1935 15 Engine rebuild - BTT 187 Berkshire

[ds8w]

I am rebuilding my 1935 engine and seeking advice on availability of the following parts -

Pistons - my car is an 'in betweener' of 2003 cc capacity when bore and stroke were 63.5 x 105. The current pistons are +20 thou. They are probably serviceable but the top rings are broken on 3 cylinders.

Can anyone advise a source of pistons and rings please ?

The later engines were 66 x 105.4 so later 'standard' pistons may work but I need to confirm the block would take a bore out to that.

The big end bolts have been bodged with smaller nuts and thus a second set of holes for split pins. These I would like to replace, bolts and nuts.

Other items -

Timing chain, oil pump gears and engine gaskets.

many thanks

Richard 07715 116954 rghicks@mac

PS and just for fun here is a picture from Driving Member April 2015 of my car in 1966 long before my ownership.
I'm looking forward to getting back to the 'feather duster' type of ownership!!

[John Hitchins]

Hi Richard, If you have no luck these people have rebuilt classic Daimler engines and are not to far from you.

http://www.southcerneyengineering.com/

[Petelang]

Derek Sleigh has been a great source of parts for my early (1934) Fifteen, and very helpful and knowledgeable about these engines.
I obtained piston rings from him last year. I'm sure he can supply all the gaskets, possibly a timing chain. Oil pump gears I would envisage would be much harder to find. Are they really unserviceable?
I was advised by Graham Butler to use "Philidas" nuts on the bottom end as they have a tendency to shed the split pins apparently, perhaps why someone modified yours.
Best regards
Peter

[Simon Hyslop]

The timing chain is a standard size "off the shelf" item but what you pay extra for is someone having broken it to the correct length. The cheapest way to buy chain is by the box but it does come to a bit of money if you only need one chain. I would have thought that these people :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lanchester-LA ... SwIwhWSzML

would sell you a chain only if you want just a chain.

The LA10 chain is exactly the same one as your Daimler 06B, 84 links, but the E18 chain is shorter by about 12 links, off the top of my head. Why I thought the above link would be possibly useful is that the timing gear teeth do wear and if you want to make a job of the engine, if the teeth on your gears are "hooked" then it would be worth replacing the two smaller gears on the crankshaft and the dynamo. I cannot tell you that the sprockets in this advert will be the same as your 15 has but given the commonality of parts between the LA10 engine and the 15, it is a possibility. The bore diameter for the crankshaft would probably be the one to check as the dynamo should be the same.

[Marcel Renshaw]

It would be worth checking both diametres, the Lanchester is thermal siphon were as you have a waterpump mounted on your Dynamo.

[ds8w]

Thank you all for your replies so far.

The oil pump is serviceable and I plan to have the ends and gears decked ( I think that's the right term ) to ensure as new clearances.

My 'feather duster car' clearly hasn't done a lot of heavy work and maybe the rings broke after a long period of idleness. ( The car that is not its prior owners ... )

The full engine strip down only came about because the overhauled cylinder head's newly flattened face didn't sit back on the old not flat block but I guess I should be grateful to discover the broken piston rings.

I could probably get away with replacing just the pistons and rings and so its a judgement call on what else to do based on condition ( generally good, certainly no rattles ), availability and expense.

I'm having the crank and rods etc crack tested.

Any and all advice on the project I welcome.

Richard 07715 116954

[ds8w]

... and PS yes the split pins in the big end bolts were missing in several cases so Philidas nuts a great idea. I hadn't heard of a Philidas nut.

I used to do a lot of sailing and the number of useful knots you could name was perhaps similar to the the number of nuts we can name as classic car owners. Opportunity for long and separate thread on cars and nuts. Oh no have I started already !

kind regards

Richard