The drag lying with the front of the block to the right.  At the top of the picture is the first piece forming the outer, B side (nearside) engine wall.

The six sockets are used to locate the six 'cranks' - the cores that form the voids in which the crank throws rotate plus the support webs between each pair.  Close inspection of the base of each socket shows the numbers 1 through 6 embossed in the floor.

The small core marked "2nd" will form the hollow front, nearside foot for the engine.

The piece marked "1st" will create the support saddle for the dynamo.

Above and to the left of "3rd" is the first of two pieces that create the saddle for the water pump.  Additional photographs appear later on as the box is loaded.

Front to the right and viewed from the A side (off side): the six 'cranks' have been installed in the cope in preparation for the assembly of the outer walls.

Note should be taken of the void between the 3rd and 4th crank pairs that coincides with the water pump inlet on the opposite side.

The same state of assembly shown from the other side.

The metal insert, bottom right, supports part of one of the lower sprues.

This is the front end wall lying on its back with the inner surface uppermost.  The X bracing is clearly visible above the upper portion of the front main bearing housing.

"Don't forget core"!!! The core is the D shaped blob at the top of the photograph that will, once in place, create the hole through the front wall that where the idler gear spindle will live.

One of the numerous small cores needed to allow easy assembly of the whole.

The same piece as above now carrying an air vent.

The square socket is to accurately locate the next piece if the jigsaw.

Showing how complicated the construction becomes due to the convoluted nature of some of the walls.  The dark coloured core has to be slid into its cavity after the main parts have been installed.

Some of the smaller cores need to be glued into place to make sure that do not move as the later pieces are assembled.  This one was shown in the first photograph and helps form the saddle for the water pump.

The third photograph made mention of a void between cylinder pairs 3 and 4.  These two delicate parts create the three walls between which the coolant will be pumped as it enters from the eater pump orifice on the right.

Note that the cores are glued at the right hand side to ensure they stay where they are needed. Post production it will be necessary to inspect these walls both visually and by x-ray.

See two pictures back - the vent onto the water pump saddle.  This part really created some problems.

The final part of the water pump saddle installed and vented.

This shot demonstrates clearly how the nearside, outer wall will be formed in the narrow cavity between all of the cores.  The webs between each of the cranks will end up at 1/4" thick.

Worthy of note are the different socket shapes in the top of each 'crank' to ensure that next pieces are inserted in the correct locations.

The lower sections of the core box are completed.  Final adjustments are being made to ensure a close fit of the mating faces by sanding the sand...

One of the two core pieces that locate into the two sockets shown in the previous photograph.  The wires will be passed through the lid of the cope and tied off to ensure these parts to not move.

The outer walls will create the shape of the two inner walls of the engine V.

This and the following two photographs show some of the complications in casting this engine.  These two pieces are about 5" long.

At the front of the engine there are two hollow towers, one on each side, that accept the two ignition distributors.  These pieces form the vertical core of the one tower plus the internal oil weir that spills oil onto the timing gears.

This is the blown core that forms the cavity in which the camshaft will sit.  The narrow rod sections between each shaped piece will be where the camshaft bearing bridges will be formed during the casting process.

Again, the wires are fed through the top of the cope and tied off to prevent the core from moving.

The cope, now rotated into its correct orientation, looking towards the front of the engine.

The camshaft core is now wired into place and, at the far end, the cross-shaft and distributor tower cores can be seen.

At the far end of the cope, either side of the cam well, there are two squarish cores that form the two number 1 cylinder cavities.

(See the next shot.)

The box waiting for the cope to be installed. The cam wells in the centre of the V and the #s 2, 3, 4 & 5 upper cylinder cores in place on either side of the V.

The cores have been sprayed black in a similar fashion to using engineers' blue: the cope will rub against any high spots as it is test fitted.  The white nipples needed slightly relieving to avoid knocking the outer cores out of alignment.  The sand in the base of the well was blown out before final assembly.

The odd cores being inserted at the front of the core box before the cope is fitted.

With sufficient weights loaded onto the top of the box to prevent hydraulic lifting during the pour.  The molten aluminium alloy was poured simultaneously by two teams into the two funnels.

Total pour time was an incredible 30 seconds.