The Commonwealth Aircraft Factory at Lidcombe supplied a significant number of people with relevant professional experience. Eric Rodham had been Chief Metallurgist at Lidcombe and took the same position at BMC. The laboratory was initially responsible for the supervision of Metallurgical matters in the Unit Factory, the CAB had a paint technician who had come from the UK and the Press Shop seemed to have independent control of sheet metal but this changed quickly and all materials, came under the “Laboratory” which Eric controlled.

Kern Bigwood and Crawford Watson were chemists, Kern looked after non-metallics like PVC and adhesives and sealers. Crawford I think dealt with oils and lubricants and brake fluids and rubbers. Kern went to Email Orange after 1975 and Crawford went to Girlock (Girling Lockeed Brakes).

There was a very competent chemist who married the librarian (Beryl Johnson she too came from Email across the other side of Joynton Ave.) He at one time had worked as a food chemist and at one point he was asked to design a product to compete with Cottee’s Lemon Butter. He did so successfully and I think went back to food chemistry.

Ken Haw was a non ferrous metallurgist and was second in charge to Eric.

BMC crankshafts (for four cylinder engines) had three bearings. As a consequence they were steel forgings, not iron castings which would have needed a five bearing crank.

The alloy steel specified by BMC England was expensive in Australia. A much cheaper steel was available which, if heat treated properly, gave the same mechanical properties. The cost difference in the UK was negligible, in Australia the demand for the alloy steel was low and consequently there was no economy of scale. Eric prepared a report “How to save a million pounds a year”. Bill Abbott by then was managing director and the change was approved. It certainly helped Eric’s reputation for competence as a metallurgist and as a manager.

Eric was born in Lithgow which town was the original home of Australian Iron and Steel. When AIS moved to Port Kembla Lithgow was devastated. AIS used to offer scholarships to Lithgow youths to train in Port Kembla and Eric was one of those selected.

Lithgow was also famous for the small arms factory....

which transverse a series cranks were made in OZ then? I know the cooper s EN40B cranks were english made (well, I think I know), but what of the 1100s small journal EN16T cranks that were in the last cooper s and in the Clubbie GT?

What of the more common variants?

Very Interesting, thanks for sharing!!

Matt

I always thought the 998 and 1098 cranks and also the small journal 1100S were Oz made in the 60s, but whenever I've checked they seem to have the proper UK part numbers like 12G82 (for the 1098). I would have thought an Oz made crank would have an Oz style number, like AYA ****.

Our steel making in Australia up until recently was always rather agricultural. Perhaps they didn't trust us to make them?