Morning all…I found some info on the ‘kit’ to upgrade the NTC335 to a NTC350, anyone familiar with that?
I imagine an aftercooler came in handy in severe/warm regions as M/E? Any experience in the fleet?
RB !! The definition. Of a thing ? I thought it is something you can dismiss in a whim , I am certainly not one of these . Ron ,
A/J Ref all wet liner cylinders , all that I have rebuilt, I have had evidence of cavitation of the cylinder liner. This is a fascinating subject to write about , and when you cut the the actual liner in half where the liner has been attacked it becomes more intriguing, it is just the same in appearance as wood worm in wood. However, this is Cast iron the perfectly formed holes go right through the liner and will eventually allow water into the bore , resulting in a strip down of the engine. I aways remember the ■■■■■■■ training school at Darlington explaining there explanation of this problem ,and having first hand experiences of this , it becomes clear and I agree with their theory .The extreme heat that takes place at the top of the Bore gets boiling bubbles to cling to the the side of the liner, aways in exactly the same place and when they IMPLODE they take the most minuet fraction of metal every time resulting in this worm hole and after some 400000 miles this will happen ? I know this is also put down to Electrolysis ■■ But I was given this engine to over haul a R/R eagle 290 At S Jones this engine was of a new design I found that the cavitation had not only gone though the liner but had also attacked the block at the top and at the Bottom of the liner where the seal rings fit ,so much so it was very nearly scrapped ? Now this RR engine had a different set up with the cooling flow ? It had brass bobbins in the cylinder head ? They looked good to me, the amount of cavitation was much more than I had seen before , Electrolysis could be as well as this problem 'this engine had done 350000 miles but was very nearly scrapped ? SO I THINK FLOW COMES INTO EQUATION AS WELL Ps the ■■■■■■■ liners could be turned 45 deg and used with new rings again after. 350,ooo miles ,big job ?by the time you find out this is not worth the effort , this was in my Ron. 
THANK YOU Ron! It’s a pleasure to read your crisp experiences and I hope you keep on going
At Van Steenbergen, since 1946 a very loyal user of ■■■■■■■ power till about 1996 when the last lorry
left the fleet, problems with the liners (also in the Krupp-■■■■■■■ V6 and V8) ended in replacing and
finally abandoning the marque-loyalty. That together with the water-pump. I will look for some more
pictures and info concerning your recent posts on changing the piston-rings and placing back the pistons.
Have a nice weekend and enjoy summer! A-J
No clue on the date, I need to verify the different models discussed, but I found a service-leaflet
on the ■■■■■■■ Corrosion Resistor. To be continued…
The predecessors of your Taseco-trainingschool…concerning ■■■■■■■
I guess you received the historical notes
Writing about water ? Cooling and air bubbles the small holding at the bottom of our garden, the farmer who became a friend of mine had a bore hole drilled on his land ,the drilling went down through the ground some 250 ft or more and found the water saturated sand sub soil this water was taped for his use , also to top up his Lake !! I thought blimey it’s like going back to the Oil Fields ! The water tasted good to me and may be the secret of eternal youth !! Ron
While on the subject of ■■■■■■■ engines … my first experience was while with Allison,s of Dundee was a Big J …can’t remember what size it was but the exhaust was across the front of the cab made a great roar along narrow streets … next one was a V8 in a D1000 6 speed with 2 speed eaton while with D&D Dundee …boy could it move but noisy then a 220 in an Atkinson while with Elgin Tpt I loved that old grubber !!!.. jump a few years and here in Australia I was allocated an 8 wheel Acco tipper 13 speed with a 300 ■■■■■■■ it could sure pull with 18 ton up …tied to one of the pipes on the engine was a label Made by “■■■■■■■ Engines Shotts Scotland” which was never removed in my time and which I always pointed out to what ever mechanic was servicing
I still preferred my F89 though ■■?
Backsplice When working at S Jones I had a call to go out to recover a truck this is at night, i jumped in the wrecker and drove about 50 ft ? unknowing to me? the day shift had left a Guy big J hooked up on a bar at the back ,this crashed into a unit and stopped me dead !! I later had the pleasure of repairing this motor this belong to Charingtons of Chasetown the engine was a ■■■■■■■ V 6 , this needed repair!! ? What a job, the floor of the cab had to be removed to get to this engine hanging down it was bloody awkward,and under the wings ,anyway I got the job done including a new Rad !!! Road testing this B ,J I found out it was a flying machine really fast the drivers at Charingtons called it the Killer truck !! Flat fronted exhaust across the front, thanks for reminding me of this horrible job Ron. There was no tilt cab on a Guy. P/s I got caught speeding on the Bruce highway ,coming back from Cairns to Brisbane ,down your way Sorry
Going back to cavitation of the cyl liner? I feel that the life of the liner could be extended ,until the engine was in need of an over haul , surely with the modern day coatings of Teflon that is widely used to day, that this is worth a try ?just a thought !!! Removing a exhaust on my car I notices’t that all metal had rusted away except for one patch that had got the makers label stuck to it !! It makes you think ! Wirlinmerlin will laugh at this , ha ha , yes make it all from labels I can hear him say ? But I would certainly try the Coating of modern day material Ron
ronhawk:
Going back to cavitation of the cyl liner? I feel that the life of the liner could be extended ,until the engine was in need of an over haul , surely with the modern day coatings of Teflon that is widely used to day, that this is worth a try ?just a thought !!! Removing a exhaust on my car I notices’t that all metal had rusted away except for one patch that had got the makers label stuck to it !! It makes you think ! Wirlinmerlin will laugh at this , ha ha , yes make it all from labels I can hear him say ? But I would certainly try the Coating of modern day material Ron
Hi Ron,
About 30 years ago programmes like tomorrow’s world were toting ceramics as the new engine material, harder, impervious to water, not affected by high temperature etc. but nothing ever seemed to come of it. I can see that a piston moulded like that might be a touch fragile, but wouldn’t a liner be good?
John
Hello John, When driving down towards Najran on the right side I saw a flat layer of desert that was way above the desert floor this went on and on for miles ? what did you make of this? it was as if a flood had carved out this wall, it did get me thinking how it came about, the desert floor in the same area was being cultivated with giant wheels turning on a centre point spraying water this was also on a large scale , it was of cause still red hot and there was no sign of vegetation at this particular time ! S/A was very different with the mountains coming up as i travelled further S/W the villages of white washed wedding cake dwellings and look out castles dotted around was so interesting !! Not many people around just a tarmac strip winding along a quiet mountain road ,days away from home thinking of what to eat when the Sun goes down ? Ron !!! As if I had a choice ,
Hi Ron,
Couple of wonderfully evocative pics there. I took hardly any photos. If only I’d had an iPhone in my top pocket. The vulture perched watching me eat my lunch and the monkey running along the back parcel shelf of a Chevy would have made great photos, but, alas, they’re only images in my mind!
Can’t remember the places you’re describing down past Najran. Just remember wide open spaces. It’s difficult to imagine now that you could drive for several hours with almost nothing either side of the road but sand! Maybe there was an ancient river that carved that shape - then dried up?
I thought the ‘cowboy country’ sandstone pillars after you’d left Riyadh heading for Jeddah were special. You could see how over millennia they’d left the sand below them.
I did love the drive down the Asir mountains, even if it could be called ‘challenging’. In addition to the White houses you’ve shown in your photo, some of the houses down near the Yemen were painted in bright primary blues, yellows and reds.
I also remember a 90 degree bend at the bottom of a steep hill, somewhere on that road. What faced you was a rock face! Not a place to run out of brakes. There was almost always a grey normal control Mercedes with 40 tons on board which hadn’t made it round the corner, buried in the rock face. Nobody around, you just tiptoed your way past it and carried on. Not like the M6 now, where they close all three lanes for 20 hours to decide whose fault an accident was!
John
Salam alykuhm…ah John these bring back memories I often daydream about winging along these roads in my own world listening to Fleetwood Mac “Go your own way” blaring out on the quadrophonic stereo in my F89 oh yes these were the days
backsplice:
Salam alykuhm…ah John these bring back memories I often daydream about winging along these roads in my own world listening to Fleetwood Mac “Go your own way” blaring out on the quadrophonic stereo in my F89 oh yes these were the days
A3layeekum wasalaam wa raHmatullah wa barakaatu, ya Backsplice! Yes, those roads must still be just as open and desolate between the towns: the TAP-line certainly was when I last passed down it in 2002; not to mention Camel Alley (turn right after Nayariyya). Robert 
The wall of sand that went on for miles was on my right side ! from the road it was may be ? 1/2mile back running parallel with the road this was flat level and looked about 500ft high ? I forget what road I was on ? I thought there was only this one !! Ha ha , if any one could go wrong it was me !! So thinking I must be going " Soft " I’ve looked into Google and found it !!! I started from Damman driving south towards the empty 1/4 then along this rd ? Towards Najran!! Here is a picture of this unmistakeable scene , I thought I was loosing my marbles ? This drive was unforgettable , !! Ron
This wall of sand ? I have found out that this map gives us the explanation that I was looking for , Backsplice and John, I know will be interested in this having driven there never realised just how this has evolved, the rivers 5 in all fed this lake in Oman some 6 million years ago and this was the wall from one of these that I followed , the driver of Trans Arabia Jonnie Mathews I remember talking about a flash Flood , that had washed away the sand that he was bogged down in ,the Mac was stuck tight but ,after the flood he could drive out he was down Khamish area ,this is where the rivers started in the mountains , although this is nothing today who knows what the future beholds, I find it fascinating Ron. Ps Backsplice, the music I liked at that time was by Bony M , Brown girl in the rain ,-Night flight to Venus ,by the rivers of Babylon that was back at base ! Idid not have a tape deck ,
I certainly remember flying in early morning towards Dhahran on the twice or thrice weekly VC 10 and looking out and seeing acre upon acre of green north of Dhahran. This was all kept green by those circular waterers fed by artesian well. I seem to remember Merlin saying he visited them one weekend.
The rumour was that there was an underground fresh water ocean which stretched from Jordan down to Dammam. Presumably this was at a different depth from the oil strata. Maybe there is also something similar under the empty quarter.
Ah the music! You could really get into stuff couldn’t you! Elton John’s ‘Blue Moves’ LP was a case in point. I didn’t like it much at first, but by the time I’d heard it a few hundred times I thought it was really good.
Running down the Tapline with ‘Hotel California’ at full volume. Great stuff!
The camels did like to sleep on the Tarmac at night and were difficult to see. JD Longhorn ran his Volvo into one somewhere between Dammam & Nariyah. Didn’t write it off, but didn’t do it any good either!
John.
ronhawk:
Where are you Wirlinmerln ? I hope all is well and you are on the mend ? I put on a couple off funnies on the thread ! And I thought that will pull the stitches and make you wince a bit , but not a murmur !! Don’t tell me I’ve got to come up up on the Electric bike ? It only goes 12mile on a full charge ,That means I will have to have at least 6 days travelling, that’s bed & breakfast and a chickin Mozola Mac special for evening meal n/o 114 on the Menu, its the same coming back it will cost a bloody Fortune but you know I will do it ? Even if I have a Solar pack on my back as big as that Mosque that we lived next door to in Damman, that means stoping 5 times A day For Prayers? That would mean taking my shoes off and washing my feet 5times as well it will probably be raining ?that will mean I will catch my Death of Cold and finish up in Hospital next to you !! I wish you well from all on this thread you " Started “. Ron”
Dear Ronaldo,
My eyes fill with tears on reading the above. But not for the leerv and concern that is hidden within every word but from the awful thought that has just struck me. When you venture forth to make the epic journey northwards to bring me jolly tales and grapes, you have craftily decided, on purpose, to come on the electric bike in order to take 6 days so you can claim six days overnight expenses!..from me!!! You are the cutest man that ever claimed a ryal!
In one of your previous posts you surmise that perhaps I have not been about because I’ve lost my wallet down a rabbit hole. Strangely you were very close to the truth. I attach a couple of photos of for mentioned search but as you will see, I ended up by pulling the rabbit out of the hat so as to speak!
