Plant - not in Public

[Six-cylinder]

Just down the road from me.....must resist.....

 

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/lister-single-cylinder-air-cooled-diesel-engine-type-st1/1078781650

 

An engine on it's own is not that big, you could hide it in your wardrobe! 

[Noel Tidybeard]

I have never been able to find out much about our Thwaites, what model, what year, what engine?

 

i think that may be the GT version with the flat bottom steering wheel

[beko1987]

Cant help you with the plant, but if you ever need a pair of hands one weekend (with some notice so I can get childcare arranged) I'd be happy to help! 

[Six-cylinder]

Cant help you with the plant, but if you ever need a pair of hands one weekend (with some notice so I can get childcare arranged) I'd be happy to help! 

 

Not sure what you had in mind, I have quite a collection of cars and there are always jobs to be done. Jobs range from simple legal, levels check and a clean before taking to a car show or if you wanted a winter run we could start a rebuild project. I have a Spitfire MK3 with a 2 Ltr engine without much rust I would love to get back on the road or a 1983 Alfa Giulietta saloon that my wife would be very grateful for someone to motivate me to get it back on the road for her.

 

Or do you just want a look around at my collection, not that easy as it is spread around different places for storage which I am only allowed minimum movements but you are welcome to come to my house where there are usually 4 or 5 classics in the summer and I can show you the plant and 11 cars awaiting restoration at our small holding.

[Danblez]

.......................

There was some skill to it too as you had to time the closing of the decompression lever very precisely. If it went down too late you missed the injector firing and had to start again. A truly endearing trick I experienced a few times with Petter diesels was having the piston hit TDC but not go over it and instead 'bounce' back causing the crank to go in reverse with sufficient force to allow it to go over TDC in the wrong direction and start the engine in reverse, ie sucking through the exhaust valves and blowing exhaust through the inlets. ..........................

 

I always remember it being hairy getting it going and also remember the mess which was my uncles face after it didn't quite go according to plan!

[Ronnie L]

I always remember it being hairy getting it going and also remember the mess which was my uncles face after it didn't quite go according to plan!

That comment about your uncle reminds me of an incident when my dad was trying to start a marinised twin cylinder Petter diesel in his boat. Engine had been fitted to the boat in 1956 and this incident happened more than 20 years later with the engine still going strong. He didn't manage to bump it over TDC (on both cylinders at the same time of course), the flywheel bounced back and threw the v heavy starting handle into his face. This was because he had got his helper to knock down the decompression levers slightly too early. He got stitched together by the doc and from that point in time delegated all engine-starting duties to me. A v sensible move on his part I would say. 

These were very tough engines. That particular boat sank and was completely submerged for 5 weeks while the canal it was in was iced-over (January). When the ice melted we raised the boat. Luckily it was in fresh water not salt so I pumped all water out of the sump, took out the injectors and fired all the water out of the cylinders and rigged-up a temporary fuel supply as the tank and pipes were contaminated. I changed the oil (no oil filter to worry about) then I heated the inlet manifold with a blowlamp and the old engine bumped back into life after a few turns of the starting handle. It went on to function perfectly well after that and I saw it again many years later, owned by someone else, still in regular use in the same boat.

Ronnie

[Six-cylinder]

A bit of a guess as you cant really see the engine but it could be a Lister TS2. If it is, the engine number should be on the air cowl on the manifold side of the engine.

with Listers you can date the engine by adding 50 to the first 2 digits of the serial number i.e. 37xxxxTS207 would have  been manufactured in 1987.

 

My, that seat looks comfy.

 

I have been to see the Thwaites dumper this morning and taken a couple of photos, I think the engine number is 19375ST227?22, would that make it 1969?

 

 

[Wackeldackel]

Its articulated so it is an alldrive 4wd model, is it chain or hydraulic steering? Think they went to hydraulic steering in the very late 1960s.

[Six-cylinder]

Its articulated so it is an alldrive 4wd model, is it chain or hydraulic steering? Think they went to hydraulic steering in the very late 1960s.

 

I always thought it was hydraulic but not sure as I have never looked.

[Wackeldackel]

If its hydraulic it will have a ram on the left side of the chassis where it articulates in the middle. I drive the modern versions of these things and apart from modern engines and forward/reverse shuttle they are near enough identical to yours. Gearbox by newage, axle by sanderson or thwaites own and usually a little cummins engine. Old uns like yours are good fun with the crash gearbox, watch out for shagged clutch and whiny axles, other than that it will probably outlast civilisation.

[holbeck]

I have been to see the Thwaites dumper this morning and taken a couple of photos, I think the engine number is 19375ST227?22, would that make it 1969?

 

 

 

1969 too early for an ST2 engine. Earlier Lister engines have their serial numbers in a slightly different format.

 

19375 is the serial number

ST2  - 2 cylinder ST engine

27 Manufacturing year - 1977

22 Build type (probably denotes gear driven hydraulic motor).

 

ST engines were introduced in the early 1970's (based on the crankcase of the earlier SR engine) and were produced until 1983, although  many parts like the cylinder barrels, pistons and rods were carried over in the later TS engines.