8 replies to this topic

[eldougo]

I found this in a Probus news magazine that my old dad had ,and it intrigue me to find out more about this machine.




Looking up AustralianGP book i see that it competed in 1931,1932 &1933 AGP 's at Phillip Island driven by an A.Chamberlain who must have been the constructor and it was Supercharged for the 1933 race .Is there anybody that could fill inwith some more info.

Thanks Doug.

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by Ray Bell on the 'More from Shane Cowhan' thread
For pure innovation, long-term devotion to the project and absolute interest, try the Chamberlain 8:

UNDOUBTEDLY the best known of all of Australia’s more innovative Specials is the Chamberlain. Built at the very outset of our racing history, this car represents keen thought and enterprise at its very best.
This car was built by Bob Chamberlain in 1929. A space frame chassis was rare those days outside of aircraft, but we won’t say it was unique. In the twenties it was not unusual to be fiddling with front wheel drive, nor was independent suspension unknown or slimming the body by staggering the passenger behind the driver.
So, having established that the Chamberlain was not the forerunner of everything new, let’s look at what it was. Remembering that a part of its worth was as a car to compete in the AGP, which had commenced running the previous year and had a 2-litre limit, it’s understandable that it was to have a small engine and it was built to compete in the under 1100cc class.
The first engine was a big-valve Indian Daytona unit, but after a lot of road use this engine experienced valve gear trouble and was replaced with a slightly smaller Indian Altoona unit. Leave well enough alone?
Never. Norton barrels were fitted to increase the capacity and it went on its merry way, beating most of the opposition in sprints and hillclimbs. It held the class record at Wheelers Hill and also raced at Aspendale with a supercharger fitted. Three entries in the AGP failed to produce any success, but it was said to have done 118mph. Bob crashed the car at the 1934 Mt Tarrengower Hillclimb.
Bob, having shown his invention, went overseas and left the car in the hands of brother Bill. Then came the real technical innovation, although, once again, it was not actually breaking new ground. The two-stroke engine built for the car was based on ideas incorporated in a design by W. Jamieson and publicised in that era. But how many people, irrespective of their resources, would go to the trouble of building one?
Cutting some corners, they used a crankcase from aHenderson motorcycle. This was a four-cylinder in-line unit that was mounted it its frame longitudinally, the gearbox - fitted with a Chamberlain-made three speed crash gearset, flywheel, clutch and crownwheel/pinion assembly sharing the space and lubricants with the crankshaft.
Almost everything above this level they built themselves. A very complex block casting (which John Cummins remembers the foundry took 37 tries to get right) with exhaust ports at the bottom and inlet ports at the top, the pistons and the crankshafts. Yes, crankshafts - plural.
Each cylinder had a stepped bore, the bottom being 62.5mm, the top 35mm. There were pistons in both, the top ones being there purely to close and open the inlet ports to allow the supercharger to pump in the gases, while the bottom ones did everything else, from compressing the mixture to opening the port to allow the blue haze to pass into the atmosphere.
Tricky stuff, really. By closing the inlet port much later than the exhaust, which is terribly hard to achieve in a normal two stroke, the compressor was actually able to fill the cylinder well. By running the top pistons on very short conrods (the crank actually ran through a hole in the upper part of the piston) the ports opened and closed quickly, with long duration opening possible.
This style of two-stroke is what Auto Union used in their GP cars of the thirties, but with cams and valves instead of the upper piston. It should eliminate the need for petroil mixture and, as discussed, overcomes most of the vices of the two-stroke - shame you can’t do it with a Wankel!
The swept volume of the lower pistons was 968cc, the upper ones 100cc, giving 1068cc. The crank was machined out of a 6.5” billet and ran in three roller bearings, being linked to the top crank by chain. Conrods were Ford A, but that bit of simplicity was about all there was.
There were eight coils to supply spark to the eight plugs, and because of the risk of holing a piston it was necessary to make, yes make, eight plugs plus spares in a variety of heat ranges. This was done after the war to finally overcome the pre-war problems experienced with copper electrode plugs, the war seeing the development of aluminium oxide electrodes. John Cummins was a helper round the place at the time and contributed to this effort.
Bill Balgarnie, riding mechanic to Bill Thompson in the AGP, brought unfinished SU castings from England, with Alan Ashton (Lex Davison’s and Alf Barrett’s mechanic, among other things) doing the finishing work. Later this was replaced with a 2.5” Vacturi, which continued supplying the straight alcohol with boost from the Roots-type supercharger sometimes as high as 28psi.
The gearbox was driven by a chain from the crank, and the crownwheel and pinion required some delicately introduced reinforcing when the engine hit full song in post-war times. Final transmission of the drive to the front wheels was by jointed half-shafts, with inboard brakes also fitted at the front (was this finally a first?) and lower wide-based wishbones complemented by a transverse spring above, this also having radius arms to improve location on the wide-tracked car.
The rear suspension was simple swing axles with transverse leaf springing, Hartford friction shocks were fitted all round. When the engine transplant took place there was an additional 4.5” added to length of the chassis. At its widest point the body was only 24” across, and the whole thing weighs in at around 11cwt.
On full noise (and it is a noise, we’re told!) it probably has over 100bhp, so it can accelerate quite well.
As the oldest of the Specials we’re looking at, it is a milestone. So far ahead of its time in many ways, so much a representation of what can be done with enthusiasm, resources and time if the will is there.
RAY BELL

A more detailed story on this car in a rare magazine published in the seventies... Cars & Drivers Australia...

There's more on this car in DCN's Motor Racing Mavericks.

PS: Ray - not sure about these two-stroke GP Auto Unions . . .

[eldougo]

Thanks for the reply....... TIM.

[john medley]

Eldougo
I wrote the Cars & Drivers article back in the Seventies, but there is an even more comprehensive record " The Chamberlain: An Australian Story" published 2003 by John Hazelden the car's current owner. If you would like a copy , give John Cummins a ring.... he may have a copy left.

[eldougo]

Thanks John ill give Cummo a call on the pipes.

[eldougo]

I have just spoken to John Cummins. He remembers well this amazing car built in the late 20's. It is currently owned by John Haselton in Melbourne & Jim hawker is still going and also lives in Melbourne.It will be at Winton for there all Oz special meeting in April the year as a display only ,it needs some money spent on it and that is hard to find for Mr Haselton ,it sure would be great to hear it go.

John also tells me that JimHawker built that V8 Peugeot 403 sedan with this motor fitted and in the wee hours one morning he drove it on the perimeter road around Caufield horse track at and it reached 90 MpH. He grafted 2/ 403 motors together to form the V8 .the motor is still around and owned by Mr Haselton.

Also there will be a book comming out soon on the life of Bill Chaimberlain and his tractor company, would be a good read to hear about him and his brother life.

[Ray Bell]

More on the V8 Peugeot... and a mention of the Chamberlain... here:

http://www.aussiefro...ead.php?t=16996

[eldougo]

GOOD STORY RAY THANKS.

[275 GTB-4]

http://www.pitstop.net.au/

Chamberlain - Australian Innovator Hardcover Book 256 pgs $88.00
An impressive new book on one of Australia’s most inventive engineers. You'll associate the Chamberlain with tractors, but he also did extensive work in the motor components field, held many patents, helped design and manufacture tanks during WW2 and also built the Chamberlain Special racing car. He even found time to restore a variety of vintage cars, including the epic rebuild of the 1904 Napier Samson. A very important record of the career of this often overlooked engineer. Limited to 1500 copies with a special, leatherbound edition (100 copies) also available.