Engine transplant Fiat (IVECO) out Gardner 6LXB in

Here I go on my own post again.
Droped out the new drive plate to the engine builder this afternoon.
Starter motor still to be rebuilt and exhaust manifold to come back from ceramic coater.
Going to put the engine on the dyno early next week. Will get some photos and may be a vid of the work up.
progress slow, satisfaction good.
A couple of photos of engine.

Damn, Benn - all these shiny motors being flashed around, now - once mine is back working again - I gonna be forced to degrease the damned old red Lehman and paint the darned thing to be "in the swim."
The parts are in the country and allegedly somewhere between Sydney and here, but still no show...the frustration...I tell you no lie....

OK

Today was Dyno day. We got her set up and running. A couple of adjustments still to be made to get peak HP 127 @ 1500 RPM and then all goes together ready for transport up to boat. Planning on having this ready by mid April.

The ceramic coating on the exhaust manifold is silver* and looks chromed but stops about 60% of the heat radiation , may have to put a do not touch sign on it.

The bronze bilge pump on the front of the engine is not very high capacity but is an original fitting and can be run dry, you never know it may come in handy one day.

Have got the engine sump and gearbox drain pumps mounted on the gearbox for ease of use.

D day is getting closer.

Benn


-- Edited by Tidahapah on Monday 28th of March 2011 08:55:40 PM

Just a short cut to a couple of vids of engine on Dyno.
*
*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSPzjUVdJQI*Hope they work

Benn



-- Edited by Tidahapah on Tuesday 29th of March 2011 06:30:49 PM


-- Edited by Tidahapah on Tuesday 29th of March 2011 10:01:03 PM

Just a couple of update photos.
It still looks like the engine will be ready for delivery to Tin Can Bay about the 15 th of this month

Another visit down to "gary Gardner" today.
We did the final measure up for fitting engine to bed plate steel caps.
The boys will drill these out and then get the plates galvanisied.
We now have a for transporting the engine up to Tin Can Bay (Friday week, the 6 th May).

It is then up to me for getting the engine into the boat lined up all connections made and then home to Mooloolaba.
I wonder if I can make it by about the 22 nd May

latest photos attached.

Been quite a saga Benn. You must be about over it by now. We are with you in spirit and hoping it all fits in and goes well, first pop, even though we can't be there to help.

Good news, Mr G arrived in Tin Can Bay this morning.
We unloaded him into the work shop whilst I then proceeded to fit the engine bed plates in the ER.
This is now 98% completed so am going to try and arrange a crane to lower the engine into the boat on Thursday arvo, High tide is about 1600 hrs so should be able to do it about 13 00 or 14 00 hrs

A couple of photos attached but of poor quality.

Will post more as work progresses.

My God, that's a beautiful engine! Seems like it's a shame to fire it up and get it dirty!

Well here we are back again.
The day eventually came.
Mr G was dropped into Tidahapah's ER with a very smooth operation this afternoon.
All fitted into place.
Now just to line up the unit connect the cooling water, all the electrics and fit a new exhaust pipe.
Hopefully engine trials in about 10 days.
Completed the job with a glass of bubbles in the Engine Room.


-- Edited by Tidahapah on Thursday 12th of May 2011 05:24:12 AM

Hi Benn

Looking good
I should be down Monday for inspection and a couple of coldies

Allan

"Completed the job with a glass of bubbles in the Engine Room"

Nice touch. I am glad to know I am not the only one who does crazy stuff like that.

Tidahapah wrote:Mr G was dropped into Tidahapah's ER with a very smooth operation this afternoon.

Click to expand...

*As usual, great photos! Thanks, Ben, for binging us along for the ride.

OK I won't bore you with much more on this transplant but here are a few short Vids taken during the lift & lower.
When all up and running I'll let you all know how it performs and what the consumption is.
I have to remove the prop when I get home and put another 4" pitch in it to get it all right.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tidahapah?feature=mhee#p/u/2/Q-udCSMd43g
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tidahapah?feature=mhee#p/u/1/OBTLNzcIwJQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/Tidahapah?feature=mhee#p/u/0/dzRBmiC6aik

*

Tidahapah wrote:
OK I won't bore you with much more on this transplant.........

Click to expand...

******* Not boring from my perspective. In fact, it is quite interesting & informative.

Tidahapah,

Did you just do an engine installation wearing flip-flops???? Can't believe you've got all your toes. Wow......look at all those aluminum fins. That Baby could put out a lot of heat in the ER. Sure wish I could go for a ride w you and feel and hear that engine. It seems odd to me that one would see so much aluminum on a big slow speed engine like this. Have you heard one run? Are they noisy? Is it going to take a long time to break in? Is this a great moment in TF history? Yes.

Eric,
Mate in Australia they are called safety boots.
Must admit they are my summer ones and it has started to get chilly so must change to thicker thongs soon.
If you go back a page or so you can hear the engine running on the dyno.
The Gardner runs at 60 deg F so runs pretty cool and also quiet as WOT is at 1500 RPM cruising RPM should be about 1200
I have ceramic coated the exhaust manifold hoping to cut down some radient heat.
If it is still too hot I will change it to a water cooled manifold but Gary the Gardner expert(he who does all the rebuilds in Qld) says
it shouldn't be a problem.
Running in will be a fairly quick process working at cruising revs.

Benn

Benn,

I don't see how any engine can run at 60 degrees F. I went back to look at the converted FB on YW and see that it has a 6LW type engine (94hp). How does the LW engine differ from the LX? Is the LW all or mostly cast iron? I see there's one 4 cyl engine that's only 62hp. Could actually put one in Willy and cruise at 800 rpm. Hmmmmmmm. The Gardner is probably totally immune to underloading Ha Ha.

Eric,
The 4LW was 56 Hp@ 1300 RPM and the 6LW 84 HP @1300 RPM ( I would say the 94 HP is the intermittant rating)
These are continuous ratings.
4LW 340 cub in / 5.58 lt
6LW 510 cub in/ 8.37 lt
These engines were the previous engines to the LXB series and the LXBs were followed by the LXC (turbo charged)

Just a quick update.
Have now completed the engine alignment, new exhaust system (s/s) installed,fuel system just about completed.
Will complete the electrical connections tomorrow and hope to have wharf trials.
Fingers crossed.

"and hope to have wharf trials."

Beware!

Most boats that have the proper fixed prop selected NEED to be at operating speed for the prop to work properly.

IF you tie up , the lack of speed of advance thru the water of the vessel will not allow the prop to work properly.

This can overload the engine , even at modest RPM, "much ungood" for a new rebuild.

No problem if you have a CPP!

Don't worry FF have been doing wharf trials even with 250,000 tonne tankers over the last 40 years.
I allways run my engines alongside when not going places for a while. Just keeps everything tickin over.
Wharf trials are mainly to run engine, check gearbox selection and check for fuel and water leaks a very good precaution before preceding to sea or sea trials.


-- Edited by Tidahapah on Friday 20th of May 2011 03:31:44 AM

OK all done.
After the wharf trials which were good, went out in the Sandy Straights for a sea trial. All went well.
No cooling or oil leaks, one small exhaust leak that we have repaired, shaft & gland all running cool.
BEAUTY!!!!!
Yesterday morning at 10 30 am a mate and I departed Tin Can Bay after 7 months alongside heading home to Mooloolaba.
With a reasonably strong SW breeze 20/25 knots we crossed the bar , no swell so bar crossing was a doddle. (this is one notorious bar crossing in the wrong conditions)
Headed south for home with no real ocean swell and only the SW to punch into had a good trip down the coast, Mr G was magnificient.
All systems performed as expected and required ( exceprt the digital tacho ) looks like the numbers are going.
Enough detail to know the numbers. Slowly built up the RPM with frequent ER checks. Eventually setteled on 1340 RPM and doing a speed of 7.4 knots.
With the prop requireing another 4" pitch for the desired cruise speed of 8 knots @ 1200 RPM this was all good.
Tied up in my own berth at 2030 hrs a good run of 10 hrs from berth to berth. ( In time for most of the State of Origin Rugby League clash, the biggest game of League in this country) By the way we won Queensland 16 New South Wales 12 The Canetoads against the Cockeroaches)
Fuel consumption for the trip was 130 lts of which 16 lts for gen set therefore 10.3 hrs 114 lts 11 lts/hr.
Really happy with this.
It will be good to haul her out in a month or so time and repitch the prop and do more trials, once this is done and the cruise speed/RPM settled I can put new pulleys on the cruise alternator.
By the way I had to run the generator most of the time comming down as it turns out my radio/plotter supply battery is shot and won't stay charged and at present am running with out an alternator on the gardner.
OK guys thats all for now.
On Monday it's off to France for 3 weeks, eating fine food and drinking fine wine.



-- Edited by Tidahapah on Wednesday 25th of May 2011 04:47:03 PM


-- Edited by Tidahapah on Wednesday 25th of May 2011 04:48:11 PM

Good one Benn

See you when you are next in town
Have a good trip OS

Allan

I know your happy as a clam to get that over with! good job and thanks for letting us into your snipe locker.

Well back from France so first thing is haul Tidahapah and get some more pitch put in prop.
Prop off and down to Rogers and Lough and Allan has put in an extra 3.5" pitch which is progressive and a little cupping to the blade tips.
Will be interesting to see how this now matches up with the gardner and at what RPM I get my reqyusite 8 Knots.
Hoping for about 1250 / 1300 RPM with a fuel burn of about 10/12 lts per hr. (2.5 to 3 gal/hr)

It looks like I have to go back to work next week so trials may be off for a while.
Got to pay for OS trips and new engines some how.

How did you like Paris Benn? Any stand-out experiences?
Pleased to hear Tidahapa is whole again. It's horrible when your baby is in bits, isn't it?

Horrible?* ........and expensive.

Dead right Eric.
This has been a pretty expensive experience but well worth it for the improvements.
Still a lot of work to do to reinstate the wheelhouse and some minor bits on the engine regarding temp & pressure gauges.
My Navman fuel flow meter/Tacho has now packed up (it was never VG anyway) so am looking at installing a flowscan set up.

Peter B,
Paris this trip was pretty low key, rented a unit on the Ille de la Cite as we have done before but no art galleries or museums, just absorbing the local culture a lot of resturant eating and drinking.
Went out to the antique shops and auction houses for the Boss to assess the market.
A week down the Dordogne in a coelic friendly Chateau..terriffic and no food stress for the Boss and then a week in Champagne.
This was terrific, about 5 champagne houses each day from small family places to the big international houses and then a bottle or 2 halves each night.
A really fantastic week.

ran into a Kiwi guy doing the canals on his own boat when in champagne , he looks like he had it sown up.
He had owned the boat for 5 years , kept it in Antwerp and had spent a total of 18 months canal cruising and still loving it.

Down side of whole trip lost laptop on way home and then washed my iPhone in the machine first day back.

Back to work , all is good, looks like I may have recovered all the photos that I thought I had lost

Sounds good Benn, right up the the losing the laptop and washing the iPhone bit. My wife, who leaves London tomorrow on her way home, via Canada and the US, (having stayed on after me for the birth of our grandson, who arrived last week, and a week late), had her iPhone stolen out of her handbag by a pick-pocket on the tube the other day. So that's a bummer as although, (so far) she still has her laptop, quick texts via phone was going to be the best way to keep track during the next 2 weeks until she gets back to Brissie at the ungodly hour of 0500 Monday fortnight.
How did you come to 'lose' your laptop?
Go the Reds..... (Super 15 Rugby semifinal for the uninitiated),
Pete