Merlin Engine found in Ditch

[Dave Homewood]

It's amazing what might be out there for the right person to find.

The May 1977 edition of NZ Wings says a man engaged in drainage work on farmland in an area called Glenavy discovered a complete Packard Merlin engine in a ditch.

He offered the farmer $20 and took it away happy. He gave the engine to the Ferrymead museum. Though not runable as it had been partly torched at some stage, it apparently could still be turned over, after a couple of decades in the ditch.

I assujme Ferrymead still has it? It may be useful for their Mosquito project I hope. I wonder if it was from a Mossie or off a Mustang.

[Bruce]

not far removed from one of those "aircraft in a barn" legends! than again, the Subritsky Oxford is a classic example that sometimes these stories are true. I'm hoping to visit Ferrymead in a few weeks time, I'll see what I can find about the engine.

[denysjones]

The engine is in fact a Packard not a Rolls and it was under a tree not in a ditch.

One Andy Wilson was doing engineering work on the farm and saw the unit and bought it. He donated it to us and has been a member ever since.

The farmer had used the engine as a source of nuts and bolts etc so by the time we got it it was still sitting on the original crate but the cylinder banks were off it and pistons etc missing.

The engine had been rendered u/s (presumably by the RNZAF) as a circular cutter had been run down between the V-banks between the two sets of rear cylinders and a piece of the crankcase approx 3in long smashed out. We welded that back in but the internals are still missing.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Denys. Wow, still in it's crate is good going, What a find. I had visions of it in murky water and tangle with weed. Good on Andy Wilson!

I did in fact report it was a Packard in the original post, as stated in Wings.

In this day and age, could it be restored to runnable condition (in engineering terms, I guess it won't happen in reality due to funds and lack of need at Ferrymead)