|
Post by Dave Homewood on May 14, 2011 8:53:50 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum Les.
|
|
|
Post by beagle on May 31, 2011 17:52:51 GMT 12
It will feel better if you don't lie down Baz You been doing some "planking" Baz
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Jun 5, 2011 17:36:59 GMT 12
It will feel better if you don't lie down Baz You been doing some "planking" Baz Woah! Thought you asked me something else then Beagle ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by Radialicious on Jun 19, 2011 1:48:07 GMT 12
Justa quick gidday and an update. Not much has happened in the shed after Easter. The Herc is back in Chch and I have done a couple of small jobs on her in the last month or so. After getting back after Easter, a few unrelated jobs have needed to be done including a visit to the sim. With that out of the way, I am keen to see if my adjustments to the carb will sort out the rich running problem. When I say problem, I mean the current 8 litres per minute fuel flow at idle! Anyway, I'll update that sometime soon. Tonight I have great pleasure in announcing that another Hercules has awoken. Brian Mills in the UK has a Hercules Mk 216 that until the last week hadn't run for 44 years. His rebuild project is probably worth a thread of its own and the quality of his product is top notch. I've enjoyed watching his progress and am stoked that I could offer advice and information. Brian's link is: I like his expression when it vomits into life mainly because I have been in a similar situation a few weeks back. Pretty cool shit Again, well done Brian!
|
|
|
Post by Kereru on Jul 27, 2011 15:59:55 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 27, 2011 18:58:51 GMT 12
That Freighter is now a hotel at Waitomo just down the road from the famous caves. I like the Mustang mural.
|
|
|
Post by Peter Lewis on Jul 27, 2011 21:16:47 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by crashburnfly on Oct 17, 2011 21:09:43 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by Radialicious on Oct 26, 2011 22:18:50 GMT 12
Evening all - it's been a while since I posted an update on this thread with regard to my little engine project. After the mad rush to get her running for Easter, things have slowed down markedly. However jobs are still getting done and many small tasks are now finished. The trailer is nearly ready for a visit to the testing station for its first WOF. With that in mind, I needed to fit mudguards and brakes. The front axle has disc brakes on its wheels. For those not familiar with light trailer brakes, the tow coupling has a hydraulic master cylinder built in. The coupling is free to slide fore and aft nearly two inches. The rear face of this sliding coupling acts on the brake cylinder and when the tow vehicle slows or brakes, brakes are applied on the trailer. When the trailer is to be backed anywhere, a latch locks out the brake system so that it can be pushed and pulled without the brakes being applied. It is very simple in theory and hasn't taken too much work to plumb up. In saying that, to make it look nice and neat has taken a lot more work than would be expected on a trailer where time is money. Brake plumbing Also needed for the WOF are mudguards. These came with the package that I bought from Transit Engineering and really only needed brackets to be fabricated. I decided to make the centre mounting strong enough to be used as a footstep for when I need to get to bits and pieces around the top of the monster. Mudguard centre mount with Larry trying it out.... Mudguards in place After a bit of progress I decided to wheel her outside and get rowdy. This happened last week. For those who have seen her running in the flesh at Omaka, she seems to be twice as loud in the suburbs of Christchurch!!! In fact this was her first run at home and I am fairly sure she startled a few of the neighbours. Hopefully the noise isn't mistakeable for the incredible sound of our many earthquakes. I'd hate to fray anyones nerves any further. I decided that I would like some video of her running in the daylight so I quickly bodged up a mounting for my camera... ...and I am very pleased to add this to the growing list of Bristol Hercules engines on YouTube. Enjoy. I did, but I do hope that I haven't disturbed a new fault line...
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Oct 29, 2011 14:16:21 GMT 12
Looking good Al and just in case you haven't seen my message on Facebook, I have mail from Marty for you. He was fiddling around with the FW190 cowling while I was up there and managed to smuggle it past Jay. He's written "Captain Al Marshall" on it and he explained it was Bristol stuff. ;D
|
|
802gwr
Warrant Officer
Posts: 30
|
Post by 802gwr on Nov 29, 2011 12:36:40 GMT 12
Derek King's book ''The Bristol 170'' is now available from 'Air Britain'. A must have for Bristol nuts, I have my copy !
|
|
|
Post by Radialicious on Jan 19, 2012 0:12:09 GMT 12
I am keeping my eye open for that book Paul. It will go nicely with two of my Christmas gifts - Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of your Bristol Freighter DVD's courtesy of HenryTenby.com. We are so lucky that you chose to take your camcorder out and about on all those Bristol missions throughout British Columbia. Those two DVDs are a great record of the last three B.170s working for a living. 'TPA at the end was very sad as in her former life as ZK-CLT, she was what sent me nutty about Freighters back in the late 80's. I still remember sitting in her cockpit during a ground run before she left Wigram for Woodbourne in 1988. For those that haven't seen the link to the DVD's of Paul's Bristol footage, check these out... Back in Christchurch, Xmas dinner 2011 was at Mum's place and to follow in a loose Marshall tradition, I wheeled the Hercules outside for a bit of noise making before dessert. A few years ago I was keen to give my pulse-jet engine a run to impress the extended family with. I had built the pulse-jet when I was still in the RNZAF and it was a fearful piece of kit that must have a world record in noise:weight ratio. It needed compressed air to start it but alas I didn't have a compressor. On this day, I improvised, and decided to use Mum's vacuum cleaner to try and suck enough air through it to make it run. However, there wasn't enough suck to operate the reeds so I flagged it. That was until my cousin decided that his wifes vacuum cleaner was super-dooper enough to do the job. Nek Minnit he was in his car and off home to fetch their vacuum cleaner. He was right though, it had tons of suck and soon enough the pulse-jet was howling and scorching everything behind it. However, in achieving that, the vacuum cleaner had ingested a lung full of petrol vapour and the first pulse of flaming exhaust ensured that Brent would have one more item to add to the Boxing Day shopping list. Safe to say his wife Lynn was not too impressed... Fast forward a few years and my big old Hercules is now the focus of family attention.... I had quite an audience on this occasion. Brent was fascinated by the big twin-rower and other members of the family were keen to remind him of the last time he showed a close interest in one of my workshop projects. Interesting to note that he now owns a successful commercial cleaning company so maybe that Boxing Day shopping trip to replace Lynn's vacuum cleaner was worth it. More cousins turned up in a 4x4 complete with bumper sticker "It's not a hobby unless it makes your fingernails black". Father and son cousins are diesel mechanics so it's fair to say that they were ready to be impressed. Whilst I was filling this, hooking up that and cranking the other, these blokes were trying to suss out exactly what it was that I had on the trailer. How many cylinders? How many exhausts? Yeah, but what? 28 exhaust ports with only 14 pipes? Yeah, I know but, how do they...? Where's the valves? There's no rockers or... Ah it's a two stroke, like a model plane engine! Phew! No, what's that pipe? Fuel....? With a confused look on their faces as if they'd just seen an alien, Dad took them away to show the cylinder and sleeve that I have in my workshop for just that kind of occasion. A few minutes later, we were ready to go and needless to say, the big old Hercules didn't fail to impress. I was hanging on to the throttle throughout and happily suffocating in fuel vapour and oily smoke. The look on the faces of my family was briefly visible at times through gaps in the smoke and noise. All were impressed in one way or another!!! The young nephews and nieces were a bit startled by the whole event and scarpered - all except for one who just ran around in confused circles on the lawn. A doctor afterwards told us that this was a common problem often caused by serious inner ear trauma. Anyway, most of our suburb was able to enjoy the sound of my Bristol Hercules four times that evening. With a few technically conversant family members on hand, I decided to try a few adjustments to the carburettor to see if the rich idle mixture was able to be sorted. It seemed that the idle mixture adjuster wasn't able to help in any way so we packed up and joined the rest of the family for dessert. Brent in particular was the most impressed by what he had seen which probably worried Lynn no end.... Nephew Toby pointing out some more engine related trauma - Mum's driveway above which sat two exhaust pipes In the new year, I was able to find time to arrange collection of one of my earliest rowdy projects. Twenty years ago, I saw an Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah running on a steel frame in Blenheim. Those familiar with this thread in its early days will know that watching that beautiful old engine way back then infected me with Radialosis. Today in 2012, there is still no cure for this. Like Hypoxia, once you realise you have it, you are quite happy to do as little as possible to get rid of it. So, a week and a half ago, my old Mk.10 Cheetah arrived. The Cheetah is similar in diameter to the Hercules but that is where the similarities end! In my workshop is a great example of the progression of British aircraft propulsion over a period of only four years. The steel frame that the Cheetah is bolted to isn't as strong or rigid as I'd like it to be so before I had the engine freighted down to Chch, I asked Marty Nicoll if he would be so kind as to stiffen it up a bit.......... Clown. It is nice to have the two old engines in my workshop and I intend to take a few steps backwards with the Cheetah. She suffered a bit when she got to the point of being able to run and I admit to rushing the last part of the restoration. Attention to detail in many areas was ignored as the excitement of making noise drew nearer. The Cheetah is a lovely sounding engine and one day she will run again when she is ready and without the impatient rush of a 20 year old restorer. As an aside, I sat down with a manual last week to try and suss out exactly why the Herc is running so very rich. A thorough study of the manual versus engine may have found the problem...
|
|
|
Post by skyhawkdon on Jan 19, 2012 6:33:14 GMT 12
As usual you spin a great yarn Al. Looking forward to more installments!
|
|
|
Post by johnnyfalcon on Jan 19, 2012 7:52:50 GMT 12
Thanks Al. Very impressive, very entertaining :-)
|
|
|
Post by flyjoe180 on Jan 19, 2012 8:58:33 GMT 12
Excellent write up Al, that Hercules is looking great! Did the Honda stretch under the Cheetah's weight?
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Jan 19, 2012 15:09:03 GMT 12
The old Marty sense of humour heh? I'll be pretty wary if I ask him to send me something for the Auster then! Those Cheetah's are a really nice wee radial, I heard one running at Classic Fighters 2009 and liked the purr it gave off. (Get it? Purrr? Cheetah? : Bill Reid's Anson sounds great at least on the Youtube videos Gavin posted. Look forward to hearing them thunder overhead.
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 19, 2012 16:56:54 GMT 12
Great stuff Al. What a Christmas treat that was for your family. And it's nice to see the two engines side-by-side like that.
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Jan 21, 2012 8:54:47 GMT 12
Yes Al has done a fantastic job bringing these engines to life. It is no easy job having to know a hell of a lot about technical matters involving these engines. This video may help budding engine rebuilders like Al learn all about the art:
;D
|
|
|
Post by scorpiomikey on Jan 27, 2012 9:30:35 GMT 12
Is there any talk of actually getting it flying? Or will it only ever be a taxi display?
|
|
|
Post by lumpy on Jan 27, 2012 11:25:13 GMT 12
Is there any talk of actually getting it flying? Or will it only ever be a taxi display? I believe there are corrosion issues ( amongst other things )that would prevent it flying without a very major ( massively expensive ) overhaul . ( at least not legally anyway ) ;D
|
|