Rallymaster/Chevy engine?

[FOSSIE]

I just happened to be snooping round someone's workshop down in Kent this morning, when i noticed what i thought was a BDG sat on the workbench... Further investigation showed that this thing was not a BD anything - rather a "Rallymaster" engine, otherwise known as a "Chevy Vega" or some such....

Now then, what in the name of my hairy left testicle is one of them?

It's based on a pinto block.... Has an alloy 16V head, and an alloy sandwhich plate between the block/head. It's 2ish Litre capacity, and as i say it looks at a glance like a BD from above - except theres the words "FORD- CHEVY" (or was it COSWORTH CHEVY?) cast into the cam cover.

I'm told that this actual engine came out of Will Gollops rally-x car from a few years ago, and is more powerful/reliable than any BD. Whether that;s true or not i have no idea.

Apparenly these engines came from some american car - Chevy commissioned cosworth to do a ally 16V head to go on their pinto blocks, and this was the result - but only a few were ever made.

Anybody have the faintest idea what i'm on about here? I've never seen or heard of them before, but it did look pretty trick.

I am genuinly intrigued. Might offer this bloke some money for it if it's any good. I've got some pictures of it on my phone, but no idea how to offload the pictures from it to the PC!

So come on - someone please enlighten me!?

[Clint]

Years ago they used a chevy vega alloy block with a steel crank they used a think plate on top of the block to raise its height and fitted wet liners in it to get the rod ratio back to the near optimum 1.65:1 , the alloy heads were purpose cast by cosworth, engine was used in F2 I think.

HT have a crank from one on the floor, aparently they have (or know someone who has) fitted one to a UK pinto, its a checp conversion because the cranks are quite cheap from the states and are proper steel items, however its not an easy conversion and the front pully is conical .

[FOSSIE]

Yep that all sounds about the same as this guy told me today... This thing had a normal pinto block - pre "205" - with a few mods he said were needed to fit the chevy crank. Also had a spare head, with a completely mangled combustion chamber on no.1!

[Banishit]

you shouldnt be sneaking round Bills garage then Tom LOL

[FOSSIE]

you shouldnt be sneaking round Bills garage then Tom LOL

It was with his permission, i might add

[Belso]

Found this ad for it

Rallymaster/Chevy/Cosworth Engine. 16 valve head 50 webbers on Pinto Block. All steel bottom end. Brand New Crank. Dry Sumped. Fully aeroquiped with tank and oil cooler. £5000.00

Contact Bill Harbour Tel: 07881 952783

http://www.rallycrossuk.com/

[Banishit]

Found this ad for it

Rallymaster/Chevy/Cosworth Engine. 16 valve head 50 webbers on Pinto Block. All steel bottom end. Brand New Crank. Dry Sumped. Fully aeroquiped with tank and oil cooler. £5000.00

Contact Bill Harbour Tel: 07881 952783

http://www.rallycrossuk.com/

thats the one LOL

[FOSSIE]

Found this ad for it

Rallymaster/Chevy/Cosworth Engine. 16 valve head 50 webbers on Pinto Block. All steel bottom end. Brand New Crank. Dry Sumped. Fully aeroquiped with tank and oil cooler. £5000.00

Contact Bill Harbour Tel: 07881 952783

http://www.rallycrossuk.com/

Yep, that is the very same engine i was drooling over. He never mentioned it was for sale

[TimGR]

Years ago they used a chevy vega alloy block with a steel crank they used a think plate on top of the block to raise its height and fitted wet liners in it to get the rod ratio back to the near optimum 1.65:1 , the alloy heads were purpose cast by cosworth, engine was used in F2 I think.

That's right.

The engine was a 1995cc 1972 version designated "EAA" (as opposed to BDA for example) and was run in F2 and Sports Cars. About 120 bhp in the standard road going form (installed in the Cosworth Vega) but up to 270 bhp all steel race form.

[popuptoaster]

Did it look like this?



If it did its out of one of these





Think they made about 185 (american) BHP at their peak, but the output changed every year they were built. Its a Chevy vega i been keeping an eye out for one for years but they are rare enough in the states let alone over here.

[Scott_B]

i think they also did different specs for different states as ive seen them with fuel injection and egr systems, i found them by searching the us ebay for cosworth, theres usually at least one for sale

[Leemk2]

How about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1976-...18690415QQrdZ1

Seems to be a few cars and bits for sale in the US.

[vivaEAA]

New member and just found this thread , thought I'd add a bit more to it although it's an old one lol

The Rallymaster came about in the early 80s when Titan motorsport bought the surplus COE f2/sportscar EAA parts from cosworth , David Abraham's and Roy Thomas came up with the idea of using it on the pinto block , Alan Sherwood of MASS racing engines were also involved in developing the engines at the time , there was only 15 units built and the 2 most popular that folk maybe familiar with were the 2.3 units in John Welchs mk2 rallycross car , later used by Mark Llyod and the g3 escort 2.3 rallied here in Ireland by Des Moore , this engine still exists today


Some footage of Welchs car and as always its wrongly described as having a BDA

https://youtu.be/sWZUOFowfu8


And an article that talks a small bit about the engine when Mark Lloyd had it , described as being a 6000 quid engine at that stage , John Welch did tell me that they ended up more expensive that the BDG but he had ran out of capacity with the BD at the time so made the change to the Rallymaster

https://www.racecar-engineering.com/...versions-1984/


Just a point on the original post about it being Gollops engine , in the SAAB he did use the EAA head aswel and was engineered similar to the rallymaster but retained the SAAB block with EAA crank crank , so may have been crossed wires there on who's unit it was

[alladdin]

great info