Bob popped round this morning while I was out. After our trip to Newark Air Museum and a whole load of phone calls, I may have managed to source some parts. This is essential as without them the whole project stalls. While I’m waiting to hear about that, all kinds of design problems that will need to be resolved are being mulled over.

Like…

Is 7:1 compression enough?
How do I change the valve timing from 60/05 to 30/30?
What’s the best drive solution for the sleeve?
How will it be oil fed?
What will I use for ignition timing? Advance & retard?
Pointless?

The list goes on!!

The good news is that design work is free, it’s just a background thought processes to fill in the blanks. Bob was kind enough to dig out a few volumes for me to read. It might not look much but there’s a fair weight to those papers, and a real gem in rarity terms.

Sure, Google will tell you anything. But the information here isn’t on the net. It probably never will be, and the folks at Cranfield University who worked on it won’t be there now either. Information like this is being lost to the new generation and it’s a crying shame. I shall be doing my best to restore the balance by reading it thoroughly, and trying to understand it!

Making an engine of my own design isn’t going to be easy, even if I have the Head, Barrel, Sleeve and Piston to get me going. But I’ve set off down this course and I’m enjoying the challenge so far. I’m 50 in just under 4 years – what better milestone for completion??