Old Ford pics

[mustang6984]

That's an old pic Dave...back when WA state still had green and white plates.

They did a nice job of cleaning all the grease off the engine compartment...the grease they had to slather on there that is in order to stuff that motor in there to begin with! Bet that little ride ran like a cheetah!   

[rmk57]

  It reminds of the 34 Phaeton Jim Green had. The whole flipped up on it, like a funny car. Used to see it as tow vehicle at SIR sometimes.

[FiveSevenLiter]

That would be Jim Green's car.  One of many with Ford power.  I will give you a shop tour.

[FiveSevenLiter]

Here is the Phaeton Randy.  Sadly Jim passed away last year.  His museum was over the top.

[FiveSevenLiter]

One of his SOHC powered shop trucks.

[FiveSevenLiter]

The Ranger in back also had a SOHC.

[FiveSevenLiter]

One of his assembly benchs.

[FiveSevenLiter]

Maverick Funny Car body and frame.

[FiveSevenLiter]

I will save the best for last, but have to go to work first.  Film at 11.
Terry

[rmk57]

  Thanks for that Terry! That's the one. I never got to his shop for a visit. I think it was in Monroe by Evergreen speedway?

[CobraJoe]

Ford of Britain Merlin engines

[RICH MUISE]

Those are some big motors! v-10s? What were they built for?
fivesevenliter.........Man I'd love to have one of those sohc, as I'm sure everybody else would too! He had some awesome cars...street or strip.

[CobraJoe]

The Packard Merlin: How Detroit Mass-Produced Britain's Hand-Built Powerhouse
BY TERRY DUNN
Few engines throughout history have achieved a near mythical status among its admirers. Fewer still can share credit for the rescue of an entire nation. Perhaps only the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine can claim both distinctions. This is its story.
Few engines throughout history have achieved a near mythical status among its admirers. Fewer still can share credit for the rescue of an entire nation. Perhaps only the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine can claim both distinctions. During the Battle of Britain, it was the Merlin that powered the Royal Air Force Hurricanes and Spitfires that were England's only effective defense against German air attacks. With the battle won, and the engine's reputation thus established, the Merlin would become the stuff of legend and the powerplant of choice for numerous other aircraft.

Even before the 1940 air battles over England, it was apparent that demand for the Merlin was far outpacing Rolls-Royce's ability to produce them. The Ford Motor Company was asked to build 9,000 Merlins for both England and the US. Ford initially accepted the deal, but later reneged. Henry Ford explained that he would only produce military items for US defense. Interestingly, Ford of Britain in Manchester, England ultimately produced 36,000 Merlin engines, beginning at the same time period. Of course, Ford's American factories would indeed become vital to the war effort. They manufactured unfathomable quantities of airplanes, jeeps and other war materiel, but not Merlins.
Following Ford's refusal to build the Merlin, a similar deal was presented to the Packard Motor Car Company. At that time, Packard automobiles were considered the "Rolls-Royce of America" by virtue of their luxury and quality. The company also had experience producing airplane engines and large V-12 powerplants used in speedy PT Boats. Packard accepted the offer from Rolls-Royce and earnestly began preparations to build Merlins at their Detroit factory.

Two Countries Divided By A Common Language

There are many obvious challenges posed by producing a British-designed engine in America. Just the task of converting all of the measurements from metric imperial to US Standard units was daunting enough. This job was made even more difficult by the unprecedented complexity of the Merlin. The 1,649 cubic inch V-12 engine is comprised of more than 14,000 individual parts. It was, and still is, often called -a watchmaker's nightmare.

Engineers at Packard soon discovered that Rolls-Royce did not design the Merlin for mass-production. The manufacturing tolerances were much looser than Packard's standards. This was because Rolls-Royce had never implemented mass-production techniques to their assembly lines. Rather, they employed highly-trained "fitters" to assemble the engines. The fitters filed or otherwise massaged individual parts to achieve a precise fit. They even tightened critical bolts by trained feel, rather than with calibrated torque wrenches. In effect, each Rolls-Royce-manufactured Merlin was a hand-built engine that reflected the company's traditions of premium quality and craftsmanship.

THIS VINTAGE CUT-AWAY DRAWING PROVIDES A GLIMPSE INTO THE MERLIN?S COMPLEXITY. IT HAS MORE THAN 14,000 INDIVIDUAL PARTS
While Rolls-Royce's manufacturing techniques churned out very high quality engines, they simply didn't jibe with Packard's way of doing things (or Ford in Manchester for that matter). In his book "Not Much of An Engineer", Rolls-Royce engineer Sir Stanley Hooker recalls his introduction to the matter with Ford:
"One day their Chief Engineer appeared in Lovesey's office, which I was then sharing, and said, :You know, we can't make the Merlin to these drawings."

I replied loftily, "I suppose that is because the drawing tolerances are too difficult for you, and you can't achieve the accuracy."

"On the contrary" he replied, "the tolerances are far too wide for us." We make motor cars far more accurately than this. Every part on our car engines has to be interchangeable with the same part on any other engine, and hence all parts have to be made with extreme accuracy, far closer than you use. That is the only way we can achieve mass-production."

Like Ford, Packard was obligated to redraw all of the Merlin blueprints to satisfy their own manufacturing requirements. This effort took the better part of a year to complete and was closely coordinated with Rolls-Royce emissaries in Detroit. During the time that Packard was gearing up for production, Rolls-Royce was making continuous improvements to the Merlin based on feedback from the front lines. These updates also had to be incorporated into Packard's operation. This continual two-way exchange of data took a heavy toll on the men tasked to manage it. Of the two original Rolls-Royce liaisons at Packard, one died during his tenure in Detroit and the other perished soon after his return to England.
Packard's licensing agreement prevented them from implementing any changes to the design of the Merlin without approval from Rolls-Royce. There was an understandable need to maintain compatibility and consistent performance among the engines regardless of where they were manufactured. While Rolls-Royce engineers were typically attentive to suggestions from their manufacturing partners, any accepted design changes were applied across all production lines.

One area where the Americans contributed to the greatness of the Merlin was the crankshaft bearings. US aircraft engine manufacturers had determined that a silver-lead alloy with indium plating provided long wear and exceptional corrosion resistance. Thankfully, German engineers who evaluated captured American engines falsely deduced that the indium was merely an impurity. Packard shared the secret bearing formula with Rolls-Royce who incorporated it into the Merlin.

The Merlin became somewhat further Americanized by the components that were attached to Packard-built units. Carburetors, magnetos, spark plugs, and similar items were sourced through American vendors and sub-contractors, although they were still manufactured to British specifications.

To maintain compatibility, Packard did not convert any of the bolts, nuts, and studs to SAE dimensions. Rather, they were obligated to use fasteners with Whitworth threads, as specified by Rolls-Royce. Whitworth-form hardware proved impossible to source within the US, so Packard eventually produced all of the necessary fasteners in-house.

The first Packard-built Merlins emerged in August of 1941. As would be expected, there were a few teething problems such as excessive cylinder blow-by and oil leakage. Most historians agree that Packard and Rolls-Royce tackled the issues with a high degree of cooperation. The US-built engines soon performed on par with their English doppelgangers. Packard would ultimately manufacture 55,000 of the 150,000 Merlins that were built.

Unlocking the Merlin's Greatness
Most of the Merlin's built by Packard would find their way into P-51 Mustangs. This American fighter had an uninspiring start, mostly due to the poor high-altitude performance of its Allison V-1710 engine. Once mated to the Merlin, however, the P-51 would be considered among the best aircraft of the war.
The exceptional high altitude performance of the Merlin was due to its two-stage, two-speed supercharger (a development introduced in 1941). This complex device allowed the Merlin to produce the same output power (about 1300 horsepower) whether it was on the ground or in the rarefied air at 30,000+ feet of altitude. Comparable single-stage superchargers of the time often peaked at less than 20,000 feet.

The exceptional high altitude performance of the Merlin was due to its two-stage, two-speed supercharger.
A supercharger works by compressing the fuel/air mixture from the carburetor to sea-level pressure (or higher). So even when the air gets thin, the engine receives the same mass of fuel and oxygen to burn. The Ideal Gas Law tells us that when you compress a gas, you also heat it. The Merlin's two-stage supercharger actually compresses it twice. If left unchecked, heat from the extreme compression would cause poor performance and/or premature detonation of the volatile mixture. To address this, the Merlin uses an independent liquid cooling system to chill the fuel/air mixture following each stage of compression. The additional complexity of this intercooler/aftercooler system is far outweighed by the performance gains it provides.

[CobraJoe]

[djfordmanjack]

Joe that was an awesome read about the Merlin engines ! Thank you !