22 replies to this topic

[farmerall]

About a week ago my brother and his friend found this old hit and miss engine in the middle of a large are of woods, long forgotten by whomever left it there. After getting it home we discovered that it was made by IHC and then with the help of some great people on Facebook the model was determined. It's a Famous 1HP engine.

 

 

As you will notice this engine sat uncovered outside for a long time and there is a lot of rust on it. The bore and piston didn't look very promising either. So the first thing I did was start to soak everything in Kroil. Everything was seized on this engine and a lot still is.

 

 

My initial plan for this engine was to keep soaking it with penetrating oil for a few months until I would have some time to work on it. Well that plan lasted about a day. I got bored and decided to pull the head to check the condition of the top end. I had low expectations because the exhaust had been open for water to get in for years. To my surprise all of the nuts loosened very easily. After I pulled the head off I was also surprised to see that the top end was not rusty, it was mostly dirty with a lot of carbon and oil buildup.

 

 

Next I decided to pull the crankshaft and flywheels so I could see if the piston would move at all. I made a wooden block from a 4x4. After a few smacks with a  hammer the piston started to move and soon it was out of the bore. The bore is actually in decent shape, it should clean up decent with a good honing. The crank and rod bearing will need some attention though.

 

 

This past weekend my brother, his friend and I went back to the area where they found the engine and searched for some of the missing pieces. We got lucky and found the original oiler and what is left of the igniter box. The box isn't salvageable but it will make a good template for when it's time to build a new one.

 

I've already started to clean up some of the parts. After a good soak in purple power, the oiler and cooling hopper drain valve cleaned up nice. Then some time on the buffing wheel and they were looking great. They are far from perfect but they are good enough for me.

 

 

I will continue to update this thread as I make progress on the engine.

[Nato77]

My dad spent 2 years getting our old Gade loose. Just don't rush it to much! Looks like your making some good progress though! That's awesome that you found the oiler for it! That doesn't happen very often.

Forgot to ask, was the hopper cracked from sitting outside?

Edited by Nato77, January 08, 2015 - 10:01 PM.

[toomanytoys84]

Crank looks rough! It would be fun putting that thing back together.

[Little Irish Men]

I was wondering if there  were collector's on here ? there's  no Forums for hit and miss engines . Or should there be ? ? ?

 

Good Luck with your's  and like Nate Said  " JUST DON'T RUSH IT"

 

 

Patrick.

[GTpicker01]

Try the Smokstak forum. Lots of hit and miss guys on there.

[hamman]

Nice find ! I'm glad to see you restoring it. My wife loves those old engines. She said she wants one before she dies. Looking at that I wonder if the bearings in it were Babbitt. Pouring Babbitt bearings is a lost art and there are not a lot of people doing it anymore. We had a fire truck back when I was a young buck that had Babbitt bearings and we had to decommission the truck due to no one working in that field anymore. Looks like it should clean up just fine. As was said take your time and please keep posting on this I will follow along as you make progress. Good luck. Also as was stated Smoke Stack is a good forum for help and information on these.                                                                                                                                                       Roger.

[tractorgarden]

If you ever make it further north...to Coolspring . you can get any thing you need for that engine, It is a very nice show and three miles from my house.

[Alc]

Looking at that first picture I would never have thought you would have gotten that piston or anything else on that apart without breaking it all ,    Great Job !!!  And keep us posted ! 

[case442]

Matt,
Ask Brother Ray to look for another one for me! Great find guys can't wait to see hour progress on this one.

Mike

[DougT]

I was wondering if there  were collector's on here ? there's  no Forums for hit and miss engines . Or should there be ? ? ?

 

Good Luck with your's  and like Nate Said  " JUST DON'T RUSH IT"

 

 

Patrick.

George just asked me if I thought we needed a hit and miss forum. I diddn't think there would be enough interest. Maybe there would be? I felt that between the "other hobby" forum and the mechanical forum we should have it covered. We won't kick anybody out for talking hit and miss.

 

This engine is a nice find. If that's a brass rod I'm seeing it would date the engine at the mid teens or before. I see the cream seperator pulley in the pile. That's another nice option. The serial number was stamped into the end of the crankshaft but you might not be able to read it in the rust. About the only thing I see you're missing is the carb and tank. I believe there are repo's of both still being made. Maybe a little pricey but at least available.

[Jazz]

Very nice find.  I was expecting the story to lead into a great lawn ornament but I would guess you will have the engine up and running eventually...and you got the OILER!  Now you can join the debate...pitchfork in hand   Hit and Miss battles Hit or Miss.....I bleed  IHC red paint..

 

original shipping crate for your hit or miss engine.....

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by Jazz, January 09, 2015 - 07:38 AM.

[superspeedex]

How big are the flywheels? it looks like a 3 hp,  And im pretty sure they didnt make a 1hp only a 1 1/2 and 3

[farmerall]

George just asked me if I thought we needed a hit and miss forum. I diddn't think there would be enough interest. Maybe there would be? I felt that between the "other hobby" forum and the mechanical forum we should have it covered. We won't kick anybody out for talking hit and miss.

 

This engine is a nice find. If that's a brass rod I'm seeing it would date the engine at the mid teens or before. I see the cream seperator pulley in the pile. That's another nice option. The serial number was stamped into the end of the crankshaft but you might not be able to read it in the rust. About the only thing I see you're missing is the carb and tank. I believe there are repo's of both still being made. Maybe a little pricey but at least available.

 

Yes the rod is brass. I was told that dates the engine to pre 1911 and I think that the crank is too rusty to read the serial number.

 

How big are the flywheels? it looks like a 3 hp,  And im pretty sure they didnt make a 1hp only a 1 1/2 and 3

 

They are no bigger than 18 inches in diameter. Overall this is a really small engine, it weighs somewhere around 100 pounds and is fairly easy to move.

[Gabriel]

This will be fun to watch! Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your progress updates!

[DougT]

How big are the flywheels? it looks like a 3 hp,  And im pretty sure they didnt make a 1hp only a 1 1/2 and 3

The model Ms were 1 1/2-3-6-10 HP the Famous was 1-2 1/2 -4 ect.

 

Yes the rod is brass. I was told that dates the engine to pre 1911 and I think that the crank is too rusty to read the serial number.

 

Spent a little time looking. From what I can find these were built 1911-1917. I'm thinking the brass rod ended in 14 or 15. It woud be worth a shot at the crank. Start sanding it easy and watching. There is also an acid that will raise the stamped numbers since that metal is compressed harder than the metal around it.