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Crossley IGL 3


smiffy

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I have now enough parts to build a better engine and will post some more pics if anyone is interested

 

Oooh! Yes please, nice to see something a bit more modern in these parts :-)

 

As for the theory about freezing water bending the conrod, it sounds preposterous...

But the photos clearly show that nothing was moving while it happened, so Occams Razor leads me to agree with your theory.

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Nice job. Do you have your own foundry facility as well? I have never been quite that adventurous!

 

Steve

Yes I do as much as possible at home .When I first started restoring there where jobbing foundries still around but they have nearly all gone so I set up a home foundry .

I use a large ex school furnace that i have converted to diesel firing and can also run it on waste engine oil .

 

I can get it hot enough to do cast iron but that is very hard on the furnace lining and life of the crucibles is short .

 

Most of my knowledge has come from books such as Terry Aspins book The back yard foundry and foundry work for the amateur . both books are readily available in the workshop practice series . I also have learnt a lot from youtube ,

myfordboy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNC9gjgYrzLfyMQmp31DnjA is very good. If you want to learn about cast iron watch luckygen1001

I get my consumables from Vaughans https://www.anvils.co.uk/ .

 

I also have a small forge and heat treatment furnace

I use the gas oven in the kitchen for tempering heat treated parts , fortunately my better half is very understanding.

A friend has a company making parts for the areospace industry and he gives me plenty of aluminium off cuts for the melting pot. Brass is a bit more difficult to obtain but I try to buy what I call red brass as used in quality water valves etc at scraps yard

Mike

Edited by smiffy
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Oooh! Yes please, nice to see something a bit more modern in these parts :-)

 

As for the theory about freezing water bending the conrod, it sounds preposterous...

But the photos clearly show that nothing was moving while it happened, so Occams Razor leads me to agree with your theory.

 

Thinking horses not zebra , this is the invention of the 'free piston engine'

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The bottom part of the sump had one small corroded area and I always try to repair rather than replace so built it up with weld . Dont know the composition of the aluminium but it is much heavier than modern material and not the best to weld but gave it a try . Not the end of the world if I had to make a new one but hopefully the repair will be ok Mikeattachment.php?attachmentid=126838&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=126839&stc=1

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Made 40 studs this afternoon ,with a bit of setting up I make the studs in 2 operations . First operation to feed the bar through to a pre determined length thread using the coventry die head then part off . Next screw into a stud box which needs to be no more than a short piece of hex or square threaded through and split along it length this holds the threaded end so the other end can be threaded. Once set up studs take about 1 .5 minuets to make attachment.php?attachmentid=126900&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=126901&stc=1

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I dont know what other people do about cleaning parts that are rusty but to save the cost of sending bits to be sand blasting I mix up citric acid and water , submerge the part in it for a minimum of 24 hours . The results are very good .

I buy 25 kg bags of citric acid from flea bayattachment.php?attachmentid=126902&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=126903&stc=1

Photos dont really do it justice but they are before and after

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I dont know what other people do about cleaning parts that are rusty but to save the cost of sending bits to be sand blasting I mix up citric acid and water

 

 

I have used molasses and water (10:1 water to Lyles Black Treacle). It isn't fast, but it is very gentle, and the results are good.

 

As a bonus, I don't feel bad about pouring something that I would cheerfully drink down the drain.

 

 

Pictures 5 and 15(?) here: http://bodgesoc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/1921-ner-car.html

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Never really thought about concentration rates ,the stronger the mix the quicker it works and when it stop working just add some more and when the mix looks realy gunky throw it away and start again . I would start with 10 kg in 45 gallons of water . No need to neutralise just rinse off with clean water and its safe to put down the drain when you have finished with it . Its also good for pickling after soft soldering or silver soldering Mike

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I too have used molasses for really large jobs. Take one of those universal 1000 litre plastic tanks. Cut the top out, and fill with the mix. My only mistake was leaving it out in the sun - which had I thought would speed up the process. Alas, eventually the light destroyed the plastic - leaving me with a mess to clean up. Nevertheless the results were good as Andy described.

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The modification leaflet was issued in October 1936, ordering Gruss Air Springs to be fitted, some were to be fitted in the "Front" position and some in the "Side" position depending on the chassis number.

One would assume that it was about this time that they were being included on the production line (assuming they were, i'm not conversant with the type outside of its use by the RAF)

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Very interesting thanks for the information ,I wounder why they where specified for the IGL 3 . The only other vehicle that I have seen the fitted on was a W& G ambulance . I will post some photos of them when I get time as I have one in pieces at the moment. Mike

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Some pictures of a unrestored Gruss unit attached to front spring and one stripped down .

They idea was that the ride height could be set using a gearbox mounted compressor connected via a tyre valve in the top of the air spring . The original brass valve in the top of the unit was missing so i made replacements . The original seals were leather cup seals ,I replaced these with hydraulic ram seals . Mike

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In 1985 I obtained a Crossley IGL3 in a very sad state .I had already restored a IGL 8 which is now with John Crossley a descendant of the original firm . I started the restoration and had the truck about 90% finished but many other projects got in the way and it has sat for many years unfinished . I have now retired and started the restoration again .

 

I decided to redo a lot of the previous work as I now have much better facilities and it has sat for at 20 years

 

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The first job is the engine , When originally restored I was short of some parts such as an exhaust manifold and the correct Simms auto advance unit for the mag drive

 

I have now enough parts to build a better engine and will post some more pics if anyone is interested

 

 

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Mike Smith

 

How very nice to see anything on a pre-WW2 vehicle that is not as early as WW1.

Chris

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Hi Mike

 

Do you need any engine parts. I have various bits that collected years ago when I fitted my AEC with one of these engines.

 

Regards

 

Paul

I would be very interested in any parts that you have . Do you still have the AEC Mike

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Very interesting thanks for the information ,I wounder why they where specified for the IGL 3 . The only other vehicle that I have seen the fitted on was a W& G ambulance . I will post some photos of them when I get time as I have one in pieces at the moment. Mike

 

The Crossley "Q" type was specified with Gruss air springs

 

Crossley Q's were often utilised in RAF service...I think as mobile radio shacks etc

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I would be very interested in any parts that you have . Do you still have the AEC Mike

Hi Mike

 

After I sent in my last message I thought I had better have another look at my engine bits. They have been buried for twenty or so years and I couldn't remember exactly what I have. I have the remains of three engines, in various states of incomplete. They were fitted into the 2 axle forward control chassis and there was a number of these in Hunts yard at Molesworth, which is where I acquired them from. I was looking for a two blocks of two engine at the time for my AEC, and these were all I could find. I have one complete engine fitted into my AEC Y type, and in the absence of the correct Tylor engine it fills the hole. Send me an email with what you might be looking for. oldbus@btinternet.com

 

Regards

Paul

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I am fortunate to have an original parts book and workshop manual for my crossley . Some of the engine studs are listed as bsw - bsf mainly the ones above 3/8 but the 5/16 and 1/4 are called motor studs and are unc-unf also in the simms auto advance unit there are flat springs held in place with 8/36 nf screws The wheel studs are 3/4 bsf in hub and 18 mm by 2mm pitch the other end . All a bit odd no idea why they used different thread systems .attachment.php?attachmentid=127103&stc=1attachment.php?attachmentid=127104&stc=1

The first photo is new studs in the sump the other photo is of a spring eye ,does any other vehicle use this type of eye? The springs were made by Woodheads.

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Those spring eyes were the posh design, with the rolled eyes that we are used to being the cheap and nasty way to make them but as metalurgy improved and cost became more important the rolled ones became more reliable and took over. I thought that they had disapeared from automotive use by then though. The did continue in railway use for some time though.

 

David

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