That's because the saucepans and teakettles leaked!
Crankcase Joint-Prep and sealing
- Thread starter 1660bob
- Start date
Didja know the R.R. Merlin that powered the Spitfire was a well known oil leaker?
So that's what carbs are made from.
Carburettors are made from "muntz metal" metallurgically the nearest thing to dog's mess! Just like Ducrappy crankcases are made from old Ford door handles.
Amal gave up on Silly-Putty because it was too expensive.
Well. if you really needed to know the grim truth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal
Before you lot go bagging the infamous Rolls "Merlin" Just remember it started life with under a thousand horsepower, and ended its career with well over 2000 HP and quite reliablely albiet on the noisy side. It still holds the world record for a piston aircraft engine with the highest BMEP, and also with the small capacity of only 27 litres ( 1650 cubic inches) to you imperiallists, whilst others of the American and German counterparts engines were in the range of 45 to 55 litres and more. Rolls Royces main tributes to this high output/ small capacity was excellent supercharger and intercooler technology. Interestingly, Rolls never went to turbochargers as the Americans/ Germans did.....their argument was that on the later engines with efficent ejector type exhaust stubs that the exhaust pressure created about 150 Lb's of forward thrust.........Greg.
Ya got me all wrong Greg..... I wash't bagging the engine at all. I only said it leaked.... this I head from men who flew them. I love that engine! We sent over to England our new P-51 with our Allison engine in it. The British
flyers we not impressed UNTIL some clever chaps installed the Merlin and the plane became the #1 killer on the Allied side. The German Me-109 had the top kill rate of the war..... but hell, they were shooting down sitting ducks.....
unescorted B-17s and 24s in daylight bombing runs over the Fatherland ( the most dangerous job of the war). I have a Spitfire and a P-51b Mustang sitting right here...... this was the model the British trandformed by installing the
Merlin.
flyers we not impressed UNTIL some clever chaps installed the Merlin and the plane became the #1 killer on the Allied side. The German Me-109 had the top kill rate of the war..... but hell, they were shooting down sitting ducks.....
unescorted B-17s and 24s in daylight bombing runs over the Fatherland ( the most dangerous job of the war). I have a Spitfire and a P-51b Mustang sitting right here...... this was the model the British trandformed by installing the
Merlin.
PS
If I wanted to really knock something British: I'd pick the R-101!
If I wanted to really knock something British: I'd pick the R-101!