Does Rolls Still Own the Merlin V12
Does Rolls Still Own the Merlin V12
What's to stop you taking a servicable Merlin engine to a company that desihns and built high tech racing engines and getting them to pull your engine apart, measure everything, do new drawings and building new parts.
Are the Merlin engine parts still under licence from Rolls or has that expired now.
Are the Merlin engine parts still under licence from Rolls or has that expired now.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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I believe companies like Retrotec do manufacture new parts, though whether they pay Rolls a fee or not - I doubt it as RR must have given up supporting the Merlin many years ago, probably in the 50s or 60s.
There was a plan to machine new blocks in Eastern Europe as I recall, never heard any more about it.
There was a plan to machine new blocks in Eastern Europe as I recall, never heard any more about it.
"What's to stop you taking a servicable Merlin engine to a company that desihns and built high tech racing engines and getting them to pull your engine apart, measure everything, do new drawings and building new parts."
About £ 5 million I'd guess - and I'd go to China - they have a lot of experience with this sort of reverse engineering
About £ 5 million I'd guess - and I'd go to China - they have a lot of experience with this sort of reverse engineering
Treadigraph said:
[QUOTE][There was a plan to machine new blocks in Eastern Europe/QUOTE]
That reminded me of my restauration of a Citroen Traction Avant 1934 vintage car (the French "gangster car"). Many parts could be obtained through the club shop, and those parts were new, and manurfactured in Czecho-Slovakia from Citroen blueprints. They were of good quality and my Citroen drove finely with them.so Tradigraphs remark doesn't sound too outlandish.
[QUOTE][There was a plan to machine new blocks in Eastern Europe/QUOTE]
That reminded me of my restauration of a Citroen Traction Avant 1934 vintage car (the French "gangster car"). Many parts could be obtained through the club shop, and those parts were new, and manurfactured in Czecho-Slovakia from Citroen blueprints. They were of good quality and my Citroen drove finely with them.so Tradigraphs remark doesn't sound too outlandish.
I have a Merlin piston. Maybe one could build an engine around that... 
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Probably an entire Spitfire if it's one of the right variants and you can get hold of the correct VS, WA or CB dataplate from a crash site...
When I worked for Ford Motor company (2011) they still held the drawings for their version of the Merlin. Many thousands of Merlins made by Ford after they redrew the plans to a modern style suitable for mass production techniques. Story was that Rolls queried Ford to ask if the spces were too tight and Ford replied no, too loose!
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Ah, that's who I meant by Retrotec - Retrotec appear to be in an entirely different line of air business!
I know US companies like Vintage V-12s had a large accumulation of Merlin and Allison spares including blocks. Is the basic Merlin engine block the same throughout the series or were the later more powerful versions redesigned?
I know US companies like Vintage V-12s had a large accumulation of Merlin and Allison spares including blocks. Is the basic Merlin engine block the same throughout the series or were the later more powerful versions redesigned?
[QUOTE]Story was that Rolls queried Ford to ask if the spces were too tight and Ford replied no, too loose