and bolt up with H.T. bolts 5/16in x 3/4in through the holes left vacant by the rivets. This operation makes room for the oil bump bulge in the Ford sump.

Now move amidships and attack the crossmember centre. Cut away the top of this in the centre down to the level of the radius arm ball anchor and about 2.5ins either side (ie 5ins wide).

The handbrake and cross-shaft are now in the way so remove both and move back equal to two of the large holes on the fore and aft drilled member.

It is suggested that you use one of our 4-speed gearbox conversions to make a job of it, and probably the easiest to mount in the chassis is the post-1936 Wolseley which has single point suspension lug on the after end of the box, beneath the propshaft coupling. Some of these gearboxes are fitted with a free wheel, are considerably longer, and allow for the use of very beneficial short propshaft. A 4 bolt fixing Hardy Spicer propshaft should be used, a Ruby item suitably shortened. A Ruby coupling to fix it to the torque tube should likewise be obtained. The coupling on the gearbox should also be of a 4 bolt type. (There were three different but interchangeable couplings - 3 bolt, 6 bolt and 4 bolt made for Wolseley, MG and Morris Minor gearboxes.)

Heave engine into car and prop up in the front with pulley 1/2in clear of U bolts in front, and as low as possible at rear, so as to give as little angularity to the propshaft as possible.

Bolt a length of 1.5in angle iron underneath the chassis beneath the gearbox coupling. To this in the centre fix an upright piece of 3/16in x 2.5in plate with one hole at top in line with suspension point at the rear of gearbox. A 'silent bloc' bush with a bolt on it should be clamped into former and locked up with two nuts through the hole in 3/16in plate.

Now tackle the front end. Two short lengths of 1.5in angle, drill up and bolt to holes in nosepiece intended by manufacturer to carry body brackets. Cut from 2.5ins x 3/16ins strip one length approx 1 foot long. Weld to it two similar strips extending down to reach the angle irons, forming in effect a flat inverted "U". Drill and fix to holes in engine timing cover. Also finally drill through angles and strips that face down-wards.

Another method of installing engine and gearbox is to move it further back in the frame so that the pulley drops down behnd the nosepiece. This dispenses with cutting the chassis sidemember, it being necessary only to knock down part of the under flange to clear sump bulge.

Centre of crossmember can be removed if you wish to drop the engine lower in the frame. Alternative anchor points have to be found for the radius arms, either side of the engine but at the same height (ie if centre off cross member is removed).

A Morris 8 dynamo may be used, the bracket for some may be welded to the offside of the inverted U bracket for the front of the engine.

The time and trouble taken in this entire conversion is truly rewarded by thousands of miles of fast and trouble free motoring.

So there you have it, anyone could fit their Austin Seven with a Ford 10 engine just like that. A period motoring magazine in the 1950s also showed in a series of articles how the Ford 10hp engine could be persuaded to fit into the chassis of a 1930s MG sportscar, an act seen a pure heresy by collectors who own such MGs today. Cars do still turn up with their original MG engines replaced with Dagenham iron, but I bet many don't get restored, leaving the Ford lump in place.

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Old Classic Car (C) R. Jones 2023. Content not to be reproduced elsewhere.

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