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YouTuber Mr Hewes got a 1953 Mirrlees Blackstone JS8, a 102.4-liter straight-eight turbodiesel, running after it had sat unused for years. When compressed air and a forklift-assisted attempt failed to turn it over, the team used a ratchet strap and a Ford F-150 to rotate its flywheel. The engine’s original role is uncertain; Hewes suspects it powered a generator set at a Royal Air Force base.
YouTuber Mr Hewes has brought a 102.4-liter Mirrlees Blackstone JS8 turbodiesel back to life, using a ratchet strap pulled by a Ford F-150 to rotate the engine’s flywheel after other starting attempts failed. The engine, delivered to the U.K. Air Ministry in 1953, had not run in years and needed repairs before the team could attempt a start.
The JS8 is a straight-eight diesel with a displacement of 102.4 liters—nearly four times the 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor engine that Hewes had previously worked on with YouTuber Scott Nothing To Do With You, according to The Drive. The report describes the JS8 as a turbodiesel and says it had accumulated 720 operating hours, though the engine’s long period out of use had left it in poor condition.
Before trying to start it, the team dealt with familiar problems that can affect an engine left idle: stuck valves and injectors, and an oiling system that was not working. The engine’s oil passageways were filled with water, which had to be pumped and vacuumed out manually. The report says the engine could turn freely after work, but getting it started remained a separate challenge.
The JS8 was designed to start using compressed air, but the available supply was not enough. A forklift-assisted effort to rotate the flywheel also failed. The team then tied a ratchet strap around the flywheel and pulled it with the F-150. The engine started and produced smoke, as shown in the project video described by The Drive. The source does not provide a full account of the engine’s performance after that initial start.
A Pickup Takes on a Stationary Diesel
The start shows the scale of the challenge in returning a large, stationary diesel engine to operation. The pickup was not powering the engine; it was used to pull a strap around the flywheel and turn the crankshaft when the usual compressed-air method and a forklift-assisted attempt did not work. The unusual setup makes the project a striking demonstration of the physical force needed to rotate machinery of this size.
There is also a preservation angle: the engine had recorded 720 hours of operation, but had been left unused long enough for water to collect in its oil passageways and components to seize. Getting it to run again is a meaningful milestone for the restoration, but it does not by itself establish that the engine is ready for sustained use or has been fully restored.
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A 1953 Air Ministry Engine
The engine was delivered to the U.K. Air Ministry in 1953. Based on its size and ownership history, Hewes surmises it may have been used in a generator set at a Royal Air Force base. That proposed role is not confirmed in the report. A generator set, or genset, combines an engine with a generator and related equipment to supply electricity, often as backup power for a building or site.
Hewes’s restoration work focuses on vintage agricultural and military equipment. The Drive notes his earlier collaboration with Scott Nothing To Do With You on a 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor from a Centurion tank. The JS8 is substantially larger, but the source gives no comparison of its output, dimensions or intended electrical capacity.
“Hewes surmises that it was used as part of a generator set on a Royal Air Force base.”
— The Drive, describing the engine’s proposed history
The Engine’s Service Record Remains Unverified
The report does not establish whether the JS8 was used at an RAF base, or confirm that it operated as part of a generator set. Hewes’s account, as summarized by The Drive, presents that as a surmise rather than a documented finding. The source also does not identify the specific base or say when the engine was taken out of service.
It is also unclear whether the engine ran for more than the initial start shown in the project video, whether further repairs are needed, or whether the team plans to put it back into regular operation. The reported 720 hours are accumulated operating time; the source does not give a date for when that figure was recorded or detail the engine’s maintenance history.
Further Restoration Details Await
The Drive points readers to Mr Hewes’s video, which runs for nearly an hour and documents the restoration and starting attempt. The next useful update would clarify whether the engine can run consistently after its initial start, what additional work the oiling system and fuel components require, and whether its history as a possible RAF generator engine can be verified. No further operating plans or follow-up milestones are specified in the source material.
Key Questions
What engine did Mr Hewes get running?
It was a Mirrlees Blackstone JS8, a 102.4-liter straight-eight turbodiesel delivered to the U.K. Air Ministry in 1953.
Why did the team use a Ford F-150?
The team used a ratchet strap pulled by the pickup to turn the engine’s flywheel after the available compressed air and a forklift-assisted attempt failed. The truck was not reported to be directly powering the engine.
What condition was the engine in?
It had not run in years and had stuck valves and injectors, a nonfunctioning oiling system and water in its oil passageways, according to The Drive.
Was the engine confirmed to have powered an RAF generator?
No. Hewes surmises it may have been part of a generator set at an RAF base, but the source does not confirm the engine’s exact service role.
Is the engine fully restored?
The report confirms an initial start, but does not say whether the engine can run reliably or whether restoration work is complete. Its long-term operating status remains unclear.
Source: rss
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