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Messages - jonto

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151
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 24, 2016, 13:24:58 »
The second mention of the car is on August 2th 1920
   On Monday morning I decided to go to town, praying
   that something might happen to prevent his driving the car. (450hp Sunbeam).
   Arriving at Surbiton, I found the only car in the garage was the
   racing A.C. before it had come into fame, which I managed to
   start, and arrived at Brooklands past the time of the Sunbeam's
   first race. I found Harry and Mr. Coatalen beside the car, which had not
   been out, as its first race had been passed over through wetness
   of the track.  Surprised at seeing me, Harry told me to cheer up he had had
   some laps in the morning and she was running beautifully.

152
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 24, 2016, 12:44:58 »
The first mention of the car-
   
    It was never amusing to be towed home by Harry, as I know
   well from experience. Once at Brooklands the 6-cylinder A.C.,
   then in its experimental stage, had broken something while on
   the track, and Harry offered its driver, Victor Bruce, a tow home
   on his own racing A.C., then fitted with a two-seater body. Just
   before starting, a little delay was caused by someone taking the
   passenger seat on the 6-cylinder A.C. for a lift home, which said
   seat was apparently booked by another member of a little gang of
   speed merchants who forgather at Brooklands, called generally
   "Moir," although he has other and very nice names. The
   gentleman having been placed gently but firmly on his feet by Moir,
   he started to walk up the hill from the paddock towards the gate.
   Harry, having tied the six-cylinder on behind with a bit of
   thin string he had found lying about, we started off, accelerating
   to take the hill. Halfway up, just passing the seat-usurper, to
   whom Moir, standing on the seat that he could be better seen, was
   bowing with that courtly manner lost to us centuries ago, the
   string broke through the jerk in changing gear, and the bow had
   a sudden and undignified ending. However, in a very up-to-
   date manner, the gentlemen assisted in replacing him, and the rest
   of the homeward journey, with the same string, only much shorter,
   leaving a couple of feet between the two cars, was of sufficiently
   diverting a nature to remedy any discomfort that might have been
   felt from the bruises. Harry and I being very late for something
   that night, we hurried, making a run home in record time, which
   time I should hate to see in print.
   
   This is followed by accounts of preps for the Atlantic attempt and the date of leaving for Newfoundland, March 28th 1919. But as I said the book is not necessarily describing events in chronological order.

153
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 24, 2016, 12:36:14 »
The following quotes are taken from-
   
   "H. G. Hawker, airman: his life and work", Muriel Hawker 1922
   this book is out of copyright and can be downloaded here-
   
   https://archive.org/stream/hghawkerairmanhi00hawkrich/hghawkerairmanhi00hawkrich_djvu.txt
   
   The PDF file is I think the best as you get the pictures to.
   
   These quotes could do with dating, the narrative moves around a little covering different activities.

154
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 24, 2016, 11:47:51 »
The second AC race car, Harry Hawkers single seater.
   
   
   This Motor Sport article is worth reading-
   http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1998/48/harry-hawker-aviatorracing-driver

155
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 24, 2016, 11:25:49 »
There's an old expression, 'cant see the wood for the trees', or is it the other way round in this case :-)
   There's an important point that's being overlooked, the car was crab tracked, narrow at the rear, this makes it mechanically special indeed. In the frontal picture you can see the steering box drop arm and its forward mounting with transverse drag link, that could be an adapted production item, the six stud hubs and artillery wheels too are standard, as for the rest of it...

156
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 23, 2016, 12:43:09 »
A nice picture.
   Lunch stop at the Royal Huts Hotel during the Autumn one Day Cyclecar Trial,October 29,1913.
   
   
   
   To the right foreground, isn't than the rear of a Sociable? Behind perhaps a Swift, behind again a GWK, back a bit No32 a GN, No1 another Sociable, further back perhaps an AC Fivet and on the left in front of the garage definitely an AC Fivet. In the early days there were many public road events, trials and hill climbs organized by the RAC and regional clubs. Factory cars driven by works personnel were often entered posing as private entries.

157
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 23, 2016, 12:08:49 »
Just a new camshaft would be all that was needed to change sides on the head, a new head would be a lot more work but would have been done if thought necessary.

158
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 22, 2016, 15:50:28 »
A team of three cars was intended to compete in the TT, there would have been parts in various stages of completion, but it seems everything was behind and untested, its likely that only the one car was completed, its performance was poor and Weller was probably relieved when the race was cancelled. However the car would survive the war to try again....

159
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 21, 2016, 12:04:58 »
A rare rear view of an early car, (W.J. Brunell photograph).
   
   
   You can see the transmission of the 1913/14 period, with substantial cast aluminum axle tubes supporting the spring mounting and the hubs/brakes. Just a tool locker at the back, no dickey seat, I think that came along in 1921 at the beginning of the Edge period.

160
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 20, 2016, 09:02:38 »
Yes I agree I think the engine was a Weller design, the beginnings of the post war OHC engines. Look at the front view and you can see that the starting handle shaft is below the chassis frame in what looks to be a subframe, so the engine is mounted low in the chassis, the crankshaft below the main chassis frame. The transmission looks to be special too, narrow track, the only reason for this would be a solid diffless axle. Enlarging the side view, the rear springs appear to be angled inwards, the brakes look to be contracting band brakes, Weller was probably trying to work out how to brake the live rear axle ends.
   There exists a portfolio of drawings in the Science Museum collection, its just possible there maybe something there-
   http://http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/download/GB%200069%20AUTO
   There could also be a description in the contemporary press, the RAC Lightcar TT would have had some coverage.

161
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 19, 2016, 20:58:06 »
It was common practice on early engines to take the exhaust from the rear of the engine, then by the mid 20's manufacturers tended to move the take off to the front after having set a few floor boards on fire :-)
      Racing engines however tend to have horizontal takeoffs one to each cylinder and a straight pipe down the side of the car at cylinder head level.

162
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 19, 2016, 13:29:43 »
The French built Fivet engine had a fixed head and integral exhaust gallery, the exhaust pipe bolting to a flange at the rear of the block, so I guess that rules out an overbored Fivet engine in the 1914 TT car.
   
   
   The four cylinder side valve Anzani engine was not around in 1914, Gustave Maclure the designer putting pen to paper after the armistice when the aero engine contracts were cancelled. There might be a description of the 1914 TT car in the contemporary press.

163
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 19, 2016, 12:34:57 »
The tyres would be high pressure beaded edge, running at about 60psi, the pressure holding the tyre beads in the rolled over rim edges. They were normal equipment until superseded by the straight sided tyres and rims around 1923. Solid tyres went out of favor in the 1890's except for commercial use.

164
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / The Race Cars
« on: February 18, 2016, 19:26:00 »
"Thus, directly through trials, I at last attained to my first road racing , car, An AC, one of three which S.C. Westall, A. Noble and
   myself were to handle, though coming events, had we known it, were to cut short our hopes. Certaily that car looked odd, though never
   for a moment would we admit it.The front wheels were well out on a wide front axle, the rear wheels close in on a much narrower axle;
   the machine, in other words, was crab tracked. In front was a high radiator, quite unlike that of the conventional AC., which other details of the chassis closely followed; but there was a streamline tail in which sat the the fuel tank, the handle of a big air pump stuck out from the instrument board invitingly.
   We watched the beginnings of these cars every minute that could be spared, we fretted when the Calthorpes of more normal design were on the road long before our machines were recognizable, and then one day the first car stood in the works, run in , so they said, and ready for test. Anyhow, it made a most satisfactory noise, so Westall and I, narrowly missing the door doorposts to show the necessary dash, went off to the track. Alas, our much desired car seemed deader than the proverbial mutton, slower than the ordinary sports models. One or two tentative experiments revealed a considerable weakness in the brakes and a black moment, a burst at full throttle completely eliminated a big end bearing. Terribly chastened we took the car back, to be assured that all would yet be well, though the atmosphere was critical. Then a man we had never heard of shot another man in a country......" (S.C.H. Davies. Motor Racing. 1931).

165
Vintage, PVT & 2 Litre Forum / Car No 6199 1921
« on: February 10, 2016, 20:08:28 »
Next, the clutch, here's the parts-
   
   
   Bottom right, the tubular steel part screws on to the crankshaft and doubles as a flywheel nut and support for the cast aluminum clutch plate which is bushed and runs on the outside. This provides the idler bearing that takes up the difference in speed when the clutch is parted. Bottom left the double helical spring lives inside the tube and thus is out of sight when the clutch is assembled

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