Re: Whistling Billy Replica
Posted by: (---.range86-152.btcentralplus.com)
Date: September 5, 2013 04:14AM
5.9. 2013
We have returned from a successful and very enjoyable tour based at Frensham Ponds Hotel in Surrey. My 1908 White Lucy steamed well and within three days I had decent control of the steam temperature and pressure. I had intermittent howling at first and this was a large part of my problem. The main jet was too large. I had ordered new drills for the three 0.054 inch holes. Unfortunately and foolishly, I had cleaned out all my jets to this size. My brother had problems with his 1910 White on the third day and I borrowed his main jet which I made a couple of years ago. This did not howl and the car steamed much better, especially with the fuel tank pressure nearer 55psi than 50psi. When back home I checked the new drills for size. They measured 0.05425nch on my electronic micrometer and the old broken cleaning drill was 0.0524inch so I had enlarged the three holes rather than cleaning them. His is very critical on a White. I will now have to make a new little batch of nozzles!
I have started stripping down Whistling Billy's engine H4. Oh dear!
The low pressure cylinder is cracked from top to bottom in one place. This was an extension of a cack detected and welded when they were relined. It probably again results from the 1908 accident that the engine was damaged in. I will see if this is repairable perhaps with a strengthening band around the cylinder centre. If not, I do have a spare one on my spare engine H 383 but I would like to build up that engine too. I also have a spare earlier two slide valve block but that is not suitable for Billy running at high pressure. If anyone out there knows of a 1907 (No H ??) or 1908 (No L??) White 20hp engine or block, I would be very interested in it!
The crank-shaft has also rotated 90 degrees on the front taper shearing the 3/8 inch pin. The main bearings so far seem to be reasonable and if anything improving with use! However, I have yet to take them all off but hope to do so today. I also found one of he nuts had come off the water pump eccentric. I had refitted it as it was done by an engineering friend the wrong way using Locktight. The nut had caught the sump and put a crack in it. Thesewill in future all be pinned as Whites did them!
My brother John has been down here for a couple of days using my ramps while we worked on his 1910 Model "00" White's steam generator. It had collapsed down onto the burner as the lower coils had not been made and fitted correctly by the previous owner. This is not an easy job that must be right as four ends of the lower coil which is a crossed one rather than a true coil sit on the base casing casting. We welded small plates in so that the present coil will sit on them and no longer fall on the burner. Eventually we will remake the bottom coil correctly but that will need the whole generator removing, a job for the winter.
We were then also able to properly fit the vaporizer which is a casting on the Whites where the fuel passes six times over the pilot light.
While we had it out, we also cleaned the main burner slots. This burner is a modified one with a flat top which was laser cut. It is much cheaper to make than the original White one with its concentric slotted humps and seems to work quite well but perhaps not quite as well as the original. It will be interesting to see how good it is now having cleaned all the slots with a 0.025inch slitting saw and got the coil sitting correctly. I think that these slots could have been made larger, perhaps cut to 0.032inch without it blowing back. This should give much more sustained fire. It is the first time that we have had this car on my ramps to sort the steam generator and burner since John purchased it.
Bob
Edited 2 times. Last edit at 09/07/13 04:05AM by steamcarbob.
Attachments:
H4 Cracked block small.jpg (131kB)