Driving a Commer 2 Stroke Knocker TS3

Here's a video of me heading to the freeway in my 1957 Commer Knocker, not to show my gear changing skills but to let you hear it. Ear plugs are not for show!

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Autos & Vehicles

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[JGMagoo]

What company manufactured the Commer Knocker? What layout was it (inline, flat four, etc)? What displacement was it"  2-stroke or 4-stroke? Turbocharged or N/A?

Thanks.

[ts3cunningstunt]

Hi Mr Magoo, Made by Rootes Group, it is a 105hp flat 3 horizontally opposed two stroke diesel with a supercharger, no turbo. First came out late 1954 (England), mine is a 1957 model and they finished about 1971 when Chrysler took the Rootes Group over. Cheers

[farrodread]

Seemed to have been holding out on the gear towards the end...couldnt you have gone higher?

[ts3cunningstunt]

That's all she had mate, 2400 revs at 80km/h

[erdcgd]

when are u going to slip it into topgear nancyboy

[ts3cunningstunt]

Hey John Turton, long time no hear!!!

[TahreyUK]

@VolksDragon People weren't big on overdrives in the 50s, very few motorways or good straight long distance roads, more emphasis on using trains rather than trucks for trunk work. And complex multi-speed gearboxes were both bleeding-edge, and expensive. So the emphasis was more on low speed flexibility with a limited number of ratios. You see the same thing with old cars. Take them on a freeway type road and floor the accelerator in top gear and you'll find the valves start to bounce... at 100k!

[whorayful]

@ebu97 No, no, you guys sit in the wrong side of the cab :-) Haven't seen an old Commer on the road over here in Adelaide for at least 20 years, good to still hear one running.

[ebu97]

You are on the wrong side of the road. Loved the video, thanks.

[brantwinter]

I am looking to help someone in the restoration of one of these very soon. I was talking to an old guy over the weekend about the Commer 'Knocker' engine as they were called - did you know that running them even a few hundred RPM over their 2400 limit generally caused them to fail. In the old days drivers who over ran these engines downhill generally took a blown up truck back to the depot and were promptly shown the door !!

[shuttleman47]

Allways had a soft spot for these compared to a tk bedford they were luxury. Hang a 12 ton trailer on the back and you never really had too many problems with excess power or speed - the speed limit for trucks when these were current was only 40 mph so the low gearing was needed to cope with the weights.

[4tracktruck]

Sweet reminder of a time when you DROVE the truck. Love it much.

[VolksDragon]

@TahreyUK Thanks for the explanation! (And you got me to watch this again)

[taxus750]

That's a BEAST! Good on you for running it.

[boo66]

@ts3cunningstunt

Not normal horizontally opposed (boxer) but opposed piston.

3 cylinders , 6 pistons.

[Draxindustries1]

Rev that bastard! Love it !!