Inspired by a recent thread (When does a Car Company become Foreign and where that has gone) I've dug up this jem.
Repco (short for Replacement Parts Company) is an Australian company, been on the go now for close on 100 years and have been a back bone to the Car Industry we had here. They started in grinding of Brake Drums and Flywheels, right from the company's earliest days, it was involved in Motor racing.
When Car Manufacturing got in to high gear, they geared up to be a component supplier as well as a spare parts supplier. Their parts were used OEM by all local manufacturers, including BMC. In very late years, the company went through a few transitions and while some of it's groups were closed down, some were sold off and others 'hived off' in to their own entity,
Repco Pistons and Engine Bearings was one part that was hived off and today, trades as ACL Bearings, with their Pistons, sadly no longer in production. They have since been bought out by Mahle, though they have been left alone to do what they do best.
Repco also established Retail and Trade Stores across our country and in to a few off shore. They were highly orgainised and very efficient in their operation, and would have sown up better than 98% of the Trade Aftermarket. There was very little they couldn't supply 'same day' (even with afternoon orders) and with small machine shops dotted in between these stores, they could also offer same day 'routine' machining to the trade for items like Cylinder Heads, Flywheels and Brakes.
Repco stores are still in operation today, but in terms of what they offer, I feel are a shadow of their former self.
I worked for Repco for a short time,and gained most of my most intimate knowledge of engines while there, along with an insight of how a big company, that was spread far and wide, could be run successfully. I have very fond memories of my stint there.
Now, down to where this is all leading !!
I think many of us have heard of the F1 owner / driver Jack Brabham. He was the only person to win a world championship in a car of his own manufacture, though, he did have a small but highly dedicated team working for him. Jack leaned the F1 ropes under the careful eye of John Cooper and was in fact employed by John when John was tinkering with that Mini that was modified and shown to George Harriman, the rest there is well known history.
Jack left Coopers (on best of terms) and set up his own F1 team. Initially Jack was using and doing well with Coventry Climax Engines and after a short time, entered in to an arrangement with Repco to do his engine overhauls and testing. Repco in turn had an arrangement to carry out this work, under license from Coventry Climax. Repco set up a separate division to do this work and that was based in Melbourne, Victoria. Late in 1963, Jack had a meeting with the Repco board (likely after learning these corporate ropes from John Cooper) to convince them that they should design, develop and build Australia's own F1 engine, and the Repco Brabham series of engines were born. It was with one of these engines that Jack won the world championship.
The history, ingenuity and 'can do' of these engines was amazing. Even today, they are highly sort after. The operation was very very small, especially when compared to all others in this particular field. Sadly, by the late 60's, Ford had their DFV on the scene and no one could compete with them. At the same time, Repco Brabham F1 engines underwent a major technological transformation to double overhead cam heads and a new block (?) which need time to refine and make reliable, though, it was time they didn't have. Sadly, for the most part, that was pretty much the end of the road for these fantastic engines, though they were supported for many years after as there was many teams, mostly outside of F1, who were using them.
A very proud time in Australian Racing history. It does make me feel quite sad when I see all this magnificent talent, gone.
" The noise in the dyno room was unbelievable and frightened most everybody. You can see with the 4.2 Indy engine percolating very well (at Maidstone above), everybody had left the room except the photographer and me. Then i would work the engine as you can see, my photo says it was around 7000 rpm. I have the Db reading somewhere."
" I have seen a flywheel ring gear split and spear the wall separating Merv’s office from the Dyno Room at Waggott Engineering (in Greenacre, Sydney). It had the effect of wanting to hitch your pants up! "
(for a while, Waggotts did my engine machining and cam grinding)
more here;-
https://primotipo.co...iLm62TmeemdyENk