The Bluebird Project

Come on Sally no sitting on the fence allowed go cast your vote Girl.

ok you win, the fence cant hold me up any longer!

ps. go and see if you can start your fire engine! lol

Hi Mike
I'm not quite sure what goes on with the old clap omitter above registering the votes? As stated I placed Paul's vote and submitted his thoughts so where has his vote gone? Could it be you are not counting their votes as they are not members of this forum? Bill did ask for as many people opinions on this matter including ask your Granny but personally mine has long since expired in some far away country and very unlikely to give an opinion or be and active member of the project as Paul is although not an active member of the Forum !!! Why therefore is there still only one vote to conserve to date?? And I see the Corps opinion was obtained and although placed does not seem to have altered the single vote placed by Fred?

Plus I will attempt to try an explain my decision to rebuild and re use which seems to have greatly surprised you. I feel the reason that Paul and I are in different camps over this is because ( and this is by no means disrespectful to Paul or Stuarts attendances in the North east ) I frequently come up and work on the boat as often as funds and time allows. Its only 120 Miles each way but a hell of a lot further from Taunton!!! I have come to terms with Bills I'm not going to be solemn, sad or miserable or whatever over this. And I felt as did many at the time the boat should have been left but reality dictated that it was time with the advancement of Diving technologies to raise the craft and no better an honourable man exists to get the job done than the loud mouthed Geordie Boy from the North East
Enough on that old chestnut ( that's the raising not Bill by the way ). It's History now.

Anyway working on K7 and seeing many components brought back to life after sitting on the lake bed for 34yrs Plus another 4/5yrs or so awaiting support that never came!! This hands on over many weekends I feel this to be the difference between mine and Paul's decisions at this point in time. Stuart was also for conserving the lever when Bill asked the question in the workshop if i recall correctly? I feel it is for this reason that Paul,Stuart hold a different opinion. This does not mean that I have lost any of my respect for the Donald and his craft. Oh an whilst we are on the subject of the Donald etc! The "sentimentalists" among us have a passion and respect all be it slightly more light hearted theses days as Bill has rubbed off on us both to some degree. You can have your little teasing s etc in the workshop with the Green thing etc but as for "Cringe-worthy" when we use the term "Donald" some of us have been around for a long time Mike following this subject matter and paying our respects each year. I have worked my ass off over many years on many fronts keeping the man and his achievements alive at my own time and expense and never profited or sought personal recognition for doing so' a longtime before this project even started and will be doing so long after it has come to its successful conclusion! Sorry Mike but there comes a time when little quips start to wear thin mate on a subject that means so much to both Paul and myself personally ! I know we all have a joke in the workshop to keep us all going mate but lets not go overboard old chap. An ever so slightly offended Novie. See you soon, I Promise not the face

No need to worry a personal joke between me and Mike folk's.

Novie
I'll Be back

I'll second that. Novie, you know we love you... Don't ever let our irreverent attitudes get to you. Jut tell us our fabrication is rough!

Guys, I've chosen rebuild, just to let you know. Personally, I'll be satisfied with whatever you choose to do though. Keep up the good work and don't let the barstewards get you down.

I apologise if this comes up as my first post, but I've had to re-register not so long ago due to me somehow being deleted from your list of merry men! (I think you had computer issues a while back). Nevertheless, I've followed this for a couple of years now, and you are all to blame for me making the quite regular long-weekend jaunt from North East Scotland to Coniston to sample the great Bluebird bitter. All the best to all.

Not posted for a while although I do regularly check in and read the posts.....
Novie is quite correct in the fact that he said I thought the conservation route was the one for this piece a decision I still standby. The reasons are highlighted in a couple of other posts. There is a massive amount of original fabric which has rightfully gone back into the boat. The control at present is set in the position it landed on the bottom of Coniston in in 1967, as far as we are aware its never moved again since (this may or may not have been where the great man set it on the return run). So lets preserve it as original fabric. As Bill has said it will end up buried deep in the cockpit, it will be out of view to the majority of visitors. The Original engine was beyond saving and so far I have'nt heard anyone complain about the displaying of it in the Ruskin. It therefore seems to me to be no less acceptable to conserve fuel cock and replace it with a fully functioning copy which appears the same.
All the Best
Stuart.

Hi Bill /Mike
I don't really get the reasoning to ask for Grannies opinion then not allow their vote especially Paul who is part of the team. Why ask then ? Doesn't matter got other probs to worry about at this time!! Re other stuff no worries. Been out all day with fire brigade pumping out cellars etc till 1800hrs tonight then had to start cleaning up the four foot of water that had managed to find its way into our own cellar which has trashed loads of stock!!!! Julie in tears at one point!! Getting to old for this damp wet stuff A MASSIVE Tree described as forty feet in length came down the beck at Black Bull and hit the bridge at one point today. God it made a right bang thought it was going to take the bridge out! Luckily it withstood the impact and continued down the beck to the lake!!! Heading to bed and bleeper will probably go at any moment!! Cats and dogs still outside!! Fine and settled my A-se

Novie
I'll Be Back

Could be worse you could be living in Cockermouth

Mike Bull wrote:

The Original engine was beyond saving and so far I have'nt heard anyone complain about the displaying of it in the Ruskin. It therefore seems to me to be no less acceptable to conserve fuel cock and replace it with a fully functioning copy which appears the same.

But the engine was totally knackered- the control box could be fixed and working within a few hours.

Oh dear Mike!-now you of all people should know that as far as the magicians in the workshop are concerned the phrase "totally knackered" is cobblers!-although in the engines case half dissolved and corroded to bits may have raised an eyebrow or two-but I reckon if it had been totally impossible to source a replacement the original would have been restored to working condition albeit slowly and Very expensively with a lot of LOF-so the matter of a wee throttle lever in the grand scheme of things isn't a life or death matter,one way or another-

We did look seriously into rebuilding the original engine but it was a little too much - even for us. We could've saved all the hot end apart from the turbine bearing and the mainshaft too. The compressor was beyond repair but we had a spare and the delivery casing was borderline but we reckoned it would mend. The biggest problem was going to be the incompatibility between the Orph' 701 mainshaft and the 101 compressor we'd have to use to get it all working again. The decision was taken to retire it gracefully because, after all, it was only an aircraft engine and we could get a new one.

I have voted rebuild, yet as we all know it is the will of those who have the power to wreck dreams, that the focus of our boyhood vision will ultimately fall silent and be seen as nothing more than a monument to the Donalds 'failed' attempt at the 300 barrier that he so desired to break.

If I had any say in the matter at all I would say lets finish what Donald failed to do, that being to push Bluebird beyond a recorded 300 mph, then he can rest in peace knowing his goal had finally been acheived. Given the advances in technology, tweaks are possible today to ensure better performance and safety, if adjustments needed to be made back then, it happened for the sake of the record and now we have K7 back above the water instead of laying idle below, I for one feel she would, if she could speak, say "lets finish the job Donald and prove the sceptics wrong once and for all!"

I as a lifelong fan of Bluebird who initiated my own love affair with speed, offer my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all those invlolved in both the salvage and the dedicated restoration of K7, a job well done chaps, the Donald would be very pleased, now lets make him proud, what do you say?

Bruce