Another ABC!

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It was a good run up to Shrewsbury except for the last three miles of the M54 which took over half an hour. Roadworks it said - bloody census! Not a high powered Police operation - although there was both Traffic bike & unmarked car to hand in addition to the obligatory liveried car - no, they were blokes in grubby reflective with clip boards collecting statistics. It was stacking up behind me at a rate of knots & I bet they had a ten mile tailback before they broke for lunch.

Anyway, up the A49 to Whitchurch to one of the largest car breaking operations I've ever seen and having spent a good chunk of my life in the motor trade, I've seen a few! They were of course expecting me & Bob came round the counter all smiles "We've found out more about it" and handed me a copy of my article on the ABC Vee4 that I wrote for our club magazine..... The perils of being a knowledgeable specialist, I'm afraid ;o))

The ABC Vee 4 engine (1952-8, APU, Blackburn Beverley only) was as shown on E-Pay, PLUS - I am delighted to say - the magnetos, fan with its cowling and cooling ducts that mine lacks. It was oily & looked like it had just been hauled blinking into the light having been used yesterday. I bought it without hesitation & we shoved it into the back of the BMW where it still resides, hiding under a brown blanket looking inconspicuous. I *might* have it with me at Astle Park.

So there you are, I have two now!

On the way back, I called in to see a bloke about a GPO charging set. His grandson answered the door, dog sitting whilst they were in France for a few days! Typical luck. But the phone did it & we dickered before I looked at it. But when I examined it, I eschewed it as I have one just the same already. My thanks to Christopher Tidy for finding it for me.

And so home, lickity-spit, managing to be in half an hour before Hazel.

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

Serial number 24 I've had for two years & is in the workshop on a Workmate. S/n 45 I bought on Thursday.

The vee 4 fan & cowlings are complete & as far as I can see without trying, will fit without trouble. The only difficulty I can see is getting nuts on to the studs which hold the fan case to the rear bevel box. No doubt it will become clear when trying!

The frame is sturdy, workmanlike & made for the job. However, it is steel & must weigh a ton, quite unlike the beautiful all-machined aluminium bed plate on the first example. Unless I come across something major, 45 will be a donor engine to get 24 going. Aside from other logistics, 24 is quite clean & appears to have done little work. 45 is oily & dusty.

45's mounting makes me think that the engine has seen service in another context. I know that RAF Cosford once had a Beverley & I suspect it originally came from there & then to a local-to-Shrewsbury auction a year or two ago. The vendor was genuinely interested in engines & was very interested to learn more of its generic history..

The hand cranking "spigot" has simply been removed & isn't blanked off.

45 is out of the car now & has donated its magnetos to s/n 24. The deciding factor was that 24 has the bevel to drive the fan already in place whereas 45 's is missing. The cowls & fan are loose anyway.

I am filled with renewed enthusiasm for getting 24 running & when things are a little quieter, I'll settle down to it.

Regards,

Kim Siddorn