a favour to ask from owners of Essex V6 TVRs

[fearthecat]

I have a 3-litre Essex V6 engine, which has come out of a Ford Capri. Not unusual until I saw the engine number: T208967. Ford engine numbers of the time were two letters and five numbers, so this isn't correct. I'm trying to determine what vehicle this engine was originally fitted to, and remembered that a few TVRs used this engine.

Does anyone with an Essex V6, know their engine number? I'd like to know if it's TVR or not, and whether the number has any date/model information within.

Even a little information would be greatly helpful, as so far I have none Many thanks for your time!

[grahamw48]

I suppose a 'Broadspeed' turbo motor would be too much to hope for ?

[fearthecat]

I always hope or wish for the most I can imagine. It's a 3.1 V6 that had some work done to it - cam hadn't done many miles, but dont know its spec. Also had some balancing done. The 'B's could just as easily be Burtons, or an original piston (4 different, very small variations in piston diameter were in these engines).

I know very little, but if I see an Essex-powered TVR with a similar engine number to this, or a completely different numbering scheme, I'll be a little closer to figuring it out. Thanks for upping my wishful expectations

[jagdpanther]

Possibly a good idea to have this post shifted to classic TVR or the engine section, hopefully it will bare more results

[Munter]

Didn't there used to be a ford technical information phone line? You could phone them up and ask them all sorts of odd questions about their cars and they'd tell you the answer.

Cant find the number on the ford site anymore though.

[fearthecat]

I'm happy for the post to be moved if it's more appropriate elsewhere.

I dont believe Ford U.K. have detailed information about Capris anymore, so I assume Essex information is the same.

[That Daddy]

Have a word with Burtons http://www.burtonpower.com/ they may be of some help

[fearthecat]

Burtons said that they dont stamp pistons / engine block in that way, and that the engine doesnt 'ring any bells'. Am I able to move this topic to the classic TVR forum, or is it okay to make a new one there with the same original post as this?

[Terminator]

fearthecat said:

Does anyone with an Essex V6, know their engine number?

The engines numbers for the Essex-engined TVRs I have, are DXXXX-XX (where X is a number).

[fearthecat]

Thanks Terminator! a letter and six numbers... suspiciously close, but I assume that the engine numbers you refer to, have that hyphen/dash in there, which mine doesn't.

Do you know if the 'D' ever changes; i.e. if it's model or year specific?

I can almost rule TVRs out, but want to be absolutely sure.

[Terminator]

I have another Essex V6 engine, unused, still in the crate. I can't check on it's number until next week.

To the best of my knowledge, TVR used the engines as they got them from Ford, with the odd one going on to be blueprinted by Neil Brown if the car was going to road-tested by the media

[fearthecat]

UNUSED ESSEX?? *drools*

If your memory is better than mine, could you take note of the engine number?

I'm unsure whether Ford put engine numbers on, when the engine was cast, or slightly after. The engine number on mine does not appear to be cast on, but cut or stamped into the block. Do Essex TVR's have ford engine numbers in addition to their own TVR one? Am I asking the same question in six different ways? Thanks for the info so far!

[That Daddy]

The original Essex motor was stamped with the engine number,usually the last part of the cars chassis number(Ford cars that is)after the engine code letters,cant remember if that was 2 or 3 letters though,if the pistons are factory units then the B could be the size grading used on piston to block sizing,have they any other markings over sizing figures etc?

Edited by That Daddy on Monday 29th December 22:13

[fearthecat]

The pistons have a 60 thou' overbore - making the 3.0 into a 3.1. They have other numbers on the top-most areas, which are "19131" and "ID10" on the top (looking overhead the piston) and "T17" which is just before the +060 oversize (on the bottom).

The piston numberings are a mystery too but less so than the non-ford engine number. I realise there's only a couple of TVR models with the Essex, but I literally am checking anything Essex-powered that begins with T...

Gotta be someone smart out there who can figure it out? Should I offer a reward? :P

[That Daddy]

The "19131" numder on the crown of the piston i think you will find is AE Hepolite piston I.D(inc the T17 bit)and your correct about the + 60 this is the usual piston for the 3.1 designation,thats as much use as i can be at the moment