1909, Peugeot Frères – 7- 8HP Engine, 633cc or 945cc, AC, AIV, 450 ‘V’ Twin
When HFS built his ‘Runabout’ he used a Peugeot engine from an abandoned motorcycle project. I know of 2 versions of the engine – the ‘Y’ type, 6.9 (RAC hp), bore 75mm x 75mm stroke, 633cc and the ‘Z’ type, 7.9 (RAC hp), bore 80mm x 94mm stroke, 945cc. The ‘Prototype’ Morgan was quoted has having 7-8 (RAC hp) which makes the Z type favourite.
It was a 45o ‘V’ twin with aluminium crankcase and cast iron cylinders but used ‘automatic inlet valves (AIV) and mechanically operated exhaust valves, i.e. on the induction stroke, a lightly sprung non-return valve in the inlet manifold is sucked off its seat which allows the petrol/air mixture into the cylinders. When the piston and pressure begin to rise, the non-return valve closes, the mixture is compressed, ignited and the downward power stroke takes place. The side valve exhaust is then opened mechanically. The system works, just, but is restricted by low compression ratio, low revs, no control over valve timing overlap and the need to protect the AIV from heat. In 1908 JAP introduced a much more advanced engine with mechanically controlled inlet and exhaust valves which was perfect for the first production cars.
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1910-1911, JAP 4HP, 482cc, AC, SV, Single Cylinder Engine
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
I believe this single cylinder engine had a capacity of 482cc, bore 85mm x 85mm stroke. Both valves were mechanically operated, it had magneto ignition (both then very new), and was lubricated by a total loss system i.e. a slug of oil injected into the engine is distributed round the engine by centrifugal force, spray and gravity until it eventually leaves the engine through the crankcase breather. The slug of oil was delivered by a hand pump operated by the driver at regular intervals or when he noticed the engine tighten. Why the single was offered in 1910 I don’t know but one was definitely sold and it was still listed in 1911.
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1910-1919, JAP 8HP, 964cc, AC, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
In the early days J A Prestwich designed and built engines for the motorcycle industry and in 1909 introduced a new advanced lightweight engine by doubling the capacity and power but only adding the weight of another cylinder to their single cylinder engine to create an 8hp, 964cc, bore 85mm x 85mm stroke, AC, SV, 500 ‘V’ twin with a single carburettor between the cylinders, magneto ignition and outside exhausts – perfect for the first ‘Runabout’. The engine used a single camshaft to mechanically operate the inlet and exhaust valves for both cylinders giving a noticeable increase in performance over the Peugeot, automatic inlet valve (AIV) engine. Total loss, hand pump feed lubrication system was normal for the time, one pump every couple of minutes or when the driver noticed the engine tightening. The show car engines had coil ignition but all the later pictures show the engines fitted with magneto ignition. Unfortunately I have not been able to obtain any bhp figures for these early engines. Sometime early in its life, probably 1920 it acquired a 85.7mm stroke to give a 980cc capacity. In 1913 this engine was offered by JAP for £21 or £28.10s with magneto.
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1912-1919, JAP 8HP, 980cc, WC, SV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham, London)
Mechanically this 85.7mm x 85mm, 980cc engine is largely the same as the AC motor but developed to cash in on the growing cycle/light car market of the time. Most of these cars mimicked the luxury cars of the time and had body work which restricted cooling and the ‘Standard’ 2 seat Morgan was no exception. It was fitted with a neat simple bonnet louvred to aid air flow but nothing to help when stood in traffic on a hot day and the answer was water cooling. Air cooled SV engines have always suffered from hot spots especially round the exhaust valve and if water cooling is done well it evens out the temperature around the cylinder head. No water pump or fan in those days. Usually water cooled engines are quoted as giving a little more power but they have to carry the extra weight of water and radiator. Both WC and AC were the work of Harry Hatch.
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1912-1920, JAP ‘90 Bore’ – 986cc & 1082cc, WC, OHV, 500 ‘V’ Twins
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
AC and WC versions were used in competition but the layout of the inlet and exhaust ports and plug positions make me doubt that the engine was designed to be installed in a Morgan. In fact the engine was used in racing motorcycles in capacities up to 1500cc. Evidence of this engine being available in a Morgan as standard appears in an advert in the French press in 1916! There are photographs of two, possibly production, ‘Grand Prixs’ fitted with the ‘90 bore’ in 1918 and of cars and engines at the Morgan factory just after WW1, but very few have survived.
Designed by chief engineer Harry Hatch it was unlike any other JAP motorcycle engine before or since. 986cc, bore 90mm x 77.5mm stroke, 500 ‘V’ twin later increased to 1082cc, 85mm, a very short stroke for 1912, the bottom end looks conventional SV JAP, but the OHV arrangement was very different for JAP. The usual offset rockers were replaced by straight levers pivoted on pedestals and stretching over the head to vertical valves set on the centre line of the cylinder. This compromised the combustion chamber shape, valve size, position and the shape of the ports in this early design. After the WW1, JAP went the opposite way, hemispherical heads, big valves at 900 and long strokes. Cast iron pistons, non-detachable heads and small valves had all gone by 1920, sadly too late for the ’90 Bore’, or was it?
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1912-1914, Blumfield ‘4’ – 991cc, WC, SV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(Blumfield Ltd,70 Lower Essex Street,Birmingham)
This company was one of the many that attempted to cash in on the motorcycle and cycle car boom of the early 1900’s. JAP was clearly Morgan’s first choice but the market was very tempting and I’m sure HFS would have been prepared to try alternatives. His competition policy helped. A Blumfield engined Morgan was entered in the 1913 Grand Prix but failed to appear and little was heard of it thereafter and I doubt HFS would have used the engine for production cars, but I can’t be sure. An air cooled, bore 81.5mm x 95mm stroke, version of this engine was offered to the public at £19 without magneto in 1913.
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1912-1914, Precision – 964cc, WC, SV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(manufacturer – F E Baker Ltd, Precision Works, Moorsey Street, Birmingham)
JAP ruled the day but market demand for Morgans was rising rapidly and engine producers were keen to get into the cycle car market. The engine followed a similar story to the ‘Blumfield’. Trade adverts showed bore 85mm x 85mm stroke, WC, SV ‘V’ twins with a chain driven magneto and exhausts routed across the front of the engine, motorcycle style. I have never seen an authentic photograph of this SV engine in a Morgan. The only ‘Precision’ photograph, an indistinct one, has overhead valves, and took part in the 1913 Cycle Car Grand Prix but retired early in the second lap and apart from a couple of entries in reliability trials and one fitted to the Billy James 1913 ‘Carrier’ little more was heard of these engines. I wonder if HFS was hedging his bets with ‘Blumfield’ and ‘Precision’ to keep ‘JAP’ on their toes. The air cooled engine was £28.10s with magneto, £19 without to the public.
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1914-1924, MAG – 933cc & 1094cc, AC & WC, IOE, 450 ‘V’ Twins
(manufacturer – Motosache, Acacia, Geneva, Switzerland)
A prototype 1093cc, bore 82mm x 103.5mm stroke, AC, IOE, 45o ‘V’ twin, engine was tried in trials during 1914 and was introduced as an option in the 1915 catalogue for the ‘Sporting’ and ‘De-luxe’ models, described as ‘Everlasting Silent’. A WC version was available by 1916 and reported to give 24 bhp at 2600 rpm (the RAC rating would be 10.43 hp). It was not available after the war until 1920 and continued to be offered until 1924 or possibly later. The interesting thing about this engine is the inlet over exhaust valve arrangement. It has a conventional SV exhaust, but an overhead inlet valve (IOE), which makes the engine look tall. The IOE offers a more compact combustion chamber, less heat loss, higher compression ratio and as a result more power than the SV layout. HFS did use this as an alternative engine to meet the increase in demand.
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1918-1931, JAP ‘K’ Series, AC & WC, SV, 500 ‘V’ Twins
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
JAP did not go in for redesigns or a new model every year but developed on a continuous basis – in 1921 these bore 85.7mm x 85mm stroke engines were the start of the ‘KT’ series. The engine benefitted massively from experienced gained from WW1. Lighter aluminium pistons which reduced inertia loads improved heat dissipation and the use of caged roller big end and main bearings developed by E B Ware but the hand pump oil feed remained. John Prestwich thought valve size had little effect on engine performance but when Val Page experimented and got an engine to rev much faster , in 1921 the ‘C’ (sports level of tune) with bigger valves was introduced. This level of tune became standard in 1926 and no longer carried the ‘C’ suffix. It gained a gear driven oil pump in 1927 and by 1929 a new ‘C Spec’ called the 8/30, identical to the 100mph lap engine was offered.
The side valve was a very popular choice throughout the 1920’s, even in competition because of its simplicity and reliability over the more powerful but complicated and noisy overhead valve layout, thanks to the efforts of E B Ware, the JAP Experimental Department Manager, who raced and developed the SV in Morgans. It is strange that JAP, Morgan or Dunlop did not support him well after a bad accident at Brooklands so he never raced again.
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1924-1929, JAP 990cc (K), 996cc (J), 1098cc (L), AC & WC, OHV, 500 ‘V’ Twins – ‘The Dog Eared JAP’
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham, London)
This engine was built in 990cc (K), 996cc (J) and in 1926, 1098cc (L) capacities. The LTOW in standard tune gave 30bhp rising to an estimated 50bhp in ‘R’ tune. New in 1924 it used the crankcase, crankshaft, and twin camshafts, one per cylinder like its SV brother. The OHV layout was totally different to its predecessor the short stroke ’90 Bore’ with its flat style combustion chamber design of pre WW1 and was designed by Val Page aided by Bert Le Vack. From now on JAP adopted the long stroke path with two big valves set at 900 in a hemispherical cylinder head and two camshafts, one per cylinder and a mechanical oil pump which contributed to the engine’s long development life and legendary reputation which was further enhanced by the specialist tuners of the period.
Affectionately known as ‘The Dog Eared JAP’ due to the exposed rocker bearing pedestals which were originally covered by cast alloy covers over the rockers and top pushrod ball joints but they amplified tappet clatter and most original covers quickly disappeared. All the push rod ball joints and rocker spindle bearings were lubricated by hand if or when the owner remembered.
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1921-1927, Blackburne – 1098cc, AC & WC, SV & OHV, 600 ‘V’ Twins
(manufacturer – Burney & Blackburne Ltd, Bookham, Surrey)
Harry Hatch was working for Blackburne by 1920 and designed the KM (K-OHV, M-Morgan) WC series of engines. The design benefitted from WW1 aircraft development and was similar to the JAP ‘90 bore’ which he also designed whilst chief engineer at JAP prior to the war (see note 31). It acquired an excellent reputation in a very short time thanks to Messer’s Beart, Jackson, Horton, Lones etc. Blackburnes ceased to be used, it is said when HFS fell out with Blackburne over the repair of three KMBs which all failed on the same day, or more likely because by 1927 the design was dated and the engine expensive, leading to the use of the 10/40 JAP in the new ‘Super Sports Aero’
The prototype ‘KM’ was a 60o ‘V’ twin, 85mm bore x 96mm stroke (1090cc) engine with its lever type rockers operating inclined valves and produced 32bhp. It only had 3 studs holding the cylinder flange to the crankcase.
The ‘KMA’ production version listed from October 1923 used a slightly longer, 98.6mm stroke, giving a capacity of 1098cc, had an extra plug hole, compression taps and 4 cylinder flange bolts. It produced 35bhp at 4000rpm.
There were only 3 or 4 ‘KMB’s, a special racing engine which had steel flywheels, etc. and was never offered as a listed option.
The ‘KMC’ was the last production engine, offered from October 1926. A development of the ‘KMB’ engine it had stronger conrods, larger crankpin and bearings, as well as an improved oil system and a special ‘speed cam’ giving over 40bhp at 4000rpm with a 5 ½ to 1 compression ratio could be supplied.
There were also two SV fixed head engines of the same 85mm bore, 96.8mm stroke and capacity. The ‘VCM’ was air cooled and the ‘ZCM’ water cooled but were only listed as alternatives to the SV JAPs in 1923 and 1924, but I cannot find any reliable power output figures for the engine.
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1923-1929, British Anzani – 1078cc, WC, OHV, 570 ‘V’ Twin
(manufactured by British Vulpine Company, Wilsden, London & A F N Ltd, Kingston upon Thames)
The Herbert Hughes developed CCW (Cycle Car Water Cooled), bore 85mm x 95mm stroke, 2 valve per cylinder engine, 570 OHV, WC, ‘V’ twin came on the market in about 1922 and after trials success it was offered by Morgan from about 1923 as an option at the same price as the JAP SV of the time. However during 1925, to keep costs down Charles Fox (the owner of the company) reduced the quality of the exhaust valves resulting in many breaking during the warranty period. The situation became so bad that Morgan agents refused to take them and HFS terminated the contract, Fox sued, lost and Vulpine (who also traded as ‘Summit’) went into liquidation. The assets were bought by Archie Frazer Nash who cured the problem and called the engine the M3. Nash also offered to update the owners ‘CCW’ engines for about £6 and Morgan offered the M3 until around 1929 when there was a boardroom upheaval at AFN and the Morgan connection ended. I cannot find any reliable power output figures for the ‘M3’ engine.
NB. The 8 valve OHV or OHC engines used in competition and in aircraft, as far as I know were not offered as a standard option by Morgan so are not within the scope of this booklet.
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1929-1931, JAP 1098cc, WC, OHV, 500 ‘V’ Twin – 10/40
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
Essentially a development of the ‘Dog Eared’ engine to bring it into line with the rest of the JAP range modernised a little earlier. Offered in the 1928 ‘Super Sports Aero’ specification with a bore 85.7mm x 95mm stroke – 1098cc capacity. The main change was the introduction of small enclosed rocker boxes, pushrods, rockers and spindles all mist lubricated through the pushrods, but the valve stems and springs remained exposed. The engine has a cleaner look and some valve gear clatter was reduced. In other aspects the engine was unchanged.
10/40 Reference:
‘10’ indicates the RAC/ACU hp rating devised in 1905 for vehicle tax purposes and has nothing to do with engine power output e.g. Ford ‘8’, Ford ‘10’.
‘40’ refers to the maximum bhp the engine produces in ‘C’ (sports) tune.
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1931-1934, JAP LTZ & LTWZ, 1098cc, WC and AC, SV, 600 ‘V’ Twin
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
The last JAPs as far as Morgan were concerned. These engines, bore 85.7mm x 95mm stroke, along with their OHV brother were introduced to coincide with the new 3 speeder and were intended to be smoother, more friendly and easier to maintain due to the 60o cylinder angle. The twin camshafts of the ‘Dog Eared’ engine were retained, one now driving the coil ignition distributor and the other camshaft was fitted with a dog clutch to engage the starting handle necessary for the 3 speed transmission. Dry sump lubrication was used for the first time. The AC version also had for the first time, detachable heads, but the WC motor retained the fixed heads of its predecessor.
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1931-1934, JAP LTOWZ, 1098cc, WC, OHV, 600 ‘V’ Twins
(J A Prestwich Ltd, Tottenham,London)
The OHV engine shared the capacity, bore 85.7mm x 95mm stroke, 60o cylinder angle, the twin camshafts driving the distributor, starting handle dog and dry sump lubrication with the SV (note 40). The barrels are longer to accommodate the stroke and the heads based on the ‘Dog Eared’ engine with its large valves set at 90o in a hemispherical combustion chamber. The changes to the valve train are the most noticeable. The pushrods are enclosed by tubes which have oil seals top and bottom, topped with a new oil tight oval rocker box which had been standard for most of the JAP range of the late 1920’s. The rocker box bearings are pressure fed with oil which returned via the pushrod tubes to the timing case and eventually the sump from where it is pumped back to the oil tank. The overall result is a cleaner look and a step in the right direction but it was not enough and HFS dropped both the SV and OHV JAPs and moved to Matchless power.
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1933-1937, Matchless ‘MX’, 990cc, WC, SV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(Matchless Motorcycles, Colliers Ltd, Plumstead Rd, London)
The Matchless range was introduced to Morgans at the same time as the 3 speed and reverse ‘D’ type gearbox in 1933 and continued to the end of the twin era. All 3 Matchless engines were designed by Mr Heather and all shared the same 990cc, bore 85.5mm x 85.5mm stroke, used a very compact single 3 lobe camshaft design with lever type followers to operate the valves and the dry sump lubrication system. The WC, SV engine was exclusive to Morgans because the AC motorcycle version had a tendency to overheat which could not be cured. It developed 27.5 bhp at 4000 rpm.
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1933-1939, Matchless ‘MX2’, 990cc, AC, OHV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(Matchless Motorcycles, Colliers Ltd, Plumstead Rd, London)
The bottom end of this engine is the same bore, stroke and basic design as the ’MX’ except for the roller cam followers to reduce camshaft loads. Spigots are added to the top of the timing case to locate the pushrod tubes and has different valve timing and lift. It has 2 valves per cylinder set at 900 in a hemispherical cylinder head with 6.2/1 compression ratio and exposed double coil valve springs but enclosed automatically lubricated rockers with a single carburettor mounted between the cylinders. Clearly it was based on the motorcycle version used by Matchless, AJS and Brough in their road bikes but the head must have been specially cast for Morgan because the cooling fins run across the head from pushrods to plug. In air cooled form it developed 39.1 bhp at 4600rpm and remained available until the end of the twin era.
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1934-1939, Matchless ‘MX4’, 990cc, WC, OHV, 500 ‘V’ Twin
(Matchless Motorcycles, Colliers Ltd, Plumstead Rd, London)
The MX4 appeared in early 1934 and was used until 1938 officially, but some I believe were supplied later. It was WC and exclusive to Morgans. The engine was identical to the MX2 except for the WC barrels and heads which were conventional and made the engine look neater. It is quoted as producing 42.1 bhp at 4800 rpm, though I could never detect an extra 10% of power between them even when fitted alternately to the same car within an hour.
During the life of the MX 2 & 4 engines the plugs changed from 18mm to 14mm and hairpin valve springs became a standard fitting in 1938. The original side by side con rod layout was dropped in 1936 on the MX2 in favour of the forked layout always fitted to the MX4, and the rear main bearing grew from 1 ¼ “ to 1 3/8 “ diameter with eventually 3 drive keyways.
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1934-1952, Ford ‘Y Type’, ‘E04A’, 8HP, 933cc
(Ford Motor Co, Dagenham, Essex)
The Lawrence Sheldrick designed ‘Y’ type, 8hp, 933cc, bore 56.6mm (2.19”) x 92.5mm (3.644”) stroke, WC, SV, 4 cyl in line engine with a power output 23.4 bhp at 4000 rpm was fitted to the new ‘F Type’ Morgan in 1934. The engine was a modern design in 1932, cast iron block and crankcase in one piece, a cast iron crankshaft and detachable iron head. Morgan, in 1934 fitted an aluminium (silver top) head but by 1935 they had returned to the standard Ford head. The ‘Y’ type engine had a gear driven camshaft until 1939 when it was replaced by a duplex chain drive. The two systems are not interchangeable, the camshaft rotates in the opposite direction and the crank and camshaft are further apart. They can be identified by a ‘L’ cast into an angled face at the back of the block and the front engine mounting holes in the timing case are 6 ¼ “ instead of 4 9/16 “ apart.
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1937-1952, Ford, ‘C Type’, ‘E93A’, 10HP 1172cc
(Ford Motor Co, Dagenham, Essex)
The 10hp engine was first offered by Morgan in the ‘F4’ in 1937, the ‘F2’ in 1938 and the ‘F Super’ in 1939. A development of the ‘Y type’, 933cc the bore was increased to 63.5 mm (2.5”) to give a capacity of 1172cc and a power output of 32bhp at 4000rpm. This engine also acquired the chain driven camshaft with longer pistons and valves. ‘F Type’ Morgan owners often replaced the 8hp engine with the 10hp E93A and fitted an 8hp cylinder head to increase the compression ratio, it does give a little more power but this modification generates more waste heat which puts the cooling system under severe strain.
NB: – A water pump and/or an electric fan with a thermostat are the most practical ways of solving the overheating problem on all ‘F Types’. The later Ford 100E, 1172cc engine which has a water pump built in, was never fitted by Morgan to any ‘F Type’. It wasn’t introduced until 1953 and is heavier.
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