Austin D-Series engine
| Austin D-Series/ K-Series/ OHV engine | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Austin Motor Company |
| Designer | Leonard Lord |
| Production | 1939–1968 United Kingdom |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | straight-6 |
| Displacement |
|
| Cylinder bore |
|
| Piston stroke |
|
| Cylinder block material | Cast Iron |
| Cylinder head material | Cast iron |
| Valvetrain | OHV, 2 valves per cylinder |
| Combustion | |
| Supercharger | N/A |
| Turbocharger | N/A |
| Fuel system | Carburetor |
| Fuel type | Gasoline |
| Oil system | Pressurized |
| Cooling system | Water-cooled |
| Output | |
| Power output |
|
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Austin 28 side-valve I6 |
| Successor | BMC C-Series engine |
The Austin D Series engine is a straight-six engine made by the Austin Motor Company of England between 1939 and 1968. It was developed initially for the lorry market; but was used in a number of automobiles in its later life. It was an Overhead valve non-crossflow cylinder head design. Both block and head were made out of cast iron. All engines had a forged 4 main bearing crankshaft.[1]: 1
The D-series was developed under the close watch of Austin chief Leonard Lord. The design of the D-series is inspired by the Chevrolet Stovebolt engine which was an inline 6 engine that was used in GM's British subsidiary Bedford truck. In the late 1930s, when rival Austin decided to get into the 2-3 ton truck ("lorry") market and in a crash program based the design on the basic architecture of this "Stove Bolt" engine. Austin however made detail improvements to the Chevrolet design. Austin's engineers added detachable shell main and con-rod bearings and pressurized lubrication. The initial design had a swept capacity of 3460cc. During WW2, Austin increased the bore and stroke to enlarge it into a 3991cc engine which produced 87bhp. The larger engine was put in military trucks beginning 1940. Both engine sizes were in production after the war. When the carburetor was changed from Zenith to Stromberg, it produced 100bhp.
The engine debuted in the Austin K30 and Austin K2/Y mid size lorries in 1939. After the war, it continued to power the later Austin Loadstar and the 4x4 variant K9.
Post war, it went on to power a number of cars such as the Austin Sheerline and Princess, Jensen Interceptor and 541. The last car to have it was the 1968 DM4 Vanden Plas Princess Limousine.
There were 4 cylinder engines based on the D-Series I6 engine in various capacities using common parts. They powered cars such as the Austin 16, A70 Hampshire and Hereford, A90 Atlantic, the Austin-Healey 100-4 and the Austin Gipsy, a generation of commercial vans, as well as some models of the iconic London black taxi (FX3 and FX4).
See also
References
- ^ "Austin Engines" (pdf). Thoroughbred and Classic Cars.