4185 Graham Road East Jordan, Michigan 49727
Mr. A. D. Graham of East Jordan, Michigan, is a true engine man
in every sense of the word. He is at home repairing and running his
Baker steamer, adjusting a thresher properly, repairing an old one
lunger, or building a scale model OilPull. In fact, he is able to
do anything on, or with, old equipment and do it very well.
A. D. was born in 1909 when steam was king and work was hard,
but rewarding. The engine bug bit him early in life, especially
when at age 15 he started to run the Baker steamer that he still
owns.
Over the years he has built, restored or repaired all types of
old tractors, Model T Fords, steamers, engines, etc. All the items
he builds are well done, both in appearance and performance. The
following engines were built in the last five years with one in
construction stage and more being planned.
Built from an old vertical air compressor, this engine has
fabricated head, valves and rocker arms, Model T Ford timing gears,
Wisconsin VE4 piston and connecting rod (rod modified in length).
Its Model T Ford magneto was installed on the end of the crankshaft
to supply electricity for itself and others in the immediate area.
The engine block was drilled for auxiliary exhaust to aid in
cooling. Governor, timer for the Model T coil, and fuel mixer are
of his own design. The engine starts and runs very well.
This one is built from same type of old air compressor as engine
#1, except it has the cylinder sticking up rather than down. It has
new fabricated head, rocker arms, and governor, with some
variations to engine #1. Flywheels are from International 1.5 HP.
Mixer is a modified 1.5 Economy. Also it has an auxiliary exhaust
same as #1, and his own design of timer for driving the Model T
Ford coil.
Runs and starts very well.
This engine is of the gearless style with valve train running
from disc and pin arrangement. Engine block from Wisconsin VF4 (one
cylinder removed from double bank of two). Crankcase is fabricated
from structural steel. Fly wheels and crankshaft from Tom Thumb
engine, with flywheels put on the inside of the main bearing
saddles, Wisconsin piston and rod. Cylinder head, governors, valve
mechanism all home built. There is a Wisconsin single cylinder
magneto and Briggs and Stratton lawn mower carburetor.
Engine starts and runs well. Very interesting to watch its valve
mechanism perform its duty.
This engine is an eight cycle design. The block and crankshaft
are from 1.5 Jumbo. All other parts were missing. Rather than go to
the impossible task of finding original parts to restore the
engine, he made all of the accessories of various junk yard parts.
It has a homemade camshaft installed across the top behind the
water hopper with a Ski-Doo bogie wheel running against the lobe of
the cam and running along the rocker arm, extending forward across
the top of the engine with linkage dropping down to operate the
exhaust valve. Carburetor is from Briggs lawn mower engine. One
flywheel is from an old feed chopper, with an Economy flywheel on
the other side. The Model T buzz coil is driven from a homemade
timer. Model T piston and rod (rod is modified to length).
The engine starts and runs well.
Construction of this engine started with a high pressure
cylinder from an Ingersol Rand air compressor. The piston is from
an old Chevrolet car engine and the flywheel from an old corn
sheller or corn chopper. All other items were fabricated from
scratch, including the crankshaft and connecting rod. It is also of
the eight cycle hit and miss design like #4. Modern ball bearing
pillow blocks on both the crankshaft and governor shaft make this
engine run very smooth. The crankshaft is of the offset pin
arrangement, like a single cylinder steam engine. Also it has
auxiliary exhaust like the others, to aid in cooling.
This is an opposed crankshaft style with crankshafts tied
together with roller chains. It has two Clinton lawn mower engine
blocks with crankshaft modified and extended to accept the
flywheels. Combustion chamber fits between the two blocks, complete
with intake and exhaust valves (intake on bottom and exhaust on
top). Exhaust valve runs from walking beam rocker arm, across the
top of the engine and driven from overhead cam on top of left
engine. Early Model T Ford timing gears with straight cut teeth
driving the cam. Flywheels are from large gate valves, supplied by
the East Jordan Iron Works. Centers machined to accept taper lock
style bushings. The timer and mixer both are homemade.
This is a lever engine with lever spanning across the bottom of
the engine with crankshaft driving the middle of the lever and the
piston rod and pivot point on each opposite end. The cam shaft,
governor, cylinder head, timer, etc. are all built from scratch.
Carburetor is from Briggs mower. Ball bearings were used on main
bearing, camshaft and governor shaft. Cylinder is from UF4
Wisconsin, cut in half, and this engine has the appearance of a
junk pile coming to life when it starts. Junk it is not, but a
mechanical marvel.