415O2 RUNS AGAIN

By Staff
1 / 4
The completed engine
The completed engine
2 / 4
Carb, linkage, etc.,
Carb, linkage, etc.,
3 / 4
Carb, magneto details before housing.
Carb, magneto details before housing.
4 / 4
Before addition of housing.
Before addition of housing.

60A High Street Uxbridge Mass. 01569

In September 1986 I bought a stuck, 2 cylinder LeRoi from a
Burriville, Rhode Island saw mill operator. It came off a Universal
cement mixer built by Marsh Capron, Chicago, Illinois. The original
sheet metal housing was still there but was badly rusted and usable
only for patterns. This engine was apparently manufactured in late
1925 or early 1926. Stripping the engine revealed only lightly
rusted cylinders but the exhaust valves were rusted in solid.
Bearings, crankshaft, camshaft etc. had been protected by the oil
despite an inch of water in the crankcase. Luckily, the valve
guides were inserted and they pressed out with the exhaust
valves.

A trip to a local industrial engine distributor paid off with a
pair of Continental exhaust valves which could be adapted. I cut
the valves down and made up the new guides in my shop. Grinding and
lapping the valves proved to be a tedious task. The seats were
deeply pitted from the rust. Finally after five trial assemblies I
got adequate compression. Retiming the valves proved to be
relatively easy.

The Splitdorf magneto was in good working order but the Zenith
carburetor was a nightmare of mouse fuzz, wasp mud and ice damage.
The float was nonexistent. My second attempt produced a successful
cork float. I coated the float with gas tank sealer to keep it from
absorbing gasoline and losing its bouyancy. A lot of cleaning and
soldering cured the remaining carburetor woes.

On January 10, 1987 I had it back together and ready to try. On
the third attempt it took off and ran like a champ. Time to take it
apart again for final cleaning and painting.

Three more weeks of sandblasting, cleaning, fabricating a new
housing and painting made it ready for the circuit. The green and
red color scheme appears to be correct for the Universal mixer.
There were generous traces of the original paint in all the
corners, under the grease.

Another piece of ‘forgotten iron’ lives again!

  • Published on Aug 1, 1987
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