Lee Root needed a small 4-cylinder engine to test a miniature electronic throttle-body fuel injection system he was developing. He worked from his imagination and produced no drawings for this engine. His water-cooled race engine has a bore of .875″ and a stroke of .75″ for a total displacement of 1.8 cubic inches.
The engine burns gasoline for fuel, utilizes pressure lubrication and sports his highly successful, electronic throttle-body fuel injection on spark ignition. Built in the 1980s, this engine is 11”-long, 8”-wide, and 8”-high. (Courtesy of Margarita and Al Root, and Rhetta and John Hopfauf.)
The “Root Special” is machined entirely from 7075 aluminum bar stock and utilizes no castings. The aluminum parts were clear anodized to produce the color and finish. The second photo shows the side of the engine featuring Lee’s unique fuel injection system. Watch a video of the engine running below.
