Punchy Dan:
When did Cat first come on the U.K. scene would it be foden approximately 83?
There were 50 White Road Commanders built for the UK market between 77 & 82, they had a mix of CAT and ■■■■■■■ in them,
I had the last one imported, built in 82, reg Jan 83, has CAT 3406 in with a Fuller road ranger box
I think most of the big makers sold crated engines to use in other makes. Some of Pickfords Vixens had the 3.4 BMC from new, Tate and Lyle fitted Ford 4Ds to some of their Bedford O types (big disappointment to the drivers after that lovely 28 horse petrol I’d have thought). As well as replacements for their own petrols Albion used to offer their 4 pot diesel as a kit for other makes, I’ve got a brochure somewhere. Whitbread always favoured AEC in their Seddons and Atkinsons.
Bernard
Punchy Dan:
When did Cat first come on the U.K. scene would it be foden approximately 83?
It would be around then, happen a little later, they were not very good at first though. When I drove for STB they bought a secondhand one on a F plate which John Mellor drove but it was soon re-engined with a ■■■■■■■ L10. Head gasket problems mostly, yet they were brilliant in plant applications.
Pete.
Bewick:
Just wait while the Warder sorry Nurse lets him out of his overnight straight jacket the thread will go awry with DD bollox !!
No I’ll throw you a Rolls B80/81 curve ball.Bleedin dirty obnoxious diesel motors polluting the topic. 
Here in North America; loose engines are known as “Vendor Engines.”
Didnt Gardner supply Guy Motors with some 240’s at one time 
Trucky Mc truckface:
Didnt Gardner supply Guy Motors with some 240’s at one time
About 39 I believe 
dave docwra:
Trucky Mc truckface:
Didnt Gardner supply Guy Motors with some 240’s at one timeAbout 39 I believe
More likely 30 dealers and 9 operators for retrofit after a long wait for an engine to be supplied.
dave docwra:
Trucky Mc truckface:
Didnt Gardner supply Guy Motors with some 240’s at one timeAbout 39 I believe
AT LEAST 39, Dave!
gingerfold:
Perkins became the main loose engine market supplier to the lightweight and medium weight sectors. Its first engine, the 4-cylinder Vixen diesel engine was designed in 1932 as a replacement unit for petrol engines in lorries. In those days there wasn’t any excise duty on diesel fuel, but that soon changed when the popularity of diesel engines took off. Perkins P4 and P6 engines were introduced in the late 1930s. Post-war and Bedford fitted the P6 as a factory option in the S-Type before it designed and built its own diesel engine
You’ve forgotten (■■) that awful R6, gingerfold. Must admit, I’ve been trying to forget the thing for years! We only had one in an S-type with a Boys trailing axle. One was one too many.
Retired Old ■■■■:
gingerfold:
Perkins became the main loose engine market supplier to the lightweight and medium weight sectors. Its first engine, the 4-cylinder Vixen diesel engine was designed in 1932 as a replacement unit for petrol engines in lorries. In those days there wasn’t any excise duty on diesel fuel, but that soon changed when the popularity of diesel engines took off. Perkins P4 and P6 engines were introduced in the late 1930s. Post-war and Bedford fitted the P6 as a factory option in the S-Type before it designed and built its own diesel engineYou’ve forgotten (■■) that awful R6, gingerfold. Must admit, I’ve been trying to forget the thing for years! We only had one in an S-type with a Boys trailing axle. One was one too many.
I drove an S type with the R6, went like crap off a shovel and used as much oil as diesel . Bugger to start in a morning , especially in winter , boss drilled a hole in intake manifold for squirting Easy Start in , must have been a dozen empty cans behind the seats when I took it over . That was a “promotion “ from a JType with a P 6 after the chassis snapped .
ERF-NGC-European:
Didn’t Bristol make their own engines, before adopting the Leyland 0.600 and AEC lumps? Though I appreciate they wouldn’t have supplied loose engines.
Yep, Bristol fitted their own 5- & 6-cylinder diesels to their buses. They were on a par with the Gardners as regards morning smoke as my 15-year old lungs could have told you!
On purely engine production, Perkins were prolific, Road, Rail, Marine. Gardner wouldn’t have been far behind. As a youth and the change from petrol to diesel in farm tractors it was a Perkins badge that was on the front, black cabs were another example.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkins_E … el_engines
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Gardner_and_Sons
Oily
Gardner supplied loose engines to Corbitt, the US truck maker, but not a lot; although some Gardner engined Corbitts do survive. Scania supplied their 8 litre engine to Mack for use in the R-model and later on, Mack supplied their 500 bhp V8 to Renault for fitting in the Magnum. But Renault had just taken over Mack at the time. Mack offered all the popular vendor engines, ■■■■■■■■ Caterpillar, Detroit, but was one of the few truck makers to have their own engines, gearboxes and axles. Any Mack truck that is completely manufactured by Mack can be distinguished by having a gold-plated bulldog on the hood instead of a silver one.
windrush:
Punchy Dan:
When did Cat first come on the U.K. scene would it be foden approximately 83?It would be around then, happen a little later, they were not very good at first though. When I drove for STB they bought a secondhand one on a F plate which John Mellor drove but it was soon re-engined with a ■■■■■■■ L10. Head gasket problems mostly, yet they were brilliant in plant applications.
Pete.
Windrush,
Several years ago I drove for a while for Danbury Haulage in Essex. The boss man was / is Foden mad.
He bought I think it was an e reg new fitted with a 3406 CAT ?
Same thing as your man, head gasket and water problems and was changed for a ■■■■■■■ l10.
I seem to remember hearing that cat engines are brilliant in plant and us lorries as they are designed to run at constant revs and can’t cope with up and downs on the revs ?
Might be rubbish.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That’s exactly what we were told as well, the rapid changes in temperature found the weak points. Not ours but some suffered crank problems as well, usually found initially by draining the oil on service and finding metal in it.
Pete.
windrush:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^That’s exactly what we were told as well, the rapid changes in temperature found the weak points. Not ours but some suffered crank problems as well, usually found initially by draining the oil on service and finding metal in it.
Pete.
My Father had 3 4000 series Fodens fitted with 3406 400 CAT’s. On all 3 problems with no 6 liner dropping. Got a contribution off CAT for all 3. On last one, then had problem with the crank, so put a 14 litre ■■■■■■■ in it, out of an ERF ex Henley Transport Paddock Wood. Had it updated to 400bhp at ■■■■■■■ West Thurrock.
Retired Old ■■■■:
ERF-NGC-European:
Didn’t Bristol make their own engines, before adopting the Leyland 0.600 and AEC lumps? Though I appreciate they wouldn’t have supplied loose engines.Yep, Bristol fitted their own 5- & 6-cylinder diesels to their buses. They were on a par with the Gardners as regards morning smoke as my 15-year old lungs could have told you!
Ah yes ‘loose engines.’ I always preferred the cabin hotel to digs. It may have been grubby, but it was my grubby, not someone else’s. An exception was a digs in a cul de sac in Billingham. Pulling for Pritchett’s we often loaded crisps from Cowpen Lane, Billingham. We also went to the clubs that the employees did. In fact I went out with a girl from there for a while. I can’t remember the landlady, but it was one of the few places I always stopped, she was great. You would get 8 or 10 units parked in the cul de sac. My Mastiff was the least offensive. Gardners (at least 5) would fill the road with noise and smoke from 7am onwards!!!
Happy Days!
Retired Old ■■■■:
gingerfold:
Perkins became the main loose engine market supplier to the lightweight and medium weight sectors. Its first engine, the 4-cylinder Vixen diesel engine was designed in 1932 as a replacement unit for petrol engines in lorries. In those days there wasn’t any excise duty on diesel fuel, but that soon changed when the popularity of diesel engines took off. Perkins P4 and P6 engines were introduced in the late 1930s. Post-war and Bedford fitted the P6 as a factory option in the S-Type before it designed and built its own diesel engineYou’ve forgotten (■■) that awful R6, gingerfold. Must admit, I’ve been trying to forget the thing for years! We only had one in an S-type with a Boys trailing axle. One was one too many.
Sorry I meant R6 in the S-Type, they threw timing chains for fun, and had the ability to convert fresh engine oil into sludge within 1,000 miles.
In the late 80s we had a job running to Casnate near Como with Perkins parts from Perkins Trafford Park . It was Perkins own place in Italy and it always had to be there first thing monday , i only did it once and that was a bank holiday so monday became tuesday. Are Perkins still operating at Trafford Park or Italy?
