Rotary engine for sale in OBM

[John Wakefield]

This advert in OBM August

Greeves rotary race engine project, needs assembling. Villiers crank cases modified for rotary. New balanced race flywheels and polished race rod. Greeves alloy cylinder barrel modified. Greeves alloy cylinder head modified. Villiers gearbox, Villiers clutch plus spare banded clutch basket, 1 inner and 2 new outer side cases (clutch side). New primary chain, new engine sprocket, new Villiers piston. Outer flywheel, 5 sprockets final drive, £500 Tel 07812 487484 email kayrex@btinternet.com for pics. Berkshire

[Colin Sparrow]

They must mean that someone has fitted a rotary inlet valve - that must have taken a bit of doing!

Don't think Greeves ever made a Wankel...

[starider]

Hi, Greeves possibly didn't produce a Wankel, but in the very early 60s when I was an apprentice at Perkins Engines, they experimented with Wankels trying to run them on diesel. I spent hours making/welding exhaust systems but the project was abandoned as the engines would not run at less than 6,000 rpm!!...............starider

[John Wakefield]

Like Colin says I think the seller means rotary valve.
Brian Woolley made a rotary valve engine for an RBS in 1966, there is a pic of it in the Carrick book (page 108), but that does not look like a converted Villiers engine with Greeves barrel and head, but has a special water cooled 70.5 x 64mm barrel, and what appears to be a BSA gearbox.

[Brian Catt]

My pal in Switzeland has a Wankel engined Hercules with the rotor horizontal to the ground, unlike their road machines. It has virtually standard 2 stroke crankcases and gearbox, but what we assume as the crankshaft has a bevel gear onto which the primary shaft of the Wankel unit bears. Thus it would be quite "easy" to make yourself a Greeves Wankel, always assuming you could keep the cases together!

[John Wakefield]

Some pics

Here are 5 pics out of 16 received from seller, clearly rotary valve not 'rotary engine' Looks a very neat and professional conversion. Sellers name is Rex Warwick