Claymore's Engine

penberth3 said:
Yes, that was BMC/British Leyland's own brand of rebuilt engines and gearboxes, which were painted gold. The prices would make you cry today - I think a Mini short engine was something like £80! Lucas had their own service exchange scheme for electrical components.
Click to expand...
I remember buying a mini gold seal gearbox for £27 at the time, but dont forget, a tradesmans wage at that time was £20 a werk and the price of a mini new was about £370 ish?
Stu
 
skipper_stu said:
I remember buying a mini gold seal gearbox for £27 at the time, but dont forget, a tradesmans wage at that time was £20 a werk and the price of a mini new was about £370 ish?
Stu
Click to expand...

The Mini was £499 - never as low as £370 unless it was a minivan.
 
Something of an aside but wouldn't the OP's quoted 48bhp be for the engine when governed to road revs. e.g. 4500ish? At marine revs, perhaps 2800 or thereabouts, an output of c. 30bhp from 1800cc would seem more likely.

A similar situation to the 2112cc VP MD21 series which are always quotes as 60+bhp but that's at 4500rpm and when reading off the power curve they are outputting only around 38bhp at max marine revs.

I'm pointing this out because the OP has mentioned a Beta50 as a replacement, which has 400cc more than the BMC/Leyland, so perhaps a smaller and cheaper Beta would provide comparable power output to the old engine.
 
wully1 said:
There may be time to get a drink oot o’ him yet then....
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t bank on 10years, state of him I’d be inclined to plan on only a few short months before he gets carted off to a nursing home which is why I’m surprised he’s thinking about new engines, the local authority will be flogging his beloved boat to put toward the cost of his NH fees shortly.
 
Wandering Star said:
I wouldn’t bank on 10years, state of him I’d be inclined to plan on only a few short months before he gets carted off to a nursing home which is why I’m surprised he’s thinking about new engines, the local authority will be flogging his beloved boat to put toward the cost of his NH fees shortly.
Click to expand...
Ye pair o' scaldies.
 
Steve_N said:
Something of an aside but wouldn't the OP's quoted 48bhp be for the engine when governed to road revs. e.g. 4500ish? At marine revs, perhaps 2800 or thereabouts, an output of c. 30bhp from 1800cc would seem more likely.

A similar situation to the 2112cc VP MD21 series which are always quotes as 60+bhp but that's at 4500rpm and when reading off the power curve they are outputting only around 38bhp at max marine revs.

I'm pointing this out because the OP has mentioned a Beta50 as a replacement, which has 400cc more than the BMC/Leyland, so perhaps a smaller and cheaper Beta would provide comparable power output to the old engine.
Click to expand...

That is interesting. We never rev more than 1800 even when pushing a strong tide or wind. Usual cruising revs are 14/1500.
The beta 50 hp isn't much more expensive than a 35 or 40 and Claymore does have a fair bit of windage so a bit of power in reserve wouldn't be a bad thing, I'm thinking. The existing engine has never let us down, powers the fridge, laptop, inverter, eberspacher, anchor winch etc with never a blob so I wouldn't want to drop the power, I think. Have been talking to Caulcutt boats and perhaps am seeing the way forward but will talk to 'my diesel man' when I get back to the UK.
 
It's understandable to stick with a motor that has served you well for many years, but as has been pointed out the accessories (especially the expensive gearbox) will all be reaching their MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) point. A new engine is far more likely to give you peace of mind and confidence. Modern diesels rev much higher, so the power reserve you want will be available from a smaller motor, and it will be much quieter and more economical to run as well.

Yep, being devil's (and wallet's) advocate. Go for a new engine. Then, by contrast, enjoy the sailing with confidence in the donk.
 
Tranona said:
The Mini was £499 - never as low as £370 unless it was a minivan.
Click to expand...
Minivan, with a boudoir in the back and the crucial piece of wood to prop the passenger seat forward!
I progressed to a 997 Cooper with a knacked engine. I got my hands on an MG 1100 engine and dropped that in. Woo, at the time real creamy power! The only prob was the tiny disks on the front that ate the old penny size and shape pads. I have posted before about cutting down Girling racing pads off my mates racing side car outfit in the paddock at Crystal Palace so that I had some brakes for the long haul back to North Wales!
Stu
 
Last edited:
Mate of mine put an Austin 1300GT engine in his minivan-of course it just dropped right in as they did in those days. Surprised the heck out of a lot of people in fancy big(er) engine cars with GT on the back.
 
Brings back happy memories .. my first car was a 1964 mini; no synchro on first gear, sliding windows, bit of string to open the door and a spare battery in the boot.. ;)

Don't miss it though, on a quiet night you could hear it rusting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top