Phil Parcells wrote:
I have a TR4A, so am somewhat versed in the details of that machine. So I
can explain that half of the story. Yes, all TR engines are sleeved. It is a
design feature that was purposely done. The original TR2-TR4A engines were
4-cylinder, and were leveraged off
a Massey-Ferguson Tractor engine that Triumph's engine factory Standard
Vanguard also had the contract to build.
Hi, Phil
With the greatest respect, you've got it wrong. The TR engine did not come
off a Massey Ferguson tractor. Massey Ferguson did not enter the UK tractor
scene until 1958 and then used 3 and 4 cylinder diesels from Perkins
Engines. The power unit came from the Standard Vanguard car and it's worth
mentioning that Standard was not "Triumph's engine factory." The Standard
Motor Company was the organisation that bought the bankrupt Triumph Motor
Company in late 1944. Moreover, Standard was a substantial car manufacturer
in its own right (for its day). At the risk of bandwidth, below are some
extracts of an article I have written for the VTR magazine tracing the whole
life of the wet liner four.
Jonmac
(ex employee)
"As the Armistice drew ever closer and thoughts turned to serious post-war
car production, it was clear that Standard's range of engines to power them
would prove to be woefully inadequate. For a while - and much in common with
other manufacturers, it would have to continue using its pre-war designs as
a fall-back. This was unsatisfactory for the shorter term and entirely
unacceptable for the longer term but as a stop-gap measure, there was no
option.
Sir John Black, Standard's CEO, was also committed to ensuring Standard
would produce a 'world car' and with the very recent acquisition of Triumph,
it was even more critical to have a modern engine in both car ranges
carrying either name. As many know, the first of the Triumph Renowns and
Roadsters had 1800cc engines and these were a carry-over from pre-war days.
Basically little more than the old Standard 14 horsepower unit with an
overhead valve cylinder head, they quickly proved themselves to be less than
desirable. From the outset, it had been decided the 1800 unit would not be
fitted to the Vanguard in production.
A larger engine had been at the companys disposal one, a derivative of
the other. These were the old 2.0 litre 16hp and 2.5 litre 20hp six cylinder
side valvers. The 2.5 litre was used by William Lyons at Jaguar though not
in that specification. In the 2.5 litre SS100, it had an overhead valve
head. Standard had sold the tooling to Jaguar for this engine and William
Lyons was distinctly unwilling to come to some compromise on sharing
technology even for the short term. As a result and after re-working by
Jaguar, the old Standard side-valve became the world-famous Jaguar XK power
unit.
But the bottom line was the engine could not be used by Standard.
Accordingly, Ted Grinham, who was Standard's Chief Engineer, was asked to
apply himself to designing a new power unit for Standards forthcoming
'world car' the Vanguard. The new engine would also replace the existing
1800 engines being fitted in the new Triumph saloon and tourer. As Grinham
had been absent from the company on war service with De Havilland aircraft,
serious work could not start until he was released and able to return to
Coventry.
In the midst of this, a wildcard was thrown into the cake mix.
Ulsterman, Harry Ferguson and his farm tractor, found themselves in the
middle of a most acrimonious legal issue with Ford in Detroit. Starting in
1939, Ford had been making Ferguson tractors alongside its own tractor
brand - but Ferguson discovered Ford had infringed some of his patents and
without paying royalties for the infringement. It was a far from
satisfactory situation and anathema to Harry Ferguson, a man who was mostly
disinclined to live in anything but an exactly 'black and white' world.
Moreover, Ferguson was a man of high principle, absolute integrity and many
claimed he had a photographic memory even when it wasnt to his advantage.
For Ferguson, a handshake following a discussion was a binding legal
agreement - and you played the game by his rules which were the publicly
accepted versions.
While in no way implying or suggesting the Ford Motor Company operated at
the fringes of straight business dealings, perhaps someone, somewhere had
thought Ford could get away with it or was it simply an oversight?
Whatever the real reasons, the Ford Motor Company had entirely
underestimated Harry Ferguson as an individual or what he would do. In
terms of stature, Ferguson was a little guy, but like an angered terrier
with a rat in its teeth, he bit Ford in the only way he knew. Infuriated
by what he saw as his principals unjustifiable and inexcusable behaviour,
he immediately withdrew the manufacturing rights to his tractor even
though the move comprehensively (and even more inconveniently) ensured there
was nowhere to make them!
Ferguson needed manufacturing facilities elsewhere and he needed them
fast!
As far as Standard was concerned, it found itself with more than substantial
manufacturing capacity at a relatively new plant in Coventry. One factory in
particular had been constructed just before the war, primarily as an
aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturing facility - and this was ideal for
Fergusons needs. On the face of things, the alliance between Ferguson and
Black was little short of brilliant even though some have commented it was
an unholy one. Two very determined and equally autocratic men sharing the
bridge of one ship can create interesting scenarios and as time was to
prove, it certainly did! But the appeal to Black, was that while the company
he controlled was financially sound, the incremental sales from a
revolutionary tractor would provide important incremental funding to finance
Standards future car range. Probably no-one could foresee with any accuracy
how profitable this union was to be. Farmers the world over were desperate
for modern machinery and Ferguson's tractor had unequivocally set entirely
new standard's in terms of concept, productivity and ease of use. So it
would not be an exaggeration to say Ferguson's arrival in John Black's
office looking for tractor manufacturing capacity was not too far removed
from manna from Heaven. The proof of the pudding was that within a few
years, Standard was producing some 70,000 tractors a year (roughly 300 per
day) and these arguably less than glamorous machines were contributing in
excess of fifty percent of company profits.
The Banner Lane plant that had seen completion some ten years earlier became
a tractor factory and it is this function that it has fulfilled to this day.
But Ferguson's predicament and Standard's need for a new engine could not
have come at a better time.
One of the key features that had already been laid down for Grinhams engine
for the world car was that it should provide outstanding torque at low
engine rpm - and this same feature is a cornerstone for a tractor engine. So
does this answer the question of whether the engine was made primarily for a
car or for a tractor?
In reality, it was designed for the Vanguard car but as Fergusons arrival
in Coventry was so timely, it was hardly difficult to extend the engines
application to simultaneously encompass both applications and with equal
commitment. As a side issue, few are aware the Vanguard had been envisaged
as having a two forward speed gearbox - high and low. Two prototypes were
built with this configuration and although the engine coped with them, the
ratios were too widely spaced and it didn't take anyone long to realise that
if the car was likely to be used for towing in hilly areas, at least one
extra gear would be required. As a result, the car soon adopted a more
conventional three-speed unit with an optional overdrive at a later date
and this gear train stayed until the arrival of the Vanguard Vignale in
1959.
But as things related to the Ferguson involvement, Sir John Black instituted
meaningful and rapid changes to ensure the Banner Lane plant was set up with
tooling and all the other impedimentia associated with tractor
manufacture and Harry Ferguson saw his first UK built tractors coming off
the line by the Fall of 1946.
For the first two years, between 1946 and 1948 - all versions built by
Standard were fitted with Continental engines and herein lies an interesting
phenomenon, albeit speculative. Given that Grinham was undoubtedly under a
great deal of pressure to provide a new power unit for both car and tractor,
one wonders how much licence he may have used to emulate aspects of the
Continental design? It is known he took concepts from French engineering
traditions but casual examination of early Fergusons with Continental
engines and those with early Standard units, suggest interesting
similarities. All this notwithstanding, the Continental engine was proving
itself to be an ideal interim power plant and from 1948 to 1951 when
Ferguson resumed manufacture of the TO series in North America in his own
name, the Continental engine continued to be used.
Ted Grinham's first design produced a car engine of 1850cc with detachable
nickel chrome iron cylinder sleeves, though this was soon increased in size
to 2088cc. Early Standard Ferguson's were petrol (gasoline) only and
designated TEA-20. These were fitted with 1879cc engines with mechanical
constant speed governors - but farmers were more accustomed to running their
tractors on TVO (tractor vaporising oil) not to be confused with diesel.
Within two years, the TED-20 in which the bore size was increased from 80mm
to 85mm giving 2088cc was introduced.
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