27/6/17 What Is It? Q. See the photo of my
wife’s family about 1892. They farmed sugar cane and made
sorghum from it. The family still owns this ground. I would like to
know what kind of engine this is. Any information will be
appreciated. Brett Guinn, RR 1, Box 181, Orion, IL
61273.
A. This is a Westinghouse steam
engine…it’s even equipped with a driving lamp for traveling
at night!
27/6/18 Ziegler-Schryer Engine Q. I have some
questions about a Ziegler-Schryer engine, 2 HP, s/n B2620. Were
these engines furnished with a spark plug or ignitor? My engine has
some dark green paint in spots, somewhat like the Forest Green used
on McCormick-Deering Type M engines. Is this the correct color? Any
information will be appreciated. W. Dale Rice, PO Box 94,
Opolis, KS. 66760.
A. On pages 408-09 of American Gas Engines you
will find some details of the background on Ziegler-Schryer,
Rawleigh-Schryer, etc. The engines were built with an ignitor…the
spark plug was a field replacement, and definitely not from the
factory. We show the Rawleigh-Schryer 2 HP engine as having used
the Webster magneto, bracket number A303K7A. We have no information
on the proper color of the Ziegler-Schryer engines.
27/6/19 Information Needed Q. Can anyone
provide me with a source for decal sets as used on the Farmall M
tractors? I’m assuming from the March issue that the
Sherwin-Williams B17562 Red is the proper paint color? T. R.
Rockett, 109 Oak Crest Hill Drive, Colleyville, TX 76034.
A. It’s our understanding that Farmall Red
carries the company designator of IH-2150. With this information,
virtually any paint shop ought to be able to supply this color;
however, we also have Ditzler 71310 and Martin-Senour 90R-3731
listed too. Several regular GEM advertisers can supply Farmall M
decal sets.
27/6/20 Eazy Engine Q. See the photo of an Eazy
engine, number 18629. I need to know when it was built, what color
is it, and if possible, where to find a gas tank. Martin L.
Roland, 3205 Circle Drive, NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.
A. We can’t provide you with any info on
this engine, but perhaps our readers can be of help.
27/6/21 Unknown Engine Q. See the two photos of
an unidentified engine. It has a 4/8 x 6 inch
bore and stroke. Notice that the engine has a place for two oilers
on the cylinder. Can anyone provide any information on this engine?
Robert Bishop, 4514 S. Country Rd., 700E, Crothersville, IN
47229.
A. Can anyone be of help here?
27/6/22 Gray Marine Engine Q. See the two
photos of a Gray Marine engine I am trying to restore. Can anyone
provide me with any information on this engine, including the
correct color? Any replies will be greatly appreciated. Tom
Berry, 1107 S. Water, Marine City, MI 48039.
A. If you can be of help, kindly do so.
27/6/23 Chevrolet Tractor Q. See the photo of a
1946 Chevrolet tractor. The story goes like this: Right after World
War Two, General Motors commissioned one of their engineers, whose
last name is Nutter, to build a tractor. GM furnished a 1? ton
truck chassis. This tractor has a 216 c.i. inch, a four-speed
transmission, and a two-speed rear end.. .it does not have a ring
and pinion. It has two large gears side-by-side with a sliding gear
in between. Can anyone supply further information on this tractor?
Dale C. Hall, 1516 Bogard Lane, Mt. Washington, KY
40047.
A. We also would like to hear more about this
project. Can anyone provide further information?
27/6/24 Associated Handyman Q. I have a 1910-15
era Associated Handyman engine. I’m ready to begin restoration,
but does anyone have the correct colors? Rex G. Jarrett, 2155
Sherri Mar St., Longmont, CO 80501.
A. We have DuPont Dulux 93-2622-H Red listed as
the comparable color for the Associated engines. The cylinder and
head are painted silver (aluminum). Apparently, this was done to
provide better heat radiation. We’ve often noted that air
cooled engines should always have the cylinder painted aluminum,
rather than a color. It’s too bad that none of the original
artwork for the original Associated decals has survived. Even if it
had, they were so complicated and so orange that they would be
costly to reproduce.
27/6/25 FBM or F-MI have been a Fairbanks-Morse
fan for many years, initially as a railroad buff. Their
38D8-1/8 opposed piston diesel prime mover
used in locomotives and most of the U.S. Navy’s submarines was
the smoothest running engine of its size ever built. Later I found
myself in the hobby of antique engines and farm tractors, and once
again came across the familiar old name of Fairbanks-Morse.
This brings me to the point of this letter which is to attempt
to correct an admittedly minor error of abbreviating
Fairbanks-Morse as FBM. After Charles H. Morse became a partner in
the Fairbanks Company in 1866, the company name was changed to
Fairbanks, Morse & Company, and later hyphenated to
Fairbanks-Morse. The company logo, no doubt designed when the
firm’s business was manufacturing platform scales, show’s a
hand holding a scale weight, bracketed by the initials F M. In
print it is always hyphenated F-M. The name Fairbanks is one word,
not two. Indeed, would you refer to International Harvester as
INHC, or General Motors as GRM? Thank you for suffering my petty
complaint.. .keep up the good work. Howard L. Mosley, 1361
Tuckerton Ave., Whiting, NJ 08759.
Ye olde Reflector notes: From the standpoint of proper usage, we
agree completely. In fact, we are completely unsure of how or when
FBM came to be used as the designator for Fairbanks-Morse. It’s
one of those unique things that creep into our vocabulary, and now
it’s to the point that the term FBM is instantly recognized as
referring to Fairbanks-Morse. Although we try to maintain correct
usage, we don’t always succeed. This, despite the fact that
‘ ‘Modern English Usage,’ ‘A Dictionary of
Contemporary American Usage,’ Mencken’s trilogy called
‘The American Language’ and numerous other books are on
hand. Ours is a strange language that includes a lot of jargon,
plus a lot of irregularities. In talking about the language, if two
mouses are mice, why aren’t two gooses gice? Thanks Howard, for
your letter and your support!
27/6/26 Old Grader Q. See the two photos of an
old grader at the Lenawee County Highway Department Garage in
Adrian, Michigan. The grader was donated to the department many
years ago. They have painted it yellow and put it on display. Can
anyone identify it? Herbert E. Mann, 2588 W. 250 S., Warsaw, IN
46580.
27/6/27 McCormick-Deering Museum. My hometown
of lnman, Kansas is in the process of developing a museum.
Since Inman for many years had a strong Mc-Cormick-Deering and IH
dealership, some of us are thinking of focusing the museum on
McCormick-Deering farm machinery. We need all the information we
can get, factory contacts, names of living officers, written
materials, and whatever else is available. If you have some
information or are a member of a McCormick club, we would like to
hear from you. Write: Milferd Penner, Route 1, Box 176, Inman,
KS 67546. Telephone (316) 585-2389.
27/6/28 Wonder Gasoline Engine Q. See the photo
of an engine with the following tag: Wonder Gasoline Engine, 2 HP,
No. 338143, Construction Machinery Company, Waterloo, Iowa. It
appears to be exactly like an Associated engine. Any information
will be appreciated. Mel Smith, 23941 Strange Creek Drive,
Diamond Bar, CA 91765.
A. We believe the engine is an Associated. CMC
at Waterloo built cement mixers, but they never built engines. They
bought engines from all over…Novo, Fuller & Johnson, Stover,
Associated, and probably more. Apparently, they bought them on
contract, wherever they were the cheapest.
27/6/29 M. W. Savage. Thanks to Ed Kinch, 401
Annie, West Branch, MI 48661 for sending along some photocopy
material on various engines. Included was some additional material
on the Dan Patch from M.W. Savage Factories. They also built one
called the Dazzle Patch. Of course, Dan Patch was a famous race
horse of the time, so by word association games, the thought came
through that this engine, like the famous horse, had speed, power,
and stamina. We don’t know about the Dazzle Patch part! Savage
offered many different farm implements, including manure spreaders.
In the ‘Teens’ manure spreaders became an overnight
sensation that relieved farmers from centuries of drudgery.
27/6/30 Cletrac Thanks to James Miller, 638
Stone Rd., Westminster, MD 21158 for sending along some photocopy
information on Cletrac tractors.
27/6/31 Majestic Engine See the photo of a
Majestic engine from Hartman Company, Chicago, Illinois. There is
no picture of one in American Gas Engines. This is a 9 HP engine.
Walter Genson Sr., 03686 Old Horton Bay, Boyne City, MI
49712.
27/6/32 Thanks!. To Don and Virginia Green,
4024 Country Lane NW, #48, Bremerton, WA 98312 for sending along
photocopy information on some engines appearing in a couple early
issues of Popular Mechanics magazine.
27/6/33 Dishpan Fairbanks. See the photo of a
1? HP Fairbanks-Morse hit-and-miss model. After spending $6 at the
car wash to get off most of the crud, it appeared to be in good
condition. I found a battery box for $25, and got a cam gear and
bracket for another $25. This, plus another $5 for an unknown make
of trucks, and I have $61 invested. In 1923 this engine sold for
$32.50. However, in 1923 my father was walking six miles each way
and working a 10-hour day for $1 a day. This engine would have cost
over a year of savings for him, after supporting a family. I’m
using a Model T coil and a Polaroid film pack battery. It is the
safest, cheapest, and lightest battery you can get. It is also free
after using the film. Lloyd D. Dean, RR 1, Box 108, Atwood, IL
61913.
