Thanks tr7v8 I think you've filled the gaps into what I originally said. Another slight problem with the Stag engine, Wasn't it an Alumininininium copy of a Detroit cast iron lump?
Must be two of us that don't know what we're talking about.
Regards Ian.
Nope The only US derived engine was the Buick which became the Rover V8, no longer required by the US guys as they'd pioneeered productionised thinwall Cast iron which made the ali blocks redundant. Also at the time US drivers in the US weren't used to HAVING to use antifreeze in coolant & this caused corrosion issues.
The V8 Triumph lump was derived from 2 x Dolomite engines put together (why it has undersized bearings) & was a clean sheet of paper design by Harry Webster, according to Wiki & agreeing with my memory these were the issues. My late Father worked for a BL dealer when these things were current.
. long simplex roller link chains combined with inadequate engine maintenance and factory specified 7,500-mile (12,070 km) oil change intervals. The chains could last less than 25,000 miles (40,200 km) resulting in expensive damage when they failed;
.inadequately sized main bearings in the early OHC 2.5 litre V8 design with short lives, changed in the 3.0 litre design;
.aluminium head warpage due to poor castings, head gaskets which restricted coolant flow, leading to overheating;
.water pump failures relating to poor drive gear hardening, prematurely wearing out the gear and stopping the water pump.
In some cases, overheating was caused by clogged waterways in the cylinder block which were found to be filled with casting sand left over from manufacture.