Night light up on the stationary engine lineup, West Somerset Railway rally 2023. adgecutlerofthewest 2023-08-06 | This rally boasts a very good lineup of stationary engines, some of which run late into the night generating electricity and lighting up the row. Sadly I neglected to film the whole (much larger) display during daylight.
Invacar 12e “Brian” travels to his first meet. adgecutlerofthewest 2023-02-26 | A quick jaunt to the classic car meet at the Cross Hands, Old Sodbury. Organised by the Horton historic vehicle club, it is a lovely gathering of an eclectic mix of vehicles totalling over 100 on this occasion. This was our first time attending this meet which occurs every 4th Sunday of the month. The InvaCar today was joined by my friend in his Dodge WC15.
Invacar 12e “Brian” update, almost done! adgecutlerofthewest 2023-02-14 | It’s been a while since the last update, mainly because of my allergies to technology. The project is not complete but I now feel a sense of accomplishment.
InvaCar 12e Brian update. Nearing the roads! adgecutlerofthewest 2022-06-26 | Many jobs have been completed since the last update. Body panels have been on, off, on and back off again trying to achieve best fitting possible and adding new rubber trim. Windscreens back in, wiring loom repaired and re-fitted, lights restored where possible (they were in as bad a state as the rest of the components) or replaced all cables re-made as were brake pipes, lots of rivetting etc., etc, the list is long. Apologies for not having updated sooner but my spare time has been limited and I favoured making progress over making progress reports.
InvaCar12e Brian update, Villiers 11e now mounted into the new chassis. adgecutlerofthewest 2022-05-22 | Progress is being made almost daily, small jobs here and there and fair amounts of progress on Saturdays has got us to the point shown here. The heat exchanger mentioned in the video has been one of the larger jobs of late and took over two days in itself to build. I recall assuming in an early video due to the date of the car that the roof retaining set screws were metric but in fact nearly all fixings are BSF some of which are a little tricky to source now, sometimes making new fixings is a time consuming necessity.
Brian the Invacar 12e update. Reassembly has begun. adgecutlerofthewest 2022-05-01 | It's been a long while but prior to reassembly I had to wait for some decent enough weather to paint the re-manufactured chassis. At last the time has come to start rebuilding.
Thundersley Invacar 12e progress update, chassis and floor. adgecutlerofthewest 2022-01-02 | Yet another diabolical video update on Brian the Invacar and his journey to get back onto the Queens highways.
Mathmos Lunar lava lamp in red and clear. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-12-31 | Some 16-17 years ago I was lucky enough to buy this lamp second hand. The liquid which was once violet is now clear but the wax still flows beautifully. Sadly the camera exposure really washes out the colour.For you Nozzle, enjoy.
Brian the Invacar 12e has a new chassis. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-11-30 | A quick video to show the nearly finished chassis which has been built exactly as per original.
A C Wells Paraffin oil gas generating flare lamp. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-09-17 | A quick video of the light up and operation of my flare lamp. If you have any more information on it please share in the comments. These were available in three sizes and could also be supplied with a stand. The one in the video is the smallest of the sizes and will burn for around three hours. A C Wells made a fantastic range of many types of lamp for a broad range of applications. Of these lamps I have a few and a brother inlaw has a good collection with a few gaps he is trying to fill even after many years of searching.
Brian the Invacar 12e, slapping on some paint. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-08-30 | After a good while of Brian having been neglected I've made use of the bank holiday to make a bit of progress. Recent weeks have been taken up organising a small vintage gathering for friends to enjoy and also attending another friends lovely little vintage gathering, good times were had but it's time again to start this project moving further onward.
Brian the Invacar update. Front panel repairs and a glance at the old chassis. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-07-11 | Not had much time to invest on over the course of the last month but a little progress has been made.
Invacar Mk12e Brian update. This time bodywork repairs. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-06-06 | I've now pretty much completed the repairs on the rear body section. Having made a shuttering from a piece of perspex, wood and 3/4" OD tubing I set about re-instating the missing section below the engine compartment lid and also multiple fractures around the wheel arches and a few holes and cracks dotted around the panel. I've also used a filler primer to try to give the paint a more uniform surface to adhere to.
Invacar 12e, Villiers 11e, engine first run after re-build. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-05-16 | Brian the Invacars engine breathes again after 40 years of languishing. I have no throttle cables at present so the engine is running solely on the pilot/idle jet.
Invacar Mk12e, Villiers 11e, Siba Dynastart first run in 40 years. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-04-25 | Brian the Invacars journey back to roadworthyness has reached a milestone today! Sorry about the wind noise.
Invacar 12e, Villiers 11e, pulling the Dynastart from crankshaft taper. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-04-05 | I mentioned my rudimentary dynastart puller in a previous video, here it is in action.
Invacar 12e, Villiers 11e clutch removal with waffle! adgecutlerofthewest 2021-04-05 | Apologies for the poor sound at the start, the neighbours children were being quite vocal.
A look at the Invacar Mk12e chassis condition. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-04-04 | Showing what 35 years sat up to the belly in leaf litter and soil has done for the chassis. It was well on the way to returning to the Earth from whence it came.
Invacar MK12e update. The Villiers 11e engine stripdown begins. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-19 | The engine is seized very well and the cylinder has been hot/cold cycled several times but I fear it is not only the Piston that is stuck. The Dynastart was one component that could have been offering extra resistance, so of it came with quite a pop.
Getting down to the bones of the Invacar Mk12e. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-17 | Starting to expose the chassis and structure of the Invacar, also a quick look around a few more components that will have to be replicated or salvaged. The rear panel is off and engine is out. Many thanks to you the viewer for you interest.
1947 Darnarm Junior Mk1 chainsaw, after mechanical restoration. will it start? adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-15 | This Danarm Junior was purchased by myself earlier this year. It had stood for probably 50 years or more and everything, everything was seized solid. I have had it on the bench at my workplace and each Tea and dinner break I would pay it a little attention. Many of the fixings sheared of and had to be remade by myself and a friend, the coil, condensor and bearings were all replaced and everything was tripped out inspected and cleaned. I was at the point this morning where everything was assembled and the timing set, obviously I couldn't resist dropping a sniff of fuel down the plug hole and giving her a turn. The resulting pop, pop, inspired me to take her outside and see if she'd live again.By the way, I'm always on the lookout for Villiers powered Danarm saws. Please message me if you know of one.
Invacar Mk12e stripdown continues. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-14 | A little find regarding the reverse engine running and heater blower test including a mouses stash being evicted.
Invacar again, a quick look at controls and a rotten fuel tank. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-12 | Another visit to my 1970 Thundersley invacar.
Quick first impressions of the Thundersley Invacar Mk12e. adgecutlerofthewest 2021-03-07 | A new project for me a 1970 Invacar Mk12. I've long had a hankering to own one of these, I hadn't intended to acquire such a rotten example but, hey ho!
Stuart Sandhurst 2/3BHP stationary engine driving a forge blower. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-11-24 | I addressed several issues with this engine over the weekend. A new gudgeon pin was made and the piston and small end reamed out to suit several weeks ago but I haven't touched it until yesterday which was spent mostly scraping and getting a good fit on the big end which was as slack as a slack thing. The main bearings were also a little sloppy in their housings and the flywheel key not quite tight enough. It's strange that an engine that clearly had a lot of time invested in it was never really "finished". I also noticed while stripping down that the timing was out one tooth. There's still a little to be done but she's running quite nicely now.
A. C. Wells Paraffin flare lamp Circa 1880s. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-11-08 | A very old type of outdoor lighting, the burner is gravity fed Paraffin which is gasified within the drilled ports prior to passing to the air through a jet. Preheating is simply by placing a small strip of rag into a reservior surrounding the jet and lighting, once sufficient heat has been invested into the burner, gasification begins. Earlier flares from the early 1800s ran on Naptha which is similar to Petrol and obviously carried much more risk.
Burrell Road Locomotive 3804 Independence passing under Brunels Clifton suspension bridge. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-10-13 | This was filmed heading to the Bocconnoc steam fair in Cornwall earlier this year.
Burrell road locomotive #3804 Independence returning from GDSF 2019 adgecutlerofthewest 2019-08-29 | "Independence", built 1919, is seen here steaming the 70+ miles home from the Great Dorset Steam Fair. The engine started its working life hauling in gravel pits but four years later was sold and converted into a Showmans engine. For around 60 years the engine languished in scrapyards before being purchased for restoration into as built condition with no detail overlooked.
Danarm MkI, 1941 two man chainsaw first time cutting in many years. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-08-06 | Running a very oily rich mixture due to a long dormancy, probably since the 1950s. Near the end of the video I adjust the mixture and running and exhaust improves.
Spiral bore weld recovery, weld cladding. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-07-13 | A worn bore being reworked to original size by weld cladding, this example on an excavator is being performed by Onward engineering solutions who can provide a wide range of on site engineering. Once the worn hole has been weld cladded it is machined and re-bushed to original specification. (www.onwardengineeringsolutions.co.uk).
Danarm MKI, WWII two man vintage chainsaw. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-04-21 | The mighty beast is now running and assembled all that remains is to sharpen the chain and put her to work.
World War II Danarm MkI two man chainsaw, Villiers XXVa. adgecutlerofthewest 2019-04-14 | First run after fitting new ignition coil and condenser, for a horrible while I thought it was going to remain a static exhibit as the flywheel was incredibly tight to remove. I don't think the saw has done any work since it was reconditioned by its manufacturer in April 1955. Hopefully soon I will be able to fully assemble the saw and post a video of it actually in action.
Danarm Tornado cutting 28 of Beech. adgecutlerofthewest 2018-03-29 | I've done as much to the chain as I can to get it cutting but sadly it's been butchered in the past. If anyone has a 66 drive link, 0.058" gauge, 9/16" pitch chain they don't want please let me know.
Danarm Tornado out in the Woods. adgecutlerofthewest 2018-03-25 | After a stripdown and rebuild the engine is now running well and has plenty of power, the bar has also been straightened and the guide pressed back to "true". It is now cutting but really I need to find a better chain, this one has two teeth missing and one damaged as well as much of the Chrome missing on the remainder. This video is actually before I pressed the splayed guide back in, hence the binding.
Wheelhorse Snow Ploughing in storm Emma, March 2018. adgecutlerofthewest 2018-03-03 | Clearing a route to access a Beech tree that was being milled in situ.
Ruston and Hornsby ZPR stationary engine with blower. adgecutlerofthewest 2018-02-10 | Running nicely now after a little more work.
Lister CS 12/2 at night, Abbey Hill rally 2017. adgecutlerofthewest 2017-05-01 | A quick look at the 12/2 doing what she does at this great rally. Living like a Lord in my tent! Oven, Hobs, Tea urn and very importantly a chip fryer (all powered by the 12/2) and good company.
Start up and run of Allan Bros. Aberdeen continuous lamp oil engine. adgecutlerofthewest 2016-07-10 | This is engine number 1120 from I believe 1905. The engine has just had a new piston and rings fitted into a re-machined oversized bore. The engine is not drawing its own fuel during this video but that was rectified once filming stopped.
