Projects Crosley engine build

I got my copy of A wild Ride!

 

Those used to be a great engine for a skiff, popular around here. Heard they could run reliably at high rpm.

I know these are cast iron engines, but the COBRA tin motors have a better chance than ever of being a good alternative. Anybody playing with the brazed engine?

 

I have one of the COBRA engines but I have done nothing with it yet...

 

We ran crosley's in T Q midgets in the 60's& 70's.
We ran military surplus cranks & cases,they were
much stonger.The Homelite was to big at 1000 cc.
but if you were carefull tou could grind the homelite name
off the front of the block mould the crosley name on.
It worked till the ass'n bought P & G.Had the honda guys
going for a while.

 

I'm just guessing that the modern coolant, new gasket compounds and epoxy sealers would help to solve some of the problems and make the COBRA a good engine for a nice light special. I'll bet there are a bunch out there, waiting to be found.

I got to check out one of the early two-banger cars last year, and the fours look a little easier to deal with.

 

I've heard grumbles that this still happens at vintage hmod races.

 

There is no Homelite or Bearcat names cast on the blocks. They are blank. You tell the difference between them and the Crosley blocks.

 

Here is my cutaway of a Tin Crosley block. Made up of over 120 pieces of stamped metal, and brazed together.

 

Here they are!

 

that's really neat

 

The Cast iron Crosley cutaway block.

 

The company that designed the COBRA engines went on to build a performance aftermarket version. Old magazine articles at this link:

http://www.eurospares.com/graphics.htm#Engine%20Stuff The "engine stuff" is near the very bottom of the page.

I'm grateful for things like this. Salute to the siteowner.

 

Very cool stuff John!

 

weld a bung on the side of the valve cover, and one on the oil pan. or weld a bung on the top and bottom of the oil pan. then just get an external pump.

 

Cool! I love interesting and odd engines.

 

I believe the original Mooney Mite also ran a Crosley engine with a multipal V-belt drive.

 

Mooney Mite. Yes they did! But they kept having the crankshaft breaking problems. So the never got it approved and went with another engine. John

 

Zerk,

Is that based on the bronze/welded engine?

 

Mac, from what I gathered from the articles, the construction method is the same, but the late Taylor engines were built with performance in mind, and the various displacements they offered (or planned to offer?) seemed like they would fit into competition classes. I'm going out on a limb and guessing that they were a refinement of the COBRA, but aimed at the performance market. I'd imagine patents were common to both for some features of the design. And judging from the cutaway photos jpm49c posted, the design had lots of potential; just look how strong Crosley made the valvegear on that thing.

I was barely a sprout at the time, but if I had been a sport who'd just blown up his MGA or TR-3 in a club event I'd have given a lot of thought to buying one of these light, powerful engines as a replacement.

Didn't intend to hijack this thread, I swear.

 

A couple more pics of some Braje stuff.... I have the lower end soaking, hope to get it back soon so I finish putting this little gem back together.....

 

There is a auction featuring Crosleys, King Midjets ,Amphicar and others on Sept. 11 2010 . Location is 107 Limekiln RD. Bechtelsville, PA. 19505.starting at 11:00 am. 10+ Crosleys' Super Sports, Pickups, Station wagons, Convertibles, Panel trucks plus Fageol marine engine and transmissions also misc. Crosley parts. Go to www.auctionbyrichards.com for add. info or call 484-226-5954. These are being sold by a friend of mine ,an all in very good condition. The auction site has 150 photos of this collection and that marine engine has dual carbs. and a finned valve cover.

 

In my poking around for Crosley engine info I found mention of a book, "Brazen Idols", about Taylor and his fabbed engine designs..Never could find a copy though..

 

Brazen Idols is not a book. It's a Chapter in a book on automobiles. I have that book somewhere. John

 

Thanks John; thats probably why I couldn't find it but for some reason I got the impression it was a book..[wishful thinking? lol]..Got any Idea what auto book it was in? Seb..

 

Wow! How have I never heard of this?!

When I visited Jim Hockenhull (who wrote a big Crosley article for Automobile Quarterly many moons ago) he told me he had been working on an in depth article about Taylor years ago. He arranged to meet with Taylor for interviews and then Taylor died suddenly. I think Hockenhull visited Taylor's shop and talked with his partner right after Taylor died...

Taylor was based in Oakland, I've been meaning to research exactly where his shop was and go make a pilgrimage and see if the building is still there.

 

Jim is the one that wrote the article "Brazen Idols". It said Taylor worked in his shop into his 80's and was upset Detroit over looked him and his engines. I think it was in the Automobile Quarterly. Great pictures and story. John

 

Finally got around to getting the pistons in and the lower end back together, what a PIA to get the timing marks lined up &%*! Also... the first time I ever got to use an inch-pounds torque wrench....

Good project for the son & I! Getting him (and me) prepped for the big project.....

 

very cool!

man Jim, your shop is lookin nice too!

 

Thanks Paul. There was no rock on the walls when you came over, was there?