Building "Thor"
Discussion
doogalman said:
How about this for some insiration
http://www.claspgarage.com/2014/02/the-white-tripl...
Great to see pistonheads of our past! Mmmm Road legal maybe not, presume this will be legal. Great madness project! http://www.claspgarage.com/2014/02/the-white-tripl...
doogalman said:
How about this for some insiration
http://www.claspgarage.com/2014/02/the-white-tripl...
A car that burned its first driver and killed its second? Not really sure what inspiration it is meant to be. Inspiration not to build a death trap, presumably. http://www.claspgarage.com/2014/02/the-white-tripl...
doogalman said:
Seemed a good way to use up three of the engines Storer has in his hoard.
Now you are just being silly Hadn't seen that one before.
There seems to be some confusion over the power output of the Liberty engines. I believe they were only 350 to 400 hp and 25 litres. This was the main reason for the development of the Meteor as the Liberty was not powerful enough to propel a tank of more than 25 tonnes at the required cross country speed. Added armour and a larger gun saw tank weights rise way beyond 25 tonnes.
Hats off to the driver of those cars though. 200mph would be scary today in a supercar but is a chassis built 2 years before the one I am going to use beggars belief.
Paul
Storer said:
Now you are just being silly
Hadn't seen that one before.
There seems to be some confusion over the power output of the Liberty engines. I believe they were only 350 to 400 hp and 25 litres. This was the main reason for the development of the Meteor as the Liberty was not powerful enough to propel a tank of more than 25 tonnes at the required cross country speed. Added armour and a larger gun saw tank weights rise way beyond 25 tonnes.
Hats off to the driver of those cars though. 200mph would be scary today in a supercar but is a chassis built 2 years before the one I am going to use beggars belief.
Paul
Just stumbled across it when trawling the web for stuff to do with old bikes. Saw it and thought of you.Hadn't seen that one before.
There seems to be some confusion over the power output of the Liberty engines. I believe they were only 350 to 400 hp and 25 litres. This was the main reason for the development of the Meteor as the Liberty was not powerful enough to propel a tank of more than 25 tonnes at the required cross country speed. Added armour and a larger gun saw tank weights rise way beyond 25 tonnes.
Hats off to the driver of those cars though. 200mph would be scary today in a supercar but is a chassis built 2 years before the one I am going to use beggars belief.
Paul
Don't get excited - there is no progress on Thor but I felt I should explain why.
I have been working on the Ultima for a start.
Repairs to the rear clip where I had had an incident the day before going to Le Mans last year. It is now ready for paint.
Fitted rose jointed front suspension, rear brake master cylinder and bias bar.
Made new rear stainless exhaust pipes to replace the two track day silencers as the car has been described as 'too quiet' by my friends!
Then there is my metal working workshop. As there is going to be quite a bit of fabrication and sheet work to do for Thor and I acquired some equipment (and continue to do so) to help me in the build, I decided to convert an adjoining shed into a second workshop. So far I have bolted down all the bits of kit down after sorting out the best position. Some bits of kit have needed refurbishment (and some still do but for now they work so await more time).
I fabricate all sorts of bits of kit for one thing or another and the aspect of each build that causes issues every time is painting. Sometimes it is the quality of the job caused by dust or temperature, and if I paint in the workshop or shed everything else in there gets a dusting too, including me. Another factor is cost of painting the repair to the Ultima and some modifications to an additional pair of clips I now have. So I have decided to construct a paint spray booth so I have a controlled environment to paint and prep in.
Started it yesterday with some s/h RSJ's inside the metal work shop. Timber and plasterboard should arrive tomorrow and lights are on order. I work alone so my JCB forklift is essential for that 'extra pair of hands'.
It will have an extraction unit as well as air filtration on the incoming air. Lights will be at floor level and ceiling height. The roof will act as a mezzanine to allow storage of junk (essential components not yet needed) hence the overkill steelwork.
I hope to have it finished by the end of next week so I can finish the Ultima repairs.
Another factor that will delay progress on Thor is my wife/daughters horse box needs some repairs before the annual test. I had planned to pay someone else to get it through the test, but after a quote that almost made me cry I will need to add it to my list of things to do. Bu**er.
Added to the above I occasionally have to do some work..............
Paul
I have been working on the Ultima for a start.
Repairs to the rear clip where I had had an incident the day before going to Le Mans last year. It is now ready for paint.
Fitted rose jointed front suspension, rear brake master cylinder and bias bar.
Made new rear stainless exhaust pipes to replace the two track day silencers as the car has been described as 'too quiet' by my friends!
Then there is my metal working workshop. As there is going to be quite a bit of fabrication and sheet work to do for Thor and I acquired some equipment (and continue to do so) to help me in the build, I decided to convert an adjoining shed into a second workshop. So far I have bolted down all the bits of kit down after sorting out the best position. Some bits of kit have needed refurbishment (and some still do but for now they work so await more time).
I fabricate all sorts of bits of kit for one thing or another and the aspect of each build that causes issues every time is painting. Sometimes it is the quality of the job caused by dust or temperature, and if I paint in the workshop or shed everything else in there gets a dusting too, including me. Another factor is cost of painting the repair to the Ultima and some modifications to an additional pair of clips I now have. So I have decided to construct a paint spray booth so I have a controlled environment to paint and prep in.
Started it yesterday with some s/h RSJ's inside the metal work shop. Timber and plasterboard should arrive tomorrow and lights are on order. I work alone so my JCB forklift is essential for that 'extra pair of hands'.
It will have an extraction unit as well as air filtration on the incoming air. Lights will be at floor level and ceiling height. The roof will act as a mezzanine to allow storage of junk (essential components not yet needed) hence the overkill steelwork.
I hope to have it finished by the end of next week so I can finish the Ultima repairs.
Another factor that will delay progress on Thor is my wife/daughters horse box needs some repairs before the annual test. I had planned to pay someone else to get it through the test, but after a quote that almost made me cry I will need to add it to my list of things to do. Bu**er.
Added to the above I occasionally have to do some work..............
Paul
I had hoped to commence 'Thor' this month, but it has become clear that it is likely to be the late summer or autumn before I get any progress worthy of this thread. I am still looking for info and parts but other things are taking up my time.
I was thinking. Dangerous I know, but if I wasn't using a Rolls Royce Phantom chassis what else could I put one of these engines in? I find myself looking at cars thinking "would a 27 litre V12 fit in there" and "would it be cool".
The usual answer would be "no" but what car would others use to accommodate one of my engines?
Paul
I was thinking. Dangerous I know, but if I wasn't using a Rolls Royce Phantom chassis what else could I put one of these engines in? I find myself looking at cars thinking "would a 27 litre V12 fit in there" and "would it be cool".
The usual answer would be "no" but what car would others use to accommodate one of my engines?
Paul
Storer said:
I had hoped to commence 'Thor' this month, but it has become clear that it is likely to be the late summer or autumn before I get any progress worthy of this thread. I am still looking for info and parts but other things are taking up my time.
I was thinking. Dangerous I know, but if I wasn't using a Rolls Royce Phantom chassis what else could I put one of these engines in? I find myself looking at cars thinking "would a 27 litre V12 fit in there" and "would it be cool".
The usual answer would be "no" but what car would others use to accommodate one of my engines?
Paul
Start here:I was thinking. Dangerous I know, but if I wasn't using a Rolls Royce Phantom chassis what else could I put one of these engines in? I find myself looking at cars thinking "would a 27 litre V12 fit in there" and "would it be cool".
The usual answer would be "no" but what car would others use to accommodate one of my engines?
Paul
I quite fancy the idea of one in a Silver Shadow, or even the modern Silver Seraph, in place of the BMW V12. Actually, thinking of BMW V12-engined Rolls-Royces, wouldn't a Merlin/Meteor in a Phantom be cool...
Oh, and I quite fancy the idea of doing a 'British LM002' with one.
Charlie's Rover is a work of art and a real "Q" car and most or the later Meteor engines were built by Rover so rather appropriate.
The modern Phantom would be a great home but, my god, you would need deep pockets and an electronics expert in your corner.
A RR Silver Shadow would be another good home, but the driver would probably end up in the rear seats!!!! (Actually not a bad place to sit).
Paul
The modern Phantom would be a great home but, my god, you would need deep pockets and an electronics expert in your corner.
A RR Silver Shadow would be another good home, but the driver would probably end up in the rear seats!!!! (Actually not a bad place to sit).
Paul
I know this build may have seemed to have stalled to watchers on here, but this is not quite the case.
I have been busy on other things, but also 'thinking' about the build! I never have been good at putting plans on paper but most float around in my head.
One of the issues I encountered was the cost of the Rolls Royce parts I wanted to use for the build. I want 'Thor' to be a 'Rolls Royce Special'!
I have already spent £14k on a chassis, springs and axles (that still require refurbishment). A grill, headlights, horns and Spirit of Ecstasy would be at least another £4k. The pins for the springs are nearly £1.5k and so-on and so-on....
Salvation turned out to be a Rolls Royce Phantom III I found on the web via Car and Classic. It had the parts I would need and those parts were in good condition. The body and interior were reasonable but in need of a lot of work.
The stumbling point from a RR enthusiasts point of view was the engine. Instead of a V12 7.5 litre it had a straight 8 from the 1950's.
The car had been for sale for a while due to this factor. I made an offer which was accepted. Great.
One slight problem. The car was in France, near Toulouse to be exact - 750 miles from me.
So, on Wednesday morning at 4.00am I climbed out of my bed and set off for Toulouse with my Land Rover Discovery and two axle car trailer. I arrived in the tiny town near Toulouse at 8.00pm that evening. After a few delays (caused by my bank's fraud department) I loaded the car Friday lunchtime. It was a tight fit and hung over the back of the trailer by nearly a yard and was heavier than I thought. It was to be a slow journey home.
45 mph was as fast as I dare go and the trailer tyres looked quite soft even with 75psi in them! I got as far at Orleans yesterday before hunger and a requirement for an Ibis bed set in. This morning the alarm roused me at 5.20 (French time) and I was on my way by 6.00am. At 45 mph you get chance to look round but cruise control is essential to maintain progress. The Paris Peripherique was a challenge but not too bad due to the time of day. Eventually I arrived at the Eurotunnel at 12.25 for the 13.35 crossing.
Amazingly I managed to maintain 45 mph on our poorly surfaced and potholed roads and arrived home at 15.50 this afternoon.
Total mileage 1559 with and average of 24.4mpg. I think my gross train weight was between 7 an 7.5 tonnes!!!!
OK, so you don't want the story but a picture of the Phantom.
I hope to have the car running by the end of next week and take it to our local classic car meeting on Friday along with the Meteor engine which I intend to fire up and make a bit of noise with too.
Feel a bit knackered now so off to bed.
Paul
I have been busy on other things, but also 'thinking' about the build! I never have been good at putting plans on paper but most float around in my head.
One of the issues I encountered was the cost of the Rolls Royce parts I wanted to use for the build. I want 'Thor' to be a 'Rolls Royce Special'!
I have already spent £14k on a chassis, springs and axles (that still require refurbishment). A grill, headlights, horns and Spirit of Ecstasy would be at least another £4k. The pins for the springs are nearly £1.5k and so-on and so-on....
Salvation turned out to be a Rolls Royce Phantom III I found on the web via Car and Classic. It had the parts I would need and those parts were in good condition. The body and interior were reasonable but in need of a lot of work.
The stumbling point from a RR enthusiasts point of view was the engine. Instead of a V12 7.5 litre it had a straight 8 from the 1950's.
The car had been for sale for a while due to this factor. I made an offer which was accepted. Great.
One slight problem. The car was in France, near Toulouse to be exact - 750 miles from me.
So, on Wednesday morning at 4.00am I climbed out of my bed and set off for Toulouse with my Land Rover Discovery and two axle car trailer. I arrived in the tiny town near Toulouse at 8.00pm that evening. After a few delays (caused by my bank's fraud department) I loaded the car Friday lunchtime. It was a tight fit and hung over the back of the trailer by nearly a yard and was heavier than I thought. It was to be a slow journey home.
45 mph was as fast as I dare go and the trailer tyres looked quite soft even with 75psi in them! I got as far at Orleans yesterday before hunger and a requirement for an Ibis bed set in. This morning the alarm roused me at 5.20 (French time) and I was on my way by 6.00am. At 45 mph you get chance to look round but cruise control is essential to maintain progress. The Paris Peripherique was a challenge but not too bad due to the time of day. Eventually I arrived at the Eurotunnel at 12.25 for the 13.35 crossing.
Amazingly I managed to maintain 45 mph on our poorly surfaced and potholed roads and arrived home at 15.50 this afternoon.
Total mileage 1559 with and average of 24.4mpg. I think my gross train weight was between 7 an 7.5 tonnes!!!!
OK, so you don't want the story but a picture of the Phantom.
I hope to have the car running by the end of next week and take it to our local classic car meeting on Friday along with the Meteor engine which I intend to fire up and make a bit of noise with too.
Feel a bit knackered now so off to bed.
Paul
Seems a shame to break it. 
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