ramone:
Did anyone on here drive a V8 AEC and if so how did they compare with the big swedes at the time,and did any company successfully operate 1 for any length of time on regtular work?
Chapmans of Bradford ran one.I passed my HGV test in it in 1971,as the schools unit had broken down the morning of my test. Awesome pulling power for the time but poor mpg and having no engine hump made a big difference in cab.
ddrbsn:
ramone:
Did anyone on here drive a V8 AEC and if so how did they compare with the big swedes at the time,and did any company successfully operate 1 for any length of time on regtular work?Chapmans of Bradford ran one.I passed my HGV test in it in 1971,as the schools unit had broken down the morning of my test. Awesome pulling power for the time but poor mpg and having no engine hump made a big difference in cab.
I vaguely remember a driving school at the bottom of thornton rd on the right near sunwin motors ,i have it in my head that they had 1
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?
Suedehead:
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?
Yeah BOC had quite a few but AEC ended up buying em back, they werent a million miles away from getting it right apparently but Leyland wouldnt give them the money
ramone:
Suedehead:
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?Yeah BOC had quite a few but AEC ended up buying em back, they weren
t a million miles away from getting it right apparently but Leyland wouldnt give them the money
Wasnt overheating the major problem with those V"s? , something to do with “shoehorning” the lump under the Ergo cab.
Scania developed the engine into what it is now . . . ho hum.
Suedehead:
ramone:
Suedehead:
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?Yeah BOC had quite a few but AEC ended up buying em back, they weren
t a million miles away from getting it right apparently but Leyland wouldnt give them the moneyAnd Scania developed the engine into what it is now . . . ho hum.
No they didn`t its an old wives tail,the Scania V8 is no relation whatsoever but i have heard it mentioned before
ramone:
Suedehead:
ramone:
Suedehead:
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?Yeah BOC had quite a few but AEC ended up buying em back, they weren
t a million miles away from getting it right apparently but Leyland wouldnt give them the moneyAnd Scania developed the engine into what it is now . . . ho hum.
No they didn`t its an old wives tail,the Scania V8 is no relation whatsoever but i have heard it mentioned before
You"ll be telling me next that Daf didnt use Leyland engines 
Suedehead:
ramone:
Suedehead:
ramone:
Suedehead:
I think Sinclairs from Evesham ran one but i dont know if it was “successful”
Didnt Boc have a few ?Yeah BOC had quite a few but AEC ended up buying em back, they weren
t a million miles away from getting it right apparently but Leyland wouldnt give them the moneyAnd Scania developed the engine into what it is now . . . ho hum.
No they didn`t its an old wives tail,the Scania V8 is no relation whatsoever but i have heard it mentioned before
You"ll be telling me next that Daf didnt use Leyland engines
Well i agree with u on that 1 but DAF made em work
I thought it was something to do with vibration from the crank,but its only what i`ve read,i was very young when they were out
Suedehead:
Wasnt overheating the major problem with those V"s? , something to do with “shoehorning” the lump under the Ergo cab.
Scania developed the engine into what it is now . . . ho hum.
I believe it was more to do with waterpump capacity and the ‘routing’ of the water around the engine block that caused the overheating.
Ross.
I heard it had real potential but no funds quite a few preserved though
I was an apprentice fitter at Hodgsons the AEC distributors (later Lex Tillotson) in Newcastle around the late Sixties, we got a demo V8 Mandator in that had travelled up to do the circuit in the North East and seek potential customers. The head gasket on one head had gone on the way up and I got the job of doing it, (not unusual for apprentices to work on engines there, I had built up many 505’s and a couple of 691/760’s by this time) non the less I was chuffed to be pulling this one down although a fitter popped along every now and then to see if all was well. The job went okay with no problems as far as I can remember but I have to admit I was looking forward to the test drive even though I’d be in the passenger seat.
We took it to Scotch Corner and back with no problem, it went well and sounded lovely and the cab was a lot roomier without the off centre bonnet. When we got back and reported all was well to Arthur the Foreman (Arty Laugher we called him) he said right lets get shot of the F… thing and off it went never to be seen again, might be why not many V8’s were seen up this end of the country. I’ve read various articles and such on the V8 with differing explanations why it failed, although I have read that it wasn’t the disaster history records and some companies kept them going.
We in the AEC world did know of the overheating problems the engine was suffering and other faults, but we never really got to find out if anything to solve the problem completely was being done, as I say I never saw one again as I joined the Army in 1972, suppose I can claim though to be the first young lad at least in the NorthEast to have worked on this machine despite it being a failure from AEC’s point of view, I will always remember that run to the Corner and back though, cheers Franky.
Frankydobo:
I was an apprentice fitter at Hodgsons the AEC distributors (later Lex Tillotson) in Newcastle around the late Sixties, we got a demo V8 Mandator in that had travelled up to do the circuit in the North East and seek potential customers. The head gasket on one head had gone on the way up and I got the job of doing it, (not unusual for apprentices to work on engines there, I had built up many 505’s and a couple of 691/760’s by this time) non the less I was chuffed to be pulling this one down although a fitter popped along every now and then to see if all was well. The job went okay with no problems as far as I can remember but I have to admit I was looking forward to the test drive even though I’d be in the passenger seat.
We took it to Scotch Corner and back with no problem, it went well and sounded lovely and the cab was a lot roomier without the off centre bonnet. When we got back and reported all was well to Arthur the Foreman (Arty Laugher we called him) he said right lets get shot of the F… thing and off it went never to be seen again, might be why not many V8’s were seen up this end of the country. I’ve read various articles and such on the V8 with differing explanations why it failed, although I have read that it wasn’t the disaster history records and some companies kept them going.
We in the AEC world did know of the overheating problems the engine was suffering and other faults, but we never really got to find out if anything to solve the problem completely was being done, as I say I never saw one again as I joined the Army in 1972, suppose I can claim though to be the first young lad at least in the NorthEast to have worked on this machine despite it being a failure from AEC’s point of view, I will always remember that run to the Corner and back though, cheers Franky.
It leaves a feeling of what might have been,dont you think?
Sure does Ramone, we have to remember the period we are talking about every manufacturer that produced a V engine at that time seemed to have problems, even the Swedes, they didn’t just sweep in with a faultless product but I think they were quicker to sort anything, money didn’t appear to be a problem, unlike the British industry and once a fault recurs too often it doesn’t take long before word gets around and buyers become wary, just as in the car industry.
I dug out an article earlier on the V8 Mandator, around 400 were built and about 40 with the high datum cab (Buffalo, Bison etc) but 30 of these went to Aus and NZ. The higher cab which meant a bigger radiator could be fitted helped the overheating problem but the engine did need the big end shells changing every 40,000 miles as they wouldn’t last another 10,000 more. Friction wear had always been a problem with the higher reving V engine, some old fitters said they would never make a decent Diesel V engine as they run too fast and wore out took quickly, of course they were mostly used to the lower, lugging motors such as the Gardner in those days. We know today that V engines are quite reliable but that is more down to improved engineering and design.
Another problem with the AEC design was possibly it was too powerful for its own good, it wasn’t turbo charged and originally it came with the pneumocyclic gearbox which wasn’t strong enough to handle the torque so they fitted the 6 speed constant mesh, I remember more being said about the gearbox problem than the engine, again people then were very wary of semi or fully automated boxes in Lorries. Apart from the problems which were due to it being released too early before AEC engineers were happy to let it go without longer testing and adjustment the vehicle was as the straight six Mandator proved an excellent machine, which I’m sure would have competed well with the foreigners. Who knows things could have been a lot different.
Cheers Franky.
Thompson of Moretonhampstead had two when I worked there in the early 70’s. They were flying machines but seldom, if I recall aright, completed a round trip without mechanical problems. Eventually the dealer took them back and replaced them with two 760 Mandators which were the backbone of the Thompson fleet in those days.
Bernard Langdon (Titch) drove one and Yatter (it’s all we called him) the other. Bernards son is certainly on this forum so we may be able to get a first-hand report. I’ll also mail Derek Greenaway who was an apprentice fitter at Thompson in those days and see what he remembers.
There is nothing new, though. Pegaso, the Spanish builder, had a very successfull all aluminium V6 in the 50’s. I even know where one is but the bloke will not even discuss selling it.
David
Obviously the engine was under funded and under deveveloped and therefore not strong enough,do you think it could also be a case of drivers getting hold of a big (powerfull at the time ) motor and making it “have it”. I also read that the 6 speed ones were the most reliable and also there was one that lasted 10 years i cant remember who had it though.Weren`t they very noisy and thirsty as well?
David Miller:
Thompson of Moretonhampstead had two when I worked there in the early 70’s. They were flying machines but seldom, if I recall aright, completed a round trip without mechanical problems. Eventually the dealer took them back and replaced them with two 760 Mandators which were the backbone of the Thompson fleet in those days.Bernard Langdon (Titch) drove one and Yatter (it’s all we called him) the other. Bernards son is certainly on this forum so we may be able to get a first-hand report. I’ll also mail Derek Greenaway who was an apprentice fitter at Thompson in those days and see what he remembers.
There is nothing new, though. Pegaso, the Spanish builder, had a very successfull all aluminium V6 in the 50’s. I even know where one is but the bloke will not even discuss selling it.
David
Thanks
Trowbridge Transport of Sheffield had at least one and I think they could have had several as they were big AEC users in the 60s the one I know was driven by a mate of mine who lived in the next street and I often had a lift with him as he was often running new containers from Cravens and the V8 would certainly fly and he told me it was the radiator which was to small to cool the engine that was the problem and his was fitted with the straight six thornycroft gearbox which Leyland group used then. This all seems to fit in with what Frankie as posted as time can distort your memory of these things. Trowbridge kept theirs for a few years and I think it was when they were taken over by Johnny Walker that they got rid of them.
Cheers Johnnie
If you look at a preserved V8 you will notice that the radiator can be seen below the bumper but obviously this still wasn`t adequate
sammyopisite:
Trowbridge Transport of Sheffield had at least one and I think they could have had several as they were big AEC users in the 60s the one I know was driven by a mate of mine who lived in the next street and I often had a lift with him as he was often running new containers from Cravens and the V8 would certainly fly and he told me it was the radiator which was to small to cool the engine that was the problem and his was fitted with the straight six thornycroft gearbox which Leyland group used then. This all seems to fit in with what Frankie as posted as time can distort your memory of these things. Trowbridge kept theirs for a few years and I think it was when they were taken over by Johnny Walker that they got rid of them.Cheers Johnnie
Templeborough Rolling Mills had a couple Johnnie.I remember Evans were looking for a couple of secondhand Mandators but they only bought one with the AV760.The foreman fitter at Barking wouldn’t entertain the other as it was a V8.I remember having a lift in one,could have been Ely Transport from Cardiff,and it flew.