To continue, Muriel writes-
Many dark days followed. Troubles that would have broken the heart
of some men followed in what seemed like endless succession.
In one day he had six gaskets "blow " before he found the right
means and material to withstand the tremendous pressures
involved. It does not take much experience to know what this
means in terms of work, as the gaskets were all hand made, and
the " head," complete with pipe systems, connections, etc., had
to come off each time. This trouble over, and a set of pistons with decidedly ambitious tops having been designed and fitted, he proceeded to lap at what were then remarkable speeds indeed, and in spite of the fact that the very necessary parts frequently fell either in or out of the engine, he never lost faith in it. I remember, towing him home for it seemed the hundredth time, saying with a lack of his optimistic patience : " Let's burn the thing and buy a motor- car !" but his cheery reply was: "Never mind, we're really beginning to go now ! " and proceeded to take the motor down
prior to an all-night siting. Coffee and cakes figured at inter-
vals in these "all-night jobs," and I expect the neighbours
wondered if he ever slept.
On one occasion he walked into the office of Mr. Weller, the
designer of the engine, at the A.C. Works and, laying a mutilated
mass of metal down on the desk, exclaimed : " Here you are.
How's this for an A.C. con. -rod ? How soon can I have another ? "
One had to be produced, and off down to the track again. He
fitted stiffer valve-springs and reconsidered the " cam contours,"
with the result that the speed kept creeping up and curious
rumours regarding some kind of forced induction floated round
the paddock, much to his amusement.
Mr. Weller tells of a very funny incident. When everything
had been looking promising, one afternoon Harry, smiling as
usual, came into the office and called him down to the yard.
"Come and have a look at the engine," he said. "I've got
something to show you." And he had. Mr. Weller found the
remains of the precious engine strapped to the back of Harry's
Rolls-Royce, the body of which he had recently discarded, and
in the interval of the fitting of the new body ran it for " use,"
as he called it. A gaping hole was in the crank-case of the engine big enough to put a boot in. Harry then produced a tangled remnant which had once done duty as a connecting-rod, saying : " It shot clean across the track ! I walked back and found it lying on the grass ; it was still warm when I picked it up." It was quite true he
found it in the exact spot he shed it, but while the design was
almost identical, on close inspection the stamping number proved
conclusively that it was not an A.C. rod at all, but some other
unfortunate who must have gone round just before. As far as
I know, the proper remains were never found. Even this disaster failed to deter Harry. Although the cross- shaft was smashed and A.C.'s had no spare crank-case available, he very quickly improvised a bracket and remounted the magneto in front of the engine, where, driven by a chain, it operated very well. A patch was welded on the crank-case and the engine was soon running again with as much " pep " as ever. With the advent of high and sustained speeds the exhaust valves commenced to give trouble. The valve-heads could usually be found reposing on the bottom of the sump, but on one occasion, after a fruitless three-hour search, Harry discovered the valve- head must have gone out through the exhaust-pipe ! Once, as the car was coming off the Byfleet banking on the track, after a lap or two at speed, unmistakable sounds proclaimed that the " umpteenth " valve-head had broken. It being the day before it was to race at a meeting, it was a very serious matter, but Harry, nothing daunted, mechanically began to tie the rope attaching the A.C. on to the Minerva, saying: "We'll be with them when the flag falls." That his confidence was justified is now a matter of light-car history. The Minerva I have just mentioned was my car, which Harry had had fitted with an enclosed body upholstered in Bedford cord for comfortable winter motoring.
It degenerated into a travelling workshop for the A.C., which
little car I always followed proudly to Brooklands, complete with
tow-rope and spares, and nearly always, less proudly, preceded
it home, connected by the rope. Soon the A.C. started to reach the 90 miles per hour mark, and it was then that the single-seater streamline chassis was made in which Mr. Weller gave great care to questions of weight distribu- tion as well as the elimination of any external details which might cause resistance. To this chassis Harry designed and built in his works his now famous streamlined body, and in his able hands the success of the combination exceeded everyone's expectations from the start, and at its debut created a sensation in racing
circles.