They do say that lightening never strikes twice but late last year I was offered another basket case engine which I knew to be an original old Alquati 795cc conversion similar to the one I revived some years ago. I have no idea how many engines underwent this conversion in the UK but in all the years I have only heard of 3 survivors, of which I have had two.
First pic shows the bits arriving home in the back of our car. Then the original Alquati badge that I came across in New Zealand then the Alquati price list which shows the 85mm kit which was available in 1977 and possibly earlier.
I did not originally plan to rebuild the engine but eight months after dumping it in my garage the weather was warm enough for me to get back in the garage and my curiosity got the better of me so I tentatively started looking at bits. One thing led to another and it went from this
Two months later to this
The build tested me in so many ways but got there in the end. I started outside in the garden with the crankcase on a small kids play table so I could work sitting down much of the time. Never imagined that the little table would take the whole weight but it does.
Just need to work out now how I am going to fire it up and test it
Main features are from the bottom up:
New 2 piece 4 1/2 litre alloy sump
Replacement Bis crankshaft
Replacement later 126 conrods (two oil squirt jets)
48/80 Camshaft
Original 795cc piston/cylinder set
Modified tinware
Modified cylinder head
Replacement alloy fan
Period (unusual) sports exhaust
Rebuilt Weber 30DIC carb on original Alquati manifold
New sport air filter
Replacement alloy rocker cover
All stainless exterior fasteners
Lots of other minor new parts
Pretty much finished it on the last day of August which going by the weather was the last day of Summer
First pic shows the bits arriving home in the back of our car. Then the original Alquati badge that I came across in New Zealand then the Alquati price list which shows the 85mm kit which was available in 1977 and possibly earlier.
I did not originally plan to rebuild the engine but eight months after dumping it in my garage the weather was warm enough for me to get back in the garage and my curiosity got the better of me so I tentatively started looking at bits. One thing led to another and it went from this
Two months later to this
The build tested me in so many ways but got there in the end. I started outside in the garden with the crankcase on a small kids play table so I could work sitting down much of the time. Never imagined that the little table would take the whole weight but it does.
Just need to work out now how I am going to fire it up and test it
Main features are from the bottom up:
New 2 piece 4 1/2 litre alloy sump
Replacement Bis crankshaft
Replacement later 126 conrods (two oil squirt jets)
48/80 Camshaft
Original 795cc piston/cylinder set
Modified tinware
Modified cylinder head
Replacement alloy fan
Period (unusual) sports exhaust
Rebuilt Weber 30DIC carb on original Alquati manifold
New sport air filter
Replacement alloy rocker cover
All stainless exterior fasteners
Lots of other minor new parts
Pretty much finished it on the last day of August which going by the weather was the last day of Summer
