Help needed...31 Rolls Royce

[Billy Kingsley]

I have the mongram kit I would like to build soon, but I have absolutely no idea what colors any of the assorted mechanical bits should be, like the engine and whatnot.

I'm pretty sure the body is going to be black with black fenders, but may change my mind about that.

Can anyone help me?

[Harry P.]

Do a few google image and web searches...1931 Rolls Royce, 1931 Rolls Royce restoration, etc. You'll find plenty of photos.

Here's an example (scroll down for the engine photo):

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsfo..._25/419358.html

[Biscuitbuilder]

I have the mongram kit I would like to build soon, but I have absolutely no idea what colors any of the assorted mechanical bits should be, like the engine and whatnot.

I'm pretty sure the body is going to be black with black fenders, but may change my mind about that.

Can anyone help me?

Rolls was quite conservative, yet committed to absolute quality and the utmost in appearance then, so that engine would reflect that.

The Phantom engines I've seen in restorations have all been done in very shiny black enamel, with the exhaust and intake manifolds in black porcelain over the cast iron. Beyond that, cast aluminum, such as the crankcase (this was an "assembled engine" with cast aluminum crankcase and iron block bolted down on top of that) would have been polished, fittings done in either chrome, polished bronze and polished brass. Bolt heads (Rolls used very few nuts exposed to the outside, and those were "acorn nuts", leaving no exposed bolt or stud showing through) were chromed, I am pretty sure.

Hope this helps a bit!

Biscuitbuilder

[Billy Kingsley]

Art, I don't know why I didn't just email you in the first place...LOL....Thanks! I shall paint it gloss black with silver "bits". Not quite sure I know what a crankcase is (Remember I have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever! I only learned to id a Flathead from a Hemi last year, etc) but I think I can figure it out....

[Mr. Can Am Garage]

The crankcase is the bottom half or third of the engine block Billy.

[Biscuitbuilder]

Art, I don't know why I didn't just email you in the first place...LOL....Thanks! I shall paint it gloss black with silver "bits". Not quite sure I know what a crankcase is (Remember I have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever! I only learned to id a Flathead from a Hemi last year, etc) but I think I can figure it out....

Billy,

A quick rundown: The engine in that Rolls is an inline 6, with a cast aluminum crankcase (the barrel-shaped portion of the engine that forms the lower part of it, above the oilpan. The cylinder block was cast iron, and was bolted down to the crankcase.

The cast aluminum crankcase on that engine was probably polished at the factory (Rolls was known for highly finished mechanicals), the cylinder block, head, valve cover, intake and exhaust manifolds are all very shiny black.

Biscuitbuilder

[jbwelda]

art brings up a very good point about rollers: their fit and finish and the part about no exposed threads. they use acorn nuts as he says and everything under the hood is in a high state of finish.

now if you think, aw so what, consider how much more demanding it is to build a motor with no showing threads. that means every thing has to be designed so that when the bolts are torqued down, they are the correct size so the exposed part fits under an acorn nut but still retains space to tighten correctly without fouling on the inside top of the nut. thats not an easy thing to do as you will realize if you think about it a little. and then figure they do that on ALL surfaces.

thats just one reason why a roller costs what it does...even with lucas electrics. attention to detail and fit and finish turns out to be very expensive.