BMC diesels

Ramage

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 Jul 2006
Messages
2,467
Location
Hampton Hill
Visit site
Does anyone know anything about BMC diesels?

The engines on the boat I am looking at are 80hp (or may be 40hp) BMC diesels.

One has a plate on the rocker cover and states

C.T. Marine

LD6 0H7

S/n:3838.
 
Those engines were well used by long-thin-tin-things (the ones you all love to hate).

CT marine of that fraternity marinised a lot of them as do Calcutt here

Give 'em a ring?
 
All I know is that they were a slow revving reliable lump going on forever. Thorneycroft marinised loads of them and most hire fleet boats had them for just that reason. I've got one, T108, Ocean 30 boat does hull speed, very economical, all bits still from Thorneycroft. CT Marine rings a bell, down in Essex many years ago, I had a Ford Cross-flow from them for an off-shore boat, raw water cooled and never any trouble. Don't know if they are still going though. If it is who I think it is they were suppliers of marinised automotive lumps and stern gear, I believe for local fishing industry.
 
BMC made the blocks etc, and various manufacturers marinised them.

They were also used in Taxi's and commercial vehicles with success. Parts likely to be cheap, unlike Volvo or Nanni, so a low risk purchase in many ways!
 
Any idea of the cubic capacity? The ones used in London taxis were 2.2 litre and absolutely bomb-proof (well, they would need to be, wouldn't they). Before that there were the 3.4 and 3.8 litre long-stroke engines that were widely marinised. Some years ago, I bought a boat with a couple of these installed. When I came to re-engine it, people fell over themselves to buy the old lumps. One, I know, was demarinised and put back into a Nuffield tractor, from whence it had come!

Greetings from the Ijsselmeer!
 
They are biggish lumps but not as big as the Fords in the other boat I looked at.

They seem to run nicely and are an attractive shade of metallic green.

The boat has a large and beautifully painted PHYC badge on the stern.
 
C/T Marine marinised all the BMC Commercial engine range using the same proprietry components as Tempest, Thornycroft, i.e Bowman manifolds, Jabsco pumps etc.

Sounds like you have the old 3.8 or 4/98 engine rather than 2.2/2.5 motors. Biggest drawback with the 3.8-4/98 was the wet liner design. Lack of use can result in bottom liner seal harding and failue causing coolant to leak into lube oil.

Search under BMC/Leyland tractors or JCB and you will find spares are plentiful and inexpensive.
 
Quote: "Search under BMC/Leyland tractors or JCB and you will find spares are plentiful and inexpensive."

Be an unusual variant of a JCB requiring a Jabsco raw water pump though wouldn't it?
 
Top