In and Out Buildings - Thoughts and Research

[Osgood]

Clutches have featured heavily today - I've been struggling to part a huge Rockford over-centre clutch from its engine companion of 63 years.

Not having taken one apart before I wasn't totally sure whether I could just unbolt the unit from the flywheel housing or what, so played safe and left some setscrews in on a few threads until movement started - not that anything wanted to move.
In fact I had to find a couple of long 7/16 BSF setscrews to fit in the 'push off' threaded holes.
Much use of the huge copper hammer, it finally started to move a little but what a struggle.
Repeatedly tightening it all up and loosening off again and loading the push-off screws helped to make incremental progress.
Then the set screws weren't long enough so I used some long M12 setscrews in the main holes with nut between flange and housing, pulling it all back on and off again and we gradually made some progress.
Eventually it came away and I could see the cause of the aggro - a mouse had gained access through a small drain hole in bottom of flywheel housing, and then through a hole in the flywheel to access the space between flywheel and clutch drive plate, which it had bedded out with leaves and moss which had then attracted moisture retention which then rusted up the gap between steel-toothed flywheel ring and the fibre drive teeth on the clutch plate, causing the grief.

So what should have been a 20 minute job took the best part of 3 hours.
Hey, it could have been worse - the whole assembly could have shot backwards at 100mph as soon as the last setscrew came out.......

 

[simond]

Pump, genset or winch?

 

[Focalplane]

Mike

That all sounds wonderful! Is the 1938 Jensen your avatar? My bucket list includes owning a Jensen C V8 Mk 3 before I pop my clogs!

Welcome to this crazy thread by the way!

Paul

 

[Focalplane]

OMG, Tony, a time consuming mouse. We had one once in Somerset, it chewed through the wiring of our imported LHD X5 and puzzled the local mechanics for too many billable hours.

 

[Osgood]

Pump, genset or winch?

Fan
One of 10 x Cold War era emergency grain discharge units, the engine drove a big fan, intended to unload cargoes of Canadian wheat in event of food shortage.
It seems the same building that housed these until 1993 now houses some driven by Volvo Penta power (mind you they'll probably be obsolete too so maybe they've been changed yet again).

 

[simond]

Big old beast, what capacity & power?

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

Slightly different but Laycock overdrives in the 1960s (e.g. Triumph) were pre-selector – great!

My 1938 4 1/2 litre Jensen has a pre-selector 2-speed epicyclic box attached to the differential. Vacuum powered from the inlet manifold with a pull knob on the dashboard and a change valve beneath the floor, operated by the clutch pedal. Its American and made by Columbia.

Pull the knob (the pre-selector bit) ... depress the clutch to move the valve, sending vacuum through one or other of two pipes going to the axle, to change gear. The interesting bit is that the speedo drive is taken from the prop shaft, so in high gear the speedo would read incorrectly. So, the knob also operates a tiny gearbox behind the speedometer. Pull the knob and the speedo drops. Press the clutch and the “overdrive” kicks in and the speedo increases so its correct again.

Mike

Mike,

The o/d on my TR3a is activated by a dash board switch which energises a solenoid on the o/d unit, no need to use the clutch.

regards
Tim

 

[Osgood]

Big old beast, what capacity & power?

When acquired in 1993.
5 cylinders = 15.85 litres giving 110hp @ 1,000rpm. (142mm dia, 200mm stroke). You could get 125hp if you pushed it to 1200rpm

You can only see 3 of the 5 cylinders in the clutch pic because one of the 2 cyl blocks (c/w heads, pistons & rods) was half inched a couple of years back to rebuild an old (1951) 2 cyl 44hp McLaren in the 1934 Shredded Wheat Fowler diesel shunter.
There were 10 of the emergency grain discharge units and they were run up a couple of times a year so effectively unused.
The remaining 2 & 1 cylinder blocks, heads, pistons and rods will be kept as spares but all the rest was destined for scrap.

Until, that is, I had a slight Ebay accident 4 weeks ago..........

 

[Focalplane]

I had a Healey 100/4 when in Singapore with Laycock od on 3 and 4. Loved it. Took the car as collateral for a loan while restoring the MG and enjoyed its tractor like qualities. Sad to return it to its owner tbh.

 

[Phil O]

I got my pcv license driving a Leyland tiger and as there were no jobs in Plymouth at the time, I did a summer season for Guide Friday in Stratford upon Avon, they had a pair of AEC regals that they used for the Bourton on the Water service, I could never go all day without grounching the gears at least once.

They also a a Daimler coach which had a preselect gearbox, which was totally gutless, which was used for a circular tour around the Cotswolds, with such highlights as Chipping Campden, Broadway, Stanton, Stanway and Stow on the Wold. There's a long, reasonably steep hill out of Illmington and if you had a full load on you took a good run at it, to try and get as far up it as you could, before chucking at least half the passengers off, so that you could set back and have another go for the top, hoping that there was nothing coming the other way when you had to pass the passengers walking to the top.

One of the drivers got bitten by the pedal, which smashed his knee into the steering wheel, he was off for a week, as the following day it had swollen up and he couldn't walk. He wouldn't drive it again.

 

[3 LINK]

Hmmm, I’m with him, I wouldn’t want to drive it again if it bit me.... .....

Martyn.

 

[Focalplane]

Goodness, Phil, having lived in both Stratford and Chipping Campden this is another trip down memory lane. That hill over Ilmington Down is tough to walk up, never mind drive!

I worked as a student employee to the Council during Shakespeare’s 400 year celebrations. What a joke. I had to water the plants outside the marquee that held priceless objects. They were guarded by very aggressive German Shepherds so the plants didn’t get their share of the hosepipe. That went to the dogs as they were leashed! One day I was asked to take an injured swan to the vet. They gave me a tool like a shepherd’s crook for swans, not sheep. I asked old Bill how this worked. Oh, just jump on the swan, grab its wings and hold on. Which I did. Imagine walking up Bridge Street with a swan under your arm, a bit like Moses parting the Red Sea, the sea being the tourists. All ended well I am happy to report.

 

[simond]

Having been attacked by a swan whilst rowing up the Ouse in Bedford, rather you than me!

 

[Focalplane]

The swan’s beak looks dangerous but it’s their wings that can break an arm. They told me that much later!

 

[Dave Sutton]

Having been attacked by a swan whilst rowing up the Ouse in Bedford, rather you than me!

Coming from near Bedford I'd say you had a lucky escape, some of those swans come from the wrong part of town. As you were no doubt rowing along the embankment I'm surprised you werent attacked by either the Geese or the little old ladies throwing bread at them.

 

[LarryG]

Interesting reading PhilO's experiences with Tigers, AEC's and the Daimler, which coincide with my own.

 

[Focalplane]

Here’s my ‘bus and small enough to fit in the outbuilding!



A super model, too bad it’s 4mm scale, would look good outside Moor Street.

 

[Osgood]

That LarryG has a lot to answer for.......

 

[daifly]

I have an unbuilt limited edition 7mm scale BMMO Guy Arab III kit from Mercian Models c1950/3. Now that would look appropriate! If you’re interested in buying it then send me a PM.
Dave

 

[Focalplane]

Comme ça!



Courtesy of Warwickshire Railways.