Larry

http://tinyurl.com/2ytncw

A large 6×6 flatbed truck arrived one year carrying an odd pair of cars (odd to me at the time). The first was a tiny French boat tail car from the teens or twenties. The 2nd car was a Tatra (the one I’d eventually ride in at the Lane Motor Museum). All were owned by the LMM.

I was impressed with the rear engine and the fact that the HUGE truck and the Tatra car were both air cooled – the car was even a V-8! I have always been fascinated with the engineering required to make a good air cooled and/or rear engined car.

So many topics have to be carefully approached… Porsche has prob made the most of the technology and contributed a good amount themselves.

There is a book I once saw called “Aircooled Engines” by a Czech fellow. I can’t remember the fellow’s name. It is out of date I think. He reviews the air cooled engines of a long list of airplanes, cars and trucks. The book was written in the early 70’s I think. He discussed a myriad of considerations when designing a good air cooled engines. Lots of cutaway views of these engines.

A few things an engineer must consider how to:

-Maintain a stable operating temp (warm up, excess cooling-down during coasting)

-How to get the most power from the engine in a variety of weather without overheating

-How to cool multiple cylinders and the oil without heating up the adjoining cylinders

-How to heat the cabin safely (do YOU want a gasoline powered blower furnace mounted right above the gas tank? Do you even want the gas tank to be mounted up front as found in a Beetle and Fiat and many other rear engined cars?)

-Noise control with no water jackets to quiet the engine, fins resonating & making noise, aluminum construction vs iron which is quieter, different fit tolerances from water-cooled engines to deal with different expansion and contraction rates of the different engine materials (steel, aluminum, iron)

-Exhaust systems which must be short because the engine is at the rear of the car, how to rob the exhaust of it’s heat to heat the cabin, how to build it so that it can survive the excessive heat from being so short and so close to the combustion chamber, and how to build it light so it does not contribute to a rear-engined car’s nature desire to over steer.

-Later how engineers tried to cope with air pollution standards

-How to style a body to fit around the engine and still look desirable.

-Ways to have a good ride, safe handling and braking characteristics when so much of the vehicle’s weight is hanging out behind the rear axle.

Whatever the compromises made I still find myself drawn to these kinds of vehicles. Has anyone heard anything about the small compacts that VW has been showing which have a small watercooled engine in the rear?

Chris in Cookeville
‘65 Beetle Heinz-57 Edition 2.0L
‘78 VW Westfalia 2.7L (Corvair implanted)

http://www.openthinkinc.com/tatra/

Yes, Tatra has been making off-road trucks with all-independent suspension for ages, utilizing the same basic swing-axle technology they first used on the Tatra type 11 of 1923.

If you follow the Dakar Rally you’ve seen a Tatra truck or two racing. No Rally this year according to the news last week. Serious security threats from group(s) related to Al-Queada and yes I mispelled it on purpose.

Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts and stories here with us. I look forward to each one and have yet to be disappointed.

NEAT cars…

I’ll never be able to afford one so I’ll stick with my ‘65 Beetle (Heinz-57 Edition), ‘78 VW Westy (Corvair implanted), and dream of being able to own a Flxible Clipper coach… All in due time…

Thanks Paul.

Now that I’m reading your recent ditty all I can say is… never mind!

Great work Paul. Keep up with this and I’ll have to find you an agent.