mk1-forum.net

Hi All ,

With all the current reproduction of the wonderful period 60's cylinder heads-

Historically speaking which was the better 8 port - performance wise and also for reliability
And could any of you knowledgeable chaps explain what made one better than the other

cheers
carl

the search button is your friend for the answers to this age old question

guru_1071 wrote:the search button is your friend for the answers to this age old question

I had already plowed through pages of search results

Lots of interesting stuff but nothing I could find to answer my question

It would be great if you could point me to the thread you had in mind

cheers
carl

Hi,

both had originally problems with the material of the cast. Weslake as well with the cooling circuit. Today’s Arden heads seems having solved it. Weslake – I don’t know. I bought one and returned it because of problems with the cast. There is yet no answer. I am now using an older Arden with a lot of modifications. But you cannot discuss the head without mentioning the inlet. Will you fit it under the round nosed bonnet? Will you fit contemporary parts? This is as important as the head itself.

Flowtests on Westlake;

http://www.starchak.ca/tech/8-port.htm

So just find flowfigures for the Arden head and you can compare.

THE head for a Mk1 is the arden. The head for an A Series is the Weslake.

Not very well known are the IDA manifolds for the Weslake. They flowed very very very well. There was a chap with a morris minor running a Weslake with 2 40IDAs. Looked very tall indeed! The standard S manifold set up for webers on a weslake doen't look like it would flow as well.....but then they went to injection anyway.

If I had the choice, I'd go for a Weslake with injection.....after that, I'd go for an Arden with Webers. Never a Weslake with webers.

The reality of the time was an Arden was by far the better head. Most who had Weslakes and the money replaced them with 5 porters by the early 70s.

I agree.

However, the Weslake flowed better.

In the shed wrote:I agree.

However, the Weslake flowed better.

was that under the bench after replacement?

The chap with the weslake in a MM is called Sam Anker , he works for Land Rover at Gaydon now but used to work in engine experimental at longbridge . He has collected some really interesting bits over the years .

We ( SMMC ) built the engine he has in the MM at the moment , in use,s a pair of downdraft webers of a MG meastro . The manifold,s were specially cast to his design and I machined them . There about 6 inches long so would no be suitable for a mini unless you fitted a periscope

The car is a custom lime green MM pick up roadster .

What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

251 ENG wrote:What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

Well the old ones were slow and the question was about the best in period!

ivor badger wrote:

251 ENG wrote:What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

Well the old ones were slow and the question was about the best in period!

Was there a particular reason why the Weslake was 'slow'

From a 'first impression' the Weslake looks the better design with the straight , downdraught inlet ports

carlt wrote:

ivor badger wrote:

251 ENG wrote:What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

Well the old ones were slow and the question was about the best in period!

Was there a particular reason why the Weslake was 'slow'

From a 'first impression' the Weslake looks the better design with the straight , downdraught inlet ports

the point is exactly this.
No one was interested how cool they thought their car was to show off to their mates at a car cruise. The only thing that mattered was the lap time of the car and the Weslake head didn't provide that by 1970. Drivers with the money simply went and bought another head or another car. The mere fact that they could afford the 8 port in the first place meant that money was not normally a problem. The lesser finacial mortals tended to buy up the disused heads in the feeble hopes they were getting something good for cheap, they were sadly disappointed.

ivor badger wrote:

251 ENG wrote:What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

Well the old ones were slow and the question was about the best in period!

Weslakes were inferior ? Daniel Richmond and Harry Ratcliffe didn't think so.

Pete wrote:

ivor badger wrote:

251 ENG wrote:What is wrong with the new Weslake heads ?

Well the old ones were slow and the question was about the best in period!

Weslakes were inferior ? Daniel Richmond and Harry Ratcliffe didn't think so.

Jim Whitehouse and all the people who left Downton and moved to Christchurch did.

we do hill climb with historic cars and wanted to change from a well done 5-port to an 8-port. For we did not jet get one of new Weslakes to work, we bought an old Arden. First result, it is one second faster each kilometre.

mine must be a one off its superb

This is rubbish, Weslake are far the better head.. Go on YouTube and search "rally mini in car aintree" I can't make a link sorry.. That's a Weslake, you tell me that's crap!!?

999 ORX wrote:This is rubbish, Weslake are far the better head.. Go on YouTube and search "rally mini in car aintree" I can't make a link sorry.. That's a Weslake, you tell me that's crap!!?

Well I know personally 2 drivers, well one now as the other died last year who got rid of weslake 8 porters because they could't beat a 5 porter on SUs down the straight. Both went to Longman for 5 porters with split Webers and that is why I will never believe the 8 port hype.