• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Daimler Knight engine

Share this page

2

2cords

Member
Offline
Does anyone have advice on re-assembly of the Knight sleeve valve engine? A friend is working on a 1911 Russell-Knight [Canadian] with a British made engine and needs help.
Thanks in advance, Hal Klassen
 
I don't know what engine this car used but if he hasn't already he should look at the forums on the Antique Automobile Club of America's site (aaca.org). There are some discussions of sleeve valve engines there such as the Willys Knight & I think there are some references to one or more "experts" in the area.
 
The engine is a British Daimler-Knight . The Russell was built by the CCM Cycle Co. and as British Daimler was also a fellow Commonwealth Co. [free trade etc.], they sourced the Daimler engines [38 HP] for the Russell. Apparently, nuts and bolts are metric, so they may have been German made.
Hal Klassen
 
I agree with John. Get someone who knows Willys Knights. Were talking 20 odd years later here, but the principal should be the same. The Willys Knights biggest drawback was the sleeve valve engine. I understand their a bear to work on due to the tolerances on the complicated valve train. I understand the engine wasn't manufactured very long due to it's valve train rapid wear and other complications. I have not a clue where to obtain parts. I would assume it would be mostly machine shop work. Good luck on the restoration.
 
Thanks John & Paul, I think we have figured it out. I have photos of the Royal Family with huge Daimler Knights and the Knight engine was invented by an American, but he couldn't get anyone in NA interested [till much later] so he licensed Daimler , Minerva, and a few other European Companies to build engines. They were in production till the early 30s, by which time the poppet valve engines were just about as quiet and didn't lay down a smokescreen. A mid 20s invention [the Skinner oil rectifier] helped the smoke problem, but it was too late.
Hal
 
Back
Top