VICKERS MK6B's resto

[colin jones]

Hmm, that was some interesting reading from the Lagonda club. I saw the interview with the restorer of the Mk1V which has the same engine and they were also told about Volvo pistons but said they were of the same dimension but the gudgeon was a different height and not suitable for the application. I don't think you could run without liners as the distance between the bores are so thin. These engines might be different as they might be mil spec. The sump is certainly different to any that is in the cars, the fan and radiator set up is way different as well. It is interesting to say the least. There is a company in Belgium that I am I contact with that supplies new cast parts and I am waiting for some very scary prices back. In the Lagonda forum comments I noticed they were doing a lot of miles which wont happen in a tank but they are a lot heavier and cooling may be an issue.

[Lynn Eades]

Colin I read some where that the VLTs suffered from overheating issues, but with the new engines they had fixed the problem for the tanks going to North Africa.
The Lagonda guys are talking about S2,S3,S4 models and yours is an ESTB. Are they versions of the ESTB? or are they different again.
They certainly sound like they have their issues. Your "dime a dozen" Falcon sounds like a very reliable option?

It appears that there were about 900 Mk6bs, so maybe a sump somewhere? I bet some of those Lagonda guys have gone past some of the oddball bits you're searching for.

[Ben]

I spoke with a Lagonda restorer at the weekend.

The basic engine is the same in the light tank as the cars. The sump and ancillaries etc are different between versions but the basic castings are common. If you could find a car engine he suggested you’d have the vast majority of the what you needed....... he said the main issue would be finding an unwanted engine (or parts) and being prepared to compete in a very expensive classic car market.

His suggestion was to use another engine type to get the tank moving and build the Meadows slowly as affordable parts became available. He did apologise saying it’s not the best news but without a blank cheque book they can be an awkward engine to restore if the general parts condition is poor........ certainly possible but prepare to be patient.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Ben

I spoke with a Lagonda restorer at the weekend.

The basic engine is the same in the light tank as the cars. The sump and ancillaries etc are different between versions but the basic castings are common. If you could find a car engine he suggested you’d have the vast majority of the what you needed....... he said the main issue would be finding an unwanted engine (or parts) and being prepared to compete in a very expensive classic car market.

His suggestion was to use another engine type to get the tank moving and build the Meadows slowly as affordable parts became available. He did apologise saying it’s not the best news but without a blank cheque book they can be an awkward engine to restore if the general parts condition is poor........ certainly possible but prepare to be patient.

There is a story of an American speedboat builder buying up a UK MOD stash of rebuilt Centurion tank engines. They were ordered for Centurion (something specials) before the Gulf War, when it looked like the old supplies wouldn't last long enough to keep the old girls in the fight. But the war ended quickly, and the contract was not cancelled. Then the Centurion funnies were sold off. Consequently, several dozen zero time engines sat in stores getting old without a service need. Skip ahead, and the fellow got word of a supply of engines which he could repurpose to propel one-of-a-kind speedboats at high speeds for the genteel classes of wooden boat owners. Now if a tank owner wants a replacement engine, he's competing with the "Woodier Than Thou" types.

[Grant Bowker]

Like others, I'm impressed by your standard of work and willingness to take on a challenge.
There's one thing about the sump that puzzles me. If the ribs are mainly for stiffening, my question is probably irrelevant but if they also act as cooling fins, wouldn't a continuous weld of rib to bottom plate help heat transfer?

[David Herbert]

Grant,
If the fins were continuous welded they would certainly radiate rather more heat but not as much more as you might expect, probably less than 50% extra. I did some experiments with this when designing a lamp housing many years ago. The down side would be that all that extra welding would cause quite bad distortion that would be very hard to sort out.

Colin,
Beautiful job once again !!!

David

[James P]

Sweet mother of god you take on and do some amazing work. Without a doubt this is right up there with the top five restorations posted here. Thanks for the lavish spread of pics showing the work and progress.