How many of us are using the Austin crankshaft?

[Dave Mann]

Three RN salons all running on Austin cranks, all have been checked for cracks with magnaflux as have a further 4 in a drawer. Roger Mallinson has covered about a million miles in his boat tailed tourer since 1950 and in that time broke one crank.

[Steve Jones]

SWB Saloon - Original 1 5/16" Austin crank and rods
Trials Chummy - 1 5/16" Phoenix Crank and Phoenix Rods
Ulster - 1 5/16" Barlow Crank and Phoenix Rods
Spare Vintage Engine - 1 5/16" Phoenix Crank and Austin Rods
Engine that's just come out of Ulster - 1 5/16" Barlow Crank and Austin Rods

Steve

[Martin Prior]

My '33 RP is still running on its original crank, with an estimated quarter of a million-plus miles on it. Finances permitting, I shall probably retire it as a precaution at the next major overhaul.

[Dave Wortley]

So good to hear that many Austin cranks still going strong. The one in the family heirloom must have been a bad'un since I don't think it likely that it was ever abused.
Bruce, Davy's have changed the name to Precision Metals Technology or PMT for short. Now owned by Japanese and German I understand.They paid a consultant big money for the name change. "PMT" !!!!
I am also curious to know how many cranks have been broken in service. I have broken one 3 bearing and 2 x 2 bearing, one of these could have been a Remax.
I took half a dozen down to the scrap man last year - all cracked.

[Martin Prior]

I've only had one crank failure in 47 years, back in about 1981 when running the PD on our spare engine (1934, un-rebuilt and of unknown provenance). This happened in the course of an emergency stop from over 50mph. Luckily, it was a very clean break between journals 3 and 4 and everything stayed pretty much in the right place.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

My wife, Tanya, and I have had 7 Longbridge cranks break on us.

1 x three bearing

1 x 1 1/8”

1 x 1 1/2”

4 x 1 5/16”

Tanya holds the record for two in one week however.

[andrew34ruby]

I am now running an Austin crankshaft but not the original out of this engine. Both were last run in about 1967 and when I rebuilt the engine in about 1988 I took both cranks to David at Kirby Whiske for him to get the crank ground and rods remettled. David showed me how to dangle a crankshaft and tap it with a small hammer. The crank from my engine gave a very dull thud. The spare crank rang well.

The engine was started for the first time, this year.

[Howard Wright]

Hi All

Austin crank in the RK, however I did get it properly crack tested. I’m not sure how reliable the “hit it with a hammer and see if it rings test” is?

I have a billet crank (of unknown origin) on the special.

Cheers

Howard

[Mike Costigan]

Just out of interest, Ruairidh, how does your breakage record compare with your usage? I have heard that the 1 1/8" crank is the least likely of the Austin designs to crack. Peter Gledhill is running the original 1 1/8" crank in his 1928 chummy, which has been in his hands, and in more or less continuous use, since the early 1950s.

I have broken one 1 5/16" crank, resulting in minor damage to the crankcase, one Speedy crank which destroyed case and block and most associated bits and pieces, and one 3-bearing which I was able to drive the 120 miles home from Swindon thinking I had run a big-end! It was only when I dismantled the engine and the crank fell out in two pieces that I realised what had 'gone'.

[Lowespeed]

The RN has an original 15/16th crank and has covered many miles three up and towing a trailer. I have just fitted a rebuilt "spare" engine with the same.
The RK was completely rebuilt and I used a new 1 5/16th and rods as it was on the original 1 1/8th  crank and rods. everything was original in the engine with crankcase,block and crank having matching part numbers so I decided to fit a new John Barlow 15/16th to preserve the original parts.
The supercharged engine for the TOP was built with an Austin 15/16th crank and rods which I drilled for pressure feeding. It lasted a couple of years until it broke at low revs probably due to the torque. The rods were transferred to another Austin crank that was ground to suit the rods.
The other two engines for the TOP both have original cranks and rods, including the one from the above. Both these engines have four jet lubrication. Both have been used, including as second car sometimes.
We sometimes forget "Bulit to last; and Sealed for life" didn't have 90 years in mind !