Eric---- This will come across as one of those overly defensive responses I've been accused of making from time to time, so keep in mind that you asked.......
nomadwilly wrote:
1.* I've have said the engine probably can do it.
2.* As you know I despise your attitude that if it wasn't made yesterday it can't possibly be any good.
*3.* A continuous rating is proof that the engine is rated to do what is speced to do. Does it not say it's rated to do 114hp at 2500rpm continuously?
*4. How did you know how people ran marine engines in the 60s?
5.* in the 60s the only diesel engines found in any numbers was the 6-71 and some of it's relatives and they were only found on 50 footers and other large boats. Diesel engines were too heavy, stinky and expensive for yachts.
6.* "Cruise rpm ranges for these engines were conservative." I think you're just mak'in that up. How could you know what the habbits of diesel marine engine operators were in the 60s???
*7.* But I would run one at 2100 if 2500rpm is attainable at WOT.
1.* You're wrong in this case. Ford said it was a crappy engine and*it was*their engine.* It's why they yanked it from their engine lineup for trucks just a few years after its introduction.* The engine was on the chopping block for discontinuation when somebody thought to try it as a stationary engine running a generator.* It managed to do this without self-destructing as it had in the trucks and since Ford of*England*had a lot invested in it they decided to see if they could*market it as an industrial engine.* For this low-load, low-speed purpose it proved quite good.
2.* If everyone thought like you we'd all still be flying around in*rotary-engine biplanes and using scythes to cut the lawn.*
Strictly in my opinion, yesterday's*stuff has historical and sentimental value.* Other than that, it's pretty worthless if you want*to use it for anything important, particularly something of a commercial nature.** Some people prefer to cling to the past.* I'm not one of those people.
Some people say new stuff is too complicated, too unreliable, and it will never be as good as the*old stuff.* Used to be if you bought a car you had to have a guy walk in front of you with a flag to warn people you were coming.* Cars were considered newfangled, complicated, unreliable, and downright dangerous.* How'd that work out?* (Our new Range Rover didn't come*with a flag guy.**Did the dealer rip us off?)
I have no patience or use for old stuff unless I can't afford to replace it with new stuff, which is often the case.* So I'll use the old engine or car or boat or plane or computer or whatever, and I'll treat it right and operated it properly because I need it to work for me, but that doesn't change the fact that*it's old and I'd love to be able to toss it in the dumpster and replace it something brand new.* I've quoted in the past*the famous Boeing engineer, Ed Wells (the "father of the B-17"), who in the early*1950s when asked about the risk of switching from piston to turbine engines*answered, "Life's too short to waste it*working on propellers."* That sums up perfectly my feeling about all old technology.
3.* Yes, but that doesn't mean it will have a long life if operated this way.* "Continuously" is a relative term.* All it really means is that the engine will operate continuously at this power rating until it fails.* It's like a lifetime guarantee on a part.* The part is guaranteed for the life of the part, not your life, your boat's life, your car's life, etc.* It's actually a pretty meaningless guarantee if you think about it.* Ford didn't say, "This engine [the Dorset]*will operate continuously at this power rating for 1000 hours or 3000 hours or 10000 hours."* They simply said it would operate continuously at this power setting for some indeterminate amount of time without a catastrophic failure.* As it turned out in the trucks it was designed for, the indeterminate amount of time was pretty damn short.
Engines come with warranties. Or the engine is included in the overall vehicle, boat, etc. warranty.* My Ford F-250 with the*"bulletproof"*300 cubic inch six in it had a 50,000 mile or three year, whichever came first, warranty on it.* That's not very long.* And at 52,000 miles the engine split its number three cylinder wide open while idling at a stoplight.* Bad block casting the repair shop determined.* Ford said, sorry, the warranty was up at 50,000 miles so it's not our problem.
So how do you define how much time "continuous" represents?
4.* I've talked to people who had or ran*boats in those days.* Including the captain/manager of a 120' corporate yacht who has probably*had more boating experience with both recreational and commercial vessels*than everyone on this forum combined.* We bought our GB while I was actively working with this fellow and he gave me the benefit of his experience using these types of engines in the late 60s and early 70s.
5.* Grand Banks boats*have always been diesel powered since their introduction in the early 60s.* So were Alaskans.
6.* Again, from talking to them.* And I'm not talking just boats here.**We had family friends who had 16,000 acres of wheat and oil in Nebraska in the 60s when I was in college at Colorado State.* I spent some school breaks with them and the husband spent a lot of time talking engines and combines and tractors and whatnot with me because I was interested in that stuff.**He was all about maximizing the service life of his equipment because it had a direct impact on his bottom line.* And because of my mother's job in Hawaii, I got to know several commercial tuna fishermen in the '60s.* Same deal-- I was a kid interested in boats and engines so they told me about them--- most of their aku*boats had 6-71s in them.
7. Your diesel shop would love you if you did that for a few years because it would mean they could all keep making their Porsche payments
-- Edited by Marin on Friday 7th of January 2011 01:32:33 AM
