Why there is not so much model engineering going on

[Roger B]

The current situation is making a lot of people change their values. As the weather is starting to improve I have the option of going down to the cellar after dinner or walking down to the lake with my wife and watching the sun go down. I think the answer is obvious (pictures from yesterday).

[propforward]

Beautiful views Roger. I am of a like mind when spring comes around. In winter model engineering provides me a wonderful distraction, but my engine build, which commences sloth like most of the time, slows to a point where snails roar by at breakneck speed come spring. Can't let days like that go by without enjoying them, that's for sure.

It is still frosty some mornings, but Oskar doesn't mind.

[crueby]

Wonderful setting by the lake! Understandable that would take precedent over the shop. I was kn the same mode some days in the last couple weeks, but this week has gone back to winter, we had 4 inches of snow this morning.      The canoe will have to wait again...

[simplyloco]

Here in good old GB if we don't like the climate then we just wait five minutes...

[Jo]

Its spring, some of us have gardening to do 

Playing in the workshop is for when it rains 

Jo

[Twizseven]

Jo,
I guess it used to rain a lot down by you in the past.
Colin

PS I've been using the fine weather to put some miles on new toy.

[PJPickard]

First your views are better than mine. I'm still in the shop!
And Twizseven, going by your profile pic I assumed you already had one! Caterham? One of my dream cars...those days are behind me now. Prices are at the point where it is only a dream now. My 1973 911 that I sold in 2000 is now totally out of my league.

[steam guy willy]

Its spring, some of us have gardening to do 

Playing in the workshop is for when it rains 

Jo
  Hi Jo, yes we have not had any rain for nearly 4 weeks up here in Norwich ?!!!  also i have been editing a local magazine , doing lots of Gardening and Helping people out with engineering problems etc etc  ?!!!

[Twizseven]

PJPickard,

Yes I had one which I built in 1997,  Just sold it and upgraded. 210bhp is fun.

Colin

[Jasonb]

PJPickard,

210bhp is fun.

No wonder you only take it out when it's dry, I'll stick to my AWD and it's fancy diffs.

Their old showroom and garage used to be 5mins from me when it was actually in Caterham so often saw them about and have "enjoyed" a drive or two in the company of one of then up or down the Caterham bypass

[Twizseven]

Jason,

Only done 850 miles so far from new and only in the dry.  It revs to 7600 and will spin its wheels in first and second easily in the dry.  Damp/wet roads will be somewhat exciting.  I will be doing my best not to throw it into the hedge. 

Colin

[Laurentic]

You're too right Jo, I have had loads of gardening work to do in the past month or so, building a greenhouse and filling it and making new veg beds, in between looking after my wife who has developed rheumatoid arthritis and doing all the house chores!!  Still, have managed 3 hours in the shed this week at end of day, so small mercies do arise!

Chris

[Bear]

One of the nice things about this hobby is that one can do a little at a time, and then come back to it some other day and pick-up. In any event, although I may not be always working on my model engine, I do enjoy just being in the shop with my wonderful tools  . Still have time for the outdoor stuff, and being retired sure helps.

[simplyloco]

I didn't get much workshop time in when I owned this Carrera 2S. Productivity increased dramatically when I sold it four years ago!
Believe it or not I've just bought a SKODA Kodiaq 190 4x4...

[RReid]

Never had a Caterham, but this Locost 7 I built from scratch represents a lot more shop time than driving time! Started in 2004, donated to my son in TX as a running, driving, but brake-less chassis in 2014. He's an aircraft mechanic and former professional race car mechanic. He plumbed the brakes, converted the Miata motor to Weber carbs, and added the (unfinished) roll bar and aluminum skins. On a visit in Feb 2019 I finally got to drive it on the street around his neighborhood. What fun!

[Jo]

... Still, have managed 3 hours in the shed this week at end of day, so small mercies do arise!

Yes the garden is time consuming but I managed to finish off the Hall governor so I have decided to celebrate with some more cross stitch   

Jo

[Don1966]

Beautiful view Roger and I can relate to that. My time lately is working with the brown stuff and refurbishing old equipment. Also spring time yard work getting the flower beds back to normal.


 
Don

[AVTUR]

I missed the start of this posting since I have been waking up Heap from her winter sleep:
    Tuesday, get all the accumulated junk off her
    Wednesday, put oil and air in her, filled up with fuel and took a ten or so mile check ride. GREAT
    Testerday, 100 mile ride around the lakes south of Bristol.

I bought her for almost nothing 47 years ago. She has two friends in the garage but it is the bike I like.

 

AVTUR

[propforward]

Lovely! I have a 1960 Matchless G12DL that I just got a new crankshaft for. Hope to restore it and make it look as good as Heap!

[Allen Smithee]

Never had a Caterham, but this Locost 7 I built from scratch represents a lot more shop time than driving time! Started in 2004, donated to my son in TX as a running, driving, but brake-less chassis in 2014. He's an aircraft mechanic and former professional race car mechanic. He plumbed the brakes, converted the Miata motor to Weber carbs, and added the (unfinished) roll bar and aluminum skins. On a visit in Feb 2019 I finally got to drive it on the street around his neighborhood. What fun!

You might want to warm him - that twin weber DCOE config (carb intakes outside the bonnet) is extremely prone to carb icing unless he either fits heated manifolds or an airbox that breathes air from behind the radiator. My 7 would run flat out for about 3 miles and then start to misfire. The misfire got worse until it would have so little power we stopped. Five minutes sitting idle would melt the ice and off we went. Took me ages to track the problem down. I finally spotted it when I had stopped on the side of the road on a hot, muggy day. on a whim I popped the clips on the K&N filter of one of the carbs just in time to see big white translucent blobs of ice in the choke tubes that melted away as I watched. I ended up making an aluminium sheet box over the carbs and filters, fed by a rectangular box conduit tat drew air from behind the radiator.

This was the machine (and me) under construction in 1987:





AS

[Jo]

Was that the window the chuck flew out of 

Jo

[gerritv]

DCOE's also like to spit back at you, very disconcerting when you have a long manifold on a Mini Cooper. (Had to move the instrument cluster to let it poke through.)

OTOH nothing beats the sound of Weber's, I have 4 downdrafts on my Ferrari 308GT4. Pure music.

Gerrit

[RReid]

You might want to warm him - that twin weber DCOE config (carb intakes outside the bonnet) is extremely prone to carb icing

Good to know, and duly forwarded to said son. He has a blister from a Beechcraft Baron that will be used to cover the protruding air cleaners, keeping it all inside the bonnet.

[Edward]

I'm doing Deloitte Ride across Britain in September (980 miles in 9 days on a pushbike) so I've been out training in the time I would normally be tinkering, which means a stop on projects..

That said, I have been tinkering with bikes a lot more than usual so the tools haven't been neglected.

[Twizseven]

Used to have pair of Dellorto 48DCOE carbs on my Escort RS2000.  Some days you could see a fine fuel mist just in front of the intake trumpets.

Only time I ever suffered carb icing was on a Formula Ford 1600 engine.  Could not understand why the revs kept on rising, till took engine cover off and saw large block of ice round the carb.  Quite disconcerting.

Colin

[Admiral_dk]

Congratulation with the new car Colin  - one of the two only real sports cars made today (the other is the Atom) .... and in case anybody wonders, why a MC guy feels that way : A real MotorCycle has a max weight of 200Kg (440 pounds) and a true Sports Car is under 500Kg (1100 pounds) in my book .....

Only time I ever suffered carb icing was on a Formula Ford 1600 engine.  Could not understand why the revs kept on rising, till took engine cover off and saw large block of ice round the carb.  Quite disconcerting.

I tried something similar in my youth. Driving to School one winter morning, my GS550 suddenly locked the throttle in half open position on ice and snow and the revs kept rising and the rear spun up more and more, with me approaching a Red Light .... thank God I remembered that there's a thumb operated Kill-Switch on the right handlebar -> I managed to stop about a meter behind the last car ....

[Art K]

I must admit I've been eying this subject since I first saw it posted. Back in 1990-91 when I was in the UK a young man near Devon took me for a ride to his favorite fishing hole in a Westfield SEI, I've wanted one ever since. But I do have the American version of a Ford Sierra, an XR4TI. My family has spent the last month or so on my parents estate. This has left me today to brew my clone brews recipe of Harvey's Traditional Porter. I think in the UK it's called 1859 Porter. My last batch was one of the best porters I've ever had, and I like a good porter! So hopefully this will impress my brother & sister in-law. She is from Yeovil and they both lived in the London area 20-30 years. This will be our first visit with them in Pennsylvania in the Covid era. So this is a trip I am looking forward to. I got an email to schedule my second Pfizer vaccination in the second week of May, can't wait.
Art