REFLECTIONS

By C.H. Wendel
Published on January 1, 1993
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28/6A
28/6A
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28/6B
28/6B
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28/6C
28/6C
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28/1/31
28/1/31
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28/7A
28/7A
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28/7B
28/7B
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28/1/35B
28/1/35B
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28/1/35A
28/1/35A

28/?6 For Your Information Robert A. LeBaron,
5801 E. 5th St., Tucson, AZ 85711 sends along some photos (see next
page) from a recent journey. They were taken at a little town
somewhere between Amarillo, Texas and Roswell, New Mexico. No one
was around, so Mr. LeBaron didn’t find out if they were for
sale. Photo 26A shows an Ajax, and photos 26B and 26C are
Fairbanks-Morse.

28/?7 Johnson Motor Company Q. See two photos
of a Utilimotor made by Johnson Motor Company of Waukegan, Illinois
(Engine No. U-4-1395).

It has a folding handle on the top, and a gear for the
kick-start is missing. I can’t find any reference to it in
American Gas Engines except the ‘Colt’ on page 37 has some
similarities. Any information on this engine would be appreciated.
Melville Hands, RR 3, Caledon East, ONT LON 1EO Canada.

A. Can anyone supply Mr. Hands with the needed
information?

28/?8 Japy Freres & Cie Q. I recently
acquired a French engine at an auction. It is a water cooled
vertical with the following nameplate information: Japy Freres
& Cie, Constructeurs, Beaucourt (France), No. G5180.

The magneto was made by Lavalette, 175 Avenue Choisy, Paris.

I would very much like to hear from someone with one of these
engines or with information on same. The engine is in very good
condition, but I have some questions on the oil system and also on
mounting some of the accessories. Any help will be much
appreciated. Carroll L. Pederson, 22522 -61st St E., Sumner, WA
98390.

A. Since GEM has international coverage,
we’re optimistic that you might hear from someone in this world
who has information on this engine.

28/?9 Fairbanks ‘Z’ Information Q. Does
anyone know of a yearly serial number listing for the
Fairbanks-Morse Type Z engines? Dan Wakeman, 4309 -6th St.,
Menominee, MI 49858.

A. When Fairbanks-Morse sold off the
‘Z’ engine line in the late 1940s or early 1950s, all the
cards for the ‘Z’ engine were removed from the files and
went with the drawings, patterns, and other items pertinent to the
sale. Fairbanks-Morse has no serial number information on these
engines, particularly regarding yearly production. Fairbanks-Morse
did not use ledger books for the purpose. Each and every
Fairbanks-Morse engine was entered on a separate form and each one
was in its own file folder. There were hundreds of file cabinets
holding this information at one time.

28/1/30 Reo Engine Information Q. I have two
Reo engines and I understand they run backwards. I have one that is
a mystery to me. It has no spark unless you turn it over opposite
of which it runs. I have taken it apart and can’t find anything
wrong. Can anyone give me some advice on this engine? I am 14 and
this is my first engine. Any help will be appreciated. Dan
Zimmerman, RR 5, Box 58, Whitewater, WI 53190.

A. Can anyone help this young collector?

28/1/31 An Old Wagon Q. This has nothing to do
with gas engines, but the accompanying photo of an old wagon makes
me wonder if anyone knows what it was used for. The only thing I
know is that the photo was taken somewhere in the Great Smoky
Mountains. Any information would be appreciated. Larry Koutouc,
1375 – 59th St., Garrison, IA 52229-9682.

28/1/32 Oil City Boiler Works Q. Can anyone
provide information on the following engine? Oil City Boiler Works,
Oil City, Pa., 20 HP, 180 r.p.m., hot tube ignition, two-cycle,
crosshead style.

Any information on this engine or on the Oil City Boiler Works
would be much appreciated; thanks in advance to all the GEM
readers. Richard F. Privat, 23920 Mailing Rd., Geyserville, CA
95441-9676.

28/1/33 Brooks Mfg. Company A special thank you
to Rex A. Whiting, DDS, Box 146,. 51 West Center, Heber City, UT
84032. Dr. Whiting recently sent us a catalog of the Brooks Mfg.
Company, Saginaw, Michigan. This company apparently built complete
boats and also built kits for assembly by the buyer. It’s
interesting to note that on page 2 we are told that ‘No skill
is required to build a Brooks boat.’ A friend of ours built a
boat some years ago, and despite his being an excellent carpenter,
mechanic, and all-in-all handy with tools, it created a lot of gray
hair before it was ready to be launched. In addition to offering
many different boat kits, Brooks also offered two-cycle marine
engines in sizes from 2 to 25 horsepower. We hadn’t heard of
Brooks previously, so this information is greatly appreciated, and
is already in the files.

28/1/34 Unidentified Engine Mr. Kevin Glen
Bergen, 865 Camelia Rd., Kelowna, BC V1X 3M9 Canada has forwarded a
letter concerning an unidentified engine. However, we do not have
enough specific information to provide any clues. If Mr. Bergen
would kindly forward some photographs of this engine, we’ll be
happy to include them in a future column, and possibly, we’ll
be able to make an identification. Again, we urge all of you to
send along photographs whenever possible. This is especially
important when trying to identify an engine.

Readers Write

27/10/2B See the photos 28/1/35A and 35B of an
engine I have had for many years. It is similar to 27/10/2B of the
October 1992 GEM except it has an external magneto and is a kick
start. I believe it is from a Montgomery Ward washing machine. I
have never been able to determine the manufacturer. It gets alot of
attention at shows and runs great. What is it? The brass name tag
reads: Model E2, 5/8 HP, 1750 r.p.m., s/n
E2A12477, Montgomery Ward. Dana Van Meter, 2204 Pride Ave., Belpre,
OH 45714.

Brons Engine Articles I have just read the July
1992 GEM and have two engines, both having this style of fuel
calibration. These engines were made in Australia, one in 1920, and
another in 1949 by H. H. McDonald, Melbourne, Victoria. The later
engine has an improved version of injector whereby there is only
one needle which allows the fuel to enter the cup on the end of the
vaporizer housing. A. H. McDonald perfected the first engine of the
Brons type in 1919. First they ran on lighting kerosene, but
shortly afterwards they ran on kerosene for starting and then on
refined crude oil. McDonald made a wide range of diesel engines
from 1919 until around 1945 or thereabouts. I fancy Evinrude copied
Brons. McDonald engines had marine type big ends whereby a shim
could be fitted to raise compression. Let me stress that unless the
bore and cylinder are in excellent shape, don’t waste time and
money on restoration. Without full compression, these engines are
worthless. It is important to use detergent oil in them and to
drain it off regularly. Most of these engines were abused and so
therefore are best left alone. My advice is to check the bore and
cylinder for excessive wear before anything else, and don’t
despair if the machine is a heap of junk. Better to be wise before
the event than afterwards. J. D. Bunnett, Bunnett Road, Wistow 5251
South Australia.

27/11/19 Novo Information From some dated
information I have it that Novo engine information is available
from: American Marsh Pump Inc., PO Box 23038A, Dept 87, Lansing, MI
48909-3038. Owner: Philip Goetz, 4481 N. Williamston Rd.,
Williamston, MI 48895.

I got some information from them a few years ago and received a
nice reply from Mr. Goetz. Possibly there might still be some
information available. Glen L. Schueler, HCR 2, Box 88, Friona, TX
79035.

27/5/40 May 1992 GEM In response to the above
question: Probably as early as 1890, the King Ranch, which was
owned by the Kleberg family after the first generation of Kings,
experimented with various brush control methods, from hand grubbing
to controlled burning to mechanical means. The early mechanical
control efforts led to the design and purchase of a custom
‘Cat’ which was delivered to the ranch headquarters at
Kingsville in March 1951. This monster weighed in the neighborhood
of 110,000 pounds, rather than the 72,000 pounds suggested in the
above article.

This machine was equipped with an engine for each of the two
tracks, a bar to knock down trees as high as 40 feet, two blades
angled to the center to windrow the debris, and a sixteen foot root
plow to sever any remaining stumps and roots. The machine had a
clearance of about three feet to allow the material being windrowed
to pass under the tractor.

A thorough discussion of this fascinating machine and the events
leading to its development can be found in the Appendix to Volume
Two of The King Ranch by Tom Lea, published by Little, Brown &
Company about 1957. Charles Obermiller, Route 2, Box 330,
Buckholts, TX 76518.

Modelmakers Corner

H. W. Keathley, 5146 Redbridge Dr., Boise, ID 83703-3432 would
like to know if anyone sells authentic steam engine castings that
can be machined on a 9-inch South Bend lathe. He has built several
of the Paul Breisch models and would now like to build a steam
model. If you can supply any information, kindly contact Mr.
Keathley at the above address.

A CLOSING WORD

As we noted at the beginning of this column, if you’re
interested in the two week tour of England and the Tatton Park 1000
Rally during June and July, be sure to contact the GEM office, per
additional information in this issue. We also understand that
getting a passport can take up to six weeks, so if you don’t
have one, it might also be a good idea to apply for it now.

We’re hoping to acquire additional reproduction equipment in
the next few months. This will enable us to reproduce illustrations
from old magazines more easily. That’s always been a problem,
since it first requires a new negative, and then some time in the
darkroom to obtain a decent print. Quite often we’ve neglected
including this material because of the extra time involved. In the
age of electronic imaging, the possibility of scanning equipment
also exists. The high quality flatbed scanners are expensive but
they turn out some excellent work and eliminate the need for a
negative and the darkroom. T is a long way from the zinc engravings
we use for letterpress work!

We’re finishing this column in early November; in fact,
it’s the day following the Election. By the time this copy is
in your hands, Santa Claus and his reindeer will have replaced
political advertising in the media. What a welcome change!

In closing, you’ll receive this column in early December,
just in time for us to wish you a Happy and Blessed Holiday Season,
and may 1993 be your best ever!


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