1927 Roadster

[offroadrolls]

Thanks Bob, Here's a link to the running engine I'll be using.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/760668513

 

[Old Iron]

Love the sound!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lowbudget50]

Very cool project!!

Engine sounds good!!

 

[offroadrolls]

Took a trip up to the container today and had some time to push the roadster out and see what an old Bentley grill shell would look like on it. Leaning against the wall next to the 32 shell I did not think it would look good. It was too wide to fit where the 32 shell was mounted but I dropped it in between the rails where it would. I was surprised that it looked as good as it did. See what you think.

 

[MercuryMac]

Yes, that grille looks right at home in its proper habitat.
Keep on tinkering.

 

[BillM]

I like the look of it in there. It'll sure throw a lot of people off.

 

[smallfoot]

It looks good! Does it create any motor fitment problems?

 

[lowbudget50]

Looks very proper!!

 

[bob w]

Yes, use it.

 

[offroadrolls]

It looks good! Does it create any motor fitment problems?

At the very least it'll need to be above the axle where the 32 grill shell is mounted for the motor to fit. In order to do that, some of the sheet metal shell will need to be trimmed. But, it is substantially taller so chances are, it'll end up in front of the axle dropped down between the frame rails.

Yes, use it.

Thanks Bob, judging from the response above, it don't look half bad which is kinda what I thought.

 

[offroadrolls]

I'm currently working to extract the engine from the 61 RR Silver Cloud with hand tools up at the warehouse in Craig. My real tools are 41 miles to the east in Steamboat. Good news is, there's a Harbor Freight near by. The plan is to put both the engine and the 27 on a trailer and haul it back to my real shop so the real fun can begin

 

[05snopro440]

Cool! Nice to see some progress [P

 

[offroadrolls]

Cool! Nice to see some progress [P

Thanks Snopro, I put another 3 or 4 hours in today extracting the engine.
Here's some pics I took along the way:
I brought a BBC exhaust manifold along to compare the spacing of the ports with the RR. My plan is to buy a set of headers for a BBC in a roadster and then cut the mounting flange off the pipes. Then I'll make flanges and weld the pipes to them. I think this'll be easier than a set of weld up headers because I won't have to mess with welding the collector. I guess I'll just need to decide between zoomies, lakes or something else.

Here's a picture of the end of the speedo cable. It amazes me the amount of material and that it's brass and was hand turned on a lathe.

Here the best shot I could get of the mechanical power brake servo and it's actuator linkage going to the master cylinders. These things are so cool! Invented in 1919 by Marc Birkigt, RR used them into the late 60's. "The servo is very similar to a clutch, and driven off the side of the transmission. Pressing on the brake pedal brings the other face of the servo disc in contact with the driven face, essentially like slipping a clutch. That generates a variable degree of force, which here is transmitted to the master cylinder." Unfortunately, I doubt I'll be able to use this on the 27 roadster because of limited space.

This is the linkage that hooks the go pedal to the transmission. I snapped it because it's so figgen complicated. I've heard that getting a 4 speed hydromatic to shift correctly can be a tedious task. Between the amount of intricate linkages and over sized fasteners on this car I honestly believe you could melt it all down and have enough to build a Toyota Corolla!

Dual Points!! Vroom Vroom

Coil tensioning devise. Somebody's rolling in their grave.

Tomorrow I should be able to lift the engine out of the car.

 

[05snopro440]

Haha wow, that Rolls has some unique engineering!

 

[Old Iron]

It's wild how close the exhaust ports are to the BBC

 

[zzrodder]

It's pretty wild that Rolls used the old GM 4spd Hyrdo. Once the trick setup in the late 50's - early 60's before better auto trannys came on the scene. B&M used to hop them up. They use a throttle valve to control pressure much like newer GM trannys, you have to coordinate its travel with the carb linkage like a GM TV cable. Ahh, typical English complicated gizmoness, like accessories are an after thought, one thing added to another. Love to see all the stuff cleared off so we can get a better look at this cool engine...[cl[cl

 

[offroadrolls]

Thanks for the input ZZ. I'm fascinated by this tranny and too cool about how the hot rodders of the past used to hop them up for drag racing.
I finished pulling the Engine and tranny out today here's some pics, starting with the tag on the tranny. It says Houdaille on it. Isn't he the guy that invented the hydraulic recoil dampening devise for machine guns during WW1, and then later went on to make the hydraulic rotary shock absorber for cars? Sorry, I digress.

Dip stick to be accessed from inside the car

Here's the mechanical power brake servo I talked about yesterday

I'm assuming these are the band adjusters. Bet those are fun during a routing service.

Time warp... Yankin er' out

The rest of the way. Funny how yesterday I was extracting all prim and proper and now after 3 days of being up to my elbows in black nasty oil while rollin around on the floor, I'm yankin!

There she sits! Being a 6.2 liter Rolls Engine is anyone surprised at how well it's balanced?

 

[zzrodder]

Cool! Interesting that the side cover on the trans is cast aluminum instead of tin like GM ones. Is the tranny case also aluminum? To my knowledge US ones were all cast iron, recall changing one on the 56 Olds engine in my 55 chev pickup, a brutal job for an 18 year old with a bottle jack and wood blocks in a dirt back yard.... good times....

 

[offroadrolls]

Cool! Interesting that the side cover on the trans is cast aluminum instead of tin like GM ones. Is the tranny case also aluminum? To my knowledge US ones were all cast iron, recall changing one on the 56 Olds engine in my 55 chev pickup, a brutal job for an 18 year old with a bottle jack and wood blocks in a dirt back yard.... good times....

Yes the whole thing is aluminum, even the pan. It's a stout unit plus the bell housing bolts on to the tranny. So I'd guess a different bell housing could be used so it could bolt up to different engines?

 

[zzrodder]

Yes the whole thing is aluminum, even the pan. It's a stout unit plus the bell housing bolts on to the tranny. So I'd guess a different bell housing could be used so it could bolt up to different engines?

Yes, they were used on a variety of GM engines starting in 1939 in Oldsmbiles, my 55 Chev pickup had one behind the 235 6 cylinder.