Unusual repowers

In the States the original Flexble buses were equipped with the straight 8 Buick and a common repower was the GMC petrol V-6.. Prewar Flexible also made sone units on a Buick chassis for Goodyear which pulled a large airplane tire as an advertising deal. Jeff L on JOT has pictures of them.

jimbo51 wrote: Further to the Ansair Flxible Clippers, according to a brief history written by Ian Cooper in 1974, the imported prototype was fitted with a straight 8 Buick motor which was later replaced with a Leyland. There were 50 originally built with 7.4 litre Leyland AU450 Matilda tank engines with one experimentally fitted with a Cummins for a short period.

Cummins JBS600 engines were fitted to 21 with the 17 in the Pioneer fleet later refitted with GM471E engines. 60 were fitted with Deutz FL614 or FL714 engines and there is reference to one in this group being fitted with a Nissan UD3.

As the Clippers started to be retired in the 70's and moved into motorhome use repowers included 6 and 8 cylinder Perkins, 6V53 with Allison MT41, 6V53T and Cummins B series. There's probably others since but I've drifted away from the Clipper scene and it seems things have moved to another level with some big money being thrown at the old girls.

That's pretty much what I have been told and what is recorded in family writings
It never went into exact engine models but it definitely said and I have been told plenty of times that it was Matilda tank Leyland motors, they were apparently hopelessly underpowered but that was all that could be gotten in quantity and have readily available spares from the other motor

Second photo is the very first Clipper in Australia
The doors were on the wrong side and the straight 8 petrol motor was in it
I was told it was changed because it was so thirsty on fuel
I wonder was fuel rationing still going for petrol and perhaps not for diesel
I found a Clipper in North QLD tucked away under cover, had been converted to a motor home but still in Ansett colours
Was delivering hay to the place
I was very keen but the fun police said no

Paul

Some others I remember from Truck magazines are...

A Butterbox ACCO with an1160 V8 Cat (early version of the 3208 Cat)

An article on a 8V53 in an LAD cabbed Leyland

I've seen an F10 Volvo fitted with a Cat 3406B

Keep 'em coming, cupla unusuals there, certainly the 3406B into the F10 YoYo would have been a bit squeezy!
A certain Volvo luvin member on here may even say that was half way to making a decent truck!

Good demonstration of how hard it is to kill a myth;- keep repeating an error and it becomes true.
So once again, the Clippers were NOT fitted with Matilda tank engines. The tank engine had a bore of 41/4" while the later E175 had a bore of 4 3/8", different heads etc etc. The Leyland number of AU450 means; automotive, export, cube inch equivalent of 7.4 litres.
For the non believers I have an example of each here so you are welcome to visit and check for yourself.

There's a quite active Clipper Club in Australia.

hayseed wrote: I've seen an F10 Volvo fitted with a Cat 3406B

I fitted an NTC270 and an RTO12510 in a 1983 F10 V Bus, it had Rockwells on Reyco 4 spring so was a decent driveline with a comfy ride.

mammoth wrote: Good demonstration of how hard it is to kill a myth;- keep repeating an error and it becomes true.

Not trying to start an argument Steven, was just quoting from what I thought was definitive research. I'm happy to defer to someone who has the interest and knowledge in Leyland products.

But are we agreed that the generic designation of the engine as AU450 and their capacity of 7.4 litres is correct?

Hey Brocky,
You being the man on the spot, so to speak.
Bloke telling me today he got a gig doing up a straight 8 Buick, I replied, "one of the old flatheads?"
He then told me that Buick never made a flathead 8 , many others did, but Buick only made the OHV straight 8's.
This particular bloke is usually reliable when he makes a statement. He then added that when Laurence Hartnett went over your way just after the war, the Buick straight 8 was the model for what would become the original GMH grey motor (less the two rear cylinders of course, but with a slightly enlarged bore ) Sounded good!