Westlake 4-Valve, Vintage Triumph Racing Head
Legendary racing machinist, Jim Kibblewhite, of Kibblewhite Precision Engineering, was building this special Westlake head Triumph race bike. This head was to be used on the Japanese AUTO RACE circuit (a bit like speedway racing). The head was determined to be outside the rules, so Kibblewhite abandoned the project. But it's not too late for some knowledgeable machinist to step in where Kibblewhite left off.
This head was beautifully welded by Kibblewhite. Notice how the intake valve seats, exhaust ports and intake ports and manifold have been expertly built up as preparation for machining . It wouldn't take much to get this head in service.
This rare piece of Triumph racing history is for sale at MAP for $2500.
This head was beautifully welded by Kibblewhite. Notice how the intake valve seats, exhaust ports and intake ports and manifold have been expertly built up as preparation for machining . It wouldn't take much to get this head in service.
This rare piece of Triumph racing history is for sale at MAP for $2500.
Original Nourish 8-Valve Kit (SOLD)
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Original Nourish 8-Valve Kit
Even though this kit has now been sold, I left his post up for folks that have never seen a very cool, 8-valve head built by Dave Nourish.
For years Brit bike enthusiasts have heard of the famous 8-valve cylinder head for racing Triumphs. It was originally developed by Westlake and then manufactured by Dave Nourish. Marino Perna, founder of MAP Cycle, purchased a complete, original Nourish kit about 20 years ago with the intentions of possibly developing his own 8-valve head. Marino was already building a terrific aluminum cylinder head and thought an 8-valve head might be a wonderful addition to his parts line.
Unfortunately, building a quality cylinder head is expensive and technically demanding. Precision molds have to be created and that is extremely expensive. And quite often those molds have to be modified after testing. Even more expense. And, of course, all of those costs have to be factored into the final retail cost customers pay. Marino just wasn't sure there would be enough demand for the parts and enough profit in the project. So the project was shelved.
Fast forward 20 years. Marino decided to part with this piece of British Racing History. This kit comes complete with 8-valve cylinder head, rocker boxes, 88.5 stroker crank and matching rods, iron barrel, pistons, pins, pushrod tubes and hardware. This kit has never been mounted on an engine and has never been run. If you look closely, you see all the hand-made marks on the pistons, head and valves indicating placement. To recap, this is an original, new old stock, complete Nourish racing kit in it's original form. This has absolutely no relation to the new Nourish company. All of these parts were assembled by Dave well before his retirement.
For years Brit bike enthusiasts have heard of the famous 8-valve cylinder head for racing Triumphs. It was originally developed by Westlake and then manufactured by Dave Nourish. Marino Perna, founder of MAP Cycle, purchased a complete, original Nourish kit about 20 years ago with the intentions of possibly developing his own 8-valve head. Marino was already building a terrific aluminum cylinder head and thought an 8-valve head might be a wonderful addition to his parts line.
Unfortunately, building a quality cylinder head is expensive and technically demanding. Precision molds have to be created and that is extremely expensive. And quite often those molds have to be modified after testing. Even more expense. And, of course, all of those costs have to be factored into the final retail cost customers pay. Marino just wasn't sure there would be enough demand for the parts and enough profit in the project. So the project was shelved.
Fast forward 20 years. Marino decided to part with this piece of British Racing History. This kit comes complete with 8-valve cylinder head, rocker boxes, 88.5 stroker crank and matching rods, iron barrel, pistons, pins, pushrod tubes and hardware. This kit has never been mounted on an engine and has never been run. If you look closely, you see all the hand-made marks on the pistons, head and valves indicating placement. To recap, this is an original, new old stock, complete Nourish racing kit in it's original form. This has absolutely no relation to the new Nourish company. All of these parts were assembled by Dave well before his retirement.
