Thank you. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by an old single cylinder motorcycle engine I’m restoring. You have put my issues into perspective. Best of luck.
Its great that you are bringing this old girl back to life. Its sad to see them bent up and gathering dust. I'm sure the brave lads who flew with it would appreciate your efforts. I did my apprenticeship with Paxman during the 1970's so i've always loved the V engine.
I bought a 1275 engine to restore for my Austin Healey , I've never worked on an engine before and it scared me to death, And then I see working on this magnificent thing and I have nothing but admiration for you and your obvious skills 👍🏻👍🏻
Incredible technology that is not dated, in my opinion, as i am old enough to know how well-made things were done In comparison to today, different steal and aluminium not available today.
Absolutely stunned at the condition of this engine...testament to the quality of the materials used and the craftsmanship that built and put it all together....I'm glad you found it...
My Grandfather John Kinsella was a draftsman/machinist and then final inspector for RR all during ww2 in Glasgow, building and working on all makes of aircraft engines... So he probably built that engine or worked on it, or inspected it... blew my mind when i saw this... amazing!!... if you can find out if he did by the serial numbers, id love to know for sure... RIP John!! (*subscribed)
Totally mind blowing. I have worked on one or two much much smaller engines - lawn mowers/scooters etc. To have the wherewithall that you clearly have is a great credit to you. Enjoy getting it all back together and then running the beast . I wish you the very best. Bob
I enjoyed your intro video immensely, thank you. I understand this kind of engineering given the I work restoring vintage and classic motorcycles. I found the condition and preservation of the engine remarkable! The college I attended as a 17 year old had a cut away Merlin, supercharger and reduction gear assembly in the foyer of the engineering block. The collage is long gone but the cutaway exhibits are on display in Stoke-on-Trent museum and art gallery as part of the Spitfire exhibit. As a young person I found them fascinating. I admit to being slightly envious of your project, I'd love to work on something so fascinating.
I served my apprenticeship at Hillington, Glasgow back in 1980's. At the rear of the training centre there was an stripping/overhaul section for senior apprentices that stripped Merlin and Griffon engines. I remember they got in a Merlin engine from a crashed aircraft, that had been in a bog for many years. Once stripped, the only component requiring replacement was the crankshaft as it was twisted and that was replaced out of stock parts in East Kilbride! The used pistons made excellent ashtrays mounted on turned wooden bases for various Top Brass in RR. 😉
I have question about the piston rods. Does the piston rod that runs in-between the split rod ride on the same bearing? I see the split rod has a copper bearing that bridges the split.
No, the "blade rod" has it`s own shells and runs on a journal machined on the outside of the big end bearing block. This means that the blade rod only oscillates while the big end bearing in the centre runs a full 360 degrees as in any other engine.
Being a pilot and familiar with the merlin i think that your engine was in a controlled crash rather than an uncontrolled crash simply due to the lack of structural damage. Well done find and rebuild!
What a fascinating project on a beautiful engine! You clearly know the Rolls-Royce Merlin well and have the skills to restore it. A shame there's no way of telling how and when it crashed but I'm looking forward to seeing the progress back to a running piece of history. Thanks for sharing😎
Beautiful parts. Beautiful pattern work, beautiful machining. Thank you for going over the engine with a camera so well, and for posting it. I've never seen a disassembled Merlin before. Regarding the zero-oxygen water: seems reasonable the water in a pete bogg would be void of much oxygen.
i added a subscription ,, i have always loved the Merlin engine ,,i would love to own one myself ,, I own several other WW2 engines ,,my favorite among them is an Allison V1710 -27 ,the only actual aircraft engine i have ,,,it was originally a P-38 engine ,and i got lucky when i found it becausei have both the original propeller but also the turbosupercharger ,it is in running condition now , i bought it at a farm auction in 1993 ,nobody knew what it was , it was in a huge crate fast forward to 2013 18 years of work and fiddling i ran it at the county fair , and my home towns fall engine / tractor show ,,it along with a half dozen other engines is mounted on a 40 foot trailer ,,the caption on the side of the trailer reads 1500HP the worlds most powerful portable fan
That's awesome. The Allison V1710 is and excellent and rather underrated engine that gradually seems to be getting the love it deserves. It's unfortunate that they didn't get to fully develop the turbo compound version; I understand it generated some staggering horsepower numbers.
@@ianandjohnandmaniandreni9323 it's just a play on words ,,there's another guy with a similar setup to mine but his says the worlds biggest portable fan
That Merlin probably flipped on its back to play dead until the right guy came along. It appears, now, to be in good hands. Best of luck on the resto; you're doing the 'world' a favor.
Fantastic interesting video and info. Im not usually into aircraft youtube vids but ive subscribed to you now. Just one sugggestion...maybe get a separate microphone....the sounds is pretty muffled at times and the annoying cracking/shuffling noise when you fumble with the recording device is off putting 👎. I look forward to the next vid.
My father working with RR Pre war through to the 70s. We was a service Rep with them and did his apprenticeship at Derby ( like myself). He looked after Merlins during the war and post war. Worked through the early jets in Vampires, Venoms, Canberras etc. Pretty sure I have pilots notes for the Merlin. My experience was Ardour, Spey, Phantom Spey , then RB211. Great company RR.
As an Airframe and power plant engineer in America I would say at 19,000.00DM? or USD or Pounds you did fine. Ive worked on P 51's over the years and can say that ANY engine cases/heads/crank/ supercharger part alone would be expensive. When I started working Mustangs back in 1974 you could buy a Yellow tagged (Military OH) engine for about 12,000.00USD out in calif...a parts dealer had over 100 FS, today same engine would be 250,000.00USD AND another 90,000.00 to have a shop certified it. Well done.
Thank you! Yes, they have got more expensive and parts more difficult to acquire here in the UK. The real killer was when Aviation Jersey sold out to Vintage V12s, that hurt!
Fellers like you have the patience and the knowledge to work on engines like these - you are keeping history alive . I will be pleased to see the final result of your project 😊
An amazing project, jealous and in awe of you skills and knowledge to be able to tackle this incredible engine, well done and look to your future progress. 👌
Upside down fits a simpler pallet. I have a tiny Subaru motor that doesn't like sitting on anything! A much larger GM 6.5TD that is easy to sit on a pallet. Shipping crates are cheaper if they don't need engine mountings. Nice score Captain!
It still amazes me to this day just how similar engines really are, regardless of size, fuel type or even use (generator, car, bike, truck, boat, earth moving machinery or aircraft) of course to an extent, i was only a lowly automotive mechanic, actual modern day turbo fan engine ive never worked on, have worked on radials and even jet turbine engines once. But for the most part they are all very similar. Never saw the inside of a merlin until today, and i could follow along no problem.
Oh wow! That engine is in incredibly good condition taking into account the age, and the fact that it's been crashed, and buried for many years. The thing that really surprised me as much as anything is that you said that it was full of really dirty black oil. I would have expected better maintenence from the RAF / RAAF / RCAF ground crews!
Divco rebuilds and inspects crankcases. I'd just compare RAF to USA practices. Cases don't always get shaved for rebuilds. A good engine found is a "Lucky". You should find parts spares. I'd restore it to ready but loose assembled, so it can be later inspected and greased every few decades. A few of my gaskets are leather. So are my engine mount ends. The cores are rubber carved with a Stanley Sureform. Wooden blades is also a good thing. Culver is a USA all lady propsmith. When you paint your mill, please don't try spray cans. A brush is more durable and economical. Spare accessories is a must. Keep a measurements and work logbook. I'd stay away from anything but regular Prestone and distilled water. Leaded gas isn't necessary, anymore. It runs 700 hours between rebuilds. Bores can be nickel plated but never chrome plate a bore or wear surface. I changed my prop seal every 50 years, whether it needs it or not, and the J&J Airparts lady was howling with laughter. A cooler thermostat is possible if you don't run it in the winter.
Amazing condition, I'm more interested with it being from a Halifax... We have one at RAF Snaith museum however that sat upside down at the bottom of the Baltic sea for nearly 80 years ! Very interested in the exhaust ! Excellent video Peter 👍
I look forward to seeing what you can do with it. It doesn't appear badly damaged and you sound confident so have fun. Like you, I'd like to know the history of it. You suggested it had been recovered from a Halifax crash site so there your lead I guess. Good Luck.
I had the chance to rebuild a RR Phantom II here in Malaysia some years ago. First and only RR I have worked on. The design language of the Merlin engine is very similar to that Phantom engine... thanks for the video sir!!!
We tend to think that the engines of today are so advanced, but it's such a surprise to see the design of these engines from that time period. If only some of the motorcycle manufacturers used some of the innovations in these engines, they would still be around.
Fantastic clip . I worked on the Griffon mk58 in the engine bay at Raf Lossiemouth in the 80s we also reconditioned 4 Merlin’s for Charlie church at the time 😊 Regards Dave from Scotland
What a beast, id love to work on a motor like that. I bet the pilot controlled it till the end, and maybe it rolled after touchdown. Its crazy that it wasnt seized up.
As a “non” engineer type, I’m not qualified to say anything about this engine but I’m amazed by its “cleaned up” state....I love the colours in the different components, something that you don’t normally get to see, unless you’re in a workshop environment and it’s not a bland expanse of “Silver”, either but a far more subtle mixture of mettalics....lovely to look at, even without a technical background! Good luck going forward....will you pursue it’s historical lineage, using parts numbers, etc, or is that too difficult to do, given that we’re nearly ninety years on?
It’s been a dream of mine to one day find and restore a Merlin/Meteor engine. In the US they are very hard to find. Until then, I will enjoy watching you build my dream project.
What a superb project. So interesting learning about engineering features from back in the 1930s/40s. That crankshaft is a work of art. Will follow definitely. Best thing to come out of Facebook ever 😂
That first closeup of the bare lock at about 5:00 really reminded me of a Porsche 911 block. The details of the mounting surfaces for the cylinders with the skinny studs sticking out is a perfecrt match. The crankshaft seems to be built up instead of a single piece. Once again I'm reminded of a Porsche engine but an older one. The early 356 S engines had a built up crank by Hirth. He marvels at how clean the inside is. I've worked on car engines from the 1930s to the '80s and you never see modern engines that have only seen detergent oils with that much gunk inside. I've seen engines with 300,000 miles cleaner than that. I'm not refering to the grit from the crash site but the thick black goo everywhere. Apparently there is no separate cylinder head. That makes an amazingly complex chunk of metal to cast and machine. the old Offenhauser engine used in Indy cars was made like that. I assume, since the block assembly was aluminum that there were iron cylinder liners. Fascinating engine!
Yes, detergent oils are the way to go. The Merlin changed over to a separate cylinder head in 1942 due to coolant leakage caused by increasing boost pressures being applied.
wow, i'm so happy to see this engine in capable hand, being restored. you say the crankshaft should have had a serial number stamped, but doesn't! Leading you to believe its been serviced and or rebuilt. i'm sure you would have told us if any of the other parts that also should have serials had them. But is there any hope that there are serials on anything else you haven't yet found? I can't help but feel the history would be so interesting, even more so if this is an engine that's gone thru rebuilds and possibly seen a long service. Given the location that it was found and the fact its rebuilt, possibly from spare/scavenged parts might that not also narrow down the number of airframes that it could have belonged to? I'm not british and english is like my third language so I could not hope to look thru RAF records, but if at all possible, finding the airframe and pilot of this airpale would be one incredible find. Good luck with the restoration and as a new subscriber i'll be enjoying your next episode with a good old cup of tea and biscuits!! Cheer's
Thanks! I do have the engine seral number, but there is no database. I can only search through the aircraft records in London manually, and there were just over 6000 built. I hope to find out.
Kermit Weeks / Fantasy of Flight in Florida USA has a big museum. He is a big name in the restoration for vintage aircraft. If you reach out to him he would probably buy it.
Sounds like it will be a good engine eventually. This popped up on my youtube, I think because i had watched Lottie the tank whisperer over in Aus i think. She is building one up now. Merry Christmas.
Great video ,slightly jealous makes our one litre mini engine that we’re working on at present pale into insignificance.Our youngest is always on about getting a big engine maybe we might start looking . Merry Christmas
I would love to be around when renovation has been completed, and it's got to that point where you push the start button, and, will it fire again. Thanks for the video, I`m now hooked.
That engine looks in great condition considering it was crashed and sat in a peat bog. Can’t wait to see the progress on it. Just a quick question. Would that engine after you have restored it be considered airworthy. 👍
Thanks Mark. No, it won`t be airworthy. Large parts of it would definitely go again, but there isn`t a demand for these early marks of merlin for flight use.
This is very helpful...I'm attempting to aquire a crashed damaged unit for total restoration. I have a complete set of RR workshop manuals to assist. Watching your video is very interesting. My background is 50 years in marine/refrigeration engineering, so at 67 years, this a rather a pleasant challenge. I shall make contact with you if I can successfully 'aquire' this unit.
Aluminium doesn't 'corrode' like steel. The surface oxides instantaneously when in contact with oxygen, forming a thin, invisible, protective barrier against further corrosion.
Really interesting bigends on it, can you get oversize / undersized bearings like VW air cooled engines or just undersize for the crank and resize the rods?
Yes. During the war they had 8 stages of regrind to the crank, and also a few to the outer journal of the big end carrying the blade rod. Later on they made shells with oversize backs to go in line bored crankcases. I`m not sure if the rods were ever ground out.
7:32 That's interesting, I've never seen inside a Merlin before. The opposite cylinders are in line so the inside rod bearing runs on the outside of the outer rod bearing & that rod is 5 pieces. Was that a common setup on aircraft "V" engines back then?
Yes. Harley V-Twins and Allison V-1710s also used "fork-and-blade" connecting rods. Griffons used one "standard" rod with a gudgeon for a "link rod" to move two pistons with one crank rod journal. Of course nearly all radial engines used a "master rod" with many link-rods attatched to it.
Yes, absolutely right. As below, the Allison V-1710, plus all the other Rolls-Royce V12s except some experimental models. The German V12s used a slightly different idea with a common bush supporting both rods, and some Russian engines used a master rod and slave rod with a wrist pin at both ends.
Yes, if it goes back in the air then most of the steel parts need NDT. At this stage it won`t be flying again or running high power, so I`m not doing any NDT, but I am doing the measurements.
Thank you. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by an old single cylinder motorcycle engine I’m restoring. You have put my issues into perspective. Best of luck.
However big or small, it`s equally amazing when they come to life!
It is actually a lovely piece of Engineering. I certainly wouldn't like to tackle it myself but I can appreciate what it is. Truly awesome.
Its great that you are bringing this old girl back to life. Its sad to see them bent up and gathering dust. I'm sure the brave lads who flew with it would appreciate your efforts.
I did my apprenticeship with Paxman during the 1970's so i've always loved the V engine.
Love seeing old bits of kit bought back to life (especially a Merlin). Great job!. Can't wait for future updates. Nuff said 🙂
Never ceases to amaze me that some clever person sat behind a desk with pen and paper and designed all this😳👏🏻
Never seated? Lol
@@calmacgregor7057 … Thanks for that, no idea why predictive text changes words like that?
edited👍🏻👍🏻
I bought a 1275 engine to restore for my Austin Healey , I've never worked on an engine before and it scared me to death,
And then I see working on this magnificent thing and I have nothing but admiration for you and your obvious skills 👍🏻👍🏻
Incredible technology that is not dated, in my opinion, as i am old enough to know how well-made things were done In comparison to today, different steal and aluminium not available today.
Absolutely stunned at the condition of this engine...testament to the quality of the materials used and the craftsmanship that built and put it all together....I'm glad you found it...
My Grandfather John Kinsella was a draftsman/machinist and then final inspector for RR all during ww2 in Glasgow, building and working on all makes of aircraft engines... So he probably built that engine or worked on it, or inspected it... blew my mind when i saw this... amazing!!... if you can find out if he did by the serial numbers, id love to know for sure... RIP John!! (*subscribed)
Totally mind blowing. I have worked on one or two much much smaller engines - lawn mowers/scooters etc. To have the wherewithall that you clearly have is a great credit to you. Enjoy getting it all back together and then running the beast . I wish you the very best. Bob
I enjoyed your intro video immensely, thank you. I understand this kind of engineering given the I work restoring vintage and classic motorcycles. I found the condition and preservation of the engine remarkable! The college I attended as a 17 year old had a cut away Merlin, supercharger and reduction gear assembly in the foyer of the engineering block. The collage is long gone but the cutaway exhibits are on display in Stoke-on-Trent museum and art gallery as part of the Spitfire exhibit. As a young person I found them fascinating. I admit to being slightly envious of your project, I'd love to work on something so fascinating.
I served my apprenticeship at Hillington, Glasgow back in 1980's.
At the rear of the training centre there was an stripping/overhaul section for senior apprentices that stripped Merlin and Griffon engines.
I remember they got in a Merlin engine from a crashed aircraft, that had been in a bog for many years. Once stripped, the only component requiring replacement was the crankshaft as it was twisted and that was replaced out of stock parts in East Kilbride!
The used pistons made excellent ashtrays mounted on turned wooden bases for various Top Brass in RR. 😉
I have question about the piston rods. Does the piston rod that runs in-between the split rod ride on the same bearing? I see the split rod has a copper bearing that bridges the split.
No, the "blade rod" has it`s own shells and runs on a journal machined on the outside of the big end bearing block. This means that the blade rod only oscillates while the big end bearing in the centre runs a full 360 degrees as in any other engine.
Being a pilot and familiar with the merlin i think that your engine was in a controlled crash rather than an uncontrolled crash simply due to the lack of structural damage. Well done find and rebuild!
You sure its not a tank engine?
Tank engines do not have a supercharger and I believe the crankshaft is different. @@jesuschrist2284
@@jesuschrist2284 it had a propeller when found. just fyi, tanks don't use props; steel tracks are normal
Wonderful sarcasm 😂
Could easily be just a flat spin/fall - no forward motion. Seen a few photos of bombers that have just hit the ground following flak/nightighter loss.
What a fascinating project on a beautiful engine! You clearly know the Rolls-Royce Merlin well and have the skills to restore it. A shame there's no way of telling how and when it crashed but I'm looking forward to seeing the progress back to a running piece of history. Thanks for sharing😎
Amazing how well preserved it is! looking forward to seeing it progress. :)
Beautiful parts. Beautiful pattern work, beautiful machining. Thank you for going over the engine with a camera so well, and for posting it.
I've never seen a disassembled Merlin before.
Regarding the zero-oxygen water: seems reasonable the water in a pete bogg would be void of much oxygen.
What a huge acquisition, from a historical and financial perspective. Congratulations on owning a Merlin!
Always nice to see you on UA-cam, Peter. I would also love to see a few videos on some the rarer engines you are building as well.
Someone say P51
.???
The Peat did a great job preserving the merlin Peter!
Glad you have the ability and motivation to restore this important historical engine. Well done.
Fantastic find, fantastic video,
fantastic knowledge for a bloke like me to take in.
Love it.
love seeing these engines being restored by people who know there stuff ,thank you for a super video I have subscribed .
i added a subscription ,, i have always loved the Merlin engine ,,i would love to own one myself ,, I own several other WW2 engines ,,my favorite among them is an Allison V1710 -27 ,the only actual aircraft engine i have ,,,it was originally a P-38 engine ,and i got lucky when i found it becausei have both the original propeller but also the turbosupercharger ,it is in running condition now , i bought it at a farm auction in 1993 ,nobody knew what it was , it was in a huge crate fast forward to 2013 18 years of work and fiddling i ran it at the county fair , and my home towns fall engine / tractor show ,,it along with a half dozen other engines is mounted on a 40 foot trailer ,,the caption on the side of the trailer reads 1500HP the worlds most powerful portable fan
That is awesome 👍👍👍
That's awesome.
The Allison V1710 is and excellent and rather underrated engine that gradually seems to be getting the love it deserves.
It's unfortunate that they didn't get to fully develop the turbo compound version; I understand it generated some staggering horsepower numbers.
You should contact the Guinness World Record people and get that made official.
@@ianandjohnandmaniandreni9323 it's just a play on words ,,there's another guy with a similar setup to mine but his says the worlds biggest portable fan
It looks to be in great shape overall. A fantastic piece of British engineering in its prime. Love it!,,,Izzy Strong,,,,,
Amazing, I hope we see more of this. It’s fascinating to watch and not often seen unless you are in the right circles.
That Merlin probably flipped on its back to play dead until the right guy came along. It appears, now, to be in good hands. Best of luck on the resto; you're doing the 'world' a favor.
Fantastic interesting video and info. Im not usually into aircraft youtube vids but ive subscribed to you now.
Just one sugggestion...maybe get a separate microphone....the sounds is pretty muffled at times and the annoying cracking/shuffling noise when you fumble with the recording device is off putting 👎.
I look forward to the next vid.
My father working with RR Pre war through to the 70s. We was a service Rep with them and did his apprenticeship at Derby ( like myself). He looked after Merlins during the war and post war. Worked through the early jets in Vampires, Venoms, Canberras etc. Pretty sure I have pilots notes for the Merlin. My experience was Ardour, Spey, Phantom Spey , then RB211. Great company RR.
What amazing engineering went into that engine! it was impressive how it went from 1000BHP to 2000BHP over the length of the war
As an Airframe and power plant engineer in America I would say at 19,000.00DM? or USD or Pounds you did fine. Ive worked on P 51's over the years and can say that ANY engine cases/heads/crank/ supercharger part alone would be expensive. When I started working Mustangs back in 1974 you could buy a Yellow tagged (Military OH) engine for about 12,000.00USD out in calif...a parts dealer had over 100 FS, today same engine would be 250,000.00USD AND another 90,000.00 to have a shop certified it. Well done.
Thank you! Yes, they have got more expensive and parts more difficult to acquire here in the UK. The real killer was when Aviation Jersey sold out to Vintage V12s, that hurt!
Fellers like you have the patience and the knowledge to work on engines like these - you are keeping history alive . I will be pleased to see the final result of your project 😊
Peter! Great find and you're the perfect finder for it! Looking forward to seeing it restored.
DD
Incredible engineering for it's time and age. Thanks!!!😊❤
Will certainly be watching out for updates etc, have bought and enjoyed your engine build videos, fantastic engines.
An amazing project, jealous and in awe of you skills and knowledge to be able to tackle this incredible engine, well done and look to your future progress. 👌
Upside down fits a simpler pallet. I have a tiny Subaru motor that doesn't like sitting on anything! A much larger GM 6.5TD that is easy to sit on a pallet. Shipping crates are cheaper if they don't need engine mountings. Nice score Captain!
It still amazes me to this day just how similar engines really are, regardless of size, fuel type or even use (generator, car, bike, truck, boat, earth moving machinery or aircraft) of course to an extent, i was only a lowly automotive mechanic, actual modern day turbo fan engine ive never worked on, have worked on radials and even jet turbine engines once. But for the most part they are all very similar.
Never saw the inside of a merlin until today, and i could follow along no problem.
Great stuff, looks pretty good considering. Cant wait to see it more of the build up.
It's in pretty good nick, considering, after all those years. Nice find!👍
This was a very interesting video. Good luck with the restoration and thanks for preserving a bit of history!
Now you can buy the planes to put them in , for a proper display !!! 👍🎯
Bro really pulled the “didn’t see you there” intro
I hope you get a Wireless Mike For next time. I watched the video and I barely heard a word you said!
Oh wow! That engine is in incredibly good condition taking into account the age, and the fact that it's been crashed, and buried for many years. The thing that really surprised me as much as anything is that you said that it was full of really dirty black oil. I would have expected better maintenence from the RAF / RAAF / RCAF ground crews!
Divco rebuilds and inspects crankcases. I'd just compare RAF to USA practices. Cases don't always get shaved for rebuilds. A good engine found is a "Lucky". You should find parts spares. I'd restore it to ready but loose assembled, so it can be later inspected and greased every few decades. A few of my gaskets are leather. So are my engine mount ends. The cores are rubber carved with a Stanley Sureform. Wooden blades is also a good thing. Culver is a USA all lady propsmith. When you paint your mill, please don't try spray cans. A brush is more durable and economical. Spare accessories is a must. Keep a measurements and work logbook. I'd stay away from anything but regular Prestone and distilled water. Leaded gas isn't necessary, anymore. It runs 700 hours between rebuilds. Bores can be nickel plated but never chrome plate a bore or wear surface. I changed my prop seal every 50 years, whether it needs it or not, and the J&J Airparts lady was howling with laughter. A cooler thermostat is possible if you don't run it in the winter.
Amazing condition, I'm more interested with it being from a Halifax... We have one at RAF Snaith museum however that sat upside down at the bottom of the Baltic sea for nearly 80 years ! Very interested in the exhaust ! Excellent video Peter 👍
This made me think of the Merlin crankshaft sitting in the hangar next door.
I know I am always in for a treat on this channel! Season's greetings from far up north 🎄
Thank you!
I look forward to seeing what you can do with it. It doesn't appear badly damaged and you sound confident so have fun. Like you, I'd like to know the history of it. You suggested it had been recovered from a Halifax crash site so there your lead I guess. Good Luck.
Thanks for a great video and project. Dad was a Lancaster Sq/L and these always got him back.
I had the chance to rebuild a RR Phantom II here in Malaysia some years ago. First and only RR I have worked on. The design language of the Merlin engine is very similar to that Phantom engine... thanks for the video sir!!!
My goodness. That was a a lot cleaner than some of the Motorcycle motors I have had to open up.
Crikey, I gave myself a pat on the back changing the oil/filter and plugs on my Honda Civic. Fantastic stuff, I have subscribed 👍
Excellent stuff!
Always enjoy these.
Really good video with no unneeded words. I quite enjoyed the whole thing.
We tend to think that the engines of today are so advanced, but it's such a surprise to see the design of these engines from that time period. If only some of the motorcycle manufacturers used some of the innovations in these engines, they would still be around.
True, it even has sodium cooled exhaust valves.
Good job I'm with you on tearing it down and fixing it up restoring it that's my passion and hobby keep up the good work Steve from Annapolis Maryland
yes a sharp eye indeed was seeing the supercharger on top. but it looks like a great project , looking forward to see it run ... have fun !
Fantastic clip .
I worked on the Griffon mk58 in the engine bay at Raf Lossiemouth in the 80s we also reconditioned 4 Merlin’s for Charlie church at the time 😊
Regards
Dave from Scotland
Lucky man! Best wishes for a successful reconstruction!
Thank you!
What a beast, id love to work on a motor like that. I bet the pilot controlled it till the end, and maybe it rolled after touchdown. Its crazy that it wasnt seized up.
As a “non” engineer type, I’m not qualified to say anything about this engine but I’m amazed by its “cleaned up” state....I love the colours in the different components, something that you don’t normally get to see, unless you’re in a workshop environment and it’s not a bland expanse of “Silver”, either but a far more subtle mixture of mettalics....lovely to look at, even without a technical background!
Good luck going forward....will you pursue it’s historical lineage, using parts numbers, etc, or is that too difficult to do, given that we’re nearly ninety years on?
It’s been a dream of mine to one day find and restore a Merlin/Meteor engine. In the US they are very hard to find. Until then, I will enjoy watching you build my dream project.
What a superb project. So interesting learning about engineering features from back in the 1930s/40s. That crankshaft is a work of art. Will follow definitely. Best thing to come out of Facebook ever 😂
Hello from Canada. Great video and explanation.
That first closeup of the bare lock at about 5:00 really reminded me of a Porsche 911 block. The details of the mounting surfaces for the cylinders with the skinny studs sticking out is a perfecrt match. The crankshaft seems to be built up instead of a single piece. Once again I'm reminded of a Porsche engine but an older one. The early 356 S engines had a built up crank by Hirth. He marvels at how clean the inside is. I've worked on car engines from the 1930s to the '80s and you never see modern engines that have only seen detergent oils with that much gunk inside. I've seen engines with 300,000 miles cleaner than that. I'm not refering to the grit from the crash site but the thick black goo everywhere.
Apparently there is no separate cylinder head. That makes an amazingly complex chunk of metal to cast and machine. the old Offenhauser engine used in Indy cars was made like that. I assume, since the block assembly was aluminum that there were iron cylinder liners.
Fascinating engine!
Yes, detergent oils are the way to go. The Merlin changed over to a separate cylinder head in 1942 due to coolant leakage caused by increasing boost pressures being applied.
I'll be honest I could listen to you all day very interesting and clever guy.
i didn't know they were quad valve engines. mind blown
That is true love for mechanics and engineering! Cheers from Argentina
The old wooden props, very early Merlin
Well you have acces to many parts, for us mortals it would be useless, a static display only 😂.
Nice job.. im curious to the end result 👍😉
I always knew you were mad peter. And seasons greetings brother. I’d love to visit you in your man cave sometime.
Thanks Neil. The Man cave is more like a Man garage now I don`t run the business!
beautiful engineering
Preserving history.
Apparently the Halifax’s had really bad exhaust stubbers which used to glow like a beacon……. Night fighters used that to their advantage. 🤦♂️😢😢.
wow, i'm so happy to see this engine in capable hand, being restored.
you say the crankshaft should have had a serial number stamped, but doesn't! Leading you to believe its been serviced and or rebuilt. i'm sure you would have told us if any of the other parts that also should have serials had them. But is there any hope that there are serials on anything else you haven't yet found?
I can't help but feel the history would be so interesting, even more so if this is an engine that's gone thru rebuilds and possibly seen a long service. Given the location that it was found and the fact its rebuilt, possibly from spare/scavenged parts might that not also narrow down the number of airframes that it could have belonged to?
I'm not british and english is like my third language so I could not hope to look thru RAF records, but if at all possible, finding the airframe and pilot of this airpale would be one incredible find.
Good luck with the restoration and as a new subscriber i'll be enjoying your next episode with a good old cup of tea and biscuits!! Cheer's
Thanks! I do have the engine seral number, but there is no database. I can only search through the aircraft records in London manually, and there were just over 6000 built. I hope to find out.
Kermit Weeks / Fantasy of Flight in Florida USA has a big museum. He is a big name in the restoration for vintage aircraft. If you reach out to him he would probably buy it.
That is magnificent! Where can you find gaskets and seals for this engine? What methods do you use to clean the components?
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like it will be a good engine eventually. This popped up on my youtube, I think because i had watched Lottie the tank whisperer over in Aus i think. She is building one up now.
Merry Christmas.
Thanks, I`ve watched her videos too, a lot of knowledge there.
nice 1 ! id love one of them merlins especially as this ones got history. id build it into a car or a boat
Great video ,slightly jealous makes our one litre mini engine that we’re working on at present pale into insignificance.Our youngest is always on about getting a big engine maybe we might start looking . Merry Christmas
Go for it! The great thing with any engine you have worked on is when it comes to life, mini or ocean liner!
What an amazing thing to be able to do.
Guy Martin would love that engine .
He would, in fact he already has one which I built😎
Exhaust looks like the engine is from a Halifax.
Correct!
I would love to be around when renovation has been completed, and it's got to that point where you push the start button, and, will it fire again. Thanks for the video, I`m now hooked.
Not jealous. Wish I'd seen this 😫
Magnificent information, did wonder if it had cold start injectors
Not cold start, but it does have injectors to help the engine pick up because the carburettor is a long way from the cylinders.
Fantastic to see this you have done an amazing job
A heavy landing!
That engine looks in great condition considering it was crashed and sat in a peat bog. Can’t wait to see the progress on it. Just a quick question. Would that engine after you have restored it be considered airworthy. 👍
Thanks Mark. No, it won`t be airworthy. Large parts of it would definitely go again, but there isn`t a demand for these early marks of merlin for flight use.
This is very helpful...I'm attempting to aquire a crashed damaged unit for total restoration. I have a complete set of RR workshop manuals to assist. Watching your video is very interesting. My background is 50 years in marine/refrigeration engineering, so at 67 years, this a rather a pleasant challenge. I shall make contact with you if I can successfully 'aquire' this unit.
Are the crank pins continuous with the crank shaft and those covers over the crank pin ends are oil seals? Fantastic video!
Yes, one piece hollow crank, so the caps are to hold oil inside the journals.
Aluminium doesn't 'corrode' like steel. The surface oxides instantaneously when in contact with oxygen, forming a thin, invisible, protective barrier against further corrosion.
Really interesting bigends on it, can you get oversize / undersized bearings like VW air cooled engines or just undersize for the crank and resize the rods?
Yes. During the war they had 8 stages of regrind to the crank, and also a few to the outer journal of the big end carrying the blade rod. Later on they made shells with oversize backs to go in line bored crankcases. I`m not sure if the rods were ever ground out.
subbed for sure! awesome motor.
Are there any new parts available such as rings,bearings,valves etc. ? Great video love these old engines!
Yes, there are parts around. They made 168,000 engines and a lot of spares survived. Not so easy to get here in the UK now though.
7:32 That's interesting, I've never seen inside a Merlin before. The opposite cylinders are in line so the inside rod bearing runs on the outside of the outer rod bearing & that rod is 5 pieces. Was that a common setup on aircraft "V" engines back then?
Yes. Harley V-Twins and Allison V-1710s also used "fork-and-blade" connecting rods. Griffons used one "standard" rod with a gudgeon for a "link rod" to move two pistons with one crank rod journal. Of course nearly all radial engines used a "master rod" with many link-rods attatched to it.
Yes, absolutely right. As below, the Allison V-1710, plus all the other Rolls-Royce V12s except some experimental models. The German V12s used a slightly different idea with a common bush supporting both rods, and some Russian engines used a master rod and slave rod with a wrist pin at both ends.
cant wait to see more!
You don’t seem to mention Non Destructive Testing ( NDT ) but very important with these engines !
Yes, if it goes back in the air then most of the steel parts need NDT. At this stage it won`t be flying again or running high power, so I`m not doing any NDT, but I am doing the measurements.
Superb