The engines and transmissions thread

[Magna-Carta]

It would be hard to do better than this transmission....

LOL... That's fantastic! I'm somewhat disappointed that he failed to mention the infamous giggling pin -- known in automotive workshops around the world. When not fitted correctly, they can cause the bush to chuckle. And honestly, who wants to have to contend with a chuckling bush!

As alluded to in the video, 'side fumbling' should be avoided at all cost. Then no need to have to replace it with the cunning use of a left handed screwdriver.

Was this guy the educator of Geordi La Forge?

 

[bobcat]

I never used to be all that interested in 4WD or off-roading, or at least not until my employer sent me on a two day off-road training course a few weeks ago. That was a real eye opener. I came away thinking, “What have I been missing all this time?!”

Below is a photo someone took of me climbing a sand and clay quarry in a Mitsubishi. It was surprisingly slippery, especially once the rain started coming down. Some parts of the course had such sudden crests and drops that we couldn’t actually see where we were going -- we had to put our trust in the vehicle’s ability and just commit. A bit unnerving in places!

The vehicles we drove all had manual transmissions, selectable 2WD/4WD, and various combinations of differentials, some with two, others with three diffs, and some equipped with diff locks. Each setup had its own feel and quirks.

Because they were manuals, there was always the risk of stalling the engine, especially on gradients where you needed momentum. If that happened, we had to hold it on the brakes, restart the engine, and either continue forward or, if that wasn’t viable due to it being so slippery, reverse out. In those situations where the engine had stalled, we were taught to hold the footbrake, select reverse in low range, clutch down, then start the engine and raise the clutch at exactly the same time. Then feet off all the pedals, letting the vehicle slowly make its own controlled descent in its own time.

Our instructor described it as: “Failing to safety.” And honestly, that phrase stuck with me.

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Loved the pictures. I haven't done any recreational off roading (Except for fishing). The rest was just cutting firewood, and that sort of thing. It's always nice when you're in the backroads exploring in 2 wheel, and you start to spin out, and you lock in all four, and away you go.

I have actually got stuck in the snow in 4 wheel though, but the snow was up past the running boards, and I was high centered as well. Time to break out the shovel and get another run.

 

[bobcat]

It would be hard to do better than this transmission....

OMG, my eyes were watering from laughing so hard. That was hilarious.

 

[bobcat]

Back in the mid 1980's here at Toronto's inner harbor, there was a public display and speed run done by an American Unlimited Class hydroplane speed boat. It had FOUR V12 Allison aero engines mounted in it's 45 foot long hull. Imagine four V12 's all firing at the same time ? I reckon that boat had about 6,000 horsepower running on 100 octane aviation gas. The speed run only lasted about 15 seconds, then it disappeared out into Lake Ontario at top speed of around 150 mph.

Post WW2 unused surplus Rolls Royce Merlins were being sold by Crown Assets Disposal of Canada, to the public. Many of them ended up in unlimited class speed boats, or in air craft racers. The same thing happened with hundreds of the Canadian Military Pattern trucks, of which Canada produced 900,000 of them during the war. JIM.

I love hydroplane racing. They are rocketing across the water just barely under the point of catching too much air and catapulting skyward. It's a gutsy sport for sure.

I did get to go on one of the Jet Boat rides out of Gold Beach, Oregon that takes you up the Rogue River. What a blast that was. Those things really cook even against the rapids.

 

[seadoug]

You are most welcome. Further WW2 facts about Canada's contribution to the war effort. In 1939 the total population of Canada was 11 million people, of all ages. Obviously about half of that number were males, but at least 30 percent of them were either too young, or too old, for military service. So the man power pool was about 3 million males. During WW2 the Canadian military services grew to be over ONE MILLION men. Fully one third of our male population was in military service by 1945. About 900 thousand of them were serving outside of Canada, mostly in the European theatres of war.

IN 1939 the full time Canadian Army was just over 7,000 men, the Airforce was about 4,000 men, and the Navy was less than 3,000 men, with 7 ships. BY the end of the war in 1945, the RCN had 238 ships, and 125,000 men. The RCAF had 65 squadrons of fighters and bombers, with over 125,000 men. The Canadian Army in 1945 had close to 800,000 men, in five Divisions. About 90 percent of those men were volunteers. In the last year of the war, Ottawa had to act to replace the VERY high combat losses that we had suffered in France, Belgium, and Holland, by sending some conscripts as reinforcements to the infantry units. That number was less than 6 ,000 men.

The most decorated Canadian Army unit in WW2 was the Prince Edward and Hastings Regiment, from central eastern Ontario. The "Hasty Pees " were also known as the fighting farmers, as most of the originals hailed from the 2 Counties and they really were mostly farmers. The Canadian Army in WW2 used a local area recruiting system, so that a unit such as the Calgary Highlanders, would have been men who came from that city or it's surrounding areas. The 3 "Regular Canadian Army " battalions were the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, and the French speaking Royal 22ND Regiment. Each of those units recruited from a specific part of Canada.

JIM.

Not to hijack the thread, but how are you feeling these days Jim? I know you had some health issues recently.

 

[old medic]

It's always nice when you're in the backroads exploring in 2 wheel, and you start to spin out, and you lock in all four, and away you go.

My Father always said that the difference between 2WD and 4WD was how far you had to walk out for help.
At one point in my life off roading was a regular joy... I've put trucks in some insane places... Major stuck issues and twice rolled over....

 

[bobcat]

Alt

My Father always said that the difference between 2WD and 4WD was how far you had to walk out for help.
At one point in my life off roading was a regular joy... I've put trucks in some insane places... Major stuck issues and twice rolled over....

Ha ha, good quote. Most likely, that's why God invented winches. When you've reached the end of your rope (Traction wise), it's time for the winch to pull you out of your predicament (Assuming you can find an anchor point anyway).

 

[bobcat]

How about those HEMI engines as well. Although I've never owned one, it has been a tremendous power plant for decades. Chrysler, Dodge, and RAM have had great success with it. The HEMI was well respected on the street for putting down some serious rubber, and it was used in so many muscle cars.

I think the concept was even used by other manufacturers, but when I see HEMI, I just think Mopar. I'm sure it has undergone many revisions over the years, but the concept has anchored itself in automotive history.

 

[jimintoronto]

Not to hijack the thread, but how are you feeling these days Jim? I know you had some health issues recently.

Not doing too bad. Blood pressure is still on the low side, and I seem to have at least 2 medical appointments someplace every week. Today it's the blood lab at Toronto General, followed by a Cardio appointment up the street at Women's College Hospital. On Thursday I will be attending a meeting of the Toronto Ambulance Pioneers group, who are men who worked for Metro Toronto Ambulance in the past. I did that job for ten years, from 1977 to 1987. I hope to reconnect with a guy who was a friend and work partner, back then. I haven't seen him in about 35 years. JIM.

 

[Magna-Carta]

How about those HEMI engines as well. Although I've never owned one, it has been a tremendous power plant for decades. Chrysler, Dodge, and RAM have had great success with it. The HEMI was well respected on the street for putting down some serious rubber, and it was used in so many muscle cars.

I think the concept was even used by other manufacturers, but when I see HEMI, I just think Mopar. I'm sure it has undergone many revisions over the years, but the concept has anchored itself in automotive history.

I wondered when you were going to mention 'HEMI', @bobcat!

Below is a 'baby' dragster running at Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England. This Hemi is fast enough at 6.53 quarter mile at 209mph. His best run was a 6.37

Not the fastest dragster in the world, but not bad considering this V8 Hemi is only 2.5 litres (155 cu in). An engine that went into production in 1959.

I believe it was first used in the strange looking Daimler SP250 (Dart) sports car, then later in other Daimlers. Daimler as in the Daimler Company Limited, England. The engine was designed by an engineer from BSA and Triumph motorcycles. In the days when many British motorcycles had hemispherical combustion chambers.

Jaguar inherited this engine when they bought out Daimler in 1960. Then put the engine in some of their Jaguars and ‘badge-engineered’ Daimlers that Jaguar was making alongside:

Straight out of the Daimler 250 car, whose body & running gear would have been manufactured by Jaguar. I think later there were 4.5 litre versions of this engine. (278 cu in)

 

[Manatee]

IMO, the best thing that car makers did was to get rid of carburetors, and went to fuel injection, I used to have to work on a carb at least once a year it seemed. Now, If the engine seems to be running a bit rough, I just add some fuel injector cleaner to the gas, and within a couple of hours of driving, the engine is running smooth again.

When the government mandated "green" fuel many of the fuel hoses were not compatible and leaked causing very bad engine fires. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[bobcat]

I wondered when you were going to mention 'HEMI', @bobcat!

Below is a 'baby' dragster running at Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England. This Hemi is fast enough at 6.53 quarter mile at 209mph. His best run was a 6.37

Not the fastest dragster in the world, but not bad considering this V8 Hemi is only 2.5 litres (155 cu in). An engine that went into production in 1959.

I believe it was first used in the strange looking Daimler SP250 (Dart) sports car, then later in other Daimlers. Daimler as in the Daimler Company Limited, England. The engine was designed by an engineer from BSA and Triumph motorcycles. In the days when many British motorcycles had hemispherical combustion chambers.

Jaguar inherited this engine when they bought out Daimler in 1960. Then put the engine in some of their Jaguars and ‘badge-engineered’ Daimlers that Jaguar was making alongside:

Straight out of the Daimler 250 car, whose body & running gear would have been manufactured by Jaguar. I think later there were 4.5 litre versions of this engine. (278 cu in)

Gawd In love the sound of powerful engines (Cue Tim Allen Grunt: Ohhh, Ohhh, Ohhh).
There is just something you can feel resonating in your body.
That dragster was impressive to watch. A real fire breather for such a small engine. Loved it.

I had a Dodge Dart once. Man it ran like a striped ass ape, but it wouldn't pass smog because it was basically a bare bones engine, and I was in Calif. I could have bought all the smog stuff for it, but I wasn't sure I could get it all done by myself and didn't want to pay the shops, so I just sold it. But that little car had some guts.

 

[Magna-Carta]

Gawd In love the sound of powerful engines (Cue Tim Allen Grunt: Ohhh, Ohhh, Ohhh).
There is just something you can feel resonating in your body.
That dragster was impressive to watch. A real fire breather for such a small engine. Loved it.

I had a Dodge Dart once. Man it ran like a striped ass ape, but it wouldn't pass smog because it was basically a bare bones engine, and I was in Calif. I could have bought all the smog stuff for it, but I wasn't sure I could get it all done by myself and didn't want to pay the shops, so I just sold it. But that little car had some guts.

'Home Improvement', that show used to be shown here in the UK, on a cable channel. I used to watch it -- it was a funny show.

The Dodge Dart you mentioned, I'd heard the name before but couldn't immediately picture it, so I did a quick Google search. The one I came across first was from the late 1960s. Its shape reminded me a bit of a car an ex-colleague of mine had. He's retired now, but he had a red Plymouth Roadrunner with a 383 under a black hood.

The only photos I can find of his car at the moment are these two photos. I used to have a better shot of it, showing the whole side of the car, looking from the front right side. The silver Dodge Ram you’ll see in the photos is his as well.


Plymouth in the background:

 

[Magna-Carta]

When the government mandated "green" fuel many of the fuel hoses were not compatible and leaked causing very bad engine fires. Be careful what you wish for.

A similar thing happened here, E10 fuel

 

[bobcat]

'Home Improvement', that show used to be shown here in the UK, on a cable channel. I used to watch it -- it was a funny show.

The Dodge Dart you mentioned, I'd heard the name before but couldn't immediately picture it, so I did a quick Google search. The one I came across first was from the late 1960s. Its shape reminded me a bit of a car an ex-colleague of mine had. He's retired now, but he had a red Plymouth Roadrunner with a 383 under a black hood.

The only photos I can find of his car at the moment are these two photos. I used to have a better shot of it, showing the whole side of the car, looking from the front right side. The silver Dodge Ram you’ll see in the photos is his as well.


Plymouth in the background:


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Mmmm, Loved the Road Runner and Barracuda. Both great cars.
Another one of my favorites was the Olds 442. I don't know why, but there was just something about it that I thought was one I would love to drive or own.

 

[JBR]

On the general topic, just be cautious before complaining to the mechanic about a rattling sound when you drive...

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[Magna-Carta]

On the general topic, just be cautious before complaining to the mechanic about a rattling sound when you drive...

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Some squeaks and rattles are easier to find than others.

 

[Magna-Carta]

Mmmm, Loved the Road Runner and Barracuda. Both great cars.
Another one of my favorites was the Olds 442. I don't know why, but there was just something about it that I thought was one I would love to drive or own.


View attachment 418384

Actually, now I think about it, that red Roadrunner might have been a 440. I think the reason 383 stuck in my head was because in one conversation I had with him he spoke about the 383 a lot, when we were discussing different Plymouth engines and carb configurations.

That Olds 442, a beautiful looking car, yet muscular looking too. That shade of blue and white suits it.

 

[bobcat]

Actually, now I think about it, that red Roadrunner might have been a 440. I think the reason 383 stuck in my head was because in one conversation I had with him he spoke about the 383 a lot, when we were discussing different Plymouth engines and carb configurations.

That Olds 442, a beautiful looking car, yet muscular looking too. That shade of blue and white suits it.

Yeah, you know, the thing I liked most about the cars back then, is that they focused on style, power, and driving dynamics, which is why so many have remained classics all these years. They weren't built so much for fuel economy, smog emissions, and aerodynamics, they were made for fun (Well, till Daddy took the T-Bird away).

All the cars were so different, with their tailfins, and freedom of expression in their designs and motors. Mustangs, Camaros, T-Birds, Woody's, Caddy's, Edsel (RIP), Bonneville's, Riviera, Bel-Aire, Chiefton, Roadrunner, Impala, and on and on.... They were bold, they had class, and individuality. It seems like nowadays, it can be hard to find your car in the parking lot.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand the need for smog, fuel economy, etc... needed in today's cars, but I do miss the looks and motors of cars from our youth. They are still a delight to see once in a while on the road, and it's pretty cool that Cuba decided to keep so many of them alive.

 

[Magna-Carta]

The sound of a V16.

BRM (British Racing Motors) P16 Grand Prix car. 16 cylinders, and a total engine capacity of just 1,496 cc (91.3 cu in). Early 1950s car with 600 hp. Some say that the sound alone could trigger a fight-or-flight response in some standing relatively close by. Mechanical violence at 12,000 rpm. Turn the sound up:

1936 Auto Union Type C. Auto Union was the forerunner of Audi. 16 cylinders, and a total engine capacity of 6 litres (366.5 cu in). 550 to 600 bhp, depending on boost pressure. I've been to this venue: