Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[warninglight]

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to find out a bit about the last pre-Ergomatic models of Super Comet. If anyone has any memories, stories, anecdotes etc. I'd love to read them (they won't be copied or used anywhere else, I'm just trying to get a feel for what sort of duties they were best suited to, against what rivals etc)

Any technical information would be brilliant too. I called out to see a Leyland 410 engined 15 tonne tipper this morning, which I'll post some photos of when I get the necessary tweaking done.

Cheers

Stephen
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Stephen
1964 Austin 1100
1978 Land Rover 109 Safari

[RUSTON]

Hi Stephen, I take it that you mean the ones fitted with the LAD (Leyland, Albion, Dodge) cab? Originally called the 'Vista-Vue' cab, and believe it or not, the windscreen was the largest single screen in use at that time! The cabs corroded badly around the seams and when it rained the occupants could get covered in rust coloured dust, but they were a decent truck all the same. The Albion designed hub reduction axle was ideal for tipper and mixer work and the whole engine and transmission etc lived on in the River and Clydesdale models in the '70's and '80's. I worked on a few of them, mainly four wheelers, but did have a ride in an Octopus eight legger a time or two as well. A decent truck for a mass produced vehicle, not as strong as Foden, ERF or Atkinson maybe but for the price they were good value.

Pete.
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Measure twice...cut once!

[Salopian]

I drove very many miles in Leyland LAD cabbed 4 and 6 wheelers in the 70's. I loathed the cab for many reasons - you sat too high the awful gearlever lack of room etc. The hub reduction double drive 6 wheeler tippers were a good builders material machine but I would rather have a Bedford or a Ford D series to drive for comfort.
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Jonathan Butler
Alvis SD 12/50 1928 MG TD 1950

[JohnDale]

Hi, pic of LAD fleet taken in '71 plus new Scania 110 of same year. I would say Scania have made some improvements over the years,cheers,JD.




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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

[Ironhead]

been driving HGV's for quite a while now,but the pre-ergo's before my time.i think the fitters' were glad when the ergo came out,with their tilting cab.i'd love to have an old artic unit to do the shows in,something like my old Sed-Atki 400,just waiting for the 6 numbers to come up!

[JohnDale]

The Reivers,RE29s/31s weren't too bad - we used to do piston & liner changes in situ & they were manageable - the real hate were ERFs with Gardeners which had to be worked on through a narrow doorway to change engine blocks, usually standing on a beer crate - happy days,cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

[oldtimer]

I am straying into strange territory here,but your discussion awoke youthful memories since a close friend of my father had a sizeable contractors business with many of the vehicles mentioned.The firm was based in Broughty Ferry (Dundee),and did much work for S.A.I.The fleet were red and grey with the name Joseph Grant on them.No long distance work,the boss liked them home every night.
Another chap worked a single vehicle,did distance work with a Commer and I seemed to recall it had a very distinctive engine note and believed I had been told it was a two stroke but a fellow who claimed to know all about wagons told me I was talking rubbish.
My apologies if Iseem to have gone off topic but mention of Seddons Atkinsons,Reivers,Fodens and E.R.F.brought back youthful memories

[Ironhead]

Commer certainly did have lorries with 2-stroke engines in oldtimer,the TS3.very good motors as well,3 cylinders with 6 opposed pistons.a company my dad drove for had them in some of their tipper fleet...can still hear them screaming up the hill from the quarry at the bottom of our lane

[oldtimer]

Hello Ironhead,
My thanks to you for the info about the Commer and confirmation of it having a two stroke engine.It seems to be a fact of life that the genuine people with knowledge on any subject are rarely the ones who are keen to score points at someone else's expense like this chap was with me.

[Roger-hatchy]

Commer Two stoke Nocker

We had them on Security Express

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wol_U4mkjs

[Churchill Johnson]

The commer two stroke engine was fitted with a blower [super charger] and produced 105bhp from 3.2l 6cyl's this engine was a bit odd having opposed piston's but only one crankshaft and was designed by Tilling-Stevens a company bought out by Rootes and was Rootes first diesel engine.

[JohnDale]

There was also the Foden two stroke with a close ratio box to keep it on the cam - much loved by the timber guys,cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

[poodge]

I seem to remember Cummins having a two stroke diesel in their range in the 70's.A local contractor had one fitted in an older International tractor unit,pulling a low-loader with a digger on it.He passed near my house early in the morning,and you could hear every single gear change in the 12 speed box from miles away.A very effective alarm clock.

[47Jag]

Poodge,

I think you're getting confused with the GM Detroit Diesel engines which were straight 6 and V8 two strokes. It's the superchargers from these that they use on dragsters.I've got a 37 year old certificate in my garage saying that I'm trained on them

Cummins were/are predominently turbocharged engines although they did do some normally aspirated ones. When I worked on them they had a 6 cylinder rated at 250HP (non turbo) and by nailing bigger turbos they went up to 400HP with no displacement increase.

Art

[Ironhead]

didn't know about the straight -6 47jag,but Bedford TM's used the detroit v6 and v8 2-strokes.