If you look on the exhaust side of a crossflow block, next to cylinder 1 and about 1or 2 inches below the temperature sender, there's a bolt screwed into a lug.

I have a distant recollection from the engine rebuilding days that this doesn't do anything - it originally held a bracket or something. Can anyone confirm this before I undo it and maybe let out all my coolant?

It's just that I have a Cunning Plan that requires something bolted to the block roughly in line with the top half of a cylinder bore - and that's almost exactly in the right place. If it's not doing anything important then it would be perfect for my needs.

Many thanks,
David
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It normally holds the top alternator bracket on.

Jonathan

On mine its the engine earth.

David

Um - the top alternator bolt is on the front of the engine (just see it on my piccy, holding the slotted bracket)

Engine earth - that makes sense - so removing it will cause no pain. My engine earth is at the back of the engine, under one of the bellhousing bolts.

On to stage 2 of my Cunning Plan!

cheers,
David

David,

It's definitely a blind hole. Nothing will come out of it when you take the bolt out.

David

David, Just checked mine and its a 'blind hole'

HTH Fozzie

For the three bolt alternator bracket fitted by Ford when larger heavier alternator types are used.

In the 1970s on rally cars using a big alternator with the two bolt bracket caused a few blocks co crack at the lower mounting holes.

Rats! It's a 3/8" UNC bolt, which won't go through an 8mm hole... I'll have to make a stud. Shame it wasn't 5/16".

Yes to knock sensing - I'm trying to develop a MJ map for my car, but on the go I can't hear the engine; too much wind noise and exhaust note. Having read this PH article on DIY knock detection I thought I'd have a go. Building an electronic sensor is too hard, but apparently the human brain is very good at picking out the pinking noise amongst all the rest. I already have a pair of ear defenders with an amplifier, and a bolt-on knock sensor that's really only an electret microphone. All I have to do is mount the sensor and connect the two together (I have lashed it together already, and it does work as a mic).

It's a cheap thing to try out, anyway.

DJ

It'll definately work when you get it mounted.

I used a stethoscope and some vacuum tubing attached to a piece of flattened copper that was screwed to the block on my old car.

You could hear exactly what was going on in the engine and the 'pink' was quite evident.