Liberty V12 Engine & Austin J40 Update!

[@franmanley1635]

We're all happy about the aero engine build....probably guarantees us another 5 to 10 yrs of future videos ❤❤❤

[@rainerkunz791]

You are very optimistic 😂❤🙏🙈😁

[@Hazzy238]

@@rainerkunz791 The road of restoration is littered with the wrecks of unfinished dreams. I suppose it's more about the journey along that road, rather than the destination.

[@nilo70]

Ha Haha !😂

[@ianwood-ellis5183]

Hi Dom if you don't get the pedal car done in time for Goodwood Revival, you can always take it along as a restoration in progress and display it in the Revive and Thrive area or somewhere on the site, keep up the good work

[@DominicChineas]

Yes I may bring it to the revive and thrive workshop good idea

[@simes205]

@@DominicChineasand that engine 😂in the GRRC area!

[@jamiefairchild4029]

Hi Dom. In case you need this for welding/laser welding, the camshaft covers are made with 'aluminum alloy no 1' - aluminium + 7-8.5% copper, max 1.7% impurities.

[@DominicChineas]

I’m not surprised that you have that information!! Thanks again for the support

[@jamiefairchild4029]

@@DominicChineas Yea, nerdy or what ! Just checked and the crankcase halves are the same 'aluminium alloy no 1' but the intake manifolds (for the original carb arrangement) are from 'aluminium alloy no 2' which is ali + 9.25-10.75% copper i.e. significantly higher. Alloy no 1 suitable for stressed parts and those not suited to die casting whilst no2 alloy 'can be sand or die cast and for parts subject to high temps such as bearing surfaces, pistons etc'

[@rosschamberlain1823]

I didn't realise just how well made those Austin pedal cars were. Amazing! Regarding the Liberty V-12, I'm not sure if you're going to flip the cylinders back to their original configuration, but in any case, I recommend it. Hopefully the steel cooling jackets aren't too thin from corrosion. They are replaceable as I recall. The car will look great with long branching exhaust headers coming out the sides of the cowls. If you're not already familiar with them, TVAL down in New Zealand does amazing work restoring and new manufacturing of aero engines from the WWI era.

[@CYMRUAMBETH]

Thanks for the programmes and presentation videos. Best wishes for all your efforts and projects.

[@DominicChineas]

So nice of you thank you!

[@johnwest219]

Like a kid in a sweetie shop. Thanks for sharing

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks for watching!

[@jimvuy]

Great to see the Tracey Tools info sheet on the wall. A fantastic knowledgeable and helpful company in Torquay

[@DominicChineas]

They are a brilliant company! So helpful

[@garrymatthews4430]

I have to say considering this was a toy it is better made than some modern cars, great one Dom. Your engine is gong to be a great project fingers crossed you can get all the parts you need

[@sdkfz250b]

This Liberty V12 Edwardian project car is fantastic..... definitely one of the best projects I've seen on KZbin 😃

[@GrahamWP58]

Pressure is on Dom both with the engine and the J40. Great Sunday afternoon viewing again.

[@johnhughes8563]

Your enthusiasm for your project is amazing .

[@oldschool1993]

The development of the Liberty engine is one of the most fascinating stories you can read. From conception to running prototype in a matter of weeks and putting together parts from a number of manufacturers with absolute precision in the days of drafting boards and manual machines.

[@thebracketfactory]

Hi Dom, you probably already know this but the engine can be run on one distributor, which probably explains why the cap doesn't fit on one side (ie, it wasn't used). I'm just doing a vid myself on a V12 engine with very similar ignition system and I'll explain exactly how it all works (if you don't already know!)

[@allanrichards3752]

Those Austin pedal cars are quite high end with those roller bearings etc. As a kid in the early 60's I had a Zephyr pedal car and I remember my dad having to repair it quite often because (if I remember correctly) all the axles and the pedal shafts just ran on the tinwork so the wear rate was pretty high

[@bruceyoung1343]

That 12 cylinder engine once started will be a beast

[@traviscurlutu7723]

The Porsche brought me to your channel, everything else you do keeps me here! Keep up the good work! The Liberty engine reminds me of locomotive diesel engines here in the USA. They also are of a modular design. I'm a locomotive driver here in America.

[@CornishMiner]

Love these videos on a Sunday. The projects are exciting. The editing is superb.

[@PhilNyquist]

The sides of the pedal car do look bloody good. Nice work. Another nice video. Thanks

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks 👍

[@anthonynash2899]

Well done Dom on the progress, 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏🤠

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks 👍

[@MichaelCuthbertson-xv6ig]

Love your channel Dom. Remember the Austin pedal cars when I was a kid, now 71. Look forward to you getting the Liberty running. Regards Michael, Hobart Tasmania.

[@glennsobey9807]

regarding the cracked aluminum repair, from my experience restoring early tractors and trucks early castings repair quite well. the aluminium is very pure with little additional additives. die grind out any corrosion and it will tig weld very well. a fantastic project !!

[@anthonygrodecki7968]

Engine isn’t in that bad condition give it’s age let’s see how the inside looks this may be a different story. But a well documented engine should be able to find all needed data. Looking forward to seeing progress 😀

[@glynharper1066]

Its great to see some more work on the pedal car, a friend of mine is doing the same restoration.

[@DominicChineas]

I hope your friends is in better shape than mine!

[@glynharper1066]

@@DominicChineas it was almost all there, he has a sand blasting business so gave it a light touch to see what would survive, not quite as bad as yours but its going to need a few repairs, both parts of the seat and the rear valence.

[@kentmckean6795]

Congratulations on 100K subscribers!

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you!

[@andrewmcpoland9040]

Fantastic result with the pedal car side panel. Keep plugging away. 👏

[@103erik]

Great update. Really enjoyed it. Hope you're able to finish the pedal car soon so you can return to the Porsche. Thanks!

[@gregculverwell]

Yes twin plugs are not just for reliability. You want combustion to be completed as near as possible to TDC for power and efficiency. Alfa Romeo started using twin plugs in the 60s - 1st in competition cars and later in road cars.

[@nathangoshawk]

So glad I 'found' this (thanks YT). Those old aero engines are always technologically interesting but the conjunction of Liberty V12 and Austin J40 in the title was a bit worrying.

[@chrischallis4240]

All those pedal car parts coming apart - that’s ok Dom, you can see what you are working with - one repair and recon at a time. We’re all behind you ...!

[@tipetu]

4:50 Jay Leno`s garage is working on a similar engine design currently. I think they have been at it for at least 5 years? A metal fab guy is reproducing the water jackets with brass because the old ones were rusted out, There is info on their project on the restoration blog update videos.

[@motorv8N]

Looks like loads of fun - both the aero motor and the pedal car!

[@terrytopliss9506]

Good progress on the pedal car Dom,well done. I know the progress on the aero engine will take much longer but it should make good video’s. Thanks for the video.👍👍

[@rastas1647]

Hi mate, there's a video on KZbin about the motor you have, The name of it is, Birth of American muscle: the story of Liberty V-12 of WW1 . Love your videos, and looking forward to hearing that motor fire up for the first time in decades! Cheers, John McDonald.

[@lydwood]

Fascinating engine. In the event of having to get inlet manifolds cast it might be worth considering the lost foam technique. There’s a channel on here under the name of Kelly coffield where he does just that and explains the process very well, the results are impressive. Look forward to seeing this project progress!

[@davidasmithreverseglassgil9868]

Looking forward to seeing this at the Goodwood Revival Dom. Brilliant Job.

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks Dave!

[@AlanEvans-m7f]

Well in Dom, can't wait for the next instalment

[@markbonham]

Great stuff and look forward to both the J40 & the “Rocket”. More please 👍👏

[@mikenelson6630]

Now THAT makes a statement - a quick shot of a shelf holding a "crap ton" of WD-40 cans. And so appropriate I would say, ha ha ha!

[@ianrobertwhinnett158]

We are 1 hour before you here in Norway so I watch the episodes early(4-7) monday mornings a fantastic start for the week thankyou. Hope you take a "time out" often!😊

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Love this aero engine! I fly 80’s aircraft and many things are still the same! Keep the vids coming please. Hope to see the pedal car at Goodwood 👍

[@SteveMikre44]

Greatly enjoyed this episode and look forward to the next Austin pedal car restoration installment...

[@olsonspeed]

A Gar Wood Liberty engine is a rare piece of boat racing history.

[@DominicChineas]

It’s amazing isn’t it!

[@johnthresher259]

It's amazing to think (my first car was a Ford 105E Anglia) that ignition and carbs hadn't changed very much into the 1960's.

[@whisky1975]

Just found your channel. Absolutely hooked. Love it

[@DominicChineas]

Welcome aboard!thank you

[@danielthompson3849]

Just subscribed. Found the aero engine car build After watching the second part of the sunbeam land speed car restoration. And this came up in the For once the algorithm working in a positive way

[@DominicChineas]

That’s great to hear! Thanks so much for subscribing

[@threeriversforge1997]

That's how you use every last inch of a ladder! Great to see the projects coming along. That engine is a real beast and I can't wait to see it running.

[@DominicChineas]

Safety first! Haha

[@Garg3984]

There’s always one

[@tryingagain14]

True. There's a reason you shouldn't stand on the top step.​@@DominicChineas

[@MikeSmith-sg9pt]

If there is one thing I've learnt from watching you on tv and your channel, it is if something metal is stuck, heat it up and wiggle it again... I live for the day I actually need to apply it to something 😂

[@DominicChineas]

Works every time!! Haha

[@johngibson3837]

​@@DominicChineasnearly every time mate

[@EllDub]

Yeah, run the twin spark.. they will loose RPM (hp) when ones switched off, as you say the combustion chamber is so large it really does like having two flame fronts

[@jimamizzi1]

Lucky you’re a good fabricator because that’s what it takes to do this restoration.

[@peterlewis7397]

Dom, SAFETY FIRST! You accessing the pedal car parts by standing on top of a step ladder! A very big no no. As a site safety officer I would have asked for your method statement/risk assessment for working at heights and yellow carded you. You naughty boy!!

[@DominicChineas]

Haha I’ll take the yellow card, sorry!

[@oldmantwofour5561]

@@peterlewis7397 In the U.S. someone would have yelled, "Dom! Be careful! Don't fall off the ladder!" and that's pretty much it. I didn't even notice until I read all the comments putting up a fuss over it. 😄

[@samcrick2717]

With that pedal car you should get the bearings made into some damascus, and use it for like the center of the steering wheel or just a little bit of something that will be on show.

[@campingstoveman]

As you are I'm sure aware open valves and springs etc were a common thing on all internal combustion engines of the earlier period of engine manufacture, particularly farm engines, these engines ran for days on end with no regular maintenance, only when they broke. I rally these type of engine and give my valve stems a drop of oil every morning and no more until the next day so I feel that your engine would have no issues

[@raydriver7300]

Great content as ever. Thank you for sharing Dom 🌞

[@DaveAMcLaughlin]

Great video, Dom! Great to see the updates! 👍

[@garyp8471]

You don't know what your doing next week, i do, you told us your going to Scotland filming. 4 weeks, fingers crossed, either way can't wait to see it. All the best.

[@gregarrell6132]

Looking good on both the aero engine and the pedal car Dom.

[@MrSoppysod]

I remember when thse little cars were on a fairground roundabout. Wouldn't have had the pedals etc, but most of it was there. bet there are still some knocking around today.

[@robertsieger9816]

It appears that you're a bit too big to comfortably operate the pedal car. Have you ever considered scaling up and building one from scratch? Could be a fun project. Keep producing your videos, please. They're very enjoyable.

[@michaeldagger4374]

Hi dom, take a look at the beginning of chitty chitty bang bang, reckon you’ll like that mate, bit of inspiration

[@simoncutts8570]

Repair shop on the road? Have I missed something? Looking forward to the aero engine rebuild. Only the genius Millyard and his Norton rebuild to watch currently. Great show as always. Thank you.

[@DominicChineas]

You haven’t missed it, it’s a new series we are filming! Traveling around the country meeting craftspeople

[@simoncutts8570]

@@DominicChineas excellent. Thank you. I'll be watching that.

[@colinkey7094]

@@DominicChineas I have a feeling that "Repair Shop on the Road" will be a huge flop, as was "The Travelling Auctioneer" in which Will Kirk participated (it was cringworthy bad). Part of the success of The Repair Shop is the setting (the barn and the Wealden location). Why does the BBC, Ricochet, Warner have to change what is still the best programme on British television?

[@andybtec]

I've tig welded old aluminium castings in the past and they very often weld better than modern ones

[@paulwhite7475]

You must put the exhausts back on the outside and the carbs in the middle

[@dR0Og]

Twin spark ignition is quite common in vehicle engines as well as in aviation to get a cleaner more efficient burn. I have an Alfa Romeo 916 Spider that has a 2,0 litre TwinSpark engine with 2 spark plugs per cylinder.

[@Paul-FrancisB]

yep not uncommon even Royal Enfield 350's did it as well as BMW on some older motorbikes

[@jaws6869]

It also halves the distance the flame has to travel across the cylinder.

[@mikehipperson]

It's not just to help combustion, it's a safety feature. The distributors are normally on separate circuits and have individual power supplies so that, before take off, the pilot will do a 'mag check' by toggling the power switches on and off to ensure that the sparks are operating properly.

[@neilmeansneil]

The Aero car will be a great retirement project!

[@theodorgiosan2570]

The statement about the two spark plugs is true. Even on a small airplane engine if you turn off one magneto there is a noticeable drop in RPM. On an engine this large it would be even more noticeable. Even on an engine with single spark plugs the type of plug can affect idle RPM. On my Subaru EA71S factory race engine, marine style surface gap spark plugs result in +250 rpm at idle over a standard plug. The EA71S has such high compression with such a primitive combustion chamber design that anything other than the absolute coldest standard plug, or a surface gap plug, will result in detonation.

[@DominicChineas]

Thanks for confirming that!

[@huwprice881]

Just watching a Goodwood video on 'Babs', the record holding car. I hadn't realised it too had a V12 Liberty aero engine! I wonder if your special will do 180mph?!

[@DominicChineas]

Yes Babs has the same engine! I don’t think mine will go that fast! I’m not brave enough

[@RodRosenberg]

I knew it was big I recently saw one on Seattle 2 a biplane Its huge for a car!!

[@likeakite]

Beast of an engine !

[@colinpyke4199]

A guy called Roger Sweet built a liberty engined Edwardian recer using a American LaFrance chassis and drive 25+years ago

[@simon-oy6um]

As a kid i used to dream of having one of those J40's but could never afford one 😊

[@MADKIWI]

Dominic, here from NZ. The dizzy cap for the boat engine is a different size. So wondering if the points part is made from a later engine? The dizzy cap you got looks a way bit bigger so maybe a Mack, Diamond T, Chev, Dodge, etc, etc may fit. Might be just a case of taking it off the cam and heading to Beaulie or any VCC to have a look though their parts, m8...😊

[@andydelapoer]

Go on Dom!!,time for some 356 content

[@stephengibbs4372]

I wonder if used in a boat they ran it on 1 distributor and used avgas or methanol to increase the bang so didn’t worry about the 2nd cap being in the way and removed it.

[@williammiddleton2145]

Hey Dom - Awesome that it's from 1917! The distributors will be diffrent in a marine application. Did you recieve the email I sent last week? I've got a few folks in the vintage boat V12 world I'd happily introduce you to in order to get the parts you need. They're don't do youtube or technology really as they're older. I've got a couple of folks looking through their pre-war racing parts stashes for distributor parts for you, I'll add in a set of zeniths as well :) Is the transmission from the same boat that the engine came out of? If so it will likely be single speed and might not even have reverse.

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you! If any of your friends find anything please do let me know! Yes I think I did get your emailC but I have been traveling a lot with filming sorry for not getting back to you

[@harviemorrow2938]

Hi Dom. Greetings from NZ. I really enjoy your channel. I've just watched a brilliant video on the history of the Liberty V12 from concept to retirement. It's on Brian Lohnes YT channel. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. When I was at primary school, back in the early '60's, we had a visit from a Traffic Officer and his trailer of some 6 pedal cars. He laid out a road layout on our tarmac tennis courts, complete with pedestrian crossings, give way and stop signs and various intersection types, We were being taught the road rules. Do you know how I can see if they were the Austin J40's? my search through the archive channel here hasn't popped anything up. The J40's look familiar.

[@KnightlyTruth]

Mate reach out to vintage v12’s in Reno, NV they might be able to help you. They specialize in vintage aero engines.

[@AlexGrA]

Could help you out by CNCing a cam cover for you. Once glass bead blasted it should blend right in.

[@DominicChineas]

That’s very kind of you thank you, keep in touch!

[@Herbybandit]

Three words you never say half way through a project, "It's Too Easy"! You know you've now jinxed yourself 😂

[@nicholasgoldstonegh6052]

Evening Dom..... Excellent Content 👍 😎👍 I've emailed yourself as I've got contacts at a few Museums that may be able to help with Liberty V12 spares, Duxford, Kensington and Kraków in Poland..... The Austin looks A1.... English Wheeeling also GR8....... TTFN..... Nick

[@ICBMPIRATE2]

Jay Leno’s team did a similar rebuild some time back

[@keeefb1805]

FR-90 to supplement WD-40 for those 'difficult' threads 👍

[@michaelbenn4741]

Those things on the ends of the camshafts aren't distributors, they're just where the points and condensers are. The outputs from the points would go to coils, the high voltage output of each would then go through a distributor driven at an appropriate rate off some gears off the crankshaft, or maybe a camshaft, where the outputs of each distributor would then go seperately to each of the two spark plugs per cylinder. Or am I missing something? Very interesting though :-)

[@DominicChineas]

I think you might be missing something yes, they are definitely distributors!

[@Beeytress]

Imagine a wooden boat with a jet engine! Thunderbird on Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, NV. Fly into Reno, NV to visit this amazing yacht.

[@Garg3984]

Fabulous channel

[@DominicChineas]

Thank you I appreciate that

[@mkllove]

Dom, While you have the car pulled apart in partial segments, will you digitally scan it like you were doing for the Porsche ? Getting these shapes would conceivably allow you to make a buck for the larger more sculptured portions to be formed by different methods... or if AP wants to fund a couple of proper dies being made ?

[@ericware6988]

Hi Dom with your aero engine will you be looking at rust removal using laser rust removal as this seems to be effective but not aggressive on components and i would be interested on your opinion of the results.

[@stanstanyer9884]

I admire your patience, Dom; I'd have been reaching for a hammer before trying to expand that pipe with heat 😂

[@davidcoombe1811]

spray with penetrated oil now so when you need to your part way

[@rjbrewer09]

yeah another video😊 thank you for sharing your content.

[@jasonlovatt7014]

another great vid dom

[@DominicChineas]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@judithbarnett2966]

Dom can fix it, yes he can! 💪 (but by Revival might be pushing it) I so want the grandkids to see that pedal car race though 😂

[@Joe1967Strummer]

All I can say is Brilliant

[@paulcharlesworth319]

If you look online at Liberty V12 engines, you won't find any[well I didn't] with those pipes interfering with the distributor caps. Maybe they don't belong in the first place or will they swop over and be turned to face upwards, that's if the bolts line up ????

[@DominicChineas]

They definitely belong, just I think they might be the wrong way round

[@johngibson3837]

Hey up mate was excited to see another video on the engine but disappointed it was only a bit, sorry about that and i know it's not going to happen quickly 100 year old part's, looking forward to more

[@DominicChineas]

Apologies but yes you are correct it’s not going to happen quickly and progress is tricky as I am in a busy bit of filming, for tv, a few weeks and I will have lots more time!

[@johngibson3837]

@@DominicChineas hey mate no need for apologies I watched lots of ranala stuff then didn't see your channel for a while then aero car came up recently, so was excited for this new one, didn't know you did telly

[@greywater3186]

@@johngibson3837He’s on The Repair Shop. They have a KZbin which posts a few “new” episodes each week. I say new as they are episodes that have aired before but are new to those of us who haven’t seen them or don’t have access to them.

[@Mercmad]

I am wondering if Gar Wood used 1933 Auburn V12 Distributors? If he did those would be easier to get parts for thanks to the value of a Auburn V12 car and that American LaFrance redeveloped the engine in bigger form for their fire engines.

[@thebracketfactory]

A good question, but afraid not. (I have a V12 ALF engine)

[@barryhopkins4765]

Dom can the exhaust be flip from where it is now and be turned 180° to the other end of the engine? If so this would solve the problem with the distributors.

[@georgeclements2742]

I see that rob edmunds has already suggested Lumiweld. If you haven't used it before, it only needs modest heat from a butane torch, is much less aggressive than welding and it solidifies harder than the aluminium. I also bought some rods in America when I was on holiday in 1994 which I think are the same thing. The main thing to be careful of is avoiding oxidisation and contamination when you are making the repair: to do this, you have to scratch at the joint with a stainless steel wire brush or scraper of some sort while the Lumiweld is still liquid. I'm enjoying the progress on the J40 and look forward to the next stages. Best wishes.

[@burntorangeak]

Health and safety would like to have a word about ladder practices....

[@greywater3186]

Right? I broke my leg in two places falling off the top step of a stepladder. Can’t imagine if I was on a regular ladder. It’s all fun and games until it’s not.

[@richardtaylor7199]

Great job.

[@terryjacob8169]

In 1928, J.M.White, a successful wire manufacturer from Philadelphia, built his White-Triplex land speed record car powered with three Liberty V-12 aero-engines crammed into a crude chassis with virtually no suspension. It nearly killed first driver Ray Keech when he first drove it, but he managed to set a LSR of 207mph once it was repaired and he once again drove. Henry Seagrave then broke Keech's record. After that Keech refused to drive the White-Triplex again. White hunted around for a driver and ultimately settled on Lee Bible, who was already working as a mechanic on the White-Triplex and was a small-time dirt-track racer. By this time Seagrave had pushed the record to 231mph and bad weather had set in. After a couple of preliminary runs that had got Bible and the White-Triplex to 200mph, Bible decided to go for a record attempt. In the measured mile the car hit soft sand and went into a series of somersaults. Bible died instantly when thrown from the car and RKO Pathe Newsreel cameraman, Charles Traub, was also killed by the vaulting wreck, filming just away thirty yards from the end of the measured mile.