BenHawkins Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Ah, the optimism is so refreshing trevor If a few broken guides are all I have to contend with I will be a very lucky man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cel Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Right you are! Looks like the crankshaft is still in one piece;) Good progress so far! Marcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Each evening this week I have been stripping parts off the engine. The exhaust manifold has eight quite long studs so the rust on those was really difficult to break. I started by splitting all the nuts off; nuts are easy to replace. Then each night I applied some heat and bashed it will a dead blow mallet. Obviously plenty of penetrating oil as well. It started to move on Friday evening (so a crack was just visible at the gaskets) and finally came off this evening. The inlet manifold, starting handle and timing cover came off easily. A little more work to do before removing the cylinder blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Between sessions hammering at the exhaust manifold I started to look at the steering box. It is off a slightly later Dennis lorry and has also had the column bent at some time. Having been outside most of its life I was worried about the condition of the internals but the oil had protected them. After the first clean it all seems in quite good condition I will clean up the casings this week and have a go at straightening the tube. The shaft is hardly bent and probably serviceable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 I also warmed up the laser cut footstep brackets to bend them and gave them a coat of paint. They will live on the shelf for a while so I don't bruise my shins on them too often. Cross drilling all the false frame bolts and split pinning was a bit tedious this week. I removed the mounting bolts that were rusted into the gearbox and when lining it up in the chassis realised two of the false frame bolts need to be countersunk to clear the gearbox body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 I had a few distractions this week so not as much progress as hoped. Having marked up where the steering column outer tube was bent I warmed it up with an oxy-acetylene torch and pushed it back into shape. Followed by masking the parts up and blasting them prior to painting. Hopefully reassemble in the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 We removed the valve caps so the valves could be extracted from the cylinder blocks and after being marked up put to one side to be thoroughly examined later. I could then lift off the cylinder blocks. The gudgeon pins are retained by an forth "piston ring", two of these are broken so I will need to make a new pair. The bores look fairly good although I have not attempted to measure them yet. The bore is a nominal 75mm with a 110mm stroke (1940cc) and a nominal power output of 14hp. Next job will be to remove the camshaft to get access to the broken cam followers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 The sump cleaned up well. As did the timing cover. When searching the spare parts department I found a Dennis fan hub that fits nicely in the gap between the engine and radiator. I will need to make a carrier and also fit new blades. The pulley is missing from the engine but should be easy to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I had a few distractions this week so not as much progress as hoped. Don't worry. You certainly put me to shame! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks Steve, it is great to be back at it after my two year break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Peskett Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Further to mention of UBAS steels herewith is an advertisement for same from the 1925 Commercial Motor show catalogue. Richard Peskett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Further to mention of UBAS steels herewith is an advertisement for same from the 1925 Commercial Motor show catalogue. A web search leads to Graces Guide which says that they were eventually bought by Duport in 1973. http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Duport If anyone was local to Dudley Port they could wander round to see if there is any stock left rusting in a hedge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 I am always looking in the local hedges and skips; surprising what you can find. Thanks for the advert Richard. I really love the adverts in Commercial motor, there are a few pre WWI loose magazines I have managed to purchase but the bound editions are out of my price range. The archive online is great for the articles but they have not included the adverts. Hopefully a bit more progress this weekend. I would like to get the front wheels off so I am in a position to get new rubber on all the wheels in by the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BosunAl Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Found Grace's Guide impressive. Are there other such books that provide drawings and dimensions of military and commercial vehicles that can be accessed in PDF or similar format? Bosun Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 The commercial motor archive is pretty good. When I am in America I am always amazed by how much is available on google books. However I think the UK copyright laws prevent it from being accessed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 I made a very simple puller for the tappets from some scrap I found under the bench. Then used it to extract the tappets from the crankcase. A roller runs in the slot, but in most cases they are broken off above the slot. One had been replaced with a bronze one but most are cast iron. I stuck some bits of MDF together and turned them in the lathe to make a pattern. Then painted it up. I decided it would be easier to machine them with the hole filled in so have not made a core box. It is only a 20mm bore so there will not be much wastage and they would probably cost more with the hole in. I will machine some of the flange away to make them into the left or right hand version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 As this engine was originally fitted to a generating set the starting handle does not come out past the radiator. I started by stripping down the assembly. I glued some bits of MDF together for a pattern for the longer housing. It still needs the ribs fitting before it goes to the foundry along with the tappet pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 The big job for this weekend was to strip the front axle down. It took a selection of tools to remove the hub caps as the bolts were no longer hexagonal. There was plenty of lubricant in the hubs so they were well protected from water. I had to use a big socket to get the king pin nuts off. Unusually I realised it was a good idea to do this before removing the wheels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Then we decided to give removing the king pins a go. One of the retaining bolts sheared off so I drilled down the middle (but not all the way through) and used a parallel punch to drive it out. If I try to drill out the full size of the original hole I find I tend to run off and make the hole oval. Then I tried to press out the king pin using a bit of heat from a propane torch and my 10 ton press. Looks like I need to find an HGV garage or similar this week to get them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 So I turned my attention to the steering box. I used the lathe and a dial gauge to find out how bent the shaft was (around 0.120"). After repeated pressing operations I got it down to 0.012" and decided that was probably good enough. The end float adjuster bolt and lock nut had been damaged by the use of a chisel in service so I cleaned them up so the correct spanner would fit in future. Then I put the whole lot back together again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 And finally I decided to check the gearbox would fit. It is in quite poor condition and I need to come up with the transmission brake but it is better than starting with nothing. Steve, Tony and Tim let me have the prop shaft/universal joints that came with their Dennis engine as they are correct for this project. I think the clutch/flywheel I have are too big for this chassis/engine so I need to come up with a solution for that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 What do you do in your spare time, Ben? Amazing progress. You put us to shame and there are three of us! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 What do you do in your spare time, Ben? Amazing progress. You put us to shame and there are three of us! Steve Sarah banishes me to the garage so I can't make a mess of the house! The workshop facilities at the new house make all the difference. Home is about 15 minutes from work and then pretty much everything is at hand to get on with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Those front axles. Not identical but very similar to the 1911 Leyland. Can you tell me the make of thrust bearing? Fascinated by this old vehicle. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenHawkins Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Those front axles. Not identical but very similar to the 1911 Leyland. Can you tell me the make of thrust bearing? Fascinated by this old vehicle. Robert All the early Dennis commercials seem to be fitted with Butler Patent front axles produced by Kirkstall Forge of Leeds. I don't know who made the thrust bearings but the unusual setup probably means they are unique to Kirstall Forge. Once we have it apart I can then try to assess the best way to resolve the wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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