THE WALLY HASSAN LETTERS
FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH BENTLEY HISTORY, WALTER HASSAN OBE (1905-1996), OR WALLY AS HE WAS CALLED, STARTED HIS CAREER IN ENGINEERING AS A "SHOP BOY" EARNING TEN SHILLINGS A WEEK AT BENTLEY MOTORS IN 1919 AND STAYED THERE UNTIL THE SALE OF BENTLEY MOTORS TO ROLLS ROYCE IN 1931.
WALLY HAD A DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN THE ENGINEERING OF PERFORMANCE ENGINES AND CARS UP UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1975 THE YEAR THAT HE WROTE HIS AUTO-BIOGRAPHY.
WALLY HAD A DISTINGUISHED CAREER IN THE ENGINEERING OF PERFORMANCE ENGINES AND CARS UP UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1975 THE YEAR THAT HE WROTE HIS AUTO-BIOGRAPHY.
ABOVE A PHOTO OF THE DUST COVER OF HIS AUTO-BIOGRAPHY, THE TITLE A CLEVER PLAY ON WORDS, I BOUGHT THIS BOOK AS PART OF MY RESEARCH INTO THE BENTLEY 4 LITRE ENGINE, ALTHOUGH NOT PART OF THE USUAL BENTLEY "DOGMA FODDER" IT`S A GREAT READ AND A MUST FOR THE SERIOUS BENTLEY ENTHUSIAST!
WHILST I WAS PLANNING OUT THE DASHBOARD OF MY EXP 2 BITSA I WROTE TO WALLY HASSAN ASKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE DASHBOARD AND THE METHOD OF CREATING THE OUTSIDE GEAR CHANGE THAT WAS USED ON EXP2
THIS IS A RECORD OF HIS REPLIES TO MY QUERIES.
THIS IS A RECORD OF HIS REPLIES TO MY QUERIES.
ABOVE, PAGE 1 OF HIS REPLY TO MY INITIAL LETTER TO HIM, ON THIS PAGE HE CONFIRMS THAT HE ACTUALLY MADE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR EXP2.
ABOVE, THE REVERSE SIDE
THE ABOVE SKETCH WAS SENT TO WALLY FOR HIM TO ADD DETAILS OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HE HAS DONE SO BUT THE CAV COMBINED SWITCH AND STARTER THAT HE MENTIONS IN HIS LETTER IS NOT SHOWN
ABOVE, A DETAIL OF THE MISSING CAV COMBINED SWITCH SUPPLIED BY WALLY.
THERE WAS AN AMMETER AND VOLTAGE METER AND BELOW THESE, A PAIR OF SWITCHES FOR THE LIGHTING CIRCUITS. THE STARTER SWITCH WAS ALSO INCORPORATED, THIS WAS ACTIVATED BY TURNING THE SWITCH CLOCKWISE. I`VE NEVER SEEN THIS CONFIGURATION BEFORE BUT FOUND A VINTAGE ONE THAT CLOSELY RESEMBLES IT.
THERE WAS AN AMMETER AND VOLTAGE METER AND BELOW THESE, A PAIR OF SWITCHES FOR THE LIGHTING CIRCUITS. THE STARTER SWITCH WAS ALSO INCORPORATED, THIS WAS ACTIVATED BY TURNING THE SWITCH CLOCKWISE. I`VE NEVER SEEN THIS CONFIGURATION BEFORE BUT FOUND A VINTAGE ONE THAT CLOSELY RESEMBLES IT.
ABOVE THE FIRST SIDE OF THE SECOND LETTER THAT HE WROTE TO ME. HE HAD FORGOTTEN TO INCLUDE DETAILS OF THE OUTSIDE GEAR CHANGE AND SENT THE SKETCH SHOWN ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE LETTER.
ABOVE, THE SKETCH SHOWING HOW IT WAS DONE! HE ADDED THE NOTE THAT THIS WAS USED ON ALL T.T. AND INDIANAPOLIS CARS. I INSTALLED THIS OUTSIDE GEAR LEVER SYSTEM ON MY EXP2 BITSA CLOSELY FOLLOWING WALLY`S SKETCH. THERE HAS TO BE A PROTUSION FROM THE GEAR LEVER SHAFT THAT ENGAGES WITH THE GATE OF THE GEARBOX. I EXPECT THAT THE BENTLEY MECHANICS JUST DREW A GEAR LEVER FROM THE STORES AND CUT IT DOWN TO SUIT AND TAPER PINNED IT TO THE NEW INCREASED LENGTH SHAFT. HOWEVER NOT HAVING A GEAR LEVER TO CUT DOWN, I FABRICATED THE STUB AND THE GEAR LEVER MYSELF.
THE HOLE IN THE CHASSIS TO ALLOW THE GEAR LEVER SHAFT TO PASS THROUGH, HAS TO BE DRILLED ONCE THE GEARBOX HAS BEEN CENTRALISED WITH THE ENGINE CENTRELINE. THEN WITH THE GEARBOX TOP REMOVED, A SLAVE SHAFT IS INSERTED INTO THE BORE OF THE GEAR LEVER SHAFT AND PUSHED AGAINST THE CHASSIS AND THE POSITION MARKED. THEN BY USING AN OVERSIZED SHEET METAL CUTTER CUT TWO OVERLAPPING HOLES THAT WILL ALLOW FOR FUTURE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE GEARBOX POSITION. THE GATE BRONZE CASTING ALSO HAS TO BE DRILLED TO ALLOW ACCESS FOR THE LEVER SHAFT. THE CENTRE OF THE HOLE CAN BE MARKED USING THE SAME METHOD AS FOR THE CHASSIS BUT THE HOLE IS JUST A CLEARANCE DIAMETER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTO SHOWN BELOW OF THE No. 2 BIRKIN BLOWER GEAR CHANGE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE REVERSE GEAR INTERLOCK IS DIFFERENT.
IN THE SKETCH ABOVE THE INTERLOCK FOR REVERSE IS APPLIED BY FLICKING THE SMALL LEVER THAT THE SMALL BRONZE BLOCK IS FIXED TO, TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE GATE WHERE IT IS PIVOTED.
THE HOLE IN THE CHASSIS TO ALLOW THE GEAR LEVER SHAFT TO PASS THROUGH, HAS TO BE DRILLED ONCE THE GEARBOX HAS BEEN CENTRALISED WITH THE ENGINE CENTRELINE. THEN WITH THE GEARBOX TOP REMOVED, A SLAVE SHAFT IS INSERTED INTO THE BORE OF THE GEAR LEVER SHAFT AND PUSHED AGAINST THE CHASSIS AND THE POSITION MARKED. THEN BY USING AN OVERSIZED SHEET METAL CUTTER CUT TWO OVERLAPPING HOLES THAT WILL ALLOW FOR FUTURE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE GEARBOX POSITION. THE GATE BRONZE CASTING ALSO HAS TO BE DRILLED TO ALLOW ACCESS FOR THE LEVER SHAFT. THE CENTRE OF THE HOLE CAN BE MARKED USING THE SAME METHOD AS FOR THE CHASSIS BUT THE HOLE IS JUST A CLEARANCE DIAMETER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTO SHOWN BELOW OF THE No. 2 BIRKIN BLOWER GEAR CHANGE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE REVERSE GEAR INTERLOCK IS DIFFERENT.
IN THE SKETCH ABOVE THE INTERLOCK FOR REVERSE IS APPLIED BY FLICKING THE SMALL LEVER THAT THE SMALL BRONZE BLOCK IS FIXED TO, TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE GATE WHERE IT IS PIVOTED.
ABOVE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE INTERLOCK BLOCK IS TEMPORARILY LIFTED OUT OF THE GATE BY ROTATING THE CRANKED END OF THE SHAFT, THAT THE BLOCK IS FIXED TO, BY 180 DEGREES. THIS IS ARGUABLY A BETTER DESIGN THAN THE ONE ABOVE.
IF REVERSING AND FORGETTING TO RE-APPLY THE INTERLOCK FOR FORWARD MOTION, CHANGING INTO THIRD AND FOURTH GEAR IS IMPOSSIBLE AND RATHER BAFFLING FOR A MOMENT, SO THAT LEAVING THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL THE INTERLOCK HAS TO BE APPLIED WITH THE CAR COASTING, THEN THE ENGINE SPEED HAS TO BE MATCHED TO THE GEARBOX TO AVOID A HORRIBLE GRATING OF THE GEARS WHEN ENGAGING THIRD OR FOURTH GEAR.
IF REVERSING AND FORGETTING TO RE-APPLY THE INTERLOCK FOR FORWARD MOTION, CHANGING INTO THIRD AND FOURTH GEAR IS IMPOSSIBLE AND RATHER BAFFLING FOR A MOMENT, SO THAT LEAVING THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL THE INTERLOCK HAS TO BE APPLIED WITH THE CAR COASTING, THEN THE ENGINE SPEED HAS TO BE MATCHED TO THE GEARBOX TO AVOID A HORRIBLE GRATING OF THE GEARS WHEN ENGAGING THIRD OR FOURTH GEAR.
IN PROGRESS