P.O. Box 589 Lanesboro, Massachusetts 01237
August 1992 will mark one year of ownership of a 1935 Fairbanks
Morse ‘Z’ style ‘C’ self oiling. I purchased the
engine for $225 in non-running condition in New Ashford,
Massachusetts, just a few miles north of my home. I purchased the
engine at age 15 with the help of my parents. I am now 16 years
old.
I sent the magneto to Illinois to be rebuilt. I cleaned the
carburetor and flushed out the crankcase with kerosene.
Surprisingly, the engine wasn’t frozen up after sitting idle
for over eight years. Since I got the engine running, I have
enjoyed it very much. The engine came with the crank, but it starts
up great with three or four revolutions by hand.
I have since purchased wheels for the engine.
A common question that a few other Fairbanks owners have tossed
around with me on the 3 HP closed crank engine is, ‘Why the
different magneto style?’ The earliest of the Fairbanks style
‘C’ had an RV1 magneto. The later style, around 1936, had a
J1 B1, and the 1938 had a J1 B2 magneto. For all those Fairbanks
owners, whom I hope to hear from, with engines that have straight
gear teeth, your engine was made after the late 1920s, in
preparation for the Fairbanks Morse magneto.
My engine is throttle governed. If you are at the Dalton, Mass.,
show in August, you will probably see me. And again, I hope to hear
from you.
