A Summer's Day In The Life Of The Historic Eng Co.

Here is a day with the Historic Engine Co. Although long hours I am very fortunate.

This morning..

Mid morning

This afternoon

This evening

Chew the day over with your mates! (full screen video required)

                                         And all over again tomorrow... Ho Hum

'26 Delage Days, Summer Roads

Over the last two weeks we have seen this 92 year old beauty in it's appropriate environment ...... Shady summer country lanes.

We have been running and adjusting here and there, brakes and small oil leaks but just small jobs so far.

All quite different from 5 or so years ago when she was the sum total of several tea chests, gathering dust since the 60's

"To see two videos one after the other in playlist form click this"

Chateau Impney Hill Climb (Pre War Classes) 2018

You may have noticed the machined sprocket in an early post below, at 09:15 you can see the result of this urgent repair on Hornet!

Late Spring And Early Summer.... Two hornets!

Wolseley Hornet special engine progress;

Change of technique from this early machining idea.

Although simple, this gave me a second check that I had machined the same amount from each piston before cleaning and assembling into the block.

Further clearance of combustion chamber to piston prior to assembly of new block

The old piston style.

Dummy piston during an early clearance check and machine jig set up proving, "1st off" (too expensive to experiment with new pistons.

The gudgeon pin is restrained by a collar and stud in the centre of the jig to carefully nip the piston on to the skirt mandrel. Further light pressure is applied by the hard nylon, counter bored cap and centre.

Preparation prior to assembly work, the piston enters from the top and the conrod from the bottom.

Old and new pistons, sharing the same gudgeon pin for dimension checks.

Tail light prep and rear mudguard prep.

With the "short" engine in place, some further alteration and linkage work in and around the bulkhead and pedal area as well as rear mounting finish drilling and footwell clearance.

Delage DISS, finishing and preparation, MOT passed and now roadtest and finishing work.

This adaptor will allow us to monitor the required torque to rotate the crank at various intervals as the miles increase. You may remember the engine was built in the 60's / 70's but the white metal bearings are quite tight on clearance, we can now monitor for even a slight increase in resistance with a good quality dial gauge type torque wrench. Hopefully taking any guessing out of the equation.

Oil filter modification to accept a modern paper filter without destroying any original fittings.

We opened the filter in this, but the new item will stay complete and slot in place.

The original put to one side unaltered, can be refitted in place of the new assembly for period correct, show use.

Delage material is slowly decaying as crumbling threads 

begin to highlight.

And now another Hornet, this time Duncan Pittaway's /Tim Harrison's,  marvellous special.

 Just the week before Chateau Impney, she slipped the crank sprocket on the left hand '26 Harley JD engine.

Jacob did a very quick measure of the crank taper and a dummy crank nose section made, followed by a very thin Nickel Bronze wash on the sprocket. A remachine and a little bluing and lapping, new key and away with Tim to a full weekend's racing at the lovely Chateau.

If you were wondering about the body.. there isn't one! I love this car..

 We are certainly very lucky in the idyllic locations that we work.

 Brakes, clutch and lighting on this lovely Landie S1.

Speaking of locations, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire are equally as beautiful,

Have tool box.. will travel!

Hotel Hi-Lux...."You can check out anytime you like; but you can never leave"..

Not our work this time.

I mentioned before about Hugh Murray Restorations in Glos area. This is the lovely finished oil tank and a few newly made complimentary items, not all from the same car but very photogenic..

GN, Bugatti and Salmson.