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Vintage engines: how difficult ARE they to live with?


Seti-Yeti

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I wouldn't care for a " bread van " engine, as we call modern units, at all....

I'm caught between two stools on this one. I love the sight and sound of a Gardner or a Russell Newbery or somesuch, but then I also appreciate being able to fire up my BMC engine at will without doing much more than an oil and filter change a couple of times a year. I suppose it depends on how much time and money you have to devote to an engine.

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The only thing I can see against having a vintage engine is that you have to have the engine room doors open all the time, regardless of whether the thing is running or not, I would think that would be a bit cool in the winter.

 

 

Where do you get that idea from?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I'm caught between two stools on this one. I love the sight and sound of a Gardner or a Russell Newbery or somesuch, but then I also appreciate being able to fire up my BMC engine at will without doing much more than an oil and filter change a couple of times a year. I suppose it depends on how much time and money you have to devote to an engine.

But that's all I have to do with my Gardner 2LW. It gets serviced once a year and runs nicely until the following year. Starts first time almost all the time (unless VERY cold, then it starts second time). The only difference in operation is that it needs to be left to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before it will develop full power.

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The Skandia was trouble free too for several hours. Now it needs the big end bearing re-metalling too. I'm expecting a bill with four figures.

 

cast your own, we do with the Bolinder, then rough machine it and scrape it in, simples ;-)

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Subtle hint at showing off. wink.png

Talking of showing off one's engine, have you seen the ultra shiny Gardner in an equally shiny Hudson? Passers-by can marvel at its appearance from both sides at once because the owner has placed a huge mirror in the engine room. When I first glanced in, as you do, for a moment I thought he'd got two engines.

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No I haven't; which boat is that?

Whilst many of us like to keep our engines reasonably clean, I think that this shininess can be taken too far. I seem to remember seeing, moored in central Banbury, a boat whose Gardner engine appeared to have been chrome (or something similar) plated all over. It just looked rather silly.

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Not necessarily. You could have a photo of the engine pasted to the closed hatch cover. No one would notice.

Never thought of that, I could have a photo of a Gardner and keep the old Ford. cheers.gif

 

 

Where do you get that idea from?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just from what I observed over I would suggest RECENT years.

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I would love a vintage engine in our boat, the ability to just turn up to the boat, start the engine and go......

 

- No such luck with our modern steam plant! Forget Swan matches too, worst I have ever had, back to Cooks!

 

 

Daniel

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