Chieftain engine bay from Armourgeddon.

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Adrian Harris
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Chieftain engine bay from Armourgeddon.

Post by Adrian Harris »



Adrian.
Contact me at sales@armortekaddict.uk for details of my smoker fan control module

David Battson
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Re: Chieftain engine bay from Armourgeddon.

Post by David Battson »

Hi Adrian
Thanks for sharing, they have also posted an ‘unboxing video ‘ of the new engine.
Of interest in your video is the fact that the slats on the open engine bay covers are facing the same direction as they do when the covers are closed. The only way this can be is if the slats change direction in the middle, suggesting that they are ‘v’ or chevron shape. Can anyone confirm this ? If so, what angle are they, 90 degrees ?
David

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Re: Chieftain engine bay from Armourgeddon.

Post by Stephen White »

David, there are in fact two sets of slats, upper and lower, and they do sit in opposite directions. This was to ensure that the cooling air meets the radiators at the correct angle, drawn through by the two fans mounted on the power pack. The attached photo shows a section, front to back of the front left engine decks, with the front to the left.

Screenshot 2021-07-20 at 16.53.15.jpg

Note how each plate interlocks with the next, such that the decks could only be raised from front to back. The front plant would have been locked in combat by a keyed latch but in peacetime, these were never locked because it would have been too easy, and embarrassing, if the driver lost the key. The fear of the decks being lifted dates back to the Korean War, when Centurion crews did have the challenge of Chinese infantry getting onto the back decks and attempting to lift the plates to put grenades into the engine space. On Chieftain, the decks were also covered with debris guards (which actually made them more comfortable to sleep on).

David Battson
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Re: Chieftain engine bay from Armourgeddon.

Post by David Battson »

Hi Stephen,
Thank you for the clarification. To further complicate matters, it appears from the attached photo that each slat is also overlaid by an additional smaller piece of steel. I suspect that where the top and bottom slats meet in the middle, they are capped by a piece of angle to provide extra strength. Yet another detail to consider.....
David
engine deck covers
engine deck covers

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