3711 S. Hampton, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722
This is a McCormick Deering type M 10 HP kerosene engine, serial
number 1386, built in 1919 or early 1920.
The bore is oversized to 6-3/64′ and has a stroke of 10′
and a rated 10 horsepower turning at 425 RPM.
The skid and battery seat box are to scale of the original but
made of white oak and stained in natural oak color. Total unit
weight is about 3000 pounds.
I use gasoline to start and run it at shows with no load.
It will run under load on a mixture of kerosene and water if the
load is enough to keep it hot.
When I first saw the engine, it was torn apart in a pile in an
old tool shed. It took about six months of talking, bargaining and
a little haggling before a solid deal was struck.
When I started to go through the pile to load it, I was somewhat
disappointed of its condition. Some of the parts were broken, some
were non-repairable and some were just no good at all. Even though
I was still happy to have it.
Next came making parts by casting, making from scratch and
picking at shows and swap meets.
To get a good wall in the cylinder sleeve, I had to enlarge the
bore 3/64 of an inch. I also had to build up the piston, make
spiral oversized and overweight rings, cut new camshaft and
crankshaft timing gears, reface crankshafts bearing areas and pour
new bearings to match. A few parts were made from just a hunk of
the right kind of metal. The inside of the carburetor and fuel pump
were replaced with new brass ‘homemade’ goodies.
On September 15, 1979, after three years, with a brand new paint
job, decals and varnished skid, ‘THE FIRST SHOWING’ headed
out to the 18th Annual Antique Engine and Tractor Association Show,
held on the Ivan Wildermuth Farm in Geneseo, Illinois.
It was decided to belt it up with a 1907 American shingle saw
which was owned by the Byford Killing family. This operating
demonstration was one of several at the show.
