Oil required for 6.9 suspension

[Michel]

3 tonnes of wood/steel/alloy and leather on cross plies and under the control of Commander Malik!! Now it is my turn for palpitations!!
Of course, you can handle a crash gearbox? You remember where to turn on the petrol? You know how to advance the spark? I suggest you leave the cruise control alone in case you can't turn it off.......
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

Here we are, the day after.... Sunday morning

I drove the Phantom II and it was marvellous.
I expected a rougher and more rudimentary ride.

But, oh to my (pleasant) surprise, it was very civilised...

Here are some pics...

Yours truly, about to alight from the Phantom



Professor Crump (aka Benz Boy) and Commander Malik (Michel) Note the 690SEL in the background


The Phantom II safely parked alongside the 220S Ponton (note the height difference)


The Phantom in good company


Professor Crump farewelling the Phantom

 

[BenzBoy]

And might I add that Commander Malik drove with conviction and skill as would befit a Supermarine Spitfire pilot.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Des]

how did I miss these pictures???


Please take no offense Michel, you look like a 8 year old boy who has just opened all his Chirstmas presents!!!!



that's great!!!

 

[Michel]

how did I miss these pictures???


Please take no offense Michel, you look like a 8 year old boy who has just opened all his Chirstmas presents!!!!



that's great!!!

No offense perceived Des,

The feeling was pretty close...
The Phantom is one hell of a Majestic Motor Vehicle

I loved driving it...
It was a pleasure

 

[Michel]

how did I miss these pictures???


Please take no offense Michel, you look like a 8 year old boy who has just opened all his Chirstmas presents!!!!



that's great!!!

What about Professor Crump?
Doesn't he look happy

 

[Des]

What about Professor Crump?
Doesn't he look happy

well.....he looking more stern and serious

 

[Des]

No offense perceived Des,

The feeling was pretty close...
The Phantom is one hell of a Majestic Motor Vehicle

I loved driving it...
It was a pleasure

Now when you get a few moments please share what it was like and how it compared with your RR?

How does it feel to other 1930's cars, if any you have driven? Or to the Pontons?


Kind Regards
Des

 

[Michel]

Now when you get a few moments please share what it was like and how it compared with your RR?
How does it feel to other 1930's cars, if any you have driven? Or to the Pontons?
Kind Regards
Des

There is no comparison with a modern-day RR, except the majestic feel one gets from being inside a splendid motor car...

Amazingly the ride is VERY comfortable...
Whether it was when Paula and I were chauffeur-driven around Eastern Creek Raceway by Professor Crump or whether it was when I had the priviledge of driving the Phantom!

Physically driving it is a demanding job.
Non-synchro on 1st and 2nd gears demands constant double shuffle upon gear change. Add to that a gated shifter and you must have extra precise shifting abilities...
The steering is seriously heavy and the cross-ply tyres don't help

While we kept up with the traffic, I would feel that the Pontons, especially the six-cylinder twin-carburetted variety, would handle the day-to-day traffic in an easier fashion. (they are more than 20 years younger)

 

[BenzBoy]

well.....he looking more stern and serious

I leave it to the Bentley drivers to be frivolous.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

well.....he looking more stern and serious

The Professor was in very good spirits...

Although he might have been a touch worried that the Phantom would reside in MY warehouse for a while

 

[BenzBoy]

The Professor was in very good spirits...

Although he might have been a touch worried that the Phantom would reside in MY warehouse for a while

Not at all worried Commander; just very grateful that SHE has a warm nest in this cold, wet end day of winter. You are a kind man, Commander.
Regards,
BenzBoy

 

[Michel]

Not at all worried Commander; just very grateful that SHE has a warm nest in this cold, wet end day of winter. You are a kind man, Commander.
Regards,
BenzBoy

It's a pleasure Professor and an honour for the rest of the fleet to be in such high company.

 

[Des]

This is better:

 

[Michel]

This is better:

Had the 690SEL not been in the background this picture could look authentically 'old'

 

[Des]

need to dress like this in the Phantom II

 

[Michel]

need to dress like this in the Phantom II

I promise i'll make an effort next time...

 

[Des]

Physically driving it is a demanding job.
Non-synchro on 1st and 2nd gears demands constant double shuffle upon gear change. Add to that a gated shifter and you must have extra precise shifting abilities...
The steering is seriously heavy and the cross-ply tyres don't help

Are more modern tyres available in that size? Or would that be frowned upon in the RR community?

While we kept up with the traffic, I would feel that the Pontons, especially the six-cylinder twin-carburetted variety, would handle the day-to-day traffic in an easier fashion. (they are more than 20 years younger)

How are the brakes? I imagine it is not very discrete, I know the Bentley was like that, you keep getting the feeling everyone is looking at you.

 

[Michel]

Are more modern tyres available in that size? Or would that be frowned upon in the RR community?

As far as i know, there are no known radials in that size, but then Professor Crump might prove me wrong

How are the brakes? I imagine it is not very discrete, I know the Bentley was like that, you keep getting the feeling everyone is looking at you.

Serious drums all around.
They seem to stop quite adequately, but I would not want to go racing around the 'Creek' with them...

 

[BenzBoy]

As far as i know, there are no known radials in that size, but then Professor Crump might prove me wrong

Serious drums all around.
They seem to stop quite adequately, but I would not want to go racing around the 'Creek' with them...

There are no radials made inthis size. There are truck radials that some people fit and they improve straight line tracking but are so wide that they make steering almost impossible. The long term solution is to fit 4WD radials and a power steering kit but that will take some time. Long term will see a complete overhaul and the fitting of power steering, an overdrive and airconditioning. I will have a few more grey hairs before all that is accomplished.
The brake servo runs off the gearbox and is exactly the same system that Rolls-Royce kept on the Phantom until they ceased making Phantoms in the late 1990s. It was also used in Clouds until the end of the series. The brakes require a heavy shove but in a brake test against the CLK they proved to stop in about the same distance. The set up is such that the front can not lock. As soon as the front brakes start to lock the servo looses power from the front to avoid a front wheel skid. The servo also proportions the braking between front and rear depending on the load in the car. Brake fade should be almost non-existent given the size of the drums and the depth of material but it is critical that the system be set up properly and it requires re-setting every 500 miles.
Now for some trivia. When the car was built in 1933 it came with a 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty on all aspects of the vehicle. That included sending a technician anywhere in the world to repair it and sending you home by first class passenger liner should the vehicle not be repairable within a reasonable time. That same warranty applied to the Spirit in 1993. And the best some manufacturers can do now is still 2 years and you have to beat the service department with the leg of a dead lamb to get that....
Oh and by the way, I am assured that the steering will get lighter now that we have managed to repair the Bijou and are dripping oil again (Bijou one-shot lubrication system - lubricates the chassis with SAE30 oil and you give it a pump every time before you drive the car). I suspect a rebuild of the steering box might be in order though, or perhaps even a new one, yes, they are available.
Regards,
BenzBoy