Hey all, I just found (and bought) this head, along with all the necessary drive pieces, and a modified, pressure-oiled A block. I have never heard of Lindsay heads. Anyone out there have any info? Sorry for the single pic, it's all I could take at the time but I'll add more photos later. Cam is crown gear driven and acts directly on the valves with "buckets" like most Italian engines. Thoughts?
Never heard of it. I guess you have contacted Jim Birliey? (Spelling) and looked at the Speedway Museum.
Looking forward to seeing more pictures ! Looking at the spark plug pockets, looks like it's had a lot milled off the surface, probably to raise the compression.
The thread title should be changed from OHV to SOHC. At any rate, you may have found a one-off. Well Done. Anxiously awaiting detailed photos.
Just found this piece today, so no, I haven't. Thanks for the suggestion! Good point. Done. The quality of the castings is very nice. If it's a one-off, it's a real masterpiece. I'll be adding more photos very soon, perhaps tomorrow night.
[email protected] Try this. Or this [email protected]. You probably already know about these guys. But just in case.
Your overhead cam attachment is Lindsay, your head is a McDowell. Most 2 port McDowells have dual ignition, does yours ? Here's some photos of my shaft and bevel gear drive Nichols, also on a McDowell head.
Thank you! Mine is a bit different, drive-wise. Vertical shaft drives off the cam gear on mine, not the crank. Also, no 3-bolt hole in the front of my head... do you still think it is a McDowell? See additional photos in next post. Thanks again for the help!
Maybe.... Looks to me like where the inspiration for the Alien in the "Alien" movie franchise came from.
Yes, appears that it is dual ignition, although the exhaust side has been plugged for now. Your cam drive is interesting... I wonder if there is any theoretical advantage to driving the cam off the crank (as yours does) versus off the original cam gear (as mine does). Mine also drives an oil pump off the front of the crank, so my in-block cam is only there for the OHC drive (!) and the magneto drive. I also notice that yours has the water crossover pipe intact (mine is missing). On your engine, does that pipe replace the stock water outlet on the left side of the block, or is it in addition? My guess is the former, but I have a lot to learn. Thanks for the info! This is an exciting project and I'm in debt to anyone who can share their knowledge.
Your gears and drive are based on and use parts from a 1920's Wills St. Claire V8. I have a Model T shaft and bevel gear drive OHC that uses Wills St. Claire parts and is similar to yours. The head is an SR Fronty and the cam drive is McDowell. I've had this setup 33 years and have never seen another.
I've decided to sell this engine... PM me if serious. I've found out from a couple of reliable sources that the castings are all McDowell. Exceedingly rare, apparently.
That updraft carb looks like an early "barrel-valve" Winfield? Please post this on the "Feb 2021 Banger meet " thread, as you'll find a lot more info over there, although "25Mercury" has you pretty much covered...