Hout Bay, after the fire

Just look at that mountain side, no vegetation left at all, the three days of repeated blazes just wiped the flora and fauna out.

We now need soft and continued rains to allow the seeds left under the ash to sprout and support the life that surely will return.

Roy

Dragon class sailing yacht in Hout Bay

The sight of this classic yacht always sees me stopping to take a picture or two, we supplied much of the materials used when the boat was refurbished a few years back.

The boat sailed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, I think she finished third?

Picture just now!

Roy

The Hillman Imp Californian visits the Bay Harbour Market

Hout Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.

With the closure of so many roads due to the massive fires in the Western Cape,plus todays Argus Cycle Tour on today I took the Californian out for its longest drive since I bought it back again some seven months ago.

The roof will be sprayed when the paint is mixed for me, click on the image to enlarge it.

The car has been very much rebuilt new brakes all round, the engine was stripped and checked, the steel rims were upgraded to 13" and with Firestone tires on now.

Very much a rolling restoration but it carries a licence disc and its quite legal, as the lights all work as does the hooter and even the cabins cooling fan, mind you with no window glass fitted right now there is plenty of air circulation !

The car is dated February 3rd 1967 and was one of the rare export cars, this one went to Mozambique.

Roy

British Seagull restoration project

This engine and another one came in as a job lot of spares, junk in some ways but there are some good parts to be found still.

This motor dates to 1962/63, it still turns and has quite decent compression, it will make a good runner.

With the best will in the world, nut and bolt removal soon became the domain of a mini grinder!

A real mix of old and new parts, all could have some use in future rebuilds.

The long shaft British Seagull is seized solid, it is also a mystery motor as the engine number WHCH 144R8 does not exist on the Seagull register, its a special export motor we think?

Its a larger commercial type motor dated 1968 we think and probably a 5.5 hp unit which will push quite a large work boat.

Either of these motors can be restored to your specification, the work is not a quick fix as many trades are involved. Mechanical, electrical, fitter & tuner, electro plating, spray painting, plus the import of new parts when required.

This was one we did for a customer in Pretoria, it was a wreck when we got it.

Click on the pictures for a larger image.

We also stock the ultra heavy grade gear box oil these motors require.

Information from our parts suppliers in the UK.

The WHCH is an oddity. That code does not appear, however the WHC does. The suffix is an example of the code that Seagull used in special and rare circumstances.

Over the years if you wanted a winter service you could send your Seagull back to Poole and they would refurbish it for small sum. They then stamped the Seagull with an ‘R’ for reconditioned and the year, in this case 1968.

Later they dropped the R, instead the R was used for batches of export orders and these stand out because they are dated say 1968 and would have older parts that were not used on ‘Regular’ Seagulls. In this case I wonder if you motor has a Villiers ignition, if so it was an export code. (later still the R was used on the QB motors that had roller bearings, ….

However that does not explain the second H in the prefix… that we may never be able to figure!

Regards,

John

SOS

Roy

Drying out your yacht in Hout Bay

This was the norm some years back, we even had the permission of the Cape Nature Conservation Department do do so.

back then the sandy beach was far easier to use,it was twice the size too and those trawlers we can see would not berth there as the area mainly dried out.

The reason was that the harbour wall in that area was open right through to the main beach on the otherside, part of a way of bringing clean water into the harbour and allowing circulation.

It was wrongly closed off when the North wall was given a face lift some years back.

Sad news hey.

Roy

Hout Bay today, life's a beach

It is on a day like today when the SE gales have backed off.

I took the 1967 Hiillman Californian out for its first drive in many months, things are working well and I was pleased to top the petrol tank up today.

With  some petrol still in the tank, the R150 extra that went into it took the fuel gauge up to 3/4 full !

Roy

TBA history book back in stock

There are five back in stock and very few left with the author and publisher, so if you still want a
copy it will be best to place your order soonest.

At just R120 a copy, which is only U$12.00 they are affordable, plus all monies go to the NSRI, which is the National Sea Rescue Institute, they are self funded and require funds constantly.

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian in red

The red was easy, it was once a white car, Rootes Car Co paint code 108 but when the car arrived with me it had been changed to red and red its been ever since.

I decided to spray the car myself, its a challenge to get a good standard of  finish, what you see is gloss off the cun. I will later wet sand it with 1200 grit water paper, then power polish it with a Makita polisher and lambs wool mop.

The car is now forty eight years old (48) but still on its original 875cc  bore and pistons, I checked out the crank and bearings, all looking like new and with the original Rootes supplied bearing shells.

The cylinder head and camshaft are sport, with a 310 lift camshaft and twin Stromberg 125cd carburetors fitted the engine will give 55 bhp which is more than enough to do 100mph or around 160kph.

The roof and the other side of the car will be done next.

Attention to detail, the re made sticker covers the seat belts fitted to the car.

The roof still requires painting, the car can be driven and the cars original seat belt is now fitted to the car.

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Smile!

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian, making space

This rare 1967 Imp Californian is now being reassembled and as I apply the new paint, this makes more space and allows a new task for the week to be undertaken.

This one door took more than a half day to hang, yes it came off the same car but with the hinge pins worn and bent, the reason was that the door was a tight fit when it left the factory on the 3rd of February 1967.

With new 6.85mm high tensile pins refitted the door was again tight so it needed shiming at the hinges.

Making the plates and fitting took the time, 2.4mm at the top and 1.2mm at the bottom, its fine now and the door can be fitted with its window glass.

I never said this would be easy!

A few days later and now with the vent light and wind up window glass fitted.

Roy

The Tumlaren design by Knud Reimers

Some of you may remember me restoring Astra, I did the work for free to save the boat, this was sixteen years and more back.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2011/07/astra-storya-continuation.html

Astra, circa 1934 and on the 1999 HBYC Opening Cruise, Trevour and Oscar the new owners were having a good time. Thats Table Mountain in the background.

Here is another one, you can see why I wanted to save such a craft.

Click on the image, it should enlarge.

Here is a Tumlaren photo from the Wooden Boat Facebook page today. Should bring back memories for you.

Regards,

DD

A new train, Peppercorn class Tornado

This is quite a story!

LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado

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LNER Class A1 Peppercorn 60163 Tornado
Tornado, 14 December 2008
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Arthur Peppercorn (original designer)
Builder	A1 Steam Locomotive Trust
Build date	1994–2008
Specifications
Configuration	4-6-2
Leading wheel diameter	3 ft 2 in (0.97 m)
Driver diameter	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Trailing wheel diameter	3 ft 8 in (1.12 m)
Length	72 ft 11.75 in (22.24 m)
Width	9 ft 2.875 in (2.82 m)
Height	13 ft (3.96 m)
Axle load	22.1 long tons (22.5 t)
Weight on drivers	66.55 long tons (67.62 t)
Locomotive weight	105.2 long tons (106.9 t)[1]
Tender weight	60.9 long tons (61.9 t)
Locomotive and tender combined weight	166.1 long tons (168.8 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	7.5 long tons (7.6 t)
Water capacity	6,000 imp gal (27,000 L)
Boiler	Diagram 118 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) diameter 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m) length
Boiler pressure	250 psi (1,700 kPa)
Firegrate area	50.0 sq ft (4.65 m2)
Heating surface: – Tubes	1,211.6 sq ft (112.56 m2)
– Flues	1,004.5 sq ft (93.32 m2)
– Firebox	245.3 sq ft (22.79 m2)
– Total	2,461.4 sq ft (228.67 m2)
Superheater area	697.7 sq ft (64.82 m2)
Cylinder size	19 in × 26 in (480 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures
Maximum speed	100 mph (160 km/h) design[2] 75 mph (121 km/h) certified
Tractive effort	2,700 metric horsepower (2,000 kW)
Career
Number(s)	60163 (display) 98863 (TOPS)
Official name	Tornado
Axle load class	Route availability 9
First run	29 July 2008
Disposition	Operational. Approved for 75 mph (121 km/h) running on Network Rail track.

60163 Tornado is a mainline steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways in 1960. It is the only example of an LNER Peppercorn Class A1 locomotive in existence, the entirety of the original production batch having been scrapped without preservation. The locomotive's namesake is the Panavia Tornado, a combat aircraft flown by the Royal Air Force.
Construction of Tornado began in 1994, and was based at Darlington Works for most of the project, while numerous components such as the boiler were manufactured elsewhere. The project was financed through fundraising initiatives such as public donations and sponsorship deals; further funding came from hiring out Tornado itself for special rail services. Construction was completed in 2008, and full certification of the locomotive was achieved in January 2009. Having been designed with compliance to modern safety and certification standards, Tornado has been conducting passenger services on the UK rail network and on mainline-connected heritage railways since 2008.

Lotus 11 at Killarney Circuit

This really is a classic car, it probably boasts the smallest engine size at the annual classic and historic car race event, being only 750cc and a Coventry Climax four cylinder.

Di Dugmore is the driver, seen here talking to Eric Wells.

The Coventry Climax 750cc engine is said to be the idea behind the Rootes Car Co Hillman Imp engine which was sized to 875cc.

Used as fire pump engines, they are still to be found now and again.

Di Told Eric that the engine will pull just short of 6000 rpm down the back straight.

Nice!

Roy

Zundapp 50cc motor bike on display at Killarney Race Circuit

There were five makes in all and it was impossible to choose one as being better than another but the Zundap did make me smile.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Why the smile, read below:

Nice !

A comment just in from the USA.

I love the story attached to the Zundapp. Priceless.

Regards,

Roy

Boat building epoxy, mix and use

A shipment of WBP plys and epoxy suitable for building a boat has just been received buy our customer is Reunion Isle, the customer asked on some advice on the mix and use of the epoxy we supplied him, red the reply below.

The data sheets on the 816 epoxy and 205 cure agent were sent with the shipment.

Use wise the mix is 100 grams of the 816 epoxy to 65grams of the 205 cure agent.

In temperatures to about 25c you have some hours to work when its mixed, as the temperature goes up to 30c

there will be less time, if its very warm mix smaller amounts such as 85 grams.

Pour into a painters tray to allow the mix to spread out, this slows the mix from warming up.

Work out of direct sunlight if possible to slow down the effects of the sun.

You can use the epoxy when mixed as a glue and also a coating, do not change the mix to try and slow down or speed

up the cure rate, epoxy does not work like that.

Roy

Killarney Circuit, day at the races

Killarney race circuit is just outside of Cape Town City and on the Potsdam road.

Not just any day but the International Invitation Event, now named Passion for Speed, which brings back memories of the Springbok Series in the mid sixties and seventies when I was racing a Hillman Imp some forty three years ago and at the same circuit.

The entry fee was R90 each, the program cost R15 so for R115 you were set to go for an entire day, this includes free access to the pits on both sides of the circuit, so very good value.

I was very keen to see Jody Sheckters race winning Tyrrell F1 car with its Ford Costworth 3 ltr V8 engine.

It was recently restored by Dickon Daggit of Hout Bay and to a very high standard. 

On the day Ian Shecketer drove five demonstration laps so that we could see and hear this car running.

These cars are smaller than I had imagined!

Tyrrell in 1974 gave him his first full-time drive in F1. Jody rewarded them with a third-place finish in the drivers' championship and a pair of wins in Sweden and Britain. During the year, he scored points in eight consecutive races, one of the longer scoring streaks of the time. A slight off-year followed, although he did become the only South African to win the South African Grand Prix, but his third year with the team in 1976 gave him another third place finish in the drivers' championship. In that season, Tyrrell introduced the most radical car in F1 history, the six-wheeled Tyrrell P34. Scheckter gave the six-wheeler its only win on Sweden's Anderstorp circuit and in his twelve races with the car, he scored points ten times. This included a thrilling race-long battle for the lead in the American Grand Prix between himself and his great friend James Hunt

My thanks to Wikipedia for the info above.

Roy