Rolls Royce Eagle spares Vs Gardner Vs Cummins

[Jordi]

Hi all,

i am currently on the look for a classic ERF and have found one with a rolls royce eagle motor and david brown gear box, i don’t know which exact engine just an eagle variant. 

My question to those with old Scammells and Fodens some of which also use eagle variants and anyone who just knows about spares is, how hard are spares to get and how badly are they priced?

I know it needs a clutch slave cylinder and wondered about general service parts like belts and filters?

Are they getting as rare as unicorn poop, harder to find than your glasses on your own head and suitably priced to match?

Or given that until recently the Army still used (possibly still uses?) these engines are parts still quite freely available?

Will i pay a premium for Rolls over a gardner or cummins or are they all generally the same sort of prices and availability?

The last thing i want to do is end up with a project with rare, phenomenally priced spares  

Thanks in advance for any help. As much as i have played with engines, cars and driven trucks over the years i know zero about spares availability for a 40yr old truck. 

Jordi

[john1950]

Rolls Royce Eagle and Gardiner spares are getting harder to find, Cummins are a little easier. David Brown gearbox parts due to the small production numbers are getting really hard now. General clutch parts, slave cylinders etc. are pretty easy. There was a firm years ago at Watford who purchased most of the Scammel spares inventory and they had new David Brown gearboxes on the shelf. I know of at least one Eagle and gearbox so they are about. If you do by the truck most ERFs were a pleasure to drive, but you will become a hoarder and protective towards parts. 

[Jordi]

Hi,

thanks for the response. Sort of the answer i was looking for, the parts are out there. Could be a waiting game on some though waiting for them to appear. 

The vehicle “starts and runs fine” so could be a case of some general maintenance parts and away it goes. 

I’m going to have a ring round a few classic truck spares places for parts and prices. 

I’m an expert in parts hoarding for my Suzuki. Boxes and boxes of bits. 

As rough as it’s current condition it, as long as i can start it and drive should be a good base for restoration. 

I believe the Watford firm in question was Unipower. 

I’d hope as long as it is a complete vehicle and I have all the bits, parts that might be hard to find could be refurbished or made?

 

[attleej]

Jordi,

I love a Roller!  However, my Scammell Contractor has a Cummins in it and the price of spares is becoming extortionate.  £230 for fan belt idler bearing.  Fortunately I was able to rebuild it.

On the Roller, if it has not got a turbo charger, it is a 220 (BHP).  Data plate is on rear left hand side, just below air intake manifold.

Points to watch are:

Fuel lift pump but an FIP specialist should be able to fix if you cannot get a new one.  If it gives you any sort of trouble, get it fixed because it will let you down big time one day.  You might find it starts to struggle to pull fuel up from a nearly empty tank.

Fan belts need to be a matched set with all the same numbers and from the same batch.  Change the belts NOW but keep the old belts on the vehicle as a back up.

A Roller will start easily without revving it up.    Wait until oil pressure is up before increasing revs after initial start.

RELIABILITY

For preserved use a Roller should just keep going.

PARTS

John 1950 is right parts are not so easy as they are not being used commercially anymore.  The engine used in the Scammell and Foden DROPS is a bit later and slightly different to a Mk III Eagle.  The good news is that there is not much of an export market for a Roller so a whole engine should not be too dear.

Fuel and oil filters should not be a problem. 

REPAIRABILITY

I find the Roller easy to work on.

ANTIFREEZE

You must run it with at least 25%, or better 33%, antifreeze or you will damage the wet cylinder liners with cavitation corrosion.  You can use a corrosion inhibitor in the summer of the tropics.  For UK, use antifreeze! 

John

[attleej]

One more point.  There are two ways of hurting a Roller.  The first is to pull up at full power up a hill, then pull into a lay-by and stop the engine immediately.  The other is to over rev the engine.  Max RPM is 2200.  I never let a 12 litre Roller or a14 litre Cummins exceed that.  I would take all necessary steps (political code for war) to slow the engine down from 2300 RPM.  On heavy haulage and tank transporters it is very easy for the load to push the vehicle and over rev the engine.

John

[Jordi]

Thanks for the info. 

Really helpful stuff from you both. I made a few calls to some classic commercials spares places today and got the same sort of answer about spares availability, some of the shelf no issues, others a waiting and watching game. 

They also said generally most major components can be refurbished. 

I do have basic experience with the Eagle motors from a driving point of view having driven EKA wreckers in the past. Always found them generally good motors, as said let it warm up a bit and run down before you shut it off.

I’m waiting on more photos of it and a bit more info. I get a bit of an impression from the seller he isn’t 100% sure of it’s exact condition and what could possibly be missing on it. As with any old vehicle / project it can look great and complete until you start stripping it down and find out there are no brake internals or some major components missing,  thats a risk we all take at times though.

Advice and info much appreciated 

Daniel

 

 

[tankdiver]

Rollers seem very good . When my garage was taken over by a Haulage firm an ERF was ran without coolant  and siezed The boss stripped the head off put freeing oil down the bore and to our horror belted the pistons with a hammer and a piece of wood to free the pistons. After rebuilding the engine , they started it I thought it would be KNACKERED but they ran it without trouble Till I left 3 years later. Good mechanics ?

[Jordi]

Thanks again for the input, we now have a vehicle. I’d love to tell you the exact spec but i’m still not 100% sure of it myself. Definitely not military though. Hoping you all don’t mind me using this forum though, best so far for information and advice on old commercials. 

The vehicle is a 1975 ERF LV 8W, currently a chassis cab. 

Powerplant is a cummins 250, which i believe is the 14ltr. 

Fuller 10speed range change crash box. 

Unsure of the back axles, presumed rockwell but yet to be verified. 

 

Again, thanks for the advice and info regarding the old motors. 

[john1950]

Sounds like a big cam Cummins powerplant probably made in Darlington . With a bulletproof Fuller ranger hung on the rear once you learn to change gear clutchless you will enjoy the drive. Need ear defenders though especially if the exhaust comes out at the front..

[Chris bettinson]

Hi All, looking for some parts for my RR205E, mainly the thermostats part number DE43404