Fifty years of crankshafts

[dheywood]

In 1975 there was a sales announcement from the late John Miles: Lotus engineer. F1 racing driver and Austin Seven enthusiast. He was selling a batch of new 1.5 inch pressure fed crankshafts, made for him by Gordon Allen of Slough. Machined from EN40B steel and nitrided, the narrower journals, thicker webs and  radiused corners eliminated the crack-inducing changes of section that had weakened the originals. Miles gave a list of satisfied purchasers, all happily racing their Sevens without fear of explosions in the crankcase. The price for an Allen crankshaft was £150, but hurry because the next batch will cost £200. Enquirers were invited to phone John Miles, or write to his North London address.

[Alan]

It’s easy to forget that £150 was serious money in 1975. It was cheaper to do the Reliant 3 bearing conversion, particularly if you had access to machinery and the ability to do it yourself. I didn’t go the Phoenix route until 10 years later. Now all my cars have Phoenix cranks. Funny how times change.

[Andy Bennett]

According to a friendly inflation calculator £150 50 years ago is the equivalent of £1160 today so about right.

[geoffharrison]

As a young engineering apprentice , I used to pass Gordon Allen Engineering on my way to work in my £10 A7 
ELK 538. Gordon Allen was one of the many small jobbing/engineering workshops on the Slough Industrial Estate at that time.
They were already involved with converting Ford BDA cylinder blocks to suit Mini crankcases and similar projects.
Little did I know at the time that I would be buying pressure fed A7 pressure fed crankshafts from Phoenix Engineering many years later.
ELK 538 finally gave up outside Osterley Park tube station and was towed to a breakers yard near Colnbrook to join heaps of
similar cars.

[Malcolm Parker]

I bought my first Austin 7, a roadworthy (just!) Mk 1 Ruby (CRA 212) for £450 in 1975, that's three Phoenix cranks.

I also drove it back from Nottingham to north Leeds up the A1, I wouldn't do that now.

The car came with a shed load of spares (literally) that went in the back of my Father's Peugeot estate.  I am still using them 50 years later.

[dickie65]

I have a Gordan Allen 1 1/2 Pressure fed crankshaft and matching rods in my engine.
It was all bought by my father in 1982 and did not find its way into an engine till the early 1990s.
It has never been re ground but I have changed the shells several times over the years.
The engine is due to be stripped down again as the rear main bearing needs replacing.
I seem to remember the Crank Rods and Shell Bearings came to about £700 in 1982.
I still have the original box the con rods came in.