Perhaps a touchy subject with some, but there are plenty of modified A/B's around. The category seems to fall into two camps, the obvious 1) hotrodders and 2) people lacking an origninal engine, or wanting to keep the car looking original on the outside but be able to use it as a practical matter on modern highways, or, as a dependable commercial vehicle. Hot rodding per se is sort out of the scope of things on this site so let's talk about the second category.

The difficulty is that the engine bay is so tinyand the frame rails so narrow. From the firewall to the radiator we are talking about little more than a bit more than a foot of space. The problem is that although many engines can be squeezed in by tearing up the firewall or other body parts for either for the engine or the transmission, this really ruins the car from the standpoint of it's ever becoming a "real" Bantam again should the proper engine come along.

Fortunately for all of us, I am happy to delete all my previous speculation about motorcycle engines etc. and turn it over to a guy who has apparently come up with a real solution. Harold Goodridge hgoodridge@uswest.net

The basic idea is that Harold has drawn up plans (for sale I believe for individual projects, not commercial use) for dropping a 948cc BMC engine into a Bantam without modifying the car. Rather than paraphrase, go here to get Harold's description.

Harold is no amateur or backyard Gyro Gearloose, the two, or maybe by now, three sheets he has produced are expertly and professionally drawn. He is right in saying there are lots of these engines around. There must be millions of them. I just bought a nice one out of a Morris Traveller for $100 (US). Harold will tell you how to adapt the Bantam transmission too so that the gear shift will be right where it is in a standard Bantam. The more recent variants of this engine can apparently be made to fit, but there are extra pulleys on the fan belt pulleys, so you are best off getting the original 948cc version. Anyway, any more power than that and you are going to have to start modifying other things, like barakes to keep up with it.

Like about two thirds of the Bantam people I know, I have a Bantam frame lying idly around the barn, so, I am going to try to follow Harold's instructions and mont the Morris engine in it.

In this regard, I have lost the original mail, but I got this other note from another guy. He has found some brake parts that fit, and points out that this engine is really a legitmate descendent of the origianl Austin engine. And, as Harold points out it's American threads. What else can you ask!? Get that moterless Bantam on the road!

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I'm putting a austin 1275cc sprite engine and trans in a 39 Bantam roadster. The engine fits rather well, although the trans is a bit large. Also I have converted the brakes to sprite disc/drum setup (Bantam wheel bearings fit in sprite hubs, same bolt pattern for wheels, rear backing plates bolt on). This
seemed to be a good engine, as it is an update of the austin 750, the Bantam engine was based on. I will keep you informed as to my progress. Thanks for the Bantam web page,