Photo Galleries

This Forum is dedicated to the Hobbyist I.C. (Internal Combustion) Engine Community.

Moderators: JackF, Harold_V

User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by steamin10 »

Thank you Glenn. Really amazing and interesting stuff.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by GlennW »

FLtenwheeler wrote:I would like to see a more detailed picture of the set up.
Here is a better shot of the fork rod, You can see the seam between the beam, which is shot peened, and the bearing block. Those two surfaces get hand lapped together for perfect 100% contact. In turn, you can see the parting line between the upper and lower bearing block which gets ground and lapped for perfect contact as well.

To add some scale, the overall length of this rod is 13" and weighs a bit over eight pounds with no bearings, as pictured.
Image

Here is the bearing block assembled and fixtured onto a ground mandrel, and the OD, on which the blade rod bearing rides, being ground.
Image

Before and after grinding. You can see the wear pattern in the "before".
Image

Here is the blade rod with the bearing installed and bored, faced, and radius chamfered to size. These are Rolls-Royce under size ID bearings and are a special lead, tin, bronze alloy. The standard size bearings are Silver. Many engines were scrapped after the war just to reclaim the Silver in the bearings. (Harolds ears stand up) :) The main and fork rod bearings are Silver with a .001" flash plate of lead/indium. My Mother has a Silver RR logo pendant/necklace made from the Silver from the bearings of a Rolls engine.
Image
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by GlennW »

Forgot to mention that the rods are forged 4337 steel.

Different alloys back then, other parts are 4135 and a few are E9310, which is a more common alloy.

The crankshaft is a specific Packard alloy of which I have the element breakdown somewhere.

About once a year a thread pops up on a Forum about how they couldn't hold any decent tolerances back in the 30's and 40's, and I have to chuckle.

There are parts in this engine accurate to five decimal places, and most to four decimal palaces, and they were mass produced during war time production. I doubt that they had climate controlled facilities back then so...

That's back when machinists were really machinists...
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
dsquire
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 12:41 pm

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by dsquire »

Glen

Thanks for showing those pictures. Those engine pieces, especially the rods are a work of art all by themselves. Nice to see that someone is still giving some of them some TLC.

Cheers :D

Don
User avatar
Harold_V
Posts: 20227
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by Harold_V »

Glenn Wegman wrote:Many engines were scrapped after the war just to reclaim the Silver in the bearings. (Harolds ears stand up) :)
Sad, really, considering the value of silver at that time was only $1.29/ounce (Troy)

It's painfully easy to recover and purify, assuming one has a ready source of nitric acid.

Harold
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
scooterwrench
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:11 pm
Location: Cedar Key,Fl.

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by scooterwrench »

Wow Glen, That's a thing of pure beauty. I bet if I installed that on my Quicksilver MX I could hang it on the prop, or pull the wings off. I believe I'd be overweight.
Jose Rivera
Posts: 3803
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: Vallejo California

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by Jose Rivera »

Glen ! ... you just pulled out all the hot-air I had in me !!! :oops: :oops:
There are no problems, only solutions.
--------------
Retired journeyman machinist and 3D CAD mechanical designer - hobbyist - grandpa
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by GlennW »

Machining the OD of the bronze valve guides down and cleaning up the valve spring seat pockets in one operation.

Image

Honing the valve guide ID's to size.

Image

They get roughed with a fairly coarse stone to straighten them out, and then touched with a fine stone to achieve the proper finish and accurate size.

The guides are tapered on the OD and pressed into tapered bores so they constrict in the center leaving them an hour glass shape, hence honing them straight and round again.

Not a good idea to wear your new white tennies for this operation.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by GlennW »

Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
User avatar
Harold_V
Posts: 20227
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by Harold_V »

Glenn Wegman wrote:Video on Packard engines.
Thanks, Glenn. Very interesting. I enjoyed every minute.

What a sad ending for such an important company in American history.

Harold
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
JackF
Posts: 1616
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 3:56 pm
Location: Caldwell, Idaho

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by JackF »

Glen,

Thanks also for the video. My dad was thinking of buying a new 55 Packard back in the day but ended up with a 55 Buick. The sales pitch at the end of the video looked like an act of desperation. Was not even around when Packard brought out the 120 but I think that was the start of their demise. In my opinion the war brought them back to black ink for a while but the end could be seen not long after. :cry: You must be quite proud to be still working on those beautiful machines. :D :D

Jack.
User avatar
GlennW
Posts: 7284
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 9:23 am
Location: Florida

Re: Photo Galleries

Post by GlennW »

Here's a Packard 621 in a 1920's era Gold Cup race boat. May actually be one of the boats in the video as it was very successful and set a speed record.

Image

Image

Image

I didn't have anything to do with the boat, but I have helped the guys that maintain it in the past by supplying some parts for other engines.

I did get to go for a little test ride in it though... :D :D

Image

Here is another '20's era Packard V-12 that was used in another Gold Cup boat. I believe that there are only two or three of these in existence. (unfortunately, not mine either :cry: )

Image
Last edited by GlennW on Wed Aug 24, 2011 7:13 am, edited 2 times in total.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
Post Reply