Reflections

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24/1/53
24/1/53
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23/11/8
23/11/8
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MM-1
MM-1
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MM-2
MM-2
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MM-3
MM-3
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MM-4
MM-4
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24/1/58
24/1/58
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24/1/60A
24/1/60A
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24/1/60B
24/1/60B
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24/1/61A
24/1/61A
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24/1/68A
24/1/68A
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24/1/61B
24/1/61B
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24/1/65
24/1/65
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24/1/68B
24/1/68B

24/1/46 Stover engines Q. I have a number of
questions regarding Stover engines. What is the year built for the
following: 1) 2 HP CT202022 2) 2 HP TB271223 3) 3? Sears-Economy
Type, s/n TC234195SR 4) 5 HP Diesel, DSM259174 5) 2 HP DVA, 226714
6) T vertical, 74797 7) T 98513 8) VA 194236

In your book, Power in the Past Vol 3: Stover Engine Works, you
indicate that parts are available from Lester Roos. I also need to
know the kind of fuel injection pump used on the diesel engine, as
I know you have a 10 HP Stover diesel. The two ‘T’ engines
were sold in Canada by Judson. How are they listed in your book?
Any information will be appreciated. Mark Nedrow, P.O. Box 644,
Selah, WA 98942.

A. Here are the years built: 202022 -1929;
271223 -1940; 234195 -1936; 259174 – 1938; 226714 – 1935; 74797
-1916; 98513 -1917; 194236 – 1928.

The Stover serial lists do not differentiate between engines
sold as ‘Stover’ and those sold as ‘Economy’ or
‘Judson’ for instance. The late Lester L. Roos at Geneseo,
Illinois managed to corrall all the remaining Stover parts,
records, etc. a number of years ago. Stover parts are often
available through an advertisement in GEM, or through some of the
GEM advertisers.

The Acro system featured on all but the very last of the Stover
diesels used American Bosch components. These parts should also be
available through various sources. Curiously, Stover seems to have
been the only American builder to use the Aero system. As found in
the Stover, the piston head was depressed or funnel-shaped. A hole
in the funnel led into a precombustion chamber within the piston
head. The Aero system was eventually replaced with the Lanova
system. It used a precombustion chamber or energy cell located
directly across the combustion space from the injector. The Lanova
system was widely used for many years.

24/1/47 Cushman 4 HP Q. What is the year of a
Cushman vertical, s/n 20017? Also what is the color scheme?
Joseph Menold, 115 S. 16th, Sabetha, Kansas 66534.

A. No serial number information is available.
Some correspondents tell us the correct shade of green is DuPont
24166.

24/1/48 Monitor engine Q. I have a Monitor pump
jack engine, s/n 49417 and would like to know when it was built,
also the proper color scheme. Steve P. Frasl, 524 N. 4th St.,
Brainard, MN 56401.

A. No serial number information available. See
the September, 1988 GEM for paint information.

24/1/49 Seeburg engine Q. As a youngster I
remember several small one-cylinder four-cycle water-cooled engines
by the name of Seeburg. This was about 1932. Can anyone tell me if
any of these engines still exist? Roy Norman, 3310 Tahoma
Place, Tacoma, WA 98466.

A. We have nothing in our indices on a Seeburg
engine anybody out there with some information?

24/1/50 Sandwich engines Q. What is the year
and color of a Sandwich 1? HP engine, s/n AB31927. I do not see
much of any parts or decals for sale. Why? Also have a Fordson
tractor on steel, and would like to know the proper color and year
built. It is s/n 331695. Roger Boise, RD 1, Box 12, New Haven,
VT 05472.

A. See the September, 1988 GEM for Sandwich
color scheme. There are no serial number lists. We have seen
Sandwich engine decals advertised in GEM. The Fordson was built in
1923. We have Fordson Gray as DuPont 24938A.

24/1/51 Geiser engine Q. I have a 2 HP Geiser
engine. The nameplate information includes: Mfg. by
Emerson-Brantingham Co., Greencastle Works, Greencastle,
Pennsylvania, s/n 3340. Need information on the governor, also year
built, and proper color scheme. Joe Ball, P.O. Box 77,
Granville, MA 01034.

A.  Your engine may be illustrated on page
203 of American Gas Engines or on pages 150-52 of the same volume.
In any case, we would guess your engine to have been built shortly
after the 1912 acquisition of Geiser by E-B.  One
correspondent lists the E-B red color as DuPont 93-26550.

24/1/52 Engine Data Needed Q. I’m a young
collector from Timonium, Maryland. Can you tell me when a
Fairbanks-Morse 1? HP engine, s/n 511538 was built? Also a Witte,
s/n 38339. Two friends and I have recently acquired an 18 HP
Fairbanks vertical engine with a direct-connected generator. Can
you tell us who actually built this engine? Walter E. Miller,
209 Cinder Road, Timonium, MD 21093.

A. Your FBM engine was built in 1922. See the
last issue of GEM for the address to get Witte information. We need
a photo of the Fairbanks vertical in order to provide the data you
require.

24/1/53 Magneto Q. Can anyone tell me what is
the make of the magneto in photo 53, and what was it used for?
Rich Howard, Hysham, MT 59038.

A. This is an ignition dynamo used for
operating the low tension igniter on a gasoline engine. The leather
face of the drive wheel runs against the face of the engine
flywheel. The governor weights serve to pull the leather facing
away from the flywheel to prevent over speeding of the dynamo.

24/1/54 Woodpecker engine Q. Don J. Lippi, 804
Leeson Ave., Van Wert, OH 45891 needs information, color scheme,
etc. on a Woodpecker engine with a 4×4-inch bore and stroke.

A. The Woodpecker engine was built by
Middletown Machine Company, Middletown, Ohio. See pages 304-05 of
American Gas Engines for further information.

24/1/55 Information needed Q. I’m 11 years
old and I have two engines. The first is a Maytag Model 92. I
recently received a Fairbanks Morse Model Z, Style C. I would like
to know the year, paint color, and decals for this engine.
Billy Walters, 780 Selke Road, LaCrescent, MN 55947.

A. We cannot locate an exact color match for
the Maytag, but believe that one of the GEM advertisers
specializing in Maytag parts might have the precise color you need.
The FBM engine is comparable to DuPont 9372001 Green. Maytag decals
are available from several GEM advertisers, but to be precisely
correct, the FBM Z engines did not use decals or striping.

24/1/56 Cushman Cub Q. What is the original
color of the Cushman Cub engine? I thought they used two colors.
W. Schultz, Box 275, Oceano, CA 93445.

A. We’ve always assumed that these engines
were of one color of gray- see 24/1/44 above.

24/1/57 Information needed Q. Can you supply
information on the following engines: 1) Massey-Harris Type 2, 6
HP, s/n 6K2438. What is year built and proper color? 2)
Fairbanks-Morse ‘Z’, s/n 319198; year built and color. 3)
Fuller & Johnson NB, s/n 166572; year and color.

A. In order: 1) No information on file. 2)
Built 1918. See above in this column for proper color. 3) Contact
Verne W. Kindschi, S. 9008-B US Hwy 12, Prairie du Sac, WI
53578-9723 for information on F & J engines.

24/1/58 Bolens tractor Q. We recently acquired
the Bolens Huskie tractor shown in photo 58. I’m told this
tractor was available with garden plow, sicklebar mower, and many
other attachments. Will be happy to hear from anyone having further
information on this tractor, its attachments, etc. Tom
Ringelberg, 16963 10 Mile Road, Battle Creek, Michigan
49017.

A. This tractor did indeed have all sorts of
attachments, as we remember one in our neighborhood back in the
early 1950’s. Perhaps some of our readers have further
information.

24/1/59 Warner Log Saw Q. What is the year
built, type, horsepower, and the proper paint color for a Warner
log saw? The plate reads: The Warner Log Saw; No. ES 5168; Warner
Manufacturing Company, Ottawa, Kansas. Also, any information on the
Desjardins engine will be appreciated. G.P.M. Rijks,
Veldstraat, 50 5988 AK Helden, Holland, Europe.

A. We can’t tell you much about the Warner
log saw, but perhaps some of our readers might be able to do so.
The Desjardins engine appears to have been a clone of the Waterloo
Boy engines built at Waterloo, Iowa, being virtually identical to
it. We’ve never known for sure whether Desjardins built this
engine under license from the Iowa company or simply copied the
design. One of the Desjardins engines is illustrated on page 129 of
American Gas Engines.

24/1/60 Economy engine? Q. Is there a definite
way to determine a Hercules engine from an Economy? I have an
engine, red and with Economy decal, but do not believe it is an
Economy. The plate reads: Eng. #260760; 550 rpm, 1? F HP. Any
information will be appreciated. Dean Alling, P. O. Box 10264,
Burbank, California 91510.

A. From your photos, we would believe your
engine is an Economy, especially since the red finish and the
decals themselves look to be original. There is no doubt that this
engine was built by Hercules, whether or not it was sold by Sears
& Roebuck as an Economy appears to be the question, and lacking
anything to lead us to believe otherwise, we believe it probably is
an Economy and was sold by Sears.

24/1/61 Yukon Territory Q.Ralph Najarian,
35 Pueblitos Road, Belen, New Mexico 87002 sends two interesting
photos and information on them. Photo 61A reads: At Jakes’s
Corner, Yukon Territory, Canada I found Dave Gilbert and his
collection of antique engines and machinery.
I asked Dave how
long he had been collecting engines and he said, ‘193
years.’ Well, those cold winters must preserve folks, because
Dave doesn’t look nearly that old. The brass plate on the side
of this engine says, ‘Standard Gas Engine Co. 5 HP.’ Now I
don’t know much about gas engines, but ‘Standard’ must
refer to a standard type of gas, because to me it doesn’t look
like a standard type of engine. I asked Dave how it worked and he
said, ‘That’s what I’d like to know.’ Can anyone
help us on this one?

This one-lunger was popping rather smoothly when I heard it from
my pickup about 50 yards away. It was providing electricity for the
little complex at Boundry, Alaska just inside the border on the
‘Top of the World Highway.’ It didn’t have any wording
on it and I couldn’t find anybody to tell me what it is. Maybe
one of you oil people can tell us.

24/1/62 ‘Model’ engine Q. Recently I
acquired a Central City Iron Works ‘Model’ engine. Many
parts are missing. The crank pin is four inches. What would be the
correct tolerance for a new bearing cap? The engine has a 10 x 16
inch bore and stroke with two flywheels weighing 1,500 pounds each.
Any help from other ‘Model’ owners would be appreciated, as
I’m not sure of the governor and carburetor design. Duane
Speh, 676 County Road 202, Durango, Colorado, 81301.

A. We would suggest that something on the order
of 0.001 to 0.0015 be allowed for every inch of diameter on the
crankpin. Since you will likely use the engine only for exhibit
purposes, you can probably run with less clearance than might have
been required in a full-load situation.

24/1/63 McCormick-Deerlng ‘M’ Q. I just
acquired a McCormick-Deering Model M, s/n AA5110 which has a
distributor in place of a magneto. I need the instruction on hookup
for battery. Mac Corbitt, 504 North Third, Temple, TX
76501.

A. Your engine was built in 1923. Beyond that,
we would suggest some of the GEM advertisers for books on the
‘M’ engine.

24/1/64 Letz Mfg. Co. Q. Is the Letz M/g.
Company, Crown Point, Indiana still in business? Stewart
Williams, RR 9, Box 300, Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302.

A. We believe that Deere & Company took
over Letz some years ago. You might be able to find out through
Deere if they still have anything on Letz.

24/1/65 Wade log saw Q. See photo 65 of a Wade
log saw I recently acquired. The wood frame is green, while the
motor shows traces of black. Is this the correct color scheme, or
if not, can someone tell me what it should be! This and any other
information on the Wade will be appreciated. Otto O. Ray III,
704 Evans Road, Fieldbrook, CA 95521.

24/1/66 Stover Q. What is the year built for a
Stover 2 HP engine, KA161256? Jim Jackson, 654 Whittier Road,
Spencerport, NY 14559.

A. This engine was built May 29, 1925.

24/1/67 Beilfuss engine Q. Can anyone help me
with a Beilfuss engine? It is very similar to the one on page 51 of
American Gas Engines. The only major difference is that my pendulum
governor is on the outside of the flywheel instead of inside. My
engine has 36 inch flywheels and a 7 inch bore and stroke. What few
casting numbers are found begin with ‘D’. Any and all help
will be immensely appreciated. Robert Upham, R-171-B,
Williamsburg, MA 01096.

24/1/68 Miller Reversible I have a marine
engine which was made by Miller Reversible Gasoline Engine Co.,
Toronto, Ontario. Serial No. 11, and 2? HP. It is complete except
for the timing (see photos). Any information at all on this
engine will be appreciated. John Laing, 11 McNab St. W., Port
Dover, Ontario NOA 1N0 Canada.

24/1/69 Stover Q. What is the year built of a
Stover 2 HP engine, s/n KA155739? As I was cleaning off the grease,
I uncovered the date 9-10-23 in the casting. Does this indicate the
manufacturing date? Hal E. Opdyke, 1960 Sioux Way, Okemos, MI
48864.

A. Your engine was built March 18, 1924. The
date referred to is apparently the date the pattern was made- it
has nothing whatever to do with the date the engine was built!

24/1/70 Lauson Frost King Q. When was a Lauson
Frost King Jr. engine, s/n 23839 built? Also what is the correct
color scheme? Any information at all will be appreciated. Paul
L. Carper, 5644 Columbus Road, N E, Louisville, OH 44641.

A. There is no precise dating method for Lauson
engines. We don’t have the complete color scheme for these
engines either.

24/1/71 Shaw Du-All Any information regarding a
Shaw Du-All tractor will be appreciated. Mine has a 2-cylinder
Wisconsin engine. It is Model R12T and was made by Shaw Mfg.
Company, Gales burg, Kansas. Need to know original colors, service
data, etc. Del Krumwiede, R R 1, Box 1, Voltaire, ND
58792

24/1/72 Associated engines Q. Why do most of
the Associated engines shown in American Gas Engines have a battery
and coil box, even though they are usually equipped with a magneto?
Marc Comes, 10506 Kemple Drive, Bend, OR 97702.

A. Associated catalogs almost always
illustrated their engines with the battery and coil system-this was
standard equipment. The much-to-be-preferred magneto was an
extra-cost option, usually running about $8-$12 extra.

READERS WRITE

23/5/38Waterbury tractors Leon W.
Pillsbury Jr., Box 736, Windsor, Vermont, 05089 sends some
photocopies of this garden tractor of the late 1940’s and early
1950’s. It was built by the Waterbury Tool Division, Vickers
Inc. (A subsidiary of the Sperry Corporation), Waterbury,
Connecticut.

23/10/5Sattley After reading the
Reflections section in October, 1988 GEM, 23/10/5, I sent in a
request for help on a Sattley 2 HP engine about the last of October
with an enclosed SAE. Have had no answer so far, Lonnie
Godlevskey, Route 1, Box 1282, Homedale, ID 83628.

23/3/10Duro engines Duro was in
production at least until 1923. Of the various types I’ve seen
the one in the picture is the same as mine which is a 1918
model.

Also, the same writer provides some information on:

23/9/25Lockwood-Ash Lockwood-Ash must
have made marine engines for other companies. I have a small engine
called the Motorgo Marine engine, and from this picture, it is
definitely a Lockwood-Ash. Ernie Darrow, Box 134, N. Franklin,
CT 06254.

23/10/7Lauson color John Lauson
engine color can be made by taking 1 quart DuPont Centari #1317A
green and adding 2 teaspoons #700A white tint per quart. The skid
is 5485 DW red DuPont Dulux. The striping is white on the skid and
on the engine, with some blue striping on the skid. The quality of
the finish on Lauson engines is very high, as noted from their 1916
catalog. Kevin A. Behnke, 3325 North 65th St., Wausau, WI
54401.

23/11/2 Suggest checking Standard Catalog of
American Cars, 1805-1942, page 123, or your city library for City
Directory of 1890-1900. One car is in Indianapolis Children’s
Museum (1893). Chas. C. Lynde, P. O. Box 3, Church town,
Maryland 20733.

23/9/1New Way Thanks to Bob Winters,
422 Harwicke Road, Springfield, PA 19064 for sending photocopies on
this engine. Thanks also to Bob for information on the 1925 Centaur
tractor.

23/11/8Fairmont engines We had a
large number of responses on this one. See the box which
illustrates and describes this matter. It was sent in by Andrew
K. Mackey, 26 Mott Place, Rockaway Boro, New Jersey
07866-3022.

Mr. Mackey also submits several other responses:

23/10/29Reo engine Mr. Couey’s
engine is Model 404-F built in 1952, and developing 1? HP. It was
used on a reel-type lawn-mower. For those needing additional REO
information contact: Irv Troyer, RR 1, Box 258, LaGrange, IN 46761.
Include all numbers off the ID plate, and be sure to include a few
quarters to cover postage and copying costs.

23/11/8Fairmont Use a maximum ratio
of 12:1 fuel mix. For Fairmont info write: Fairmont Railway Motors,
A Division of Harsco Corp., Fairmont, MN 56031. ATT: Service Dept.,
Mr. Lloyd O’Brien. Include 75 cents for return postage. Also
send all nameplate data on your engine.

23/11/12Associated serial #’s If
Mr. Franzen will send me the nameplate info and a governor side
photo, I will try to date his engine for him.

(The above responses are from Andrew Mackey, whose complete
address is above).

MODELMAKER’S CORNER

One of the Florida Fly wheelers put his show on the road. After
building 6 model engines from casting kits, I decided to build a
model engine from scrap parts that I had accumulated around the
shop. This ended up with the engine shown in Photo MM-2.

In this engine I used a crankshaft from an old 8 HP Briggs
engine. The connecting rod was made from a solid bar of brass, and
the piston and rings were from a Lawson engine. With a 2? inch bore
and 25/8 inch stroke, this engine purrs along
a 400 rpm all day long at the show. It has a throttling governor
and I used a carburetor from an old 2? HP Briggs. The cylinder
block was fabricated from steel well casing. The magneto is a fake,
and it contains the timing points. It is gear driven off the
side-shaft. The ignition for the spark plug is a Model T coil
located in the wood box up-front. Also a 12 volt battery which
operates the bilge pump to circulate the water as well as the
ignition. The flyball governor runs at crankshaft speed and it
holds the rpm very well. Ed Dempster, 50 Nina Jean Drive,
Melbourne, Fl 32904.

Kenneth L. Roland, 3205 Circle Drive NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa52402
would like to hear from anyone having information on scale model
hot air engines, especially the people in Michigan who he
understands have blueprints of same.

Oscar Reiss, Rt 1, Box 100, Wilcox, NE 68982 sends two photos
(MM-3 and MM-4) of model engines he has built. Note that MM-4 is an
epicycloidal gear engine!

A CLOSING WORD

Well folks, this concludes the largest Reflections column ever!
Granted, it took an awful lot of time on our part, but that’s
okay-we here at GEM appreciate your letters and your continued
interest. Best Wishes to each and all of you for 1989!

The purpose of the Reflections column is to provide a forum
for the exchange of all useful information among subscribers to
GEM. Inquiries or responses should be addressed to: REFLECTIONS,
Gas Engine Magazine, P.O. Box 328, Lancaster, PA 17603.


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  • Published on Jan 1, 1989
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