Modatek Ltd - Cosworth Historic Parts, Approved Distributor

Home
United Kingdom
Northampton
Modatek Ltd - Cosworth Historic Parts, Approved Distributor

Supplying parts & consultancy so that you can build high performance, race winning & reliable engines

Modatek is an official distributor for genuine Cosworth parts for their historic race and road engines. We can supply parts for a wide range of engines originally built by Cosworth, including the SCA, FVA, MAE, DFV, YB and BD engines. We even supply parts for some of their more recent Formula 1 engines. In addition, Modatek has exclusive access to the thousands of drawings of Cosworth's historic r

acing engines. This means that where the original supply of parts no longer exists, we can reverse engineer and re-supply. Modatek also provide a consultancy service to automotive and motor sport engineering companies, and over the years we have worked across a wide spectrum of race categories, such as Formula 1, Indycar, Le Mans, NASCAR and WRC.

06/06/2026

You’d be forgiven for thinking that we only sell Cosworth F1 engine memorabilia parts, we do actually design and sell brand new parts for these engines plus parts for other engines like the BD and YB.

But we are excited to announce that we’ve got for sale an incredibly rare piece of Cosworth F1 history. This is one of the experimental pistons that was designed, manufactured and tested during the development phase of the 20,000 rpm Cosworth CA engine.

It still had the Xylan-coated skirts that were used on earlier engines (the final race-spec piston was DLC coated), plus the undercrown design didn’t include the lightening holes that featured in the final design, but you can see important design features like the compound valve angle pockets in the crown and the carefully machined structural buttress ribs on the undercrown.

It led to the creation of the CA and CA2010 race engine pistons, so it’s an important step in the development of one of the most remarkable engines in F1 history.

We’ve only got one available though, so when it’s gone, it’s gone.

https://modatek.co.uk/product/cosworth-ca-experimental-formula-1-piston

03/06/2026

Did you know that when Cosworth were developing the YB engine they had to overcome numerous issues with head joint failures?

That's why they developed the WRC head gasket (on the left) and the Group A head gasket (on the right), with help from renowned sealing experts Victor Reinz.

And that's why we continue to sell both of these head gaskets today, helping to ensure that our YB customers receive the same parts that Cosworth created all those years ago.

You can find more details about both of these gaskets and order yours today from our online shop.

29/05/2026

Check out some of the latest race-used Cosworth CK Formula 1 memorabilia parts that have landed in our on-line store!

The CK engine was active in Formula 1 from 1999 to 2004. Designed and manufactured initially for Stewart Grand Prix in 1999, the CK engine represented a change in design philosophy from Cosworth as they sought to reestablish themselves as the top F1 engine manufacturer.

The CK engine included numerous departures from previous Formula 1 engine designs, leading to what was possibly the lightest engine on the grid. By 2002, the CK was capable of speeds of up to 18,300 rpm with power in excess of 850 bhp.

Following a race-winning debut season with Stewart Grand Prix, the CK engine went on to power the team, now branded as Jaguar Racing, until the middle of 2002. A customer-spec version of the CK engine was supplied to Arrows Grand Prix in 2002 and to Minardi for the following year.

Head over to the Memorabilia section of our on-line store and take a look!

27/05/2026

This is the FINAL Cosworth BDG 90.335 mm (Hoyle) piston set left in stock now, and when it's gone, it's gone!

Included in the set are four PA0278 90.335 mm bore pistons, designed and manufactured by Cosworth, specifically for the modified Hoyle 1995cc BDG alloy rally block.

Remember, if you're rebuilding a Cosworth engine then keep it Cosworth!!!

25/05/2026

This is the connecting rod for the Cosworth CK Formula 1 engine that was used by Stewart Grand Prix, Jaguar Racing, Arrows and Minardi.

One of the notable features about this con rod is the cap half. Although the rod half had been titanium for a number of years, this was the first Cosworth Formula 1 con rod to also feature a titanium cap.

The CK connecting rod was crank-located, so to prevent galling of the thrust faces on the rod and cap halves a novel (at the time!) plasma-sprayed molybdenum coating was developed.

This particular con rod was used in the Cosworth CK engine in 2001, raced by Jaguar Racing in the R2 chassis.

If you'd like to purchase it then you can find it in the Memorabilia section of our on-line shop.

22/05/2026

If this is the weekend that you are going to start your Cosworth YB engine rebuild, then make sure you get hold of a set of our genuine Cosworth YB pistons!

We've currently got the following options in stock:

For standard rod length, we have:
✅ Standard bore, 8:1 CR
✅ +0.5mm oversize, 10:1 CR

For long rod length, we have:
✅ Standard bore, 8.5:1 CR
✅ +0.5mm oversize, 8.5:1 CR
✅ Standard bore, 10:1 CR
✅ +0.5mm oversize, 10:1 CR

Each piston set comes with 4 fully-forged pistons plus high performance rings, pins and clips. The pistons are forged and machined at Cosworth's Northampton HQ (the company that actually created the YB in the first place 😁)

So if you're rebuilding a YB then make sure you keep it Cosworth!

20/05/2026

We’ve currently got a race-used Cosworth Formula 1 front cam cover available in our on-line shop (see link in first comment), and it’s a very special part to me because it was one of the first components that I designed when I joined Cosworth.

It is actually the front third of the left hand cam cover for the VJ engine, which was raced by Stewart Grand Prix in 1998 and a couple of customer teams in subsequent seasons. (The VJ engine’s claim to fame is that it was the engine that Fernando Alonso made his debut with back in 2001 in the Minardi PS01.)

Before the VJ, the cam covers for all of Cosworth’s previous Formula 1 engines like the DFV and HB had been either magnesium or aluminium, but in an effort to reduce both the weight and the height of the centre of gravity, we tried to do something bold.

On the VJ, we decided to make the front third out of aluminium, and the rear section from carbon fibre. Hey presto - a cam cover that was almost a third of the weight of previous aluminium designs!

Later Cosworth F1 engines like the CK, LK and TJ would have full length carbon cam covers thanks to the unique beam-section cylinder head design, but it all began with the VJ.

18/05/2026

Every engine needs to have a robust driveline, and the DFV is no different. That’s why we supply the DA0852 DFV flywheel bolt, made exclusively for Modatek by the original supplier.

Each bolt is carefully inspected after machining, and every batch comes with complete quality certification that ensures that the original dimensional, mechanical and metallurgical requirements are met.

The bolts are made by cold forming (as signified by the “C” on the head), a process that work hardens the material to make it harder and stronger. The bolts are then heat treated to raise the hardness to around 41 HRC. Finally, the threads are then rolled, which is another cold forming process that results in a stronger bolt.

Material:
- S149 steel alloy
- Typical UTS = 1,382 MPa (200,000 psi)

Dimensions:
- Thread size = 3/8″-24 UNF
- Underhead length = 19.304/19.812 mm
- Head height = 5.918/6.172 mm
- Hex size across flats = 14.084/14.288 mm

Available now from our on-line store, see link in comments.

12/05/2026

Finally, another post! This one is all about pneumatic valvetrains. They can go by a number of different names – some engine manufacturers refer to them as the PVRS (pneumatic valve return system) or AVS (air valve spring), but they all work in roughly the same way.

In a nutshell, a pneumatic valve spring is basically a cylinder of pressurised gas (air or nitrogen) which behaves in a similar manner to a wire spring by creating an upwards force on the inlet and exhaust valves when compressed.

In a pneumatic valve spring pressurised gas is fed into drillings in the cylinder head at a regulated pressure from a supply bottle mounted externally on the chassis or from a compressor, and then introduced into the pneumatic valve body through a non-return valve.

Inside the body, this gas will be compressed to more than 80 bar as it is squashed by the movement of a disc secured to the valve with cotters, called the reciprocating seal carrier. Around the outside of this carrier is a seal that runs inside a honed bore inside the body (sometimes the bore is in a separate sleeve that is inserted into the body). At the base of the body is another seal carrier which houses the static stem seal.

Both seals are energised by a combination of the internal gas pressures in the body and metal garter springs which forces the seals out even when there are lower gas pressures present.

There's a lot more though to these components than first meets the eye. The seals are manufactured from a bespoke material that provides both durability and flexibility. Tiny pressure relief valves within the body ensure that any oil that gets past the seals is removed. And all of the parts are designed with minimal mass in mind.

At Modatek, we are helping to keep historic F1 engines running with the supply of high quality pneumatic valvetrain components, along with additional hardware such as pressure regulators, hoses and fittings.

07/05/2026

It's been a while since we last had one of these for sale! In stock now, we've got a remarkably pristine Cosworth DFX model engine.

When the Cosworth DFX engine reached 150 Champ Car victories & 10 Indy 500 victories in 1987 Cosworth commissioned a limited run of model DFX engines to commemorate this incredible achievement.

These models were made by Bassett-Lowke, a well-respected model maker based in Northampton, UK. Each model engine was mounted on green felt atop a wooden base with a removable clear Perspex case.

On the wooden base was a metal plaque that was engraved as follows: “This model was presented by Keith Duckworth Chairman of Cosworth to commemorate 150 wins in U.S. Champ-car racing and 10 consecutive Indianapolis 500 mile race victories (1977-1987) achieved with DFX engines manufactured by Cosworth Engineering Ltd.”.

For added authenticity, Keith Duckworth’s signature was engraved below this text.

These model engines were given to Cosworth members of staff and a few VIPs and as such are incredibly rare and unique items of memorabilia.

This is model number 403 and it is in excellent condition, still with its original Perspex case.

If you'd like to get your hands on it then just follow the link in the comments below.

Address

Cosworth Northampton
Northampton

Website

http://www.modatek.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Modatek Ltd - Cosworth Historic Parts, Approved Distributor posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Equipment Service in Northampton?