Napier Lion in Sahara..

Hi Burgundyben, thanks for your interest in the Lion rebuild, I have got a lot done, although it doesn’t look that different.
The water jackets have been hot pressure tested with the help of Chris Williams and are leak free, cylinders honed, pistons ordered, crank stripped, rebuilt and pressure tested, con-rod assemblies stripped, checked and rebuilt, timing case stripped, checked and rebuilt, I will be cutting the valve seats and building up the heads in the next couple of weeks.
Time is now being put into the carrier which will have the controls, tanks and radiators.

Andy

Looking very good!

I’m in the middle of rebuilding a flat 6 air cooled Porsche engine, if it runs and is oil tight I’ll be very proud, you should be the same.

Who is making the pistons?

Hi Burgundyben, thanks for your interest in the Lion rebuild, I have got a lot done, although it doesn’t look that different.
The water jackets have been hot pressure tested with the help of Chris Williams and are leak free, cylinders honed, pistons ordered, crank stripped, rebuilt and pressure tested, con-rod assemblies stripped, checked and rebuilt, timing case stripped, checked and rebuilt, I will be cutting the valve seats and building up the heads in the next couple of weeks.
Time is now being put into the carrier which will have the controls, tanks and radiators.

Andy

Hi Schneiderman and all, thanks for the Lion photo’s, any other photo’s, info or parts are greatfully received.

First trial assy photo’s.

Andy

Andy – How is progress?

Have you spoken with this chap about carbs?

http://www.carburetterspecialists.fsnet.co.uk/older%20carburetters%20page.htm

Hi Ralph, thanks you for the offer, I have a Napier “branded” manual and an Air Ministry version, they are very comprehensive.

Andy

Andy,

I have a copy of the Napier Instruction Book, third edition, which is mainly for series V engines. These books are fairly common so I guess you probably own one. If not let me know and I will scan any parts you need.

Cheers

Ralph

Hi RPSmith, Schneiderman and all, Schneiderman you are spot on with the engine types, I have amended my list, thanks.

As before if anybody has any Lion parts or info to assist me get this engine running I would be very grateful.

Andy

Chinese copy?

I know, hat, coat……!

Aerial

This is the Napier Lion in the Airspace Hangar at Duxford. I’ve no idea what mark it is or why it has brass Chinese characters on the propeller stubs. Anybody?

Maybe it was used on a Stirling? :D:D:D;)

This is the Napier Lion in the Airspace Hangar at Duxford. I’ve no idea what mark it is or why it has brass Chinese characters on the propeller stubs. Anybody?

Roger,

Two photos, the Lion VIIA in Golden Arrow and the supercharger on the Lion VIID.

Also a typing error in my previous post. The aircraft fitted with the VIIA was the Gloster IVA

Cheers

Ralph

Roger,

Th Golden Arrow was designed and built in 1928 and set the land speed record in March of 1929. The engine is definitely a Lion VIIA, ungeared racing engine as used in the Supermarine S5 and Gloster GVIA in 1927. The supercharged Lion VIID was built in late ’28/early ’29 but did not run unitl mid year. The photo I posted earlier shows the VIID in the glass case at Greenwich and the supercharger is visible. “Miss Britain III” is displayed directly above in the museum and may well be on loan from the National Motorboat Museum.

“Miss England III” was powered by two Rolls Royce R supercharged racing engines, not by Lions. So you are correct, the names have been confused.

You are also correct about the two Railtons. Both were constructed for John Cobb’s speed record runs, speed over distance and circuit records with the Brooklands car and the absolute land speed record with the Think Tank car.

Cheers

Ralph

I saw the Napier Bentley racing at Prescott a couple of years ago. I was with a deaf girl at the time, she was asleep under a tree and it woke her up. Noise regs have made a silencer necessary too. The theme that year was aeroengined cars, there was some incredible stuff. How about a 1910 Mohrs with a Zeppelin engine that will out drag modern Porsches at traffic lights

A few queries now arisen from the listing of extant Lions in the UK:

1. Racer2 UK (Andy) and Schneiderman are at odds with each other on two engines:
Bealieu (in “Golden Arrow”) – Racer2 UK says Mk.VIID, Schneiderman says Mk.VIIA
National Maritime Museum – Racer2 UK says Mk.VIIA, Schneiderman says Mk.VIID supercharged ex “Miss Britain III”

2. National Motorboat Museum (now Motorboat Museum, Basildon) – I have looked through their on-line catalogue and I can see no Napier Lion listed. So what happened to the Mk.VIID supercharged ex “Miss England III”? did it go to the Science Museum with the boat “Miss England” and it’s supercharged Mk.VIIA?

3. I am confused and think there is a mix up – the names “Miss England”/”Miss England III” are the same as “Miss Britain”/”Miss Britain III” – but which is right?

4. Both Brooklands and Think Tank, Birmingham have Railton cars with Lions fitted – Mk.XI and two Mk.VIID respectively. Am I right?

Any comments appreciated,

Roger Smith.

Found this at the NPHT site:

Arromanches D-day museum Normandy, France
There is a Sabre engine on display in the museum.

Brenzett Aero Museum
Sabre Mk IIa from a crash site

Beaulieu Motor Museum
Napier ‘Gordon Bennett’ 1903 racing car

Brooklands Museum
Lion Mk VIIB
XIA Special incomplete
Lion Engined Railton Land Speed World Record Car.

CAEN Memorial Museum Caen, Normandy, France
In the entrance hall there is a full scale reproduction of a Typhoon
which was shot down near Caen during the battle of Normandy.

Deltic Preservation Society Barrow Hill
A number of Deltic Engines and Locomotives.

Dumfries & Galloway Aviation Museum
Gazelle Mk 100

Fleet Air Arm Museum
Gazelle Mk 601

Gosport Aviation Society
Gazelle unknown Mk

Halifax Bank of Scotland Edinburgh
Coin Weighing Machine

Imperial War Museum
Lion Duxford
Sabre Mk VII Duxford
Gazelle Mk 16101

International Helicopter Museum
Eland 504
Gazelle Mk 100
4 Gazelle Mk 16101’s

Irish Aviation Museum
Dagger Mk III

Loughborough University of Technology
Gazelle ECU 16001

Madrid Mint Museum
Has an example of a Napier Beam Engine(pictures on this site)
Also plans of Minting Machines.

Midland Air Museum
Eland unknown Mark

Millennium Point Birmingham
Lion Mark(Mk) VIID two fitted in Railton World speed Record Car
Sabre Mk VII on loan to Solent Sky

Museum of Flight
Sea Lion
Nomad Mk I (E125)
Gazelle Mk 161
Gazelle Mk 161
Naiad unknown Mk N0 E125

National Motorboat Museum
Lion Mk VIIA fitted in Miss Great Britain
VIID supercharged out of Miss Great Britain III

National Rail Museum York
The Prototype Deltic Locomotive

Newark Air Museum
Gazelle Mk 503

Noyer Bocage Memorial
A memorial to the pilots of Typhoons in Normandy.

Perth Fremantle Museum, Western Australia
Racing car L48 first 6 cylinder 1904 (Sampson)

R C Shelley Collection
Lion Mk V

RAF Cosford
Lion

RAF Hendon Museum
Lion Mk V
VIIA
VIII
Sea Lion
Dagger Mk VIII
Sabre Mk IIA
III
VII two engines
Double Scorpion
Gazelle Mk 100 ex Belvedere Helicopter
Gazelle Mk 10101
Double Scorpion NScD1-1

Rolls Royce Heritage
Lion Mk II or V Bristol
Sabre IIa Derby
Eland Type 141 Derby
Double Scorpion NScD1-1 Derby
Triple Scorpion mock-up Derby
Gazelle Mk 101 Sectioned Scotland

Science Museum
Lion Mk V
Rapier Mk IV
Nomad II (1953) Wroughton
Sabre Mk IIa
Mk IIb sectioned
2 Eland 141’s Wroughton
3 Eland E151’s ex-Rotodyne Wroughton
Eland No EL10 plus mock up
Experimental Turboprop from 1953
Gazelle ECU 16001
Naiad 1947
2 Naiad Unknown Mk’s
Oryx unknown Mk Gas generator for Helicopter rotor tip-drive
Double Scorpion
Limousine (from Acton2) Wroughton

Shuttleworth Collection
Rapier Mk VI
Dagger
Eland unknown Mk

Solent Sky Museum
Racing Lion
Sabre
Scorpion
Double Scorpion
Gazelle
Naiad unknown Mk

The World of Wearable Art & Classic Car Museum
Nelson, New Zealand
Sabre MkVII sectioned

It would be interesting to know where the ‘dozens’ of sectioned Sabre engines went. I can only think of 4 off the top of my head

Duxford (donated by Cambridge university, engineering department)
Hendon (in front of MN235)
Canda (Science Museum…notes at home so can’t remember the location)
Sweden (not 100% sure if Sweden is the location…I do have a photograph and location on the computer at home)

There’s at least one in NZ. Science Museum in London apparently also has one someplace. From what I’ve found out most of them originally went to college engineeering depts like the Dx example.
Unfortunately most of the Napier records were thrown in the trash & what little the NPHT does have in their archives is what they managed to rescue.

It would be interesting to know where the ‘dozens’ of sectioned Sabre engines went. I can only think of 4 off the top of my head

Duxford (donated by Cambridge university, engineering department)
Hendon (in front of MN235)
Canda (Science Museum…notes at home so can’t remember the location)
Sweden (not 100% sure if Sweden is the location…I do have a photograph and location on the computer at home)

Excellent Photographs. Thanks for posting! 🙂

Hi Schneiderman and all, thanks for the Lion photo’s, any other photo’s, info or parts are greatfully received.

First trial assy photo’s.

Andy

Andy,

As requested here are some images.

The VIIA in “Golden Arrow” at Beuaulieu
The VIIA in “Miss England” in the Science Museum
The VIID from “Miss Britain III” in the Maritime Museul

Cheers

SM

Gents,

Some updates to the list.

The Lion in the “Golden Arrow” at Beaulieu is a VIIA and the one alongside “Miss Britain III” at the National Maritime Museum is a supercharged VIID. Also “Miss England” is the Science Museum, London

Cheers

SM