STANLEY EX RESTORATION COMPLETED and tested on the melle tour.

Roel​During the Melle steam car tour I traveled the first great distance with my newly restored Stanley ex. The car has functioned without problems for 4 days. The strong wind and the rain on the last day still caused the vaporizer to cool down, but that was quickly solved by some insulation material to turn the vaporizers (thanks Basil). The Bourdon boiler and burner are very powerful. While driving, the pressure did not come under 450 psi. Even uphillthe car accelerated without any difficulty. The maximum speed I have not dared to drive because the brakes naturally have quite limited braking power. 60 km /  hour was my max. speed. The petrol pressure remained constant around 110 psi. Fuel consumption is about 20 liters per 100 km. Water consumption is also modest.
 
A few days before the tour I have converted the gasoline pilot to gas because I have not got it to work reliably on petrol. That's why I installed a gas pilot. A BBQ piezo igniter which works on a penlight battery can provide the pilot with a constant spark for a long day. The pilot uses about 50 grams of butane per hour.
 
This was my second participation in Melle but it looks like I have been there for years. The hospitable organizer Heiner and his crew - and the participants - have ensured  4 days of fun.
 
In addition to experience I also gained 2 kilograms due to the large amount of cake that was available at each resting place.
 
Back in the Netherlands I checked the car for unwanted wear or loose bolts and nuts. Except for small things, the car was mostly very dirty. Now the car is ready for another trip.
Roel