BMC diesels

penfold

penfold

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Does anyone know anyfink about a beast known as the BMC Commando? I've been asked to take a look at a pair of them in a 45' 1935 Saunders Roe. The way they are described in the survey suggests that they are only fit for use as moorings, but I shall reserve judgement until I see them in the flesh. Are they any relation to the BMC Navigator and/or Landrover 2.25litre?

cheers,
David

<hr width=100% size=1>I employed you people to get a little railroad laid, not to dance around like Kansas City faggots!
 
Commando? Do you mean the Commodore or the Commander.

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might well be; I haven't yet been on the boat and I 'm just reading what's in the survey.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>Gosh darn it, Mr. Lamarr, you use your tongue purttier than a twenty dollar whore!
 
If my memory serves one is a 2.4 ltr block the other is a 3.6. Old fashioned, well they would be being BMC lumps, and plodders. You can still get bits for them. Depends how much work they need though.

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No, not 3.6 but 3.4 and a bit later 3.8 litres. Two versions of the same engine, exactly the same but bore increased very slightly on larger version. Strangely enough, both engines appear to have produced either 50 or 60 bhp, depending on what bit of BMC documentation you were looking at! I know the insides of these old lumps very well.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue>A convert to steel boats and displacement cruising - the only way to go</font color=blue>
 
Re:two for sale

There's two good engines for sale near southend the fella want's a grand for the pair, which is very cheap their the 1.8 ones.

cheers
Mick

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Tell us about the saunders, we use to have one, 1937

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is it similar?



<hr width=100% size=1>David
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.euroboating.net>http://www.euroboating.net</A>
 
Quite possibly identical!
I visited it briefly yesterday, in the stygian gloom that passes as daylight at this time of year. She is teak planked, although unfortunately the owner has had her sandblasted and it has damaged the planking and removed a lot of summergrowth.

The engines are Commanders, at least it says so on the manifolds; four cylinder lumps with the largest gearboxes in christendom.

Did you have problems with broken frames? This boat has quite a few, which appear to be atributable to poor slinging and/or not enough floors.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>Why'd he call me shortie?
Because you're small,...small,...S, M, all.
 
No, we had no problem with broken frames, If I remember correctly there was only one broken rib, which we were told had occurred in her youth.

ours was Gralian & I believe there were 5 others, one was wrecked in the carribean,

one owned by Hucks of hucks boatyard @ hampton court, one that was near lymington & another in wales.

<hr width=100% size=1>David
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.euroboating.net>http://www.euroboating.net</A>
 
My boat has a BMC Commander which is 45 years old and still running. In the registration document the engine is described as a Morris Motors reciprocating internal combustion engine. Apparently they were marinised London black cab engines.

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Can you find the engine numbers? BMC diesels of this vintage used the first two digits to indicate the capacity ie 38Exxx was the 3.8 litre. The 3 or 4 alpha characters that followed gave 'usage' details eg whether a reversing gear was fitted (originally). If I sit here long enough, I might recall what the others indicated.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue>A convert to steel boats and displacement cruising - the only way to go</font color=blue>
 
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