Cantelivered engine

[Sean Dezart]

I should know this but why do the L series engines lean to one side (towards the spark plugs) ?

I'm replying to an article in a magazine who amongst other things states that this was done to allow more access room for the carbs etc ! I can't believe this so....

[panchovisa]

And for a lower hood.

[Sean Dezart]

Thanks, still seems too cosmetic - I thought it was for engine balancing - you know, to avoid too much vibration !

[lordbiotree]

I've never noticed a such thing on my 1971 240Z.

-Brandon

[Sean Dezart]

I can't believe this ! All of you go and look at your engines and tell me I'm dreaming !

[HS30-H]

Sean,

Surely you mean 'canted' don't you? Cantilevered is quite another thing altogether I think...............

Of course - as has already been pointed out - the answer is that the engine was installed at a canted angle to give lower installed height in the car. This allowed a lower bonnet / hood line and more ground clearance for the sump.

Don't forget that the L-series 6 engines first fitted to the S30-series Z models - the L20 and L24 - were not designed 'for' the S30-series Z cars. They were in quite a few other models too, and some of these debuted BEFORE the Z car. Transmissions had to be 'canted' at the corresponding angle without disturbing the correct position of the gearlever, and this was achieved by using bellhousings that mated with the engine at the correct angle whilst leaving the gearchange mechanism in a suitable position.

Contrast this with the S20 engine, which was pretty-much 'upright', and used a bellhousing which corresponded to that angle. The 'LY' Crossflow was another version of the L6 that was mounted at a different angle to the L20 / L24, and that too had its own bellhousing.

Giving extra space & clearance for the inlet / exhaust manifolds and carbs would have been an issue that was taken into account at the design stage of the engine, but I think you'll find it was the installed height issue ( in all models ) that dictated the angled installation, much as it does on many cars today too. They could not lay it over too far though, for obvious reasons.........

We could even make a side-thread about the angled installation's advantages / disadvantages in RHD and LHD layouts ( what larks Pip! ), but I doubt this would lead to anything much other than the usual stalemate. However, its well known that the layout of the L-series engines ( with inlet and exhaust on the LEFT side of the engine from viewpoint of the driver ) was an inheritance from Nissan's Austin-influenced days, and so RHD-biased.............

I don't think the engine's installed angle has any impact upon its internal or external balance.

Alan T.

[panchovisa]

HS30-h,

I recall my father saying that when Chevy first came out with their V-8 engine in the '50's many people swore that eventualy the pistons would wear thru the outside cylinder walls!!!!!

The flat earth society was alive and kicking even then.

[Sean Dezart]

I thought that the engine was also canted (thanks for the correction - sometimes I lose my English amongst the froggies) to allow the fuel to 'drop' easier from the carbs into the inlet valves.

A boxer design, as per Porsches and Alfas would support this and V engines always had the carbs mounted above and not on the outside of the cylinders !

Of course more space would have to be generated on the carb side for LHD cars to allow for the steering to pass there too ( hee, hee !)

[Mr Camouflage]

Wear through huh? Must be an even worse problem with VW's and Porsches ROLF

[panchovisa]

Oh, air cooled engines would never last (besides the pistons eventualy scraping on the road). Besides, where would you get heat to melt the ice off your windows (Minnesota). If God had wanted us to drive air-cooled engines then why do we have anti-freeze??? Logic is a wonderful thing, no?

[frank13]

Hey Pancho, check your muffler bearings! :devious: