Practically Classics Forum

A straight 6 has excellent natural balance. A V12 being two straight 6s in a 60 deg V is even better.

V8s. The V8 does not have good natural balance. There are two types. Flat plane 180 deg crank or crossplane 90 degree crank.

180 crank V8 is like two 4 cylinder engines in V format.
This has twice the viberation of a straight 4. Ferrari use flat plane. The vibs are OK up to about 4.5 litres. But the engine will accelarate fast.

90 cross plane is like 4 vee twins end to end. This type can be better balanced by adding counter balance masses to the crank webs. This causes slow accelaration and the term lazy V8.

180 engines fire left bank right left right and so on this makes inlet and exhaust pipes easy to configure.

90 engines fire right left left right right left left right. This gives the burble sound and greatly complicates exhaust and inlet pipes.

So why V8. The problem with straight 6s is that at about 5 litres the engine is either too long or too high.

My Shadow has a V8 6750cc push rod cross plane. This engine was designed as a replacement for the 4.9 litre RR straight six. This I think was a mistake and the Shadow sgould have had a V12.
Incidently the Rolls V8 is not a copy of any USA V8.

When testing Rolls Royce got 440 hours at max power before failure whereas the best USA stuff making only 200 hours. Usually main bearing area of the crankcase will fail.
Rolls designed the head studs that go all the way to the mains thus making for a robust crankcase. Long bolt engine. This engine will run at 220bhp @ 4500 rpm until the petrol runs out and then do it all again. The engine is restricted by the inlet and exhaust manifolds. About 35 bhp per litre. Same as a Minor.
Note engines are tested in two ways max power with wide open throttle at higher rpm than would be used to failure. The other test is at max normal rpm often not on wide open throttle, the dyno governs the rpm. This test is 1000 hours. After the engine is stripped down and checked. Not blown up.

In conclusion V8s aren't as good as the average guy thinks.

My Jeep has a 4 litre straight 6 and its a nice smooth willing engine and 180bhp. The design of the engine mountings allows me to feel the engine. The Shadow mountings are much much better so I can't feel the engine. The Rolls V8 is not silent just very quiet.

Another 6 that I like is the Rover 3 litre from the P5 it's smoother than the P5B V8 version and not as slow as one might think. Also the 3 litre engine is built to a standard that equals Rolls Royce. The Buick Rover V8 isnt so well made but it is light.
Rolls Royce could be called a Rich mans Rover.

Food for thought.

Regards
Bob Reddington.

the Rolls V8 is not a copy of any USA V8.

This is an unusual urban legend as nobody ever actually said it, yet loads of people think that they did. It was a throwaway comment by Quentula in an edition of "The car's the star" that made the comparison, but nobody took any notice because he gave his name to Engine Restore and in that moment lost any credibility he had left.

Urban legends abound in the car world.

I flew a transit van over a hump back bridge that I forgot about ( By the Grand Union canal at Wimpys Southall London 1976 )
The van landed with a shudder. Strong van. I reckon I had 6 ft of air. 1966 Transit LGY ??? D. Hope it's still around. Happy days.

Tractor flying is dangerous and voids the guarantee, definitely not allowed according to handbook.

Regards
Bob Reddington.

ive driven transits for years & never managed to fly one yet... im always overloaded

rich. wrote:...im always overloaded

Hmm, a DIY kit that cures this annoying issue can be made out of a hot water bottle, a length of 1/2" garden hose (length required depends on height of user), some GRP paste such as P40, a coat hanger and one of these neat trays that clip onto the shower riser in your bathroom. Word of warning; never use the kit in the truck drivers' shower at Burton Services on the M6 (Northbound), there's a gap under the door and if the bottle falls off the hanger, that's where the contents will go..

About 60mph unloaded should do the trick.
Despite what some may say about Ford you have to admit the Mk1 Transit was a tour de force even when compared to cars for drivablity. I have drivem Transits in the wet so fast I am counter steering in bends.

Please don't, nowadays driving like that is antisocial and dagerous driving. When your 18 one does daft things.

60 mph in a transit who was paying the fuel bill i used to drive my old van like it was stolen until i decided i didnt really want to rush to work anymore, i got an extra 100 miles per tank now with my old tipper im getting 28pmpg.. much less when ive been to the quarry.. now im driving a clio & getting 70mpg cant carry 40 sheets of plasterboard but it has more seats than the tipper

I was working for a pig farmer in 1973 and he lashed out £150 on an early Transit (with sliding doors). He was taking pigs to the local "pork pie" factory and the engine blew up! So, as he had nothing left (and the pig-hauling was a contract job), he spent £15 on a J4. He had to put floorboards in as the floor had gone; the back door was held shut with baler twine (with pigs in the van!) and that also held the back of the body in place (as it had come away from the floor). Another snag - nothing between the load space and the front seats! His wife brought a boar back from his farm to his father's farm (about 20 miles) and had a stick to tap the boar's nose with when he tried to join her in the front!

Oh yes, it had to run on five star petrol - or you couldn't "switch" the engine off! However, it was still nicer to drive then the new petrol S3 Land Rover 109 at my next job - get that up to 60MPH and you knew about it! I still remember the number because I used to look after the depot's petrol tanks!!

By coincidence next week I have to have colonscope. ( TV camera up the jacksee) I have to have an enema first so the doctor ( I am sure he really is a doctor) can see whats occuring.

I have given up being dignified. I treat it like a Carry On film.

Regards
Bob Reddington.