I was filling at a garage this morning when an original war-time US army jeep pulled in. As he turned off the engine there was a terrific bang, and a cloud of smoke from the exhaust.
The driver was unperturbed, and proceeded to fill a collection of cans with what looked like a concoction of petrol and diesel. The exhaust smoke had a very peculiar smell, as if the fuel had some other more aromatic component, perhaps home-made TVO.
What sort of fuel might he be using?
The jeep looked original, with shovels and bits of army equipment strapped on, and even had what looked like a genuine registration number but stencilled on to look like an army-style number, in small font. The vehicle was entirely open, which is why I could see all the cans in the back. He must be a real enthusiast, it was freezing cold, and he was muffled up, but interestingly, not in army gear. Some I notice even dress the part too.
|
...looked like a concoction of petrol and diesel. The exhaust smoke had a very peculiar smell, as if the fuel had some other more aromatic component, perhaps home-made TVO...
It wouldn't have had a diesel engine originally would it?
Although 60 years later there could be anything under the bonnet.
Perhaps the guy wanted some freeze-resistant diesel for something else and doesn't trust the oil company to put in additives, hence the petrol.
As regards home made TVO (tractor vaporising oil) we used to use paraffin in our old grey Fergie.
Start it on petrol, switch to paraffin for running because it was cheaper, then switch back to petrol a few minutes before you wanted to stop, so there was petrol in the system to start the next day.
Or you forgot and had to drain the system of paraffin to get going again.
|
|
Are you sure it was an original Jeep and not a Mahindra clone?
|
those old jeeps used to do megga money if mint
heap of rubbish i always thought
they had a peculiar way to be started and the pedals were in the wrong order so he probably just overadvanced it as he turned it off
|
I've just had a quick look at some pictures via Google, and remember the following differences:
The bonnet was not as high as the Malindra
The tyres seemed quite big yet narrow
The fuel filler was on the right
It was left hand drive.
|
|
The reference to a "Carter carb" in this tinyurl.com/2v7l5wr suggests that the original engine was petrol.
|
|
they were petrol L'escargot
|
|
The smell was perhaps Castrol R added to the petrol ~ purely for effect. I did it for a time in my early motoring days!
|
Unless this was converted to run on parafin which is cheaper and involves a piston change.
Willies jeep if thats how it's spelt were they 2.5 petrol?
If it was those that you saw there is one around here the old kid brings it out in the summer.
|
Willys or Ford Jeep had a sidevalve engine of about 2.3 litres I think.
Wasn't the fuel filler under the seat cushion though? I seem to remember you could take the cap off and use a dipstick to see how much fuel was left. Or hang your Zippo core on a wire and dip it in there for a free, if sooty, fill-up.
Jeeps were very rugged and very cheap to make but they overturned quite easily when driven without due care.
|
....I've a brass Zippo for sale...
:-)
|
I'm not trying to be discouraging Humph, but shouldn't you hang onto it for the time being?
:o}
|
He'll need something to light the brandy to toss over his Christmas pudding.
|
It was indeed a side-valve, and they tend to be very good at back-firing for some reason, especially when hot.
2.2 litres actually so you weren't far out. Still a few around mid-Wales doing what a jeep should be doing; I know one chap who uses one for his jobbing gardening business.
It's worth noting that side-valve engines always burn a bit of oil, that might explain the smell.
My old Harley 45 was designed to run on "pool" petrol of only 70 octane, so the owner might well adulterate modern petrol to get it running right.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Mon 22 Nov 10 at 21:47
|
>> It was indeed a side-valve
Is there anything fairly recent with this type of engine? 70's or something like that?
|
|
100E's were probably the last side valves and Rover at that time were IOE(inlet over exhaust) so just side valve exhaust.
|
|
Thanks Harleyman, that probably explains it.
|
|
There were a lot of post-war Jeeps sold by various Scandinavian armed forces well after the war and many of these were tarted up to look like genuine WW2 examples.
|
Original Jeep - Iffy
