Gipsy Major 4 Cylinder Engine in 1/3 scale

[joerom]

I went down to work on my Bentley BR2, but discovered I need more supplies to continue along..So I thought this may be a good time to start another project, and keep the interest up..I have the casting set for the Gipsy Major in 1/3 scale and have been wanting to give that a go..
So now I start..When I received the castings, I looked them over carefully ands they seemed to be decent castings, except for the oil pan, which seemed a little out of shape..These castings do not have a whole lot of extra metal on them, and I was worried that the oil pan flange may not work out, because it had a twist in it and also the flange on one side had a belly in it going towards the bottom of the pan..I did some filing on it and tried to set it on blocks and get some measurements, and to get it to cut evenly all the way around, one corner would end up thinner than the rest, and there is not a lot of metal to start with..I tried to get the twist out, but was afraid I would do damage to the flange being so thin, so I went ahead and started to machine it..It did end up that the one front corner is thinner than the rest, but would not be a problem, and I believe when I do the finishing of the pan to match up to the block in width, it will be OK as it is a little wider than the block...
Next I went on to the block, and that one was great, being able to finish the flange with very little metal removal..Again, I must mention that there is not a lot of excess material there..I will be able to finish it to the specs on the drawings, which are metric by the way,which means I have to convert everything having all imperial tools...………
This engine was an original design by Reinhold Krieger of Germany, and I have included a picture of his engine to show what it looks like and also to show his incredible work..The first time I saw this engine I knew it would be a project that I had to do...I found out that Engineers Emporium in the UK now has the castings, and I ordered them...…

 

[stevehuckss396]

Another huge project!

 

[joerom]

Proof that I have no brains...…………..

 

[ZAPJACK]

Hi Joerom, I'm also busy with this project.
Regards
LeZap

 

[joerom]

Hello,
Very nice work..I just ordered some metal for mine..Did you have a problem with your oil pan..One corner of mine was thinner and there was a belly and warp in it...I am not that far ahead because I am working on the BR2 also, and my ambition level has dropped some.....

 

[ZAPJACK]

Hi,
No casting problems. I buy it directly by Reinhold in Germany. It was the last kit (only 10 made!!!)
But, I'm busy with the Lanz HP. After this, I will back on the Gipsy.
The BR2 is also in my desk....
From april, I will have much more free-time, and of course more time for my hobby
regards
LeZap

 

[joerom]

Hello,
Thanks for the info..When you have time, could you post a picture of your block and oil pan..I would just like to see if any difference...Mine seems to be a very coarse sand casting....

 

[ZAPJACK]

Of course

 

[joerom]

Hello,
Thank you for that..From what I am seeing, your castings look a lot better than mine..
Joe

 

[MrMetric]

Nice engine, Jack.... I was about to say, "I spy a Deckel" but then I saw the drive rod on the front/left of the base and the control handle on the right. I'm guessing an Alexander? Not very familiar with those but...

Anyhow, nice job. I've been looking at this engine but I need to get some other engines under my belt first. Part of me is wondering if I should buy it now and sit on it though. I worry that it may become unobtainium before I otherwise got around to buying the castings. But it is an awful lot of money to have sitting there gathering dust. And, let's face it, we all have competing thing for our funds. I have a bunch right now, not the least of which, replacing my SIC/MEB mags. Sigh. I think I should wait and hope the emporium still has the set later.

 

[joerom]

I bought them figuring sooner or later they would disappear, like most neat casting sets do..Many of the castings I once had and now would like to replace, are just a memory...
Joe

 

[MrMetric]

Yeah... My first task is to replace my lost SIC and MIB (fire). I recall there being a Gipsy in that which was from stock, or maybe it was this one that obviously does have castings. Sigh... Anyhow, my first order of business is to figure out the magazine stuff because they could become unavailable too at some point. After I recover from that, I can think about some casting stuff. The Gipsy is a tough because it really is a huge amount a capital... But it sure is cool.

 

[ZAPJACK]

Nice engine, Jack.... I was about to say, "I spy a Deckel" but then I saw the drive rod on the front/left of the base and the control handle on the right. I'm guessing an Alexander?

Milling machine is a Schaublin "13" and lathe also Schaublin 102N-VM
Regards
LeZap

 

[MrMetric]

LeZap,
Ah, yes... That makes sense. I'm fairly familiar with the 13. It is a very nice mill indeed. I'm a Deckel person (several FP1 examples over the years, and now an FP2), but that is simply because I started with that line and never really got into the Schaublin series. Deckels are hard enough to get in the States, and Schaublin is even more so. Nice machines though, and I love to see the usage of the vertical table in its native form.

 

[ZAPJACK]

Congratulation MrMetric for your FP2. It was a dream for me and much above the "13"
But a complete FP2 with several accessories cost m/l 10K€ (12K$)
FP2 is over the top !!!
LeZap

 

[joerom]

I was losing ambition on all this stuff, and going in the basement just did not happen..I had then decided to sell this and some other castings..Suddenly, I found new ambition to get busy on engines again, and stopped selling anything, including this..I have just ordered some metal to continue along on this..I am also now working on a Morton M5 that needed some repair..A lot of my projects are long ones, and I figure if I keep moving around from one to another, they will not become boring.....