ot car special editions

Exactly.

 

Which is why a high powered diesel car is no more economical than a
petrol engine.

 

It's been very much the same for years with cars too, most of the
Diesels have certainyl evolved from existing lumps - look at the old
Ford 1.8 block.

The most radical Diesel I've seen in recent years is the new Honda 2.4.
They use some very wacky engineering in that, such as semi-solid casting
for the block.

 

Early 30's actually.

 

I can remember the bonnets were rotting and being replaced while still
under warranty.

We had a lecturer at college who had one, the kit is based on a MG
Midget, and he must have weighed about 25st.

Almost certainly.

 

Unless you go the continuous combustion.

 

I suspect a lot of these old muscle engines will be victims of the
emissions laws.

 

That and the fact that with a long-stroke engine (which a diesel has to
be, to get the necessary compression ratio), your rev limit is
considerably lower anyway.

 

Really? Blimey. Must have been a side-valve originally, then....

 

Piston speed limit, you mean.

 

Crip-Kickers?

 

Yes a little rooting around has found that indeed it was built by
General Motors in the 50's, and used in some of their models for a short
time, including Buicks. However, they dropped it in favour of the cast
iron lump.

Now, I had a conversation with a chap, who was big on Land Rovers, and
looked into the V8 Diesel they built. When it was first produced they
couldn't stop it from tapping at the top end. They had indeed built it
around the standard V8 petrol design.

When they went through tests to find the cause, they eventually found
that one cam lobe had been designed in reverse profile. They traced it
back to a flaw in the original blue prints that were originally drawn up
in the 1930's.

 

Yes, exactly. I took that as a given, but I suppose not everybody would
understand it.

 

I remember the late Royce Creasey, years ago, writing that the Velo 500
single he owned ran its cam backwards.

They had a cam, they installed it, and so what if (instead of slamming
the valve open and then gently lowering it back onto its seat) the
profile gently lited the valve off its seat and then dropped it back
from a great height...

I'd *love* to know if this is true or not.

 

In message

ITYM no.

 

There is no doubt that before the days of BL, Rover were a innovator.

It was at that time.

Of course it could be urban myth, but I have no reason to doubt the
source.

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember (Andy
Hewitt) saying something like:

Hum... the Essex was apparently always intended to be a diesel lump too.
Which explains the large bearing journals on it. At diesel speeds the
bearings get a relatively easy time of it, but as a higher speed petrol
lump it gives rise to the bearing wear these boatanchors suffer from.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

/Late/? When did that happen? Sarah reckons she saw him conducting a
"modified" Tmax down the Gloucester Road a few months ago.

I remember that, but I didn't remember that it was RC wot wrote it.

http://www.hightech.clara.net/email.gif

 

Nothing changing your mind is there

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember (Andy
Hewitt) saying something like:

Oh I dunno. Finances being what they are I might just soldier on with
it, inelegant lump and all though it is. Fwiw, if I ever need to take
the heads off I'll treat it to a lick of the Dremel and free up a few
horses for nowt.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10