fbekholden.com

Great read, super cool Harv!

Very cool Harv, nice pickup !!!!

Unreal


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Perhaps time that I let the (Cheshire) cat out of the bag.

I’ve been hunting for a Repco head for around 15 years now. For ten years I tried hard to snag a genuine one. Came close a few times, but always a day or too late to be the successful owner. Never had the contacts to get warning when one hit the market, and I'm not too savvy with social media (FaceBook and I are not exactly simpatico). After a decade, I gave up the chase and put a deposit down on a reproduction head.

The repro head has been slow, but I am patient. I really want the bloke making them to succeed. In the background though I’m getting closer and closer to needing an engine to allow mockup of all the other bits. The machine shop is also starting to wonder when I will get the short assembly out of their way.

A few weeks back I got a heads up (with thanks to a forum member) that a Repco head and engine were being sold. This time I was fast enough, and have managed to buy it. It’s a running engine/head, from dampener to flywheel. For once work had me in the right place at the right time, and I managed to hear it run on an test stand. A week later and I am still grinning like a Cheshire cat. No photos as I want to respect the sellers privacy… its not nice sharing pictures of someones shed. Promise I’ll take some photos once I get it home.

The engine and head have history, and was run in the NSW30 speedcar. #30 has been built three separate times, an early version with a grey, the second one, and finally a third (caged) one with a Chevy II. This engine and head came out of the second #30, back when it was owned by Gordon Nelson. Gordon grew up with the Higgins brothers, lived next door to them and were best men at each other’s weddings. The Higgins Brothers sponsored #30. #30 was running a grey with triples when my engine was imported from NZ by Bob Blackmore for Gordon. The engine then went to Terry King for a lookover before seeing around 10 years racing service in #30. The engine has been driven in #30 by Barry Butterworth, a prominent name in speedway. Gary Rush also drove #30, but not sure if that was before the conversion from triples to Repco head. Like almost all heads this one has been cracked and repaired. The last repair was done by Loctite, after which it never cracked again. The engine was removed from #30 back around 2015, and sold to the gentleman who was caretaker before I bought it.

I’ve still got some research to do. Would like to hunt down Bob Blackmore (this could be Blacklaw... my hearing is terrible), and will shout the octogenarian Mr Nelson a beer once I’m home again. Will share what I learn here.

So now I’ve got something to drop into the FB as the meth monster project gains momentum. An FB test-run with the (open headered) Repco is on the cards.

Cheers,
Harv

about time !!! There are already pics of said motor on here as I recall - if you had have told me you were in Perth I could have picked you up from the airport and given you a lift down

You should have said you were looking
The one from the late Barry Hays collection
just sold for $20 k
to george from millmerran
there are sill a few around

Rob

Well done Harv! All good things come to those that wait . Look forward to seeing your purchase.

Regards
Stephen

Some photos of #30, with and without the head.
Cheers,
Harv

Awesome pick up

Pinch yourself Harv


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Awesome Harv, what a score! Will you put the new repo head on or use the old?

Suspect I will use the genuine head to set up the FB, and perhaps for a few (gentle) test runs. Probably swap it out for the repro head once I'm ready to run it in anger at the drags.

Plan is to swap the normal head off the FB (it was worked by Joe Gatt) onto Grace's ute, but if she gets wind of a spare Repco head she may change my plans.

If I can keep the spare one quiet long enough, I have a cunning plan for a FED

Cheers,
Harv

Jesus Harv!
Mate well done that is such a score!
I’m building a grey at the moment and I’m bloody jealous!

HAMBster?


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

Ah Mr Terry King !

Terry had the engine reconditioning business in Guildford called Dominator, I totally forgot but he was into speedway with the Fontana engines.

His business was sold a few years ago and he now lives down the south coast of NSW.

He would certainly know the history, he probably built the engine originally.

Regards Greg