A shameless image thread for the enginephiles

[flynfrog]

that little thing with only a single turbine. How about the fury of the sun

I believe this is HTRE 3 experments to build a nuclear powered plane



I might have posted pictures of them before I saw them out in the middle of nowhere Idaho.

[J.A.W.]

"...fury of the sun," f-f?
A nuclear fission engine*.. hmmm.. are you sure..
or.. could it be.. you've got your 'dilithium crystals'.. a tad.. ah.. warped?

Fusion reaction rocket engine mock-up:


*Albeit, Napier did do work on a functional fusion control project.. (& still.. it eludes current science);
viz: the 'ICSE' https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive ... 00752.html

[Big Tea]

J.A.W.;
What is that monster?
In keeping with the thread... I always thought the Areil square 4 was a pretty little engine.
Back when I was riding limeys a friend owned one and while it didn't handle particularly well it had gobs of power compared to the Triumphs and BSAs.
http://www.stradsplace.com/photos/Ariel-Square4.jpg
.
http://www.stradsplace.com/photos/1958- ... e-Four.jpg

That brings back memories


My two little darlings. One has carried the years better than the other (don't ask which one )

[strad]

I wonder if you've had problems with the rear cylinders running hot?
They say they even seize.

[J.A.W.]

Yeah strad, you'd be right to figure such.. & a liquid-cooled square 4.. surely ought be - a 'no brainer'..
or, at least.. a staggered unit (as per this Suzuki) - which could give the rear cyls.. some 'air space'..

[strad]

I remember being told back in the day and recently reminded that they had problems with cooling on the rear cylinders.
I never saw this problem with the friend that owned one but I moved and lost contact after a year or so during which time he never had any severe problem.
In the end he made his into a chopper which was a stupid young mans idea.

[Big Tea]

I remember being told back in the day and recently reminded that they had problems with cooling on the rear cylinders.
I never saw this problem with the friend that owned one but I moved and lost contact after a year or so during which time he never had any severe problem.
In the end he made his into a chopper which was a stupid young mans idea.

TBH, the engine was so low stress, and the frame not the sort you chuck about (plunger) I never remember the engine getting hot at all. It was in the days of 'Belstaff' wet gear and seem to recall the trousers getting cooked on it. Could the baggy trousers be the cause of overheating, as thats just about where they would 'hang'. Wide boot tops then too, so would not be much airflow.

[strad]

Thought this that I ran across in Hemmings might be of interest to J.A.W. in particular since he has an affinity for two strokes.
This Vincent engine was commissioned for the R.A.F.

This 1942 vintage lifeboat engine was built by British motorcycle manufacturing legend Vincent during World War II.
Its purpose was to power lightweight Royal Air Force rescue boats that could be dropped from aircraft to dart across the sea to pick up downed pilots.
The 500-cc two-stroke made 15 h-p at 3,000 rpm and would've shoved a small boat along at about 5 knots. Five of these Vincent marine engines were ordered by the British Air Ministry, with an additional order for seven more coming after initial testing. Several of the engine components were interchangeable with an electrical generator engine the company was also producing for the British Army at that time. Vincent delivered all 12 engines, but they were never put into use.
When the RAF initially requested the engines, Phil Vincent already held patents for a two-stroke that would meet the specifications. Vincent HRD designer Phil Irving supervised the final engineering of the engine to bring it into production. The powerplant was based on a three-cylinder block with each outside cylinder providing the horsepower, while the center bore served as a scavenging pump. It contained dual pistons that helped draw in the air fuel mix and suck out the spent gases. The propeller for the outdrive was attached directly to the end of the crankshaft by means of a rag-joint type coupler.

[J.A.W.]

Ta for that strad.. for sure Aussie Phil had a fertile 'motorhead' mind..

He of course, later collaborated with a bunch of other notable 'downunder' dudes to win F1 Championships
back-to-back in 1966/67.. by dint of an OHC conversion to a ex-GM 'stock-block' V8 - no mean feat..

Here's one of Phil's lifeboat mill patent drawings..
( & his main focus with it - was long-range, via reliable/economical running - rather than 'dart' speed, as such).

[strad]

I owned a Vincent Black Shadow for a while.
Bought it as a basket case. It was one of the only bikes to scare me.
I was in such a hurry to ride the fabled bike that I rode it before it was completely together and scared myself and sold it.
Was never sure how much was the fact that it wasn't properly together, I hadn't assembled the rear brake linkage and just had a bolt thru a socket threaded directly into the brakes lever arm, and how much was the horror stories that were so embedded in the Black Shadow history. Young, dumb and full of...well you know.
Used the money from that to buy a Matchless Typhoon . Now that one was a monster. The only bike to kick back a throw me over the bars. At the time the largest thumper made. Would snap primary chains on a regular basis.

[J.A.W.]

Yeah strad, those fabled V-twin beasts of yesteryear (like their Nippon equivalent - the Kawasaki 750 triple),
are still the subject of untold time 'n' money to make them behave, & yet run much harder, than they ever did..

Here's an 'Irving Vincent'* done up as a period racer.. for Goodwood, & the like..



*'Irving Vincent' being an Aussie outfit that builds/races the big boomers, from the pictured period style,
to radical NASCAR-tech 'silhouette' muscle-machines - with fat slicks/discs & etc..

[roon]

M8 GTE

[J.A.W.]

Atmo McLaren-Chevrolet M8F:

[Big Tea]

Yeah strad, those fabled V-twin beasts of yesteryear (like their Nippon equivalent - the Kawasaki 750 triple),
are still the subject of untold time 'n' money to make them behave, & yet run much harder, than they ever did..

Here's an 'Irving Vincent'* done up as a period racer.. for Goodwood, & the like..

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/KNWFW4/beau-b ... KNWFW4.jpg

*'Irving Vincent' being an Aussie outfit that builds/races the big boomers, from the pictured period style,
to radical NASCAR-tech 'silhouette' muscle-machines - with fat slicks/discs & etc..

The one that scared the pants off me was a Bridgestone GTR.
I jumped on to what was 'only' a 350 after arriving on a Matchless, took it back and decided to keep my old bike.

[Tommy Cookers]

Phil Vincent wrote in Motorcycle Sport magazine articles around 1972
iirc
the lifeboat motor was for 3 days endurance not speed
(btw DKW 2 power piston 1 pumping piston engines seem to have been made postwar for Nato gensets or pumps)
PCV rubbished the poor torsional stiffness of conventional frames (wrt Vincents) and suggested improvements
developments since have vindicated him (from Yamaha monoshock to modern swing arm, fork and wheel spindle design)
best shown in the TT now (Peter Duke said on TV Hailwood's 1967 Honda 500 TT finished with wheels 11/2" out of line)
Vincents had built-in adjustment to allow sidecar steering and suspension geometry and gearing - sidecars were important
to help a hospitalised friend my father did deliveries using friend's business sidecar 'float' - the first 650 (the BSA)
this new business needing to deliver couldn't buy a car or van because the Trade Dept 'export only' laws said no
dad modded the forks his way for steering geometry but was irritated by the uneven engine idle
so he went to BSA and their man fitted free of charge a magneto that gave even spark intervals (his job)
next week dad went again and another man fitted foc a new head fettled so the cast-in manifold gave even induction (his job)

Matchless Typhoon was invented/made ? by East Coast USA people for West Coast people (UK competition limit was 500cc)
about 125 were made from 1959 (though the road Matchless stroke was shortened from 93mm for 1960)
all these singles had inherited scope re bore and stroke permutations (some makes had 600 cc often sidevalve - for sidecars)
(eg postwar RE only made a 500 brother of their 350 single to fill demand by Govt Milk Board for sidecars)
and former motocross master Dave (Greeves) Bickers ....
later rode for Matchless 500 poorly (in internationals limit 500) but well in nationals (600 as national limit upped to 750)
by then BSA were selling the 350 relatives of their 250 for motocross

the 500 singles had a decompressor lever and manual advance/retard lever for a reason (method of starting)
but 500 singles weren't big sellers postwar

and the F2 car racers banned the 1150 cc Vincent engined F3-type Cooper when it appeared c. 1954