KRANKING

[DUNKS]

Saw a lovely old V8 pilot on the road yesterday and it reminded me "not fondly" of the one I owned and the ages I spent cranking it in winter to get it to turn over on the six volt starter. Anyone else remember the "good old days" also sump heaters we used to leave at night under the sump to thin the oil a bit. Thinner oil that we put in in winter, no multigrade oil then. Also cars with no heater at all and your breath in winter condensed on the inside of the windscreen. Remember also the little six or twelve volt strip heaters stuck to the bottom of the screen to avoid this. Anti freeze that you put in the car in winter then flushed it all out again in spring and refilled with fresh water. Thinking on we do have it a bit easy now. Unless of course you own the Pilot I saw yesterday! Probably worth thick end of £5000. I gave £40 for mine an ex police car.

[Walker570]

Memories memories. Our transport back in the 50s was the Ford milk van and back then a van registration did not allow a passenger seat. Sliding side windows which would stick open and flat out at around 50mph...60 downhill but at your risk because the brakes would decide which of them was going to work, but rarely all at the same time.

[amateur]

I learned to drive in my mum's 1931 Austin 7, so, yes, I have memories of starting it on the handle, suicide clutch and cable brakes (there was a handy prayer printed out on the dash for use in an emergency stop). No fuel gauge, but a home-made dip-stick to check the under-bonnet fuel tank.

The problems arose when I started to drive a conventional car. The 3 speed gears on the Austin were "back to front", with, of course, no synchromesh and I was forever crashing a normal gearbox and stamping on the brakes.

Still, running out of petrol in it with a young lady next to me was always pleasurable.

[Brodie]

Ford vacuum windscreen wipers - the more you revved the engine the slower the wipers. 

Foot operated dip switches.

[amateur]

3 hours ago, Brodie said:

Ford vacuum windscreen wipers - the more you revved the engine the slower the wipers. 

Foot operated dip switches.

My experience of the sidevalve Ford 100e was that when you changed up to top (3rd) gear and the revs dropped, the wipers crawled, but when you changed down, they went bananas, so the (faster?) you went, the slower the wipers. 

[Townie]

We had a Ford Popular (old style one) when I was a child. Terrible thing. If it rained, water would get around the door seals and onto the rear seat passengers (me, generally). 

[London Best]

It is my honest opinion that the omission of the starting handle is the biggest mistake in the production of modern vehicles.

[amateur]

13 minutes ago, London Best said:

It is my honest opinion that the omission of the starting handle is the biggest mistake in the production of modern vehicles.

Try hand cranking a high compression engine!

I had enough problems cranking an A35, my first car.

[London Best]

Just now, amateur said:

Try hand cranking a high compression engine!

I had enough problems cranking an A35, my first car.

It’s a bit rough trying to crank diesels, but I could easily start my 3.5 litre petrol Range Rover on the crank handle. However, that was over 40 years ago. An A35 is really easy to crank. I know, I had one. 

[amateur]

Oh well, I was only a weedy teenager at the time.

[London Best]

Just now, amateur said:

Oh well, I was only a weedy teenager at the time.

Engine cranking is all down to technique. It is hopeless trying to crank in circles as if trying to wind it up. You must feel for a cylinder on compression with the handle at the 7 o’clock position and pull up sharply.

[amateur]

Just now, London Best said:

Engine cranking is all down to technique. It is hopeless trying to crank in circles as if trying to wind it up. You must feel for a cylinder on compression with the handle at the 7 o’clock position and pull up sharply.

Oh, I knew the technique. I had enough practice on Mum's Austin 7, but the A35 often defeated me and we didn't live on a hill.

[enfieldspares]

On 18/12/2022 at 10:03, DUNKS said:

Anyone else remember the "good old days" also sump heaters we used to leave at night under the sump to thin the oil a bit.

Do these days come with rose tinted glasses? Bodies and sills that rotted through after three years as cars, then were not galvanised, door and boot handles made from "monkey metal" (known as mazak) that developed "metal worm", bushings, bearings and etc. that needed to be greased after five thousand miles, and, yes "Peter the Heater" that you plugged in and hung from the engine mount or whatever and left overnight. Been there, seen it, done it. Morris 1000 Traveller, Triumph Vitesse 1600. No cruise control, no A/C, no central locking, selaed for life bearings. Nah! Those days you can keep them!

[billytheghillie]

I thought this post was about Mr and Mrs Sturgeon, and what they get up to in bed at night.

[Robden]

Don't forget the windscreen wipers that slowed down to nothing when going faster, and the went crazy when taking your foot off the gas. Happy days????????????

[JohnfromUK]

9 hours ago, London Best said:

Engine cranking is all down to technique. It is hopeless trying to crank in circles as if trying to wind it up. You must feel for a cylinder on compression with the handle at the 7 o’clock position and pull up sharply.

I could easily start my Series 1 LandRover 'on the handle', but not usually needed as it had a good starter, and was an easy cold starter (sometimes a bit less easy when hot).

[London Best]

2 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

I could easily start my Series 1 LandRover 'on the handle', but not usually needed as it had a good starter, and was an easy cold starter (sometimes a bit less easy when hot).

I had four Series 1 80inch vehicles. All were easy to start by hand.

The great thing about starting handles was they got you going if the battery was getting past it’s best and let you down. All cars should have them, along with a spare wheel!

[Walker570]

Try cranking a sit up and beg Fordson Major tractor.  Ours ran on paraffin but started on petrol and easy to flood.  As London Best says there is a technique and the lad who helped out on our farm....built like a proverbial out house....but only 5ft 5inches tall. He thought he could swing ours and the handle kicked back and knocked five of his front teeth out.

[JohnfromUK]

Some years ago I had a neighbour who was an advisor/dealer in vintage cars, predominantly Rolls Royce and Bentley.  He had various cars through his hands, but I remember him starting a RR Ghost 'on the handle'.  The trick was to have the ignition fully set to 'late' and the mixture set to 'strong' (levers on the steering wheel boss) and you were safe.  If you forgot that it could be broken arm time (it was a 7 litre straight 6).  Once warm - it could usually be started 'on the switch' - which meant winding the engine 1 turn with the ignition off to prime the cylinders, then moving the timing from retard to advance - when the spark fired and (with luck) it started.  It was quite a palaver as the fuel tank had to be pressurised to fill the carburettor.

[Velocette]

In Vintage motorcycle circles there was always a close affinity between the Vincent Owners and the Velocette Owners to the point where we used to run joint race meetings at Cadwell Park. There was always the slightest degree of aloofness from the Vincent owners, based we believed on capacity not engineering excellence. However, this competitiveness invariably surfaced with the the suggestion, "Have a go on mine,    if you can start it ! ". A Vincent was relatively easy to get going with that huge sickle shaped kickstart and the challenging ride,  akin to a plank with a hinge in the middle on top of two old gas stoves being dragged down a cobbled street was manageable.

The Velocette on the other hand rarely disappointed and handsomely repaid the casual prod of the uninitiated with screams and acrobatics !  The starting ritual was only acquired gradually over years of apprenticeship and looked so easy to the onlooker but they never stood a chance !!

[London Best]

6 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

Once warm - it could usually be started 'on the switch' - which meant winding the engine 1 turn with the ignition off to prime the cylinders, then moving the timing from retard to advance - when the spark fired and (with luck) it started.  It was quite a palaver as the fuel tank had to be pressurised to fill the carburettor.

As a boy of, maybe ten, I remember my Father demonstrating that technique on Grandad’s 1928 Phantom 1 hearse.

[DUNKS]

With a good deal of luck and a following wind you could start my Panther bike that way.

[Brodie]

The demise of the starting handle came with transverse engines like the original Mini.

[ditchman]

i learnt to drive in a Rover 110.....and i remember once starting it on the crank handle......."mind yer thumb...."........you had to take right hand corners slowly as your bum would slide along the leather bench seat....so you always drove with the arm rest down.......

[Jaymo]

8 hours ago, ditchman said:

i learnt to drive in a Rover 110.....and i remember once starting it on the crank handle......."mind yer thumb...."........you had to take right hand corners slowly as your bum would slide along the leather bench seat....so you always drove with the arm rest down.......

Take corners slowly? Surely all of your driving was at a slow pace behind the gentleman with the red flag. 
Not saying your old or anything 🤔