Bakers Change Over to Oil Engines
Page 65
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THE conversion of a Morris". Commercial PV 15-cwt. van to oilngine operation has been carried out 1 the workshops of Suttons Bakeries, ,td., Maudslay Road, Coventry, a 'erguson engine, as used in the Standrd Vanguard car, being the power nit used. This has a rating of 40 ,h.p. at 3,000 r.p.m. and a torque of $ lb./ft. at 1,050 r.p.m., compared with b.h.p. at 3,250 r.p.m. and 91 lb./ft.
1,500 r.p.m, developed by the iginal four-cyfindered petrol engine.
The van averages about 50 miles a iy on deliveries of bread and conctionery, which necessitate about 80 )pa. The rate of fuel consumption
the petrol engine was 11 mpg.; it
confidently expected that the average 11 now be 30 m.p.g., but a definite
ure will not be given until the vehicle
s run for a month on routine service.
The oil engine was fitted during a rmal chassis overhaul, the work of :onditioning and conversion being atpleted by two men in 14 working ys. No major chassis-frame or nsmission modifications were luired, the only new part being a naer propeller shaft, supplied by
Hardy Spicer and Co., Ltd., to accommodate the Vanguard three-speed gearbox (without overdrive) and shaft extension, The engine is mounted forward of the original power unit position, and this increases the floor space between the engine cover and bulkhead by 7 in. The steering-column control further facilitates entry and exit, and the improvement is enhanced by replacing the vertical hand-brake lever by a Ford pistol-grip type. The clutch is hydraulically operated.
The engine is three-point flexibly mounted on a shallow V-bracket with two rubber sandwich pads and a single pad under the gearbox. The mountings are less flexible than those used in the Vanguard car, but the smooth operation of the engine has obviated the need to strengthen any of the bodywork members, Other modifications include fitting an extra leaf to each of the front springs, installing a Vanguard radiator and replacing the battery with one of greater capacity. The battery is housed in a flat-topped case over the left-front mudguard; the top of the case provides useful shelf space.
Following the normal practice of the concern, a fully detergent S.A.E. 20 lubricating oil will be used in summer and winter. The engine is equipped with two A.C. filters in tandem.
A number of bodywork modifications has been introduced during reconditioning, the most important of which are the use of double doors at the rear, which do not extend past the sides when open, and the fitting of four Perspex oval panels in the doors,
Another recent conversion to oilengine operation in the Suttons Bakeries workshops, is the replacement of the maker's six-cylindered petrol engine of a Comrner Q4 2-3-ton van with a
Perkins P4 unit. The vehicle now averages 21 m.p.g., compared with 11 m.p.g. when it was petrol driven, and the driver states that the pulling power and case of control have not been affected.
The conversion, together with complete reconditioning of the chassis. occupied two men seven days, the estimated cost being £15. The engine is four-point mounted, the front method of mounting being evolved in the workshops to overcome excessive vibration. A Ford radiator is employed.
It is probable that experiments with other small oil engines including a twostroke unit will be made by the Suttons Bakeries transport department.