As is usual for this time of year, the number of queries is down
. . . obviously everyone is restoring engines or attending the
shows. Ye olde Reflector has been busy putting up an additional
engine shed, and hopefully, we’ll have the space to display
some of our unusual tools and other items we’ve gathered over
the past 40 years. Of course, we all know that an engine shed is
never quite big enough! However, we’ve decided that this one
will have to do, because we just aren’t going to spend the
money for yet another shed!
Several of our friends from Australia have inquired about the
Regal stationary engines made at Coldwater, Michigan. Many of us
are familiar with the Regal marine engines, but not with their
stationary styles. We have seen a few of these in Australia… they
appear to be very early, probably before 1910, and are of a
vertical, open a-frame design. If anyone can supply any information
on the Regal stationary models, kindly forward same to this column,
in care of GEM. We begin with:
36/9/1 Repairing cracked cylinders Hubert K.
Porter, 900 Cedar St., Atlantic, IA 50022-2010 writes of his
experiences in mending cracked cylinder blocks. Mr. Porter comments
about how it was first necessary to drill a hole at each end to
stop the crack. Then, using a small drill, and [6-32 or 8-32]
screws, it was a matter of drilling and tapping a hole and
inserting a screw. The next hole was drilled at an angle so as to
catch a portion of the previous screw, and so on. By this method,
the crack was neatly stitched back together, and then smoothed off
with a grinder. Those interested might also want to contact Mr.
Porter at: whp@metc.net.
36/9/2 Cunningham Mowers Q. I have two
Cunningham sickle bar mowers, made in Rochester, New York. One is a
Model E, s/n 17239; this machine has rubber tires. The other is a
Model MA, s/n 169, on steel wheels. Does anyone have any
information on these mowers? If you do, I would like to hear from
you. Don Newcomb, 532 Kirk Rd., Rochester, NY 14612.
36/9/3 Stover Engine Q. I have a Stover engine,
built for Bracken, Shaw & hunt Co., Boston, Massachusetts. It
is a 5 HP model, s/n T143847. Any information on this engine,
including the proper paint color, would be greatly appreciated.
Harold F. Kyler Jr., 1785 W. Keiser Rd., Columbia City, IN
46725.
A. Your engine was built in 1921. BS&L,
like numerous other engine jobbers, re-rated this engine upward to
5 horsepower. Stover built it as a 4 HP model. By taking the
reserve that was built with the Stover, and perhaps even inching
the speed upward a little, the 5 HP goal was met. Chances are that
when Stover tested this engine it would have developed about 4?
horsepower.
36/9/4 New Way Engine Q. I have a New Way
horizontal engine with s/n G617, and about 3? or 4 horsepower.
Information on New Way engines is hard to find in Australia, as
they are very scarce here. Can anyone be of help on this engine? I
also have a Phelps 32 volt lighting plant made at Rock Island,
Illinois. It is Model D3, engine no. 5694, generator no. 5207. I am
desperately seeking an operating/parts manual for the Phelps. I
would like to hear from engine collectors in the US so that I can
broaden my knowledge of American engines. David Nicolson, 12
Patterson St., Warrambool, Victoria, 3280 Australia.
36/9/5 Mallilieu & Conrey Q. I have a 1 HP
engine, s/n V105419 from Mallilieu & Conrey. Can you provide
any further information? George Brady, 761 Craftsbury Rd.,
Greensboro, VT 05841.
A. Your engine was built as a group of 20 that
were shipped to Mallilieu & Conrey in November 1918 from Stover
Engine Works, Freeport, Illinois. We can’t tell you the color
that M & C used on this engine.
36/9/6 Evapo-Rust Brad E. Smith, 7574 So. 74th
St., Franklin, WI 53132 sends along information on what looks to be
a product with very interesting possibilities:
Recently, at an industrial trade show that I attended, I saw a
product that we who restore old iron can use. It is a liquid rust
remover that will remove rust, even deep rust on cast iron and
steel. It is non-toxic, biodegradable, non-flammable and contains
no petroleum solvents. It is safe on all surfaces and will not harm
copper, brass, aluminum, plastic, rubber or vinyl. Rust is removed
at room temperature, by soaking the part in this solution. I saw a
cast iron stove burner that was covered in horrible rust. This
burner was left in the liquid overnight and was rust free and a
nice gray color the next day. The product is named EVAPO-RUST and
is sold by Harris International Laboratories, Inc. One gallon is
the smallest amount one can buy. Their phone number for more
information is 1-888-329-9877.
36/9/7 An Engine Discovery Q. I live in
Anchorage, Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Palmer, Alaska. He
called me and said a man up their way was moving and had two old
gas engines he wanted to get rid of if I wanted them. We went to
his place and out back in the shed was a 2 HP Fairbanks-Morse Z. He
took a tarp off the other engine and it is a 2 HP Duplex made in
Minnesota by the Truck Engine Dept. [?] It is a hit-and-miss with
igniter and battery-fired with a coil, and has a hand throttle. The
engine is complete and is painted a dark blue. Can anyone provide
further information? Ed Olsen, Anchorage, Alaska. Email:
bencotrk@ptialaska.net.
A. Some photos and/or more name-plate data
would be helpful. Also, we have only the email address. Please note
that many of our readers do not have email, so that automatically
limits the possible responses.
36/9/8 Information Needed Q. I have a Lauson
engine, No. 8223, 4? HP, Frost King series. I need the paint color
and would like to know when this engine was made. Also, I need the
same information on a Witte engine, 5 HP, and s/n B3741. Wm. C.
Gamer, PO Box 926, Cleveland, TN 37364-0926.
A. We have DuPont GS908 listed as a comparable
match for the Lauson, but have no other information. For the Witte,
we have DuPont 5204 Forest Green listed as a comparable color
match. The Witte 5 HP engine was shipped to Beck & Conner
Company at Knoxville, TN, in February 1923. It was equipped with a
Bosch magneto.
36/9/9 Coldwell Engine Jim Schmidt, 175 McNab
St., Stratford, Ontario N5A 1Z5 Canada, writes:
At an auction I bought a Coldwell water cooled lawnmower engine.
It is the same looking engine that has appeared in your column
several times. It has a rectangular cylinder head, a solid flywheel
on one side and an enclosed revolving magneto on the other side. It
has a small round top cooling radiator on top with a belt driven
fan in front of it. I don’t see this particular engine in
American Gas Engines, and was wondering if any of the readers could
supply further information or perhaps some illustrations of the
complete lawn mower.
36/9/10 Monitor Pumpjack Q. I have a Monitor 1?
HP engine, Type VJ, s/n 40443 and a Wico EK magneto. Can you tell
me the color and when it was built? Geoff Polgreen, 17 Caroline
St., Moonta 5558, South Australia.
A. The color is comparable to DuPont #538 Gray.
This engine was built in 1929.
36/9/11 Information Needed Q. I recently
purchased a little engine cart made by N. A. Strand & Company,
Chicago, Illinois. Can anyone tell me anything more about this
company, and which engine company (s) used their carts? Also, see
the photo of a small fly-ball governor which I am hoping someone
can identify. It looks like it might have come off a hot air engine
or (?). I will answer all correspondence. Lester Bowman, 2440
Thomas St., Ceres, CA 95307.
36/9/12 Delco Paperweights Q. At a recent flea
market I acquired a pair of paperweights as shown in the photo.
They are cast aluminum of the Delco Light Plant as shown on page
122 of American Gas Engines. They are about 3? inches high, 3
inches wide, and 3 inches deep. They are black japanned with hand
decorated gold highlights. Were these given to Delco owners or by
the company to their dealers? Any information on this memorabilia
would be appreciated. Gordon 1. Woffenden, 3 Newport Ave., Newport,
NH 03773.
36/9/13 Information Needed Q. See photo 13-A of
a unique tractor, perhaps one-of-a-kind. It has a 12 HP Wisconsin
engine with electric starter, but no charging system. A hydraulic
lift has been added, and the tractor is now restored. Can anyone
provide any information on this tractor? In photo 13-B is a
Cunningham Model MA tractor, s/n 5201. I would like to know what
the correct color scheme is for this tractor, and what kind of
engine it used. Photo 13-C shows a Little Wonder Grinder. Does
anyone know the color scheme, or when it was built? Photo 13-D
shows a coil box. Can anyone tell me how it was wired, and when it
might have been built? Gary E. Welch, 10250 21 Mile, Sand Lake, Ml
49343.
36/9/14 Identification Needed Q. See the photos
of an unidentified engine. Any help would be appreciated. William
Paulsen, 101 Tyler St., Box 383, Finley ND 58230-0383.
A. We suggest that your engine is a Duro, as
shown on page 491 of American Gas Engines. This was actually the
Stover Model AC, ? horsepower engine. It was produced for about a
year, beginning in November 1916. Fewer than 1,200 were made.
Virtually all of these engines were shipped to National Sewing
Machine Co. who sold them as the Duro.
36/9/15 Novo Information Q. What is the year
built for a Novo engine, s/n AG34906? The published Novo serial
numbers are exclusive to the S-Series engines and I was wondering
if the number lists for the later engines might be published?
Norman Stobert, 5374 E. St. Joseph Hwy, Grand Ledge, Ml 48837
email: stobert@bigfoot.com.
A. Your engine was made in 1937. For engines
subsequent to the S-Series, there are numerous styles and a
somewhat confusing range of file cards-in fact, many thousands of
them. We suppose that for the Novo service department there was
little or no problem in knowing where to look for a specific card.
However, for occasional use, it sometimes takes us quite awhile to
locate a specific serial number.
36/9/16 Pontiac Engine Q. We have a Pontiac
water-cooled engine, but have not found any information. Did the
Pontiac Corporation (car manufacturer) build engines? Jennifer R.
Jensen, Agricultural Memories Museum, 1110 Townline Rd., Penn Yan,
NY 14527. Email:jrjensen@linkny.com.
A. We suggest that this engine might have been
built by Pontiac Tractor Company at Pontiac, Michigan. The latter
firm began building tractors about 1918, but continued for only a
short time.
36/9/17 Gile Engines Q. In the January 2001
issue of GEM, under reference of 36/1/8, I wrote requesting
information on a Gile engine. Unfortunately, the email address
closed down before the article was published. The engine is a Gile
well pump vertical air cooled engine, s/n 595, 1? HP, Type A, made
by Gile Boat & Engine Co., Ludington, Michigan. The engine is
mounted on a triangular base with a small tin identification tag
with the word ‘DOLCLUN.’ If anyone can supply any
information on this engine, please contact Dennis Jeffery, 90
Columbia Drive, Wheelers Hill 3150 VIC Australia.
Email:taddy_3@yahoo.com .
A Closing Word
Work is under way for a tour to Germany and Switzerland in July
2002. Although the itinerary is yet in a fluid state, we have
nailed down some important stops, all with lots of nice engines,
tractors, and machinery. We plan to fly into Zurich and leave from
Frankfurt two weeks later. The tour will be limited to about 40
people. We’re strong believers in covering a smaller area and
doing it well. This is fairly easy to do in Germany because there
are numerous museums and collections to be found.
We understand that the next National Rally in Australia will be
in February or March of 2003 and will be in the state of Victoria.
More information on this one as time goes by.
From the pages of The Old Machinery Magazine of Australia, we
note that there are several firms specializing in magneto
rebuilding, including the rewinding of magneto coils. We should
think that a rewound magneto coil, using today’s well insulated
wire and then being vacuum impregnated, would be much better than
the old original coils. Although it is undoubtedly an expensive
proposition to thus rebuild a magneto, sometimes there is no
choice. The situation will only worsen, since there is an ever
diminishing supply of magneto parts.
Looking back at the 2001 National Rally in Tasmania, we recall
the big IH TD-24 crawler on display. This tractor is soon going to
be completely restored. However, in its life this machine has
tallied over 42,000 hours and is still in operating condition! Now
that is quite a record for any tractor! We were also very impressed
with the restoration of a 1938 Caterpillar RD-7 crawler. A popular
Australian tractor is the Howard DH22. One of these, built in 1936,
was on display at the National Rally in Tasmania. For those
interested in the Australian engine and tractor scene, we recommend
The Old Machinery Magazine. It is published at Box 1200,
Port Macquarie, NSW 2444 Australia. Their website is
www.tomm.com.au.
As soon as time permits, we’ll again be including some
articles on old machine tools, including some interesting and
sometimes gigantic tools of times gone by. Meanwhile, we’ll be
toiling away on the engine shed, especially since autumn will come
all too soon… and we all know the season that follows autumn!
