Author Topic: Bond's "Simplex" Petrol Engine (Read 27154 times)

pgp001 · « **on:** November 08, 2012, 04:31:03 PM »

Hi all

I posted a photo in another section showing my Bond's Simplex engine which is almost finished.

I thought I would share a few photo's taken during the actual machining operations.

This is an original period 1930's advert showing the water cooled version of this engine. It would have been used in a tethered hydroplane.

And a complete period air cooled engine.

Here are the castings as purchased in an assorted box of junk on ebay.

Someone had previously bored out the crankcases and mated them together, but that was it.

So I put a wanted ad on another forum which produced an original 1933 dated drawing for the engine, another ad found me a pair of the special skew timing gears........talk about lucky

So I was armed with enough parts and information to make a start.

More to follow.

Phil

ScroungerLee · « **Reply #1 on:** November 08, 2012, 04:33:07 PM »

Nice finds on the drawings and gears, sometimes things just work out like that.

Looking forward to watching your progress.

Lee

pgp001 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 08, 2012, 04:51:21 PM »

OK

Here is a selection of crankcase machining operations.

Set up on a rigid post mounted on my own design of low height indexing table, it allowed a few faces and holes to be done with minimal re-setting.

And using a boring and facing head to machine the register in the top face for the cylinder.

Phil

ths · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2012, 08:49:04 PM »

A really great resurrection project, at least three sources contributing, and I look forward to following progress. That catalogue looks as if it should be mandatory reading for all members!

Hugh.

NickG · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2012, 08:53:59 PM »

Phil,

Thanks for showing this - it looks a really nice, well proportioned engine and great find on the castings / gears! Bet you couldn't believe your luck!

Nick

pgp001 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 09, 2012, 03:22:31 PM »

Here are a few of the crankshaft, it is machined from solid and then ground on the journals.

And yes you are correct in saying I should have a wheel guard in place, I did this job standing well off to one side with my fingers crossed, but have since made a proper guard for it.

Phil

tvoght · « **Reply #6 on:** November 09, 2012, 04:39:43 PM »

Something about engines of this size and vintage just captures my imagination. Thanks for showing this rare bird. The journal grinding shots are very educational. I probably won't be the last to ask for a little more information. Is the grinder shop-made?

--Tim

ths · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2012, 03:45:53 PM »

What is that interesting looking grey machine in the background of the last photo?

Hugh.

pgp001 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 10, 2012, 04:33:09 PM »

In answer to both the above questions.

Yes I made the grinder myself, it is really the head from my tool and cutter grinder but I thought I may as well make it dual purpose while I was designing it, so the taper plug fitting goes straight onto the Myford and is dead on centre height.

Here it is mounted on the "Union" cutter grinder.

The grey machine in the background is a Mikron 112 gear hobbing machine, it weighs around half a ton but is only 2' x 3' in size.
I can cut gears up to 5" diameter on it which makes it very useful for model engineering and repairing clocks and musical boxes etc.

This is what it looks like from the front. I have it mounted on some ball races as wheels so I can just pull it out of the gap when I need to use it.

And here it is cutting some gears for Mike Sayers to use in his model Bentley supercharger.

The finished gears.

Phil

ScroungerLee · « **Reply #9 on:** November 10, 2012, 06:09:54 PM »

Nice tools, is it OK to be jealous?

Lee

black85vette · « **Reply #10 on:** November 10, 2012, 09:22:38 PM »

Quote from: ScroungerLee on November 10, 2012, 06:09:54 PM

Nice tools, is it OK to be jealous?

Lee

I was thinking the same thing! Go ahead and be jealous and I will join you.

Cool find and awesome that you found what you needed. Looks like it will be a fun build to follow.

Like the idea of the grinder. I have a spare motor and may need to try and make one.

I had not seen so many uses for the zip tie in machining. I only used them for making my cable runs neat.

zeeprogrammer · « **Reply #11 on:** November 10, 2012, 10:18:26 PM »

Some interesting learnings in this thread.
And those gears look awesome!
Nice looking well equipped shop too.

NickG · « **Reply #12 on:** November 11, 2012, 01:54:14 PM »

Fantastic work, and tools!

What finish did you use on the gears?

Nick

pgp001 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 11, 2012, 03:49:09 PM »

Hi

The finish on the supercharger gears is glass bead blasting. I work as a design engineer for a company that manufactures the equipment.

Here is a puzzler for you, this item being made on the shaping machine is directly related to the build of my Simplex engine, but can you tell what it is going to be used for ??

NickG · « **Reply #14 on:** November 12, 2012, 08:02:13 AM »

Some sort of fixture to bolt the crank case or head to to machine a certain feature?!

ths · « **Reply #15 on:** November 12, 2012, 10:37:42 AM »

I'll join Lee and Rick in the jealousy seats, and no, I can't guess what you're making on the shaper.

Hugh.

Jasonb · « **Reply #16 on:** November 12, 2012, 12:28:58 PM »

This is comming along nicely, I would say you are making a fixture to hold the cylinder head so that the valve guides and seats can be machined in the lathe in the same way a sthis

J

pgp001 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 13, 2012, 08:21:40 AM »

A bit too easy that one.

Here it is on various machining setups for the cylinder head.

Phil

steamer · « **Reply #18 on:** November 13, 2012, 10:32:05 AM »

That tilt swivel tabel sure comes in handy.....one of the very few accessories I'm missing on the F1.

Dave

ths · « **Reply #19 on:** November 13, 2012, 12:34:29 PM »

Phil, I take it that the milling machine is an Aciera. Is that an F3?

Hugh.

pgp001 · « **Reply #20 on:** November 14, 2012, 07:54:50 AM »

Hi

The milling machine is an "Alexander Master toolmaker", it is the British version of a Deckel FP1.

It comes with loads of gadgets like slotting head, dividing head & high speed head etc.
There is not much you cannot do with it.

http://www.lathes.co.uk/alexander/index.html

My dad restored it before he died, and rigged it up as a Sunderland gear shaper for making Myford changewheels.

He was a bit of a gear boffin was my dad, I bet not many people could figure out a gear train like this.

Phil

Bezalel · « **Reply #21 on:** November 14, 2012, 10:53:59 AM »

Yeah! I recon the book of change wheel tables would weigh nearly as mutch as the gear set

pgp001 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 16, 2012, 10:41:08 PM »

Here's a few of the connecting rod.

More to follow in due course.
Phil

sbwhart · « **Reply #23 on:** November 17, 2012, 08:13:34 AM »

Some nice set up shots

Some nice machinery

Some great work

Keep them comming Phil

Stew

steamer · « **Reply #24 on:** November 17, 2012, 11:07:38 AM »

I like the rotary table set up! Simple and effective!

Dave

ScroungerLee · « **Reply #25 on:** November 17, 2012, 12:34:19 PM »

Good pics, they make your process very easy to understand, thank you!

Lee

pgp001 · « **Reply #26 on:** November 19, 2012, 10:53:03 PM »

Here is the job I have been looking forwards to least of all, the rockers.

I started with a couple of discs

Ball ended slot drill to make the pocket for the pushrod bucket.

Picking up the centre line with a laser centre finder.

A bit more shaping by milling out the undersides.

Almost there, just a bit more fine tuning with the file before fitting the ends

Ball turning tool set up for making the pushrod buckets, I used silver steel for those. (drill rod)

A bit closer in

After silver soldering all the bits together.

A trial asembly.

Al the other bits finished and assembled on the head.

Phil

Bezalel · « **Reply #27 on:** November 19, 2012, 11:25:12 PM »

Nice work Phil !!

Are the ends of the rockers hardened?

Or is the air cooling adequately quick, after silver soldering, to make them hard?

Bez

gbritnell · « **Reply #28 on:** November 20, 2012, 02:15:30 AM »

Excellent work on the head Phil. Great fabrication on the rocker arms.
gbritnell

Jo · « **Reply #29 on:** November 20, 2012, 07:19:29 AM »

You made that look nice and easy. I will give it a go on my R&B.

Jo

ScroungerLee · « **Reply #30 on:** November 20, 2012, 12:35:43 PM »

Nice method for the rocker arms. I keep learning things from your work.

Thank you

Lee

Jasonb · « **Reply #31 on:** November 25, 2012, 05:59:31 PM »

Just a heads up for anyone who has taken a fancy to this engine, while thumbing through my Engineers Emporium cataloge I see that they supply castings for this engine though they are not listed on their web site. Infact they have several engines that are not on the web.

http://www.theengineersemporium.co.uk/

J

Don1966 · « **Reply #32 on:** November 25, 2012, 06:37:54 PM »

Love the rockers, excellent work. Love the machinery.

Don

pgp001 · « **Reply #33 on:** November 25, 2012, 08:27:18 PM »

Jason is quite correct, they are doing this engine again.

My engine is an original and has slightly different casting to the ones on offer now.

The chap from Engineers Emporium saw my part finished engine at Harrogate and "expressed an interest" in having a copy of my original drawing for it, so I am not sure what drawings they are issuing with the castings.

Phil

pgp001 · « **Reply #34 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:37:04 PM »

OK Its been a while since I uploaded some photo's, so here are few more.

This is my attachment for making studs on the Myford using a Coventry die head (Jo take note)

I have been busy making cams, or I should say making a lot of tooling to make cams.

This is the turning fixture to produce the radiused flanks on the cam blanks, Graham Meek gave me the information on how this should be done.

Here it is in the lathe loaded up with my blanks ready to go.

And here showing the result of the first pass before turning the blanks over.

Phil

Jo · « **Reply #35 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:42:40 PM »

Quote from: pgp001 on January 12, 2013, 05:37:04 PM

This is my attachment for making studs on the Myford using a Coventry die head (Jo take note)
.......
Phil

I am looking forward to acquiring a 1/4" coventry die head with some good sized threading inserts (16BA to 8BA) but in the mean time I am using wirlwind dies for stud making

So it is not the thread cutting that is the problem, it is just the tedium of the pure volume

Jo

pgp001 · « **Reply #36 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:46:47 PM »

I actually skipped a step, we needed to make the cam blanks first.

Here they are having a 3/32 keyway broached in them so they can be both located on the fixtures and on the engine camshaft.

I made two from Silver Steel so they can be heat treated, and a couple of spares in Mild Steel just to test the machining fixtures.

I then had to make the fixture for milling the two radii on each cam, bearing in mind the inlet and exhaust are both different.

Phil

pgp001 · « **Reply #37 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:51:51 PM »

Jo

The good thing about using a Coventry die head is that it has a triggered release at the correct thread length, and then you simply slide it back and reset it ready for the next one, you do not have to reverse it back off the thread so it is "much" faster to use.
The quality of the thread produced is also far superior to using normal dies.

Go on you know you want to

Phil

Quote from: Jo on January 12, 2013, 05:42:40 PM

Quote from: pgp001 on January 12, 2013, 05:37:04 PM
This is my attachment for making studs on the Myford using a Coventry die head (Jo take note)
.......
Phil

I am looking forward to acquiring a 1/4" coventry die head with some good sized threading inserts (16BA to 8BA) but in the mean time I am using wirlwind dies for stud making So it is not the thread cutting that is the problem, it is just the tedium of the pure volume

Jo

Jo · « **Reply #38 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:54:57 PM »

Another gentleman encouraging me in my tool addiction

.

Jo

pgp001 · « **Reply #39 on:** January 12, 2013, 06:04:36 PM »

Once the cam radius fixture was made I could actually finish the cams by using it on the rotary table.

First the table is clocked true to the spindle.

Then having clocked the table tee slot square to the Z axis of the mill, the fixture is fitted and its centre post is also clocked concentric to the rotary table.
An end stop is fitted, and using slip gauges the fixture can then be easily set in either of the two positions needed for the different tip radii.

Here is one of the base circle radii just being milled.

And as usual I was so engrossed in machining I forgot to take photo's of milling the tip radii, but it was just a matter of sliding the jig along using the slip gauges and table stop, it took days to make the jigs and set it all up, and minutes to machine the cams.

Phil

pgp001 · « **Reply #40 on:** January 12, 2013, 06:11:51 PM »

Next job was the cam shaft itself, this is simply a piece of 1/4" diameter bar with some holes for the cam locating pins to be pressed in.
So it was a simple indexing and drilling job once set up on the mill.

Here is the shaft during a trial assembly with the skew gear and cams.

And here we are setting the cam timing so the skew gear can be finally pinned in position on the shaft.

Nearly there now

Phil

John S · « **Reply #41 on:** January 12, 2013, 06:20:36 PM »

I really like those typical classic air cooled motor cycle engines, something pleasing about the simple lines.

John S.

pgp001 · « **Reply #42 on:** January 17, 2013, 10:55:30 PM »

Well here is the "last but one" part to be made, the carburettor retaining clamp.

Loctite an aluminium blank onto a short stub of round bar, this acts a chucking post for milling the radius etc.

Cut the bulk of the corners with a hacksaw.

Stick it in the Marlco collet indexer and mill the radius.

A bit more slitting, drilling & tapping and we have a split clamp.

Finally the last part to be made is the crankcase breather, based on Westbury's Kiwi design.

One last tapped hole in the crankcase for the breather.

Then a total strip down and final clean of all the parts.

Before final assembly begins with the crank and con rod.

All the bits for the carb go together.

And hey presto we have a finished engine with five hours to spare on new years eve.
Last years resolution was to finish it that year and I just did it

The end for now
I might see how it runs when the weather improves and I can set it up outside.

Phil

tvoght · « **Reply #43 on:** January 18, 2013, 12:06:56 AM »

Really a fine looking engine. Thanks for sharing.

--Tim

zeeprogrammer · « **Reply #44 on:** January 18, 2013, 12:25:40 AM »

Quote from: pgp001 on January 17, 2013, 10:55:30 PM

I might see how it runs when the weather improves and I can set it up outside.

Might? What do you mean 'might'?

pgp001 · « **Reply #45 on:** January 18, 2013, 06:45:41 AM »

I almost said I might see "IF" not how it runs. $:-\$

Phil

Meldonmech · « **Reply #46 on:** April 13, 2013, 11:16:31 AM »

Hi Phil,
It is looking good, the weather should be improving soon, in fact I cast sveral parts outside over the weekend. I am sure you will be able to test her very soon.

Well Done Cheers David

pgp001 · « **Reply #47 on:** April 13, 2013, 12:47:41 PM »

It's booked in for our Bradford club stand at the Harrogate show, so I will not have a chance to try it before then. Maybe when it comes home in mid May.

Phil

John S · « **Reply #48 on:** April 13, 2013, 02:21:20 PM »

Phil,
In post # 20 there are a couple of pics missing of your dads gear setup.
Any chance of replacing these please ?

What days are you at Harrogate, I'm going Friday.

pgp001 · « **Reply #49 on:** April 13, 2013, 11:42:24 PM »

Dunno what happened to the photo's, I have had to reload them to photobucket and put new links in. They seem OK now.

I will be at Harrogate on Saturday.

Phil

Stuart · « **Reply #50 on:** April 14, 2013, 10:13:36 AM »

I get pic deleted by user on all the pic in the post referred to

pgp001 · « **Reply #51 on:** April 14, 2013, 10:46:50 AM »

I just checked mine again and they are showing up with no problems, maybe you need to clear your PC cache or something ?

If you cannot find a way round it, you can see all the photo's here:-
http://s456.photobucket.com/user/pgp001/library/Model%20Engineering/Various%20Tooling/Alexander%20Mill?sort=2&page=1

Phil

John S · « **Reply #52 on:** April 14, 2013, 11:33:42 AM »

Phil,
Thanks I cans see them now, so we miss each other yet again ?

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Author Topic: Bond's "Simplex" Petrol Engine (Read 27154 times)