Author Topic: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel  (Read 26461 times)

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #75 on: 18 May, 2020, 04:05:22 pm »
So as I am waiting for parts and my head keeps jumping from one job to another this was play time for today. Straight from the "why not" department and it will come in handy later on for the air cleaner that I have to make. Never tried doing this before and for a first attempt it is ok so this will be it, rough n ready. Tried a few ways to get the little punch to work and in the end I simply cut the sheet metal with the 1mm cutting disc then introduced the punch while holding the sheet metal in place with some flat bar iron and clamps.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #76 on: 22 May, 2020, 04:15:04 pm »
To continue with the "have a go ya mug" attitude and after being inspired by Ian Rowsal of Custom Garage I decide to have a go at this today. Found a couple of pieces of timber and cut the shape out then made a sheet metal sandwich and used a hammer to dress the edge over to make the lid. It surprised me that it worked so this is my new lid and tomorrow I will attach it to the louvre sided section I made the other day.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #77 on: 23 May, 2020, 03:37:38 pm »
Rough enough is good enough for this old engine. I made the centre mounting shaft then soldered the top onto the cylinder and this is how it ended up.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #78 on: 27 May, 2020, 03:42:51 pm »
Cleaned up the outside of a paint thinners tin to use as the fuel tank. I think it is about 1 litre bigger than standard so it is a long range fuel cell now. I have strengthened the bottom where the tap will go in and made up the mounting brackets to the hopper.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #79 on: 29 May, 2020, 04:24:35 pm »
Cam gear is home and I started to linish it to shape.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #80 on: 30 May, 2020, 03:50:08 pm »
The next bit of dribble for today after work gave me just enough time to linish the cam profile but I found a couple of spots that need to be built up higher. The guy who welded this must have known as he mentioned that if I needed any part built up just bring it back, so it will go back to him next week.
Then I fitted both Speedi-Sleeves to the crankshaft. This took all of 5 minutes. I picked up a piece of exhaust pipe that was the correct ID to fit over the sleeve and a couple of light taps to get both sleeves into the correct position.
Not much play time today but at least something got done.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #81 on: 31 May, 2020, 03:37:11 pm »
Well I went back to the job of removing the fuel cup from the injector body. Had no luck with electrolysis only that it is super clean on the outside. So there was no way that the small grub screw would undo even using an impact socket with the screw driver bit in it so I drilled it out of the way. After reading about so many different ways to achieve what I am trying to do today I went down the road of heating and quenching. Using what Dad used to cal a size C lpg burner I started to gently heat the cup and then quench it in water. I did this a couple of times and the last time I gave it full throttle and got the cup to the dullest of cherry red and then quenched it again. Then I left it sitting in water until next time where I will once again look closer at how much I have drilled out and if any more needs to be removed then will go back to the serious heating again. All the time I have been very gently tapping the cup to see if it shows any signs of moving. This tapping is dangerous as this is how the other cup was broken off the injector body, not because of tapping it directly but by using a lever to lift the body out of the head and the slightest movement sideways breaks the cup off. In the instruction book this is made very clear and that when you remove a stubborn injector it is a case of removing the head and prising the cup up.
So this is my SpacEx clean burn launch today.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #82 on: 01 June, 2020, 10:34:13 pm »
Oil primer arrived today and is in progress to get it functioning again.
Thank you Jarrod.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #83 on: 08 June, 2020, 03:43:50 pm »
Well I stripped the oil primer and had to remove the plunger from the brass tube, clean it all up and as suggested I simply reversed the plunger so that it was back to original specifications and not with all the wear on it. I tinned the end of the brass tube and sweated it back in place without having to remove the outter casing by heating it up through the bottom where the check valve should have been. I welded the plunger back into the cap then made a new gasket to fit between the body and hopper. My brass tube was still there so I made it to the new length as it was a bit too long, tinned it and again heated the brass tube and soldered it back into the body. Some silicone and then bolted it back into place.
I did a test on the bench by putting some oil in the case with the plunger installed and sitting down. No oil came out. I started lifting the cap up and down and it started pumping oil out so it is a win. It is amazing how much oil it displaces each pump.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

winnock

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #84 on: 09 June, 2020, 03:34:52 pm »
John. I have been thinking about your injector cup. We all know how well tapers lock together when the angles are right. The chuck in a lathe tailstock is an example. I feel it is not corrosion that is holding the cup on. When you applied heat I think both the cup and injector body were expanding together and the taper lock remained. How about placing the injector in a freezer until it is thoroughly chilled. Then hold the injector over a pan of boiling water with the cup immersed. You could even tape some insulating material around the body to prevent heat from expanding the body. The cup having much less mass than the body should expand and hopefully come free with a little persuasion.
Hugh
Diesel fuel injection equipment & vintage windmills.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #85 on: 09 June, 2020, 04:00:28 pm »
Cheers Hugh, I will give that a go as well and thanks for the suggestion. I have been doing other things around this issue while I think about what to go back to and start again. I will also have a better look using a magnifying glass to look at the screw I have drilled out that holds the cup in place. It is an unknown size so I have been taking it out in 1/64" at a time an I think I am at the size but don't know for sure.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #86 on: 12 June, 2020, 04:49:30 pm »
Plan B for the fuel tank, one bomb proof tank.
I have the injector body hidden in the freezer where hopefully it won't be found until I get it out of there tomorrow and no one will know. It is wrapped up in a plastic bag so hopefully it is not being thawed out for tonights tucker.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #87 on: 13 June, 2020, 03:56:24 pm »
I WON, I WON !
I got the bastard at last. Safely apart now just zapping the needle from the tube and it is ready. A heap of filth was still inside the cap and could only get in there via the fuel system. What worked was the freezing of the body and heating the cup. I did also find a small amount of the old screw in the recess that was holding things up a little bit once I got it to twist and it showed up so I dug it out.
Also finished off the lid for the bomb proof fuel tank.
It is a good feeling when things go forward after a long challenge, so happy I could shit!
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #88 on: 14 June, 2020, 04:44:21 pm »
Tomorrow I will take the head with me back into town and see if I can get him to accurately measure the guides and I am looking at getting some over sized valves made, this may be the simplest and easiest way to go.

Having endured the day without power because they replaced a transformer down the bottom of the street I could not do the jobs I wanted to do but did get to shuffle a heap of curtaining fabric around in Dee's work room. So when I finally got to play mode I had a go at removing the needle from the stem after being in the electrolysis tank for a couple of days. It did come out sparkling clean but obviously still a lot of carbon on the inside. I have easy access to the bottom of the needle via a hole where the fuel would run into the cup, also can get a good hold on the top of the needle but it is not budging yet.

In the McDonald hand book of instructions it does mention a few times to use 'kero' to clean the fuel system parts in. Why this is suggested rather than clean diesel is a mystery to me. So it is soaking in some kero at the moment. I am also now eyeing up my ultrasonic tank as I can actually touch it now some fabric is gone. so find a plastic jar and some petrol and spark it up, literally not physically.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.

cobbadog

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Re: McDonald Imperial Super Diesel
« Reply #89 on: 15 June, 2020, 04:07:24 pm »
The McDonald valve guides are an odd shape to say the least. With that step in the top to hold the valve spring in place, the wide shoulder to stop it going down the hole in the head then they differ in length as to how far they protrude into the port area.
The widest point they are around 28mm on that shoulder. So today I found a supplier of the cast iron and it will be on its way soon. Spoke to the engine bloke today and he removed both guides so they can be copied and also spoke to Bills Motor works about the supply of some new valves. Bill was out doing a walk-about and he will get back to me soon, I hope along with some good news about the rings for the engine too. So maybe some progress is about to happen again.
Back to that needle soaking in kero. This seems to do nothing and a very generous hit with carby cleaner also has not shifted anything so far. So the plastic jar of petrol and into the ultrasonic tank looks to be the next step.
Cheers, John & Dee. Coopernook. NSW.