Merlin V12 part 1 start up

[@flyingscrapyard]

Well I'm the bloke who took the video and I'm an Aussie. The gent who runs the engine also owns it and built it out of two wrecks is also an Aussie (and an extremely talented self taught man). One of the other gents is or was from Africa (whether from SA or Zimbabwe or somewhere else, I don't know). All present were having fun and appreciating the people who created the engine and the man who restored it. Isn't this what blokes in sheds are all about?

[@RobertL78]

Wow, I wasn't expecting it to go from slow cranking to EVERY cylinder firing at once. I was expecting the usual few cylinders to fire and it slowly come to life. That was cool.

[@RobClarkeRacing]

Why would you want to skip, awesome video and the reason i keep coming back and watching it time and time again. Thanks

[@SFConifer]

This video gives a very good view of the velocity of cylinder firings. Noticed he had the good sense to wear hearing protection, most of the videos of engine firings show people milling about with no ear plugs.

[@mosquito1958]

Words fail me , this is beyond the coolest gadget any man could have in his back yard / shed !! thanks for sharing the film

[@wharbio]

My god it must have felt re-assuring to have that beautiful engine laboring away in the nose of your spitfire ! ! Congrats mate spot on piece of history.

[@ITCXTC]

Arguably, the most beautiful sounding engine ever.

[@faerieSAALE]

The world lost a wonderful technology when these engines were replaced with the Jet engine. The piston powered Radials, In-lines, and V-Engines of WW2 were true marvels of aviation engineering. The predecessors being developed during the golden age of flying and air racing... There is nothing like having the hair on head stand straight up as a P51 Mustang roars overhead at tree top level. I also love the sound of four radials running at once on a B17...awesome!

[@coal4life]

I miss the days when they ran these engines in the unlimited hydros on lake Washington in Seattle when I was a kid. You could hear them for miles all over town.

[@merritttrucker]

@datsuncomfort & flyingscrapyard i don't know how you two could forget the 2 aircraft that originally made the Merlin famous, the spitfire and the Canadian built Avro Lancaster. when ever i think Merlin i think of the true workhorses of the war.

[@pmcload]

Great video of a great engine....I loved the anticipation as it was being primed. My Dad had one of these engines, but never got around to starting it...or sectioning it for a museum display where you see all of the moving parts as he had planned. After he passed, I tried to donate it to the Confederate Airforce, but they had too many spares already. Ended up selling it to a guy that wanted to build a drag boat around it. I kinda thought he was nuts, but then again, aren't we all? :-)

[@pagano126]

My cousin has one of these in a vintage hydroplane called Aggressor. Such an awesome sounding and impressive to watch running engine. The flames from the exhaust stubs look the business too!

[@ghunt81]

I love the fire shooting out of the header pipes- you can certainly see the firing order that way :)

[@flyingscrapyard]

@sexyspacemonkey Keep in mind the size of the engine. It is not a Honda Accord. I think these would let go long before 7000 rpm. It is not a motorbike engine!

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

3,000 Rpm was what they were run at Max.... hydeo and other run them up to 4,000 RPM !!!

[@Robert111]

I've got a few of those engines in my shed that I got from an old Lancaster air base like 20 years ago. I didn't even know what they were until seeing this video and they look exactly the same. One of 'ems still brand new in the crate - says Merlin or what not on it.

[@RRVCrinale]

Wow...when that starter motor first turned before the engine fired up, did anyone else get goosebumps from anticipation?

[@maggy59]

Great to hear the Mighty Merlin sound once again. Be nice to have it fitted in to a WW11 plane again. Thanks for posting this video for all of us to enjoy

[@JamieKugelmann]

You lucky bastard having this beast in your shed!!! I want one in my shed ;)

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

Stoney Browning The Merlins in the P51 were made by Packard in the USA US made Merlins were also shipped to Canada and England by the boat loads. Packard built 55,000 Merlins.

[@stevies5]

My word, just listen to all those parts coming together. Lovely thanks

[@racingswim2006]

That's gotta be one of the coolest engines to be around when it's running.

[@Caveman4860]

Just a "Thank You", for taking the "Time"! Not just to get this Engine running again, But the "Time YOU Spent" to Film, Process and Up-load this,... JUST To be Able to SHARE IT with Others! I Appreciate, what You've been Able to DO, and Endure the "comments" of those, that only Ridicule Others. You have my gratitude, and Thanks. -Caveman (ASE Master Auto Tech. w/L-1Advanced Cert.)

[@tim2069]

Goosebumps is right. It could have been any old motor start up .....untill it fired . Then it could only have been one thing. Magic. History you can hear.

[@mmichaeldonavon]

That is, without a doubt, the sweetest sounding engine imaginable! N-6395T

[@mgwilliams1000]

AWESOME PowerPlant (yes I'm an old Navy mechanic). At least a young Aviator climbing aboard his aircraft (with this engine) for the first combat sortie of the day, and knowing he had a stellar ground crew, would feel confident he would not only return safely home but he would probably have some great success in the air.

[@cyborlog]

Amazing. As he rolls it over you see the fuel coming out indicating the firing order

[@spinlizard1]

@flyingscrapyard Top reply mate. Said everything that was needed. :o) Loads of respect to the effort and hours you guys must have put in to bring this Merlin back to life..

[@ДенисУсков-д8ш]

RR "Merlin" engine - is beatyful, powerful & one of the best.

[@flyingscrapyard]

@merritttrucker My Dad's Uncle was killed in a Lancaster over France, so I haven't forgotten that the engines were fitted to them. You will also find some Lancasters were fitted with radial engines on the odd occasion. You would have to live under a rock to not know that Spitfires had Merlins. The point I was trying to make is that this mighty engine was fitted to more than just the glamourous fighters - Spitfire & Mustang. What about the Kittyhawk, Hurricane, Mosquito, Manchester etc?

[@BrettWae]

Awesomeness- A word I rarely use, and is only used to describe things in life that are above everything else in a given category... this fits the bill.

[@neilrecords29]

That is one mental engine! Love it!

[@jonoalf1986]

Easily one of the best video's on youtube, love the sound of that motor!

[@IRIQUOIS227]

THIS work of art is what made the P-51D the bullet it was and IS!

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

IRIQUOIS227 WRONG !!!!! This is the 20 series single stage merlin, what was used in the Mustang was the LATER get that LATER 60 series 2 stage supercharged version !!!!

[@andrassy888]

Thank you i enjoyed you starting that engine beautiful piece of engineering.

[@PatrikSt74]

Whoa. That engine sound gives me goosebumps. Awesome. Truly.

[@ThanatosMrk2]

Awesome sound. The only thing thats missing is the accompaniment of the prop slashing through the air.

[@erniegwright]

Nice One , what you have to take into account is that the Merlin, Griffon, Meteor have no flywheel so running one without a prop or clutch pack in the case of the Meteor can be a little tricky , the priming and carefull throttle control are all part of the fun to get it bark into life,

[@mukatuna]

Aero engines normally have short stub manifolds and exhausts. No silencer/muffler at all. I would say that the tuning is optimised for this configuration.

[@JP5isalive]

I know very liitle about airplanes, but I AM british, so I pay heed to the RR Merlin. It looks and sounds awesome. In the vid you can even see the sequence in which each cylinder is firing.

[@r1wantone]

I bet the neighbours love him, sounds great BTW.

[@Elbenito84]

Those dudes must really be enjoying the fumes. Awesome.

[@floundericiousWA]

oh man... tim allen GRUNT for that! what a beautiful engine

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

JudgeDyson This engine appears to be made by Packard Motor Co in USA note the valve cover is not stamped with "Rolls Royce". RR contracted with Packard to build in USA. Packard built 55,000. Ford of ENGLAND also made 33,000 of these engines.

[@yamahonkawazuki]

@flyingscrapyard Well, this one to me shows in great detail. the starting procedure of one of these beauties. i tip my hat to those involved wiht its restoration, repair and RUNNING

[@harveyhandbanana]

the sound of these things never gets old

[@christopherhampson265]

Clip Clop Hahahaha Gawd bless each and everyone of those cylinders for they are the Almighty !!!!!

[@samsuzzza]

Can you imagine the sound of 100 plus Lancasters, each with four Merlins approaching you as you lay in your bed in Berlin 1941? At least they didn’t hit much

[@Robert111]

@bmgm3 Well sorreee sir, I was referring to Lancaster, California. About 20 years ago they had an auction for piles of old military surplus machinery and what not. You bid on the stuff only after cursory inspection. Most of the stuff was machinery tools, some of it British (don't know how/why it got there). Yep, I reckon I got a few of these old engines in my shed right now. I saw two for sure.

[@jonewer]

Seeing the firing sequence is amazing!

[@flyingscrapyard]

Nearest is at least a mile away, but they do come over to have a look on occasions. There is always something interesting or amazing going on.

[@flyingscrapyard]

@ad356 That might be what they ran in service. This one runs on unleaded from the service station. Once again, something that it shouldn't do but does, just like it shouldn't run without at least a dummy prop, but it does that as well.

[@Vegane_Atombombe]

That thing produces just awesome music!

[@Haribo211]

@ilovegoatsecks Yes they had octane ratings back then. These were introduced around 1924-25. This engine, and all the other Allied ones, was running on green AvGas 100/130 in the early-to-middle phase of the war and on purple 115/145 in the end (remember, when talking about planes, unlike in cars, you have to give two ratings: for lean and rich mixture, with "aviation lean" rating roughly comparable to Motor Octane Number in cars).

[@flyingscrapyard]

That was my hope, but some people just look for trouble. At least some are able to recognize what the purpose of the video is and I'm grateful for that.

[@ralliartfanevoix]

i want this engine, lol, this thing is a monster!!! and the sound is awesome! wheres my engine in a shed? lol

[@deedsie]

Mine eyes have seen the Glory...most beatuiful thing I've ever seen! Get that motor in a Spitfire, or a Mustang...a Mossie; great video!

[@AJMB25]

This engine is great, it's was widelly used on the moskito twin engine aircraft, with 100 oct gas and it's27ltrs it produces 1310hp@3000rpm, for me the most reliable engine of the ww2. and makes a great sound...

[@speed150mph]

by your previous point, I would agree the merlin was the best V style liquid cooled piston engine. However if I were to take a plane into a battle, it would have to be one with a radial engine. sure more drag up front, and ussually make less power then a V-12, but they are as reliable as the sunrise.

[@felson99]

Great video, Thank you for uploading this and sharing such a great engine!

[@gamer025]

i LOVE the sound of these old engines!

[@BammBammBering]

Merlins & Mosquito's, almost like M&M's for the insiders. ;-) Nice video.

[@swinehood]

@Aussiephil99 - correct, though the prototype Lancaster was initially known as the Manchester III (in fact it was a modified Manchester with 4 Merlins bodged on).

[@MovieMad007]

all carbon monoxide in that lot lol...whoa what a sight!!! Check out those tubes!!! after 10 mins of that those things would be glowing like an F1 car engine!! Impressive video!! What strikes me though - i don't know if anyone else noticed is the length of time and sheer power it takes to turn over the huge gearboxes those engines had. The batteries must have been huge (esplly for the big boy Lancaster) but then think about the weight issues involved especially with fuel and ordnants on a raid!

[@pepecohetes492]

This engine reached its development limit in the Spitfire Mark XIV; replaced by the more powerful Griffon engine, which sounds just as awe inspiring.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

BringEllisthehorn Lancaster were British design but Lancasters were made in Canada and they used the USA Made Packard Merlins which were also shipped to England used in Mesquitoes and Spitfires.

[@bmgm3]

@flyingscrapyard Because it captures the sound of the Merlin just perfectly. Other vids don't give the correct impression of the level of noise being close to an RR Merlin running gives. Even the noise the starter makes is very sexy. Add to that the dancing flames from the exhaust stubs and you have a really great video. I think the only way you could have made it better was if the light was a little less so we could see those flames even better. Thanks for the upload

[@KimmurielBaenre]

@flyingscrapyard I dont think the Mosquito has been forgotten, not by the people that really care such as you and I. While I admire the grace of the inline, for some reason i prefer the radial arrangement. I would however LOVE to see one of those Daimler 12s from the ME-109 besides this beauty

[@haggis2112]

On the days when things don't go to plan ,i like to finish with the sound of metal reborn from the greatest engine made by man.(or woman)

[@azkeyz]

Thats a seriously nice engine , my only complaint is the crappy way you have to start it up. My compliments to the brits for the typhoon.

[@rockdropper12]

a bet the neighbours love that on a sunday morning .brillant

[@Treetop64]

Intersting how you can see the firing order from the exaust plumes.

[@flyingscrapyard]

@moreleftpedal I think that's a little unfair to radials. I love the sound of them too. The gent who owns the Merlin has a radial as well - it's good to be well rounded. As stated before, this is not my engine, so I won't be accepting any accolades. This does sound good though.

[@hiyadroogs]

@sexyspacemonkey Merlins, even during the war would run at 2500 rpm, with 3000 rpm being available for emergency only for a maximum period of 5 minutes! If this speed was used, it had to be reported at base so that the engine would be thoroughly examined for damage before future flights. It's only idling here at about 1000 rpm. Big cylinders don't like high revs! & the Merlin is 27 litres.

[@BREGGREN]

@SuperFamousSeamus I LOVED Every DAMN Second of It- Thanks FlyinScrapYard!

[@RogueBrit]

Beautiful historic engine wow

[@gumby1008]

After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked. - Hermann Göring, 1943

[@andytom]

What a mighty roar... love it

[@lexpee]

wow what a smoke, The space there is really blue smoke

[@flyingscrapyard]

Sorry, I don't know as it isn't my engine. If i remember next time I visit, I'll ask. I would imagine it was still with the engine but wouldn't bet on it though. What help in particular do you need? I believe any left over parts were donated to an air museum restoration so any left overs will be minimal (and they aren't mine anyway).

[@MaxDJsWorkshop]

Now, I'd like one of those in my shed to play with!

[@SkankRemix3]

@sexyspacemonkey This engine produces in the range of 12-2200hp (depending on make of Merlin) at 28-2900 rpm, it rarely ever saw higher than 3400rpm.

[@steveyoda]

These engines actually ran standard automotive petrol during the war, and at max revolutions were about 3300 rpm

[@JethroRose]

@flyingscrapyard yup, they're made to run in the 2000-3000rpm range if i'm not mistaken.

[@bmgm3]

Really nice, maybe do a night video with just the exhaust flames illuminating ?

[@rossmum]

The fastest piston-driven warplane of all time was the Supermarine Spiteful, unless I am VERY much mistaken, powered by a RR Griffon. 494MPH flat out, only piston-driven planes which fly faster are the extremely modified race planes (although you're sort of right, most are built off of Mustangs, though they bear little resemblance to the original airframe)

[@CrazyHHO19]

absolut beautiful moster dear lord

[@blue46gt]

@sexyspacemonkey Merlin engines are over 27 liters in displacement designed more than 60 years ago and aren't supposed to spin as fast as some little 4cyl from your honda. The propeller that this engine turns already needs a reduction gear. The powerband for this Merlin is in the 2000-3000 rpm range and it absolutely will not go to 6 or 7000 rpms. Even if it did, it would be making less power than it does at 2000 rpm.

[@Big-Show1]

Too true.... except most people don't have a dirty great monster of an engine sitting in the corner. :-) I bet the fumes smelt great! 5*

[@tomshiba51]

@stephenizzy1 I love the sound of the Allison V-12 as well as the Merlin.

[@MRdetination]

that engine is a beast

[@supertrooper10000]

@Freshdfan it is a massive 27litre. That's just over 2 litres of air-fuel mixture per cylinder!

[@robertlafleur5179]

The instant it starts, all hell breaks loose, pure porn.

[@Peter43John]

THE best damm opposed-piston, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, aerocraft engine of The Second World War; PERIOD!

[@tomshiba51]

@moreleftpedal A real gear-head doesn't care about a little oil consumption. He cares about the machine. I personally enjoy all engine sounds. MACHINE-NUTS AND GEAR-HEADS UNITE!

[@TerryToon17]

I think he is referring to the pigeon english (Papua New Guinea) version of "clear prop" sounds like "clip clop"

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

brett777 All production Merlin engined Mustangs had Packard built Merlins, usually a tag tells mfger.

[@w5cdt]

Straight exhaust pipes. That must be loud as hell!

[@Team-fabulous]

Yes, a must for every shed....first class....

[@Big-Show1]

Awesome sound! I want one. To all the people who think this is South African you are WRONG. They are speaking with an AUSTRALIAN accent. Hell even in the guys profile it says Australia.

[@waterkeeper03]

so where do I get the motor mounts to put this in my chevy impala.. and the headers, i'll need those too ;) thats pretty awsome, thanks for posting