1933 Blackstone "Petrol" Engine
Serial #176589
click on the picture for a pre-restored view (46K gif)
3 1/2 Horse Power Gasoline Engine manufactured by
Blackstone & Co. Ltd., Stamford, England
Bore & Stroke unknown at this time - Rated H.P. at approx. 500 R.P.M.
The Blackstone company got it’s true start in the very late 1800’s, by E.C. Blackstone. Mr. Blackstone had acquired a keen interest in ‘oil engines’, those used in oil fields of the day. Having hired two established engine designers, Frank & Evershed Carter, the first Blackstone oil engine was created in or around 1900. Through some kind contacts in the U.K., I've learned that this engine was factory tested August 4, 1933, installed on a portable cart, and supplied to Phillips and Son, Cowbridge Works, Timbercombe, Taunton, Somerset, U.K. . The consensus is that very few of these now exist in either the U.S. or England.
1917 Fairbank-Morse " Z "
Serial #227613
6 Horse Power Gasoline/Kerosene Engine manufactured by the
Fairbanks, Morse & Co., Beloit, Wisconsin
5 1/2" Bore X 8" Stroke - Rated H.P. at 400 R.P.M.
At nearly 900 lbs. (408 kg), this 6 HP Fairbanks-Morse and it's matching younger kin listed below, are the third heaviest singles in the shed. The flywheels measure 28" (71 cm) in diameter while the engine measures 32" (81 cm) overall in height. 9 gallons (34 l) of water are contained in the hopper for cooling. The displacement of the engine works out to be 190 cubic inches (3100 cc). This particular engine is all original including the paint, and, judging by the lack of wear, it has not seen much use. An intermittant problem with the magneto, which turned out to be a manufacturing flaw, may have contributed to the lack of use. Only the main fuel tank (inside the base), along with the fuel lines, needed replacing as the old tank could whistle in the wind for all the holes rusted into it!
Feelin' up to it? Then give 'er a twist! Remember, this is 190 cubic inches!
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1924 Fairbank-Morse " Z "
Serial #602731
6 Horse Power Gasoline/Kerosene Engine manufactured by the
Fairbanks, Morse & Co., Beloit, Wisconsin
5 3/4" Bore X 8" Stroke - Rated H.P. at 400 R.P.M.
Though generally the same as it's 1917 brother, this 6 HP Fairbanks-Morse sports the newer high tension ignition using a spark plug. The magneto has an impluse drive which snaps the mag over, which provides a hot spark even at low cranking RPM. Also, the fuel system is much simplified using a mixer that sucks the fuel from the tank, no longer requiring a fuel pump. The mixer still incorporates a integrated fuel bowl for starting the engine with gasoline (Kerosene was originally the main fuel stored in the fuel tank), since the engine must be up to running temperature to use Kerosene. Most of the major parts of the engine remained unchanged from the earlier version, though the cylinder bore was increased from 5 1/2" to 5 3/4", boosting the cubic inches from 190 to a whopping 208 cubic inches (3404 cc).
1916 Fairbank-Morse " Z "
Serial #171248
3 Horse Power Gasoline/Kerosene Engine manufactured by the
Fairbanks, Morse & Co., Beloit, Wisconsin
4" Bore X 6" Stroke - Rated H.P. at 450 R.P.M.
Fairbanks-Morse started building engines around 1893 and for over 100 years have built engines for anything from farms to todays' modern U.S. Navy. This early 465 lb (211 kg) 3 HP typifies the very popular " Z " models that were built from 1915 clear into the late 1940s' and possibly early 1950s. These engines ranged from 1 1/2 to 20 HP in a very large variety of styles and applications. Today, Fairbanks-Morse continues to operate as a division of Colt Industries.
1927 McCormick-Deering " M " Gas Engine
Serial #AW44205
1 1/2 Horse Power Gasoline Engine manufactured by the
International Harvester Co., Chicago, Illinois
3 1/2" Bore X 5" Stroke - Rated H.P. at 500 R.P.M.
Cyrus Hall McCormick, one of the founding fathers of International Harvester, had his beginnings in assisting his father in the design and construction of a horse drawn grain reaper. It later turned out that Cyrus, himself, would have the success that his father sought with the first successful grain reaper in 1831. For the following 50 years, McCormick would carve out a long history of growth and improved products. William Deering, also in the reaper/harvester business around 1870, was a savvy business man and had also become prominent in the dry goods field. Through a complex history of events, a final merger of the McCormick Harvesting Co. and the Deering Harvester Co., along with other related companies of the time, formed International Harvester Company in August 1902. By 1910, engines, tractors, trucks and other farm implements where being built, while many overseas contracts where being setup. IHC, still in business today, is a major supplier of farm and commercial equipment, and is also the manufacturer of the current V8 Power Stroke ® Diesel used by Ford Motor Co. The IHC/McCormick Deering Type M gasoline engine was debuted in 1917 and built until 1937. All M engines were throttle governed and both low tension ignitor and high tension spark plug ignition systems were used. A unique feature of these engines was a completely enclosed, but dry crankcase. The crankshaft main bearings and rod were still greased by mechanical grease cups and the cylinder oiled by a drip oiler. All timing gears were inside, while the remaining parts, including the cam, were outside the crankcase. No oil was stored inside the engine.
Turn the oiler on, give the grease cups a twist and pull it through!
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Circa 1923 Ottawa Gas Engine
Serial #TE4749
3 1/2 Horse Power Gasoline Engine manufactured by the
Ottawa Manufacturing Co., Ottawa, Kansas
4" Bore X 5 1/2" Stroke - Rated H.P. at 550 R.P.M.
Ottawa had its beginnings back around 1906 - 1907 as another of many suppliers of stationary engines. Their first engines were small, air-cooled, horizontal units for general use. By around 1917, their lineup had grown to fifteen sizes from 1 1/2 to 22 HP. In the late teens, Ottawa started in what was to become a major line for them; building log and wood saw rigs. This included tree felling, timber cutting and circular wood saws. This example here though, was used to operate a water pump in a ravine in the Santa Barbara area in California. One peculiarity of this engine was the fact that both exhaust and intake valves were operated by the cam shaft. Today this is standard practice, but most stationary engines of the day used what was called an ' atmospheric ' intake valve, meaning a very light valve spring was used on the intake valve and the vacuum created during the intake cycle pulled the valve open, allowing the fresh gas/air charge to enter the cylinder. There was no connection to the cam shaft or any outside control of the valve.
