British Anzani A & B Stock & Alky Racing Engines

[Modhydro Steve]

John,

The only action that has taken place so far was to dissassemble it to see what all I had. It all looks great other than taperd bores. It looks like this thing has put in some serious hours! The photos were when it was still covered with who knows how many years of storage goo. There is some light corrosion on some of the parts, but it should all clean up nicely and be a fine example of the first generation Anzani. I plan to run it occasionally at antique meets and try to give the 20-H guys some fits.

This one is a true 350 and not the imported B. That made finding the oversized pistons a bit of a challenge, but I've got them now. The transom clamp thing does seem a mystery as the direction seems wrong, but I'm sure that they had a reason.

One good thing about all this posting is that it has rekindled the fire under my butt to get some antique stuff done. Current racing has kept me too busy, but I've just got to make the time somehow.



Steve Roskowski

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

I had a brand new, never fired Anzani B Stock and it was a late model version. Because it was new, beautiful and un-fired it too. It was a true 350 and the gasoline heads on it were also different from the 322CC imported versions for Alky via the late and great, Bill Tenney. It was sold to a collector who to my knowlege never fired it up either. Its value was great because it was truly NOS and still had its origninal crate where it came to the USA via Montreal, Canada.

When I inherited all the remaining parts for and to build these engines, I found a "std" stamped, bore piston that fit nothing here block wise without some serious boring and there was only one piston. It never dawned on me it was for the gasoline burning B Stock 350cc blocks and I didn't know much about the 322CC being the imported Alky block either at that stage.

It was good that you got some oversized pistons for her, hope you got the rings too? They were low tension cast iron and should not be much problem to make if need be. If you need a new "Lucas" set of points, condenser and rotor, I have some extra brand new boxed Lucas replacements. These Lucas magnetos are terrible (they call them the Princes of Darkness! lol! for good reasons) and need a lot of attention to keep them producing decent spark. I also have NOS composite head gaskets for these engines but Bill Tenney never liked them even thouigh for gasoline they were adequate when installed glued on. He for very good reasons cut his own head gaskets from sheet copper and used with CopperCoat *tm gasket glue and had little problems with that to over 20% nitro added in methanol but your staying gasoline so the copper sheet type would be downright superior to any NOS composite. I won't use a composite at all, so they sit.

You get that engine overhauled and with a decent prop you will give 20Hs something worse than heartburn and some bigger gas loopers heart attacks! When I saw one like yours run back some 40 years ago, there was no contest then and put a more recent prop under it now and then what? I ran an Alky version on gasoline with a Tillotson HR snowmo carb wtih timing backed right off with stacks. No 20H popper could even come close to that setup! Your going to loose friends! lol! Cover your carb with a clamped on stainless steel section of bug screen over the velocity stack, I hear mosquitoes in some locations look like Merc big end rod bearings and do real mean things in wrong places! lol!

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

These little beauties are the stainless steel wonder propellers from about 1978 that motor a class A and Class B Alky (methanol/nitro/lube fueled) British Anzani around a long course with top speeds in the high 80 mile per hour range around the course at times lapping things in the process at times 2 and 3 times the displacement the A and B Anzanis are. This is where one asks, what about a 3 or 4 blade hydro props today? a flat slide carb? CDI ignition? and tuned expansion chambered sliding exhausts?? There was no evolution left by the 1980s with them and there are only a few things now much more improved that would make a difference, almost like nite and day different. How much different is the question?

The following pictures are these stainless steel racing propellers, one is a "Hopkins: and the other is a "Smith" Alky Prop/Wheel. Enjoy.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

These props were marked out in large black for the purposes of these pictures for the information they have etched on their hubs. Both of these props put Anzanis into the over 80 miles per hour while on the course brackets and at the time the As were in the low to intermediate 80s while the Bs were in the mid to high 80s+ miles per hour ranges. Back then Gene told me that they were quick but that he had seen many quicker too, so they in all likelihood represent the average good prop for an Alky A or B Anzani in their class. The ones pulling centry speed marks from the USA Northwest all look like cats of another color in terms of prop types. I wished there were some more pictures of those advanced engines and raceboats from that era in here?

If anyone has something to scan and send with a story or has pictures and stories, they can enter or I can scan, enter here and return, it would be a pleasure for me to do so in helping. These amazing engines were the earliest racing kickers of their type that help push the Loop Charged revolution into powerboat racing and in pleasure engines we take for granted today when we go fishing, skiing or just driving.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

Modhydro Steve as well as any and all British Anzani enthusiasts should get a kick out of this one! This first page of Anzani Stock B gasoline Competition Unitwin back from all manner of print recovery enhancements to make it readable again and even in this case a Jpeg downloadable for your own copy for posterity. The copies of the 4 pages I had were done on some kind of earlier photocopier whose results faded nearly completely over the years even though they were hole punched and covered in a book that was given to me by Calgary, Alberta, Canada's late and great racer and enthusiast "Pappy" Gene Strain. As they come in I will post them. Enjoy!

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR MARK 2 SILVER ARROW GEAR HOUSINGS.

General comments and included are Lubrication instructions, Construction, Cooling Water, Driving Depth and lots of print in between these headings to fill in details all about the Mark 2 Silver Arrow gearcase.

Page 2 of 4 Februrary 1959 British Anzani Engineering Co. Ltd. Hampton Hill, Middlesex, England, UK.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

This is page 3 of 4 General

Contains information about Water Circulation, Propeller Gears, Motor on Transom Slippage Sideways Prevention, The best jet sizes for the gasoline version Amal Monobloc round slide Carburetter, Magneto, Sparkplugs and Ignition Timing. Lots of explanation in between these headings to flesh out this page 3. of 4.

From February 1959.

More Address and telephone:

British Anzani Engineering Co. Ltd.
Hampton Hill, Middlesex
"Phone Molesey 2690"

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

The British Anzani Engineering Co. Ltd.
Hampton Hill, Middlesex
Phone: Molesey 2690.


Page 4 of 4

Competition Unitwin - Mark 2 Silver Arrow Underwater Unit - Spare Parts List

List by Part No. - Descritpion - No. Off - Price Each etc. with Tools and Props.

The parts and price list are in UK denominations of currency as of February 1959. Since that time UK - England denominations of currency have changed and even more simplified so some of the units of currency here no longer are used.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

Note to readers enjoying these pictures and document pictures donated to this archive thread.

Most of these pictures and pages of typed material are in Jpeg high density format on another dedicated desktop publishing unit and are approximately 650,000 Kb each which equates to half a 1.4 IMB compatible floppy disk.

I am on commercial DSL, for some wanting the bigger files but I may be requested to upload to some situation small, INSECURE and slow on the other end and that would also put the desktop publishing Unit with its multi-printers and scanners etc. on the Internet and subject to its Dodge City Rules and Electronic Gunfights environment, which I will not do.

The only options available is either download what ever you can off BRF as files and enhance them yourself with what ever program you wish to use.

or

Contact me so these files can be done on floppys by some arrangement and mailed out to the party requesting them and willing to bear the cost.

THERE IS STILL MORE TO COME CONCERNING THESE BRITISH ANZANI ENGINES AND THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 SCREENS NOW! MORE ADDITIONS AND STORYS ARE WELCOME AND PLEASE DO DOANTE YOUR PICTURES AND STORYS TO THIS THREAD FROM WHERE EVER THAT MAY BE!

[Mark75H]

Oooof, John you are right, these are pretty rough Even the most expensive professional software can't do much with them.



Do you know who might have the originals? Maybe we can find them and make proper images for posting.

In the mean time, here is a "Word" document text version of the first 3 pages or so ... Compliments of Rod Champkin across the pond in England. We should get him on here too, to add the wisdom he has accumulated from the source side of this marque