Strange ways of doing it.

[cros]

I like small cars because there isn't so much room for stupid design. However I've now got a couple of medium sized cars and they haven't disappointed with their foibles.

 

The Sunbeam Talbot (latterly just Sunbeam) used the gearbox from a pre-war Hillman of half its power. There it is, dwarfed by the overdrive. The odd feature is that they tipped it on its side in order to adapt it to column change gears. Why they wanted a column shift on what was meant to be a sporting saloon is hard to understand. The Americans found it so disagreeable that they fitted many with a floor change, and quite a few over here get modified with various conversions, some type 9 Ford, some using later Rootes boxes mounted right way up.

[cros]

Perkins Differential Diesel Engine. Used a seriously big supercharger to increase low end torque to the degree that the gearbox became mostly redundant. Was tested in a lorry, but proved too expensive. If the K series had received some of the development that the 6.354 underwent to endure this amount of boost there would have been nothing to talk about on Autoshite.

[Junkman]

I like small cars because there isn't so much room for stupid design. However I've now got a couple of medium sized cars and they haven't disappointed with their foibles.

 

The Sunbeam Talbot (latterly just Sunbeam) used the gearbox from a pre-war Hillman of half its power. There it is, dwarfed by the overdrive. The odd feature is that they tipped it on its side in order to adapt it to column change gears. Why they wanted a column shift on what was meant to be a sporting saloon is hard to understand.

 

Because column change is the only acceptable method to change gears, if one must change gears oneself, which is unacceptable on a general principle.

[cros]

Clearly the dealbreaker for Frank's system was that people prefer a column to waggle about.

 

 

(Sunbeam can stick their column up their arse)

Edited September 10, 2015 by cros

[Junkman]

One strange way of doing things are the 'around the corner' v-belts used by Chevrolet on the Corvair

 

 

and Peugeot on the 204 and 304:

 

 

Maybe others, too.

 

That alone is reason enough for me to want these cars.

[Junkman]

 

Need I say more?

[cros]

For vertical dynamo top points must go to MG for shoving the cam drive through it. As if life isn't hard enough.

[doobietoo]

 

Need I say more?

 

Because gas turbine innit.....

[NorfolkNWeigh]

 

Need I say more?

I don't think you need to be quite specific, this picture would suffice.

[Asimo]

Nsu Prinz eccentric camshaft drive.  

 

Citroen CX caliper integrated with hub-carrier.  

 

Unfortunately it is engineering details like these that are a dominating influence when I choose a car.......................

[Asimo]

SaaB 99 / Dolomite / Stag: gear-driven waterpump.

 

With a bit more effort they could have integrated the water pump into the distributor cap for even worse results.

[cros]

One strange way of doing things are the 'around the corner' v-belts used by Chevrolet on the Corvair

 

 

and Peugeot on the 204 and 304:

 

 

Maybe others, too.

 

That alone is reason enough for me to want these cars.

Corvair's battery gives me the horn.

[cros]

I piss on your steering wheel.

[seth]

Honda  N600 has a round the corner belt as well.

 

Eccentric cam drive would be much quieter than a thrashy chain.

 

I've never liked the fact that Triumph (and presumably some other cars) steering swivel is a threaded joint, such that the car goes up and down as your steer one way or the other.

 

[cros]

Honda N600 has a round the corner belt as well.

 

Eccentric cam drive would be much quieter than a thrashy chain.

 

I've never liked the fact that Triumph (and presumably some other cars) steering swivel is a threaded joint, such that the car goes up and down as your steer one way or the other.

 

Never thought about that aspect of the threaded joint, but on Minors they just go down if you forget to grease them.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Strange ways of doing things? How about injecting diesel into a high- compression engine using fragile, plastic components, riddled with sensitive electronics that fail when subjected to heat cycles, dampness and vibration?

 

[cros]

Strange ways of doing things? How about injecting diesel into a high- compression engine using fragile, plastic components, riddled with sensitive electronics that fail when subjected to heat cycles, dampness and vibration?

That'll never work - for long.

[castros_bro]

supercharged split single two stroke using a big piston to force feed a smaller split (two piston) single two stroke. The errr 5 piston 6 con rod twin?

 

http://www.odd-bike.com/2014/02/dkw-supercharged-two-strokes-force-fed.html

 

 

Enjoy a light read as it's several facinating pages into this.

[Junkman]

Panhard torsion bar valve springs:

 

 

[twosmoke300]

What about ducatis Desmo valve system . ?

[billyboy406v6]

Just engineers showing off ?

[twosmoke300]

I think ducatis idea was that you could use two big ( heavy) valves per cylinder for max torque but still rev cos you didn't get valve bounce

[cros]

Panhard torsion bar valve springs:

 

 

Those valve springs might have got in the way on a bike so when Honda used them it was on a vertical twin. Nice timing gears.

 

 

[martc]

Apologies for being pedantic but the desmodromic system is much older than Ducati. Like many "new" ideas the pioneers had already tried it. In fact Austin made a desmodromic engine (all be it a marine engine) before WW1.

 

I think Mercedes and Maserati also made them in the 50's.

 

Ducati have made their name with this system but I'm not sure all the faffing about is worth much as other companies can acheive similar power and torque outputs "conventionally".

[Station]

Changing the spark plugs from inside the car?

 

 

[twosmoke300]

Having done Desmo valve clearances I can concur that they aren't worth it . Interesting about it's roots tho

[pshome]

Megola, no gears, no clutch, no starter.

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cockerell.de/

 

 

[cros]

Apologies for being pendantic but the desmodromic system is much older than Ducati. Like many "new" ideas the pioneers had already tried it. In fact Austin made a desmodromic engine (all be it a marine engine) before WW1.

The little known Austin A35 Desmo in action.

[Coprolalia]

Back when VAG engineers made proper cars and were allowed to indulge a passion for weird engineering.

We see your decadent American Root's blower.

We shall build our own eccentric scroll supercharger, and call it the G-Lader.

 

Because it's crank driven it delivers boost in line with engine revs, so there is no lag, just a distinctive whine.

Unfortunately maximum 60k rebuild intervals, general fragility and no other companies being interested led to it being quietly shelved after a few years of fine service. We'll never hear it's dulcet tones again.

 

But you don't have to listen to me. Here's Tiff Needell and team:

[barrett]

Hey this is a good thread, this. Was obvs gonna mention the Pan Pan valve springs but I've been beaten to it.

FYI the first desmodromic enine dates from 1908 and was a single cylinder Aries. Some of you might have seen it at Beaulieu last year