Register now to get rid of these ads!

Crosley OHC engine

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by flatordead, Feb 17, 2011.

  1. I bought this engine yesterday merely for a song.
    It seemed kind of interesting with the Fairbanks/Morse magneto and ohc/vertical cam shaft drive. Does that engine have any potential. Speed equipment available?

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. HEATHEN
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 8,557

    HEATHEN
    Member
    from SIDNEY, NY

    Back in the early '50s, a guy named Nick Braje made speed equipment for Crosley engines, and I've seen some repops of his intakes and valve cover at swap meets.
     
  3. retromotors
    Joined: Dec 10, 2008
    Posts: 1,045

    retromotors
    Member

    No specific info, but I recall those engines were used in certain classes of hydroplane racing back in the day. I think there was a lot of goodies available for them, not sure about nowadays.
     
  4. flyin-t
    Joined: Dec 29, 2004
    Posts: 1,421

    flyin-t
    Member

    Lou Fageol, a unlimited Hydroplane driver, bought the tooling for that engine and used it for his own Fageol Outboard engine. That became the Homelite outboard and then the Fisher-Pierce Bearcat 55 built into the late 60's. 35 years later most all outboards are 4 stroke.

    Crosley car guys like the outboard engine because it was 55 hp, 15 over the stock car motor.


    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    http://www.crosleycars.com/braje.htm

    I recently read where Nick Brajevich's son still owns the tooling and runs parts now and then. I think he's here in so cal, the soouth bay?
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2011

  5. Hnstray
    Joined: Aug 23, 2009
    Posts: 12,355

    Hnstray
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Quincy, IL

    Crosley engines were also used in race cars in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) small bore classes, somewhere around the H Production for Crosley Hot Shots or in a similar Modified class(es). Really pretty potent with the appropriate power to weight ratio. Cool find.

    Ray
     
  6. Foul
    Joined: Mar 25, 2002
    Posts: 643

    Foul
    Member

    Interesting. Can you post some closer pics of that magneto and the cam drive?

    dan
     
  7. Absolutely no potential what soever. Let me sing to ya so you can get your investment back.

    If I had it it would get a bank of SUs and I'd be looking for the pieces to assemble me a '50s style sport car clone. Neat old motor.
     
  8. seb fontana
    Joined: Sep 1, 2005
    Posts: 8,442

    seb fontana
    Member
    from ct

  9. Thanks guys for the quick respone on that one. I'll have the engine here in the shop next month and come back with some more details.

    Foul, here is the close up of the magneto

    [​IMG]
     
  10. P-FITZ98
    Joined: Jan 26, 2011
    Posts: 25

    P-FITZ98
    Member
    from Spokane,WA

    i have heard they used them as powerplants in fefrigeration units
     
  11. Metaltwister
    Joined: Jul 10, 2007
    Posts: 891

    Metaltwister
    Member Emeritus

    Used those engines for everything from airplanes to generators. To orchard fans to prevent fros of the trees. Buddy has a dozen of them that we hav earmarked for some retro bikes. Cool engines with the Mags.:D
     
  12. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    The engines were in production up into the 70s but the plant where they were manufactured burned. Retooling was not realistically doable so the Crosley CIBA (Cast Iron Block Assembly) engine, then marketed as Bearcat outboard, became history.

    The engines were used by the rairoads, trucking industry, and US military as welders, generators, cooling unit powerplants and many other purposes wherever a small cool running engine would do the job.
     
  13. RDR
    Joined: May 30, 2009
    Posts: 1,480

    RDR
    Member

    They were ran in midget racers...turned high RPMs...cyl head and block are one piece kind of like the Offys were...neat little engines..seen a few still trying for new records at Bonneville
     
  14. hotrod40coupe
    Joined: Apr 8, 2007
    Posts: 2,561

    hotrod40coupe
    Member

    They were used in 3/4 midgets in the early sixties. The speed equipment was made, have fun trying to find it.
     
    Dean Lowe likes this.
  15. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,615

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    My favorite application!
     

    Attached Files:

  16. bill wallace
    Joined: Oct 26, 2006
    Posts: 104

    bill wallace
    Member

    The crosley cars were very advanced in some ways. The "Hot Shot" the sports car won its clas at Lemans & there were Crosley race cars of all sorts including stock cars that ran indor races in the winter in the Cincinatti Garden arena. I bet Josh knows something about them & maybe can comment.
     
  17. Wooly
    Joined: Jan 17, 2007
    Posts: 41

    Wooly
    Member

    What you have is an early Aerojet industrial motor that either used up the existing
    Crosley block supply or the the block was later replaced with a Crosley block when the Aerojet motor had problems.
    Aerojet was a subsiiary of the General Tire and Rubber Company and took up using and producing the motors after Crosley quit making cars in 1952.
    How many bolts holding the flywheel on? 3 or 6...

    Any thing else you want to know just ask.

    Dodge
     
  18. Thanks again for sticking to the theme guys.
    Dodge I'll check back when it comes to any action with the motor.
    The fly wheel is a 6 bolt.

    [​IMG]
     
  19. FoMoCoPower
    Joined: Feb 2, 2007
    Posts: 2,490

    FoMoCoPower
    Member

    looks like it was setup for a generator
     
  20. tubman
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 6,913

    tubman
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    We had a couple of them powering T/Q (three-quarter) midgets in our vintage race club. They are definitely NOT midgets in the usual sense of the term, and were quite a bit slower. One interesting thing is that one family (a father and two sons) all had T/Q's in the club. All of these guys were big (6'6" and 280 or there about) and drove the smallest cars. One of the sons had a Moto Guzzi motorcycle. He took the engine out of the motorcycle and put it in his T/Q. He then put the Crosley engine in the Moto Guzzi. As I remember, it was a real clean installation and worked quite well.
     
  21. 50ChevyFrank
    Joined: Sep 5, 2007
    Posts: 229

    50ChevyFrank
    Member

  22. bedfordboys
    Joined: Jan 30, 2011
    Posts: 31

    bedfordboys
    Member
    from bedford va

    Dido on the generator set up. I had a 52 crosley, sure wish I had that laying around at the time. That motor has a lot od goodie's. Aint sure whats on the back of the head. They are a very high rpm little motors. It would look good in a car with that big mag sticking up. Very cool piece
     
  23. timothale
    Joined: Feb 3, 2007
    Posts: 234

    timothale
    Member

    I had a bunch of crosley pieces, the crank was from a solid billiet, counter weights on each side of each rod throw, allowed for perfect balance, no teter=toter forces in the crank. the guy said it would really rev
     
  24. Look like this:
     

    Attached Files:

  25. lftrn97
    Joined: Sep 14, 2011
    Posts: 2

    lftrn97
    Member

    Before I EBAY-it, I thought I'd see if there are any H.A.M.B. members interested
    in my 1960's Fageol 44 I/O engine. It is complete with lower drive unit, shaft and
    prop. It turns over freely and the plugs are clean. Reportedly when I bought
    it 10 years ago it was running but I have never unboxed it until today for pix.
    I intended to convert it for an HMOD project but that got sold off first.
    Asking $750.00 and you can probably get $200+ for the lower drive unit if you
    plan to use it in a car. This is th etwin carb version and makes 36 hp.


    If interested you can email me at [email protected]
     

    Attached Files:

  26. Al Peckenpaugh
    Joined: Mar 30, 2018
    Posts: 33

    Al Peckenpaugh

    J. A. Miller likes this.
  27. Al Peckenpaugh
    Joined: Mar 30, 2018
    Posts: 33

    Al Peckenpaugh

  28. These are a great little engine they were raced and run real good reving to 10,000 RPM.
     
  29. seb fontana
    Joined: Sep 1, 2005
    Posts: 8,442

    seb fontana
    Member
    from ct

    The Italians did a lot with these engines for the small sports cars Siata etc, Nardi and Bandini and I think Abarth made some super parts. [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG] Top pic is Bandini two cam block, mid pic is bandini in Siata car and bottom pic is Fageol boat engine factory supercharged I think rated 45hp at 5000rpm, some where around 1957.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2022

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.