Konrod's Bentley
Discussion
I was in two minds whether to post this or not as it's seems to be away from the usual owners car threads, but decided to give it a go.
I like to have something enjoyable in the garage, I've built several kits (the last was from plans, so involved welders etc.), I have a love affair with TVRs (I'm on the 4th, being my 2nd Tuscan) and I also have Frank, short for Franken4, a 1965 TR4a with TR6 running gear.
The problem is that all of these had one advantage/drawback - they only have two seats. As I am "maturing" I have found occasions where I need 4 seats (aging parents, sprogs living in London etc.) but I don't want to take the Range Rover. It had to be something mechanically nice, preferably pre-war, fast enough for modern roads and comfortable enough for Mrs K.
The problem is that "pre-war" and "fast enough for modern roads" tends to mean exotic and expensive. I widened my search and landed on either Bentley MkVI/Type R or Jaguar Mk VII/VIII.
After at lost of research and talking to specialist this has landed on my drive.
Its a 1950 Bentley MK VI. I chose this over the Type R mainly because the Type R is 2" too long for my garage
It has the 4 1/4 straight six engine which is long on torque with a four speed box. There is no obligatory garage shot as the 18 gallon tank
is half full, so I have that wallet draining joy to come.
I like cars that are different. Hand throttle, mixture control for starting and ride control on the steering boss, gearshift on the right with an open gate (like Ferrari), mechanical brake servo and a chassis lubrication system It has just had the engine rebuilt so I'm treating it gently. It is really smooth and comfortable, a bit wallowy but the ride control stiffens it up nicely and I can see I'm going to enjoy it.
And the elephant in the room - yes it is white (but not as white as the photos make it look). Yes, it was a wedding car however it is an original Bentley colour, it was owned by the main specialist in these cars as his personal car so the mechanicals and body are all top notch. I've tried some dodgy ones and this is way better - these can be bought cheap, but they are expensive to bring up to standard..
Plans are to fit some wider rims and stance it, fit an LS3 and fit a roll cage and cobra seats. Aaaannnnnnd back to reality. I want to keep it pretty original with the odd period upgrade - not looking for concours.
And I still have the TVR......
I like to have something enjoyable in the garage, I've built several kits (the last was from plans, so involved welders etc.), I have a love affair with TVRs (I'm on the 4th, being my 2nd Tuscan) and I also have Frank, short for Franken4, a 1965 TR4a with TR6 running gear.
The problem is that all of these had one advantage/drawback - they only have two seats. As I am "maturing" I have found occasions where I need 4 seats (aging parents, sprogs living in London etc.) but I don't want to take the Range Rover. It had to be something mechanically nice, preferably pre-war, fast enough for modern roads and comfortable enough for Mrs K.
The problem is that "pre-war" and "fast enough for modern roads" tends to mean exotic and expensive. I widened my search and landed on either Bentley MkVI/Type R or Jaguar Mk VII/VIII.
After at lost of research and talking to specialist this has landed on my drive.
Its a 1950 Bentley MK VI. I chose this over the Type R mainly because the Type R is 2" too long for my garage
It has the 4 1/4 straight six engine which is long on torque with a four speed box. There is no obligatory garage shot as the 18 gallon tank
is half full, so I have that wallet draining joy to come.I like cars that are different. Hand throttle, mixture control for starting and ride control on the steering boss, gearshift on the right with an open gate (like Ferrari), mechanical brake servo and a chassis lubrication system It has just had the engine rebuilt so I'm treating it gently. It is really smooth and comfortable, a bit wallowy but the ride control stiffens it up nicely and I can see I'm going to enjoy it.
And the elephant in the room - yes it is white (but not as white as the photos make it look). Yes, it was a wedding car however it is an original Bentley colour, it was owned by the main specialist in these cars as his personal car so the mechanicals and body are all top notch. I've tried some dodgy ones and this is way better - these can be bought cheap, but they are expensive to bring up to standard..
Plans are to fit some wider rims and stance it, fit an LS3 and fit a roll cage and cobra seats. Aaaannnnnnd back to reality. I want to keep it pretty original with the odd period upgrade - not looking for concours.
And I still have the TVR......
Konrod!
That is lovely. The Bentley MkVI (or RR Silver Dawn) is a fantasitic piece of engineering - and gives a real sense of occasion!
Am sure you probably know all this already, but a few bits:
- Keep on top of the maintenance - do you have a copy of the original handbook? They are so much more than a list of the controls - they cover all the main maintenance and servicing items.
- During the engine rebuild - did the car keep its original part chromed cylinder liners or go for full plain liner replacements? Have a good read up on the pros / cons of each. The B series engine is a fantastic thing - I once had the use of the only remaining pre-war prototype Bentley with the B series engine fitted and was really impressed at how flexible and capable it was at trundling along at walking speeds and keeping up with motorway traffic - all in top gear! See https://www.realcar.co.uk/view-cars/2525 and https://youtu.be/y9rFycYgjCw. See "The Automobile" - March 2024.
- Keep the chassis lubrication system topped up and make sure it is reaching all the parts of the chassis. They SHOULD leak oil and leave marks all over your drive/garage floor - if it looks dry underneath, I'd investigate!
- If you haven't already - I'd recommend joining one of the two clubs - either the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club or the Bentley Drivers Club. I am a member of both - each have their own "characteristics!" (don't all clubs?!) - the RREC has all of the drawings and chassis records for your car and probably a deeper level of knowledge in the club ownership fraternity on keeping these running well. I know I owe a huge debt to those who have helped me with my 20/25s.....The RREC forum, open to members, is an absolute font of information!
Please post more pictures!
Take care,
Andy
That is lovely. The Bentley MkVI (or RR Silver Dawn) is a fantasitic piece of engineering - and gives a real sense of occasion!
Am sure you probably know all this already, but a few bits:
- Keep on top of the maintenance - do you have a copy of the original handbook? They are so much more than a list of the controls - they cover all the main maintenance and servicing items.
- During the engine rebuild - did the car keep its original part chromed cylinder liners or go for full plain liner replacements? Have a good read up on the pros / cons of each. The B series engine is a fantastic thing - I once had the use of the only remaining pre-war prototype Bentley with the B series engine fitted and was really impressed at how flexible and capable it was at trundling along at walking speeds and keeping up with motorway traffic - all in top gear! See https://www.realcar.co.uk/view-cars/2525 and https://youtu.be/y9rFycYgjCw. See "The Automobile" - March 2024.
- Keep the chassis lubrication system topped up and make sure it is reaching all the parts of the chassis. They SHOULD leak oil and leave marks all over your drive/garage floor - if it looks dry underneath, I'd investigate!
- If you haven't already - I'd recommend joining one of the two clubs - either the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club or the Bentley Drivers Club. I am a member of both - each have their own "characteristics!" (don't all clubs?!) - the RREC has all of the drawings and chassis records for your car and probably a deeper level of knowledge in the club ownership fraternity on keeping these running well. I know I owe a huge debt to those who have helped me with my 20/25s.....The RREC forum, open to members, is an absolute font of information!
Please post more pictures!
Take care,
Andy
That looks like a very regal way to waft around. 
Nostalgia would have lead me towards a Jaguar as I have fond memories of a rust-bucket MK9 my uncle bought for £50 that he borrowed from my Mum (and apparently never repaid) in the late 60s that had a cocktail cabinet in the back, although he didn't have a key for it!
But a Bentley was always in a different class.
Your other cars sound fascinating too - have you done threads about them?
Nostalgia would have lead me towards a Jaguar as I have fond memories of a rust-bucket MK9 my uncle bought for £50 that he borrowed from my Mum (and apparently never repaid) in the late 60s that had a cocktail cabinet in the back, although he didn't have a key for it!
But a Bentley was always in a different class.
Your other cars sound fascinating too - have you done threads about them?
Thanks for all of the kind comments, I wasn't sure that there would be much love for this. The long suffering Mrs K thinks I have some odd ideas, but then I remind her who I married 
The RREC has been great, the forums though I'm still no sure of, there doesn't seem to be a place focussed on these, it's either 202/25, Derby or Shadows and beyond. Perhaps the downside of what was a relatively small production volume and being a bit of a left field choice.
The Pre-production model looks lovely - shame they didn't keep the running board mounted spare to give more boot space, but that was flying against design development I guess. You're very lucky to have had that chance.
I haven't done threads on my other cars, perhaps I should - the TR is a bit different.
Some more pics as requested.
Interior
Lots of little details
4 1/4 litres of throbbing boat anchor.
and the obligatory fuel station shot.........
harrycovert said:
Looking forward to this thread, I have always wanted a Mk 6 or R Type, so much understated style.Have you read Stanley Sedgwicks "Motoring My Way"
Lots of exploits in his MK6 and other cars
Thanks, that is a new one on me - I'll look it up though. As with most things I have got immersed in this and have been reading lots of period articles. I may be slightly OCD.... Lots of exploits in his MK6 and other cars
andyfeaver said:
Konrod!
That is lovely. The Bentley MkVI (or RR Silver Dawn) is a fantasitic piece of engineering - and gives a real sense of occasion!
Am sure you probably know all this already, but a few bits:
- Keep on top of the maintenance - do you have a copy of the original handbook? They are so much more than a list of the controls - they cover all the main maintenance and servicing items.
- During the engine rebuild - did the car keep its original part chromed cylinder liners or go for full plain liner replacements? Have a good read up on the pros / cons of each. The B series engine is a fantastic thing - I once had the use of the only remaining pre-war prototype Bentley with the B series engine fitted and was really impressed at how flexible and capable it was at trundling along at walking speeds and keeping up with motorway traffic - all in top gear! See https://www.realcar.co.uk/view-cars/2525 and https://youtu.be/y9rFycYgjCw. See "The Automobile" - March 2024.
- Keep the chassis lubrication system topped up and make sure it is reaching all the parts of the chassis. They SHOULD leak oil and leave marks all over your drive/garage floor - if it looks dry underneath, I'd investigate!
- If you haven't already - I'd recommend joining one of the two clubs - either the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club or the Bentley Drivers Club. I am a member of both - each have their own "characteristics!" (don't all clubs?!) - the RREC has all of the drawings and chassis records for your car and probably a deeper level of knowledge in the club ownership fraternity on keeping these running well. I know I owe a huge debt to those who have helped me with my 20/25s.....The RREC forum, open to members, is an absolute font of information!
Please post more pictures!
OK, confession time. I had just about decided it was going to be a Mk VI when I joined the RREC and saw the next weekend was a full technical workshop on postwar 6 cylinder models (MkVI through to Cloud II) which I attended. Over two days they took us right through the car using a stripped chassis, quite hands on, so I've got a good idea of what I've let myself in for. All of the technical bits are working, including the lubrication system. The engine has been stripped and rebuilt by Dan Moore, the font of all knowledge on these cars and is soooo smooth even though I'm running it in.That is lovely. The Bentley MkVI (or RR Silver Dawn) is a fantasitic piece of engineering - and gives a real sense of occasion!
Am sure you probably know all this already, but a few bits:
- Keep on top of the maintenance - do you have a copy of the original handbook? They are so much more than a list of the controls - they cover all the main maintenance and servicing items.
- During the engine rebuild - did the car keep its original part chromed cylinder liners or go for full plain liner replacements? Have a good read up on the pros / cons of each. The B series engine is a fantastic thing - I once had the use of the only remaining pre-war prototype Bentley with the B series engine fitted and was really impressed at how flexible and capable it was at trundling along at walking speeds and keeping up with motorway traffic - all in top gear! See https://www.realcar.co.uk/view-cars/2525 and https://youtu.be/y9rFycYgjCw. See "The Automobile" - March 2024.
- Keep the chassis lubrication system topped up and make sure it is reaching all the parts of the chassis. They SHOULD leak oil and leave marks all over your drive/garage floor - if it looks dry underneath, I'd investigate!
- If you haven't already - I'd recommend joining one of the two clubs - either the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club or the Bentley Drivers Club. I am a member of both - each have their own "characteristics!" (don't all clubs?!) - the RREC has all of the drawings and chassis records for your car and probably a deeper level of knowledge in the club ownership fraternity on keeping these running well. I know I owe a huge debt to those who have helped me with my 20/25s.....The RREC forum, open to members, is an absolute font of information!
Please post more pictures!
The RREC has been great, the forums though I'm still no sure of, there doesn't seem to be a place focussed on these, it's either 202/25, Derby or Shadows and beyond. Perhaps the downside of what was a relatively small production volume and being a bit of a left field choice.
The Pre-production model looks lovely - shame they didn't keep the running board mounted spare to give more boot space, but that was flying against design development I guess. You're very lucky to have had that chance.
Cupid-stunt said:
will you hire it out as a wedding car to recoup the upkeep costs?
No, I'm mot looking for a business, however some good friends have a son getting married next year so I've said I'll do it as their wedding present. We already had an invitation.I haven't done threads on my other cars, perhaps I should - the TR is a bit different.
Some more pics as requested.
Interior
Lots of little details
4 1/4 litres of throbbing boat anchor.
and the obligatory fuel station shot.........
Konrod!
Love the additional pictures - she really is a very smart motor car. Dan Moore is certainly one of the very best on the post-war 6 cylinder cars - he'll look after you. And I am pleased you have found the RREC workshops etc to be good - the Post-War 6 cylinder register guys and girls will be able to point you in the right direction, if you get stuck with anything.
Being a standard steel saloon, you shouldn't have too many issues with parts - either for chassis (inc powertrain) or the body and trim elements. The coachbuilt versions are sometimes a little more tricky to find missing items.
The other thing with these bodies is rust - sills, inner wings, A and B posts.... this was all designed before serious efforts were put into preventing corrosion, so keep a good eye on it, treat and protect as needed and you will be fine!
Take care,
AF
Love the additional pictures - she really is a very smart motor car. Dan Moore is certainly one of the very best on the post-war 6 cylinder cars - he'll look after you. And I am pleased you have found the RREC workshops etc to be good - the Post-War 6 cylinder register guys and girls will be able to point you in the right direction, if you get stuck with anything.
Being a standard steel saloon, you shouldn't have too many issues with parts - either for chassis (inc powertrain) or the body and trim elements. The coachbuilt versions are sometimes a little more tricky to find missing items.
The other thing with these bodies is rust - sills, inner wings, A and B posts.... this was all designed before serious efforts were put into preventing corrosion, so keep a good eye on it, treat and protect as needed and you will be fine!
Take care,
AF
What a joyous thing! Thanks for sharing.
I came perilously close to buying one in Glasgow some years ago. I could just about have afforded it, but realised that the upkeep would be beyond me. But I was allowed a test drive and loved it.
O/T but there's one of these in (I believe) Western Australia with a Gardner 5LW diesel engine. Certainly RR offered the 4LW as an option in the thirties. I believe they re-engineered them in house though. I came to know the 5LW through the Watson class LifeBoats and they can be rather refined!
O/T off...
Lovely to see, and I hope you enjoy it.
Edit: I wanted to say that Frankenfour sounds like fun. I'm a Triumph fan too. There's a Mk3 GT6 and a 1500 Midget currently in The Shed and I had several big 6s back in the day.
I came perilously close to buying one in Glasgow some years ago. I could just about have afforded it, but realised that the upkeep would be beyond me. But I was allowed a test drive and loved it.
O/T but there's one of these in (I believe) Western Australia with a Gardner 5LW diesel engine. Certainly RR offered the 4LW as an option in the thirties. I believe they re-engineered them in house though. I came to know the 5LW through the Watson class LifeBoats and they can be rather refined!
O/T off...
Lovely to see, and I hope you enjoy it.
Edit: I wanted to say that Frankenfour sounds like fun. I'm a Triumph fan too. There's a Mk3 GT6 and a 1500 Midget currently in The Shed and I had several big 6s back in the day.
Edited by Error_404_Username_not_found on Saturday 21st December 17:09
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
Certainly RR offered the 4LW as an option in the thirties.
Rather O/T but is there evidence for this? I'd be very surprised if they did. Many did retrofit Gardners into a variety of unlikely vehicles, including Gardner themselves, the 4LK was popular for car conversions due to its size and light weight.hidetheelephants said:
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
Certainly RR offered the 4LW as an option in the thirties.
Rather O/T but is there evidence for this? I'd be very surprised if they did. Many did retrofit Gardners into a variety of unlikely vehicles, including Gardner themselves, the 4LK was popular for car conversions due to its size and light weight.Meanwhile there is this mercifully short thread from PH. It mentions a factory build but I have heard of others. (Also I think Lagonda and possibly others).And I've seen a Gardner engine with what was called a cathedral crankcase which was heavily cut away for weight reduction and braced with external and internal ribs to maintain rigidity. It was in use at the time powering a generator and was very smooth and quiet. I wondered then if that was what RR did to them but I have no direct knowledge.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Didn't mean to kick off a controversy, only an off topic aside which as a diesel clanky I thought mildly intriguing. I still sometimes get to do a little work on Gardners on small fishing vessels (most recently 8LXB) and they always impress with their refinement and reliability.
Back on topic - in my opinion the OPs car looks just fine in that colour. The last one I saw was a just-post-war "austerity" car in flat grey paint with almost no shiny bits at all. Sorry to have deflected the OPs thread, it wasn't intentional.
The OP's new purchase is splendid.And so it begins.
There were some items I knew needed some work, along with some items that didn't but I would fiddle with anyway and probably make them worse
Three items to resolve. The heater (which is located under the passenger seat) is not complete. It is basically a round matrix with a fan in the middle, connected to the engine coolant circuit. The shroud is missing. This I'm not too bothered about, I'll get around to it, parts are available.
The second is the windscreen washer. This is a vacuum system using depression from the inlet, based on the old glass jar Trico system. I can get new, but I'm looking for something a bit more period - there are several out there but none "tested". As testing is as simple as sucking on a tube and checking water comes out of another tube, it makes me suspicious.........
The last one is the horn. This is activated by a large chrome button in the centre of the steering wheel which activates a suitably stentorian tone.....or rather it would do if the button wasn't jammed.
You will also see that there are controls on the steering wheel. These drive concentric tubes down the middle of the steering column, then through the very centre runs the horn wire.
These tubes and wire run right through the steering box to a little "Christmas tree" of levers for the mixture control, hand throttle and ride control (see blue circle). To extract the chrome button at the top, the three tubes need to be lifted out, which means disassembling the Christmas tree and draining the steering box. I am going to sort this, but I'll need a few days to work through it, and probably some dutch courage to start. By the way, I think this is all caused by a roll pin that has moved in the horn switch mechanism (or is that masochism!)
So the actual horn button is a temporary item mounted below the dash, however that stopped working a few days after I got the car
So job number one was to fix the horn. The circuits are simple, battery (remember, POSITIVE EARTH!), switch, relay, horns. I always start diagnostics at the relay which in this case is the big chunky box here with wires going into it.
Horns and relay are original 1950 items, howver the problem was the modern switch! In the end I stripped it down, remade the contacts (one of which had slid in its plastic housing) and I can now do my Mr Toad impression again.
The other item which I wanted to fiddle with were the trafficators/semaphores. The car has flashing indicators fitted into the side light/reversing light front and back, but the semaphores just glow orange. I knew that you could get flashing LED replacement bulbs so I though I'd give it a try.
Easy job, turn on the indicators, the trafficator comes up, jam a rag in the slot so it can't return, cancel the incicators and turn the ignition off
Undo the screw at the end and gently disconnect the metal plate (which is also the earth) and the orange plastic. Swap bulbs, re-assembly is "a la Haynes", repeat for the other side. 5 minutes.
Interestingly, as the indicator switch is in the centre of the lower windscreen surround, there is no self cancelling as such. So it has a 20 second timer - if you don't cancel, it does it for you. Nice touch for something so old.
There were some items I knew needed some work, along with some items that didn't but I would fiddle with anyway and probably make them worse
Three items to resolve. The heater (which is located under the passenger seat) is not complete. It is basically a round matrix with a fan in the middle, connected to the engine coolant circuit. The shroud is missing. This I'm not too bothered about, I'll get around to it, parts are available.
The second is the windscreen washer. This is a vacuum system using depression from the inlet, based on the old glass jar Trico system. I can get new, but I'm looking for something a bit more period - there are several out there but none "tested". As testing is as simple as sucking on a tube and checking water comes out of another tube, it makes me suspicious.........
The last one is the horn. This is activated by a large chrome button in the centre of the steering wheel which activates a suitably stentorian tone.....or rather it would do if the button wasn't jammed.
You will also see that there are controls on the steering wheel. These drive concentric tubes down the middle of the steering column, then through the very centre runs the horn wire.
These tubes and wire run right through the steering box to a little "Christmas tree" of levers for the mixture control, hand throttle and ride control (see blue circle). To extract the chrome button at the top, the three tubes need to be lifted out, which means disassembling the Christmas tree and draining the steering box. I am going to sort this, but I'll need a few days to work through it, and probably some dutch courage to start. By the way, I think this is all caused by a roll pin that has moved in the horn switch mechanism (or is that masochism!)
So the actual horn button is a temporary item mounted below the dash, however that stopped working a few days after I got the car
So job number one was to fix the horn. The circuits are simple, battery (remember, POSITIVE EARTH!), switch, relay, horns. I always start diagnostics at the relay which in this case is the big chunky box here with wires going into it.
Horns and relay are original 1950 items, howver the problem was the modern switch! In the end I stripped it down, remade the contacts (one of which had slid in its plastic housing) and I can now do my Mr Toad impression again.
The other item which I wanted to fiddle with were the trafficators/semaphores. The car has flashing indicators fitted into the side light/reversing light front and back, but the semaphores just glow orange. I knew that you could get flashing LED replacement bulbs so I though I'd give it a try.
Easy job, turn on the indicators, the trafficator comes up, jam a rag in the slot so it can't return, cancel the incicators and turn the ignition off
Undo the screw at the end and gently disconnect the metal plate (which is also the earth) and the orange plastic. Swap bulbs, re-assembly is "a la Haynes", repeat for the other side. 5 minutes.
Interestingly, as the indicator switch is in the centre of the lower windscreen surround, there is no self cancelling as such. So it has a 20 second timer - if you don't cancel, it does it for you. Nice touch for something so old.
Don’t want to hijack this wonderful thread, but I feel your pain, OP, when you refer to the colour! I have the same issue with my Daimler, mine is in its original off white colour but I have ditched the whitewall tyres to try and disguise the “wedding car” vibe. Having said that, I let Coronation Street use it as a wedding car in the Christmas Day programme!
Love your car OP.
Love your car OP.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff