Mark66A

A speeding ticket at a higher than posted highway speed limit would be a trophy in a 92 year old car! The higher the over speed, the more value it has. Well, as long as the ticket price is paid by someone else, or perhaps by YouTube video ad proceeds. So, Ed - get it out on the highway and drive like you're in Florida. I'll promote your video views. I'll even ask all six of my friends to watch it as many times as possible.

Looks like a great breakfast! I'm sure the Stearns is watching you through the window as you enjoy it. The Stearns has been enjoying all the attention, new shoes and all new fluids, and will reward you with some great runs at speed. I took the Brunn's grandpa out for a run yesterday afternoon with a spurt up over 50. Not bad for a car built in 1911. Still breaking in the new motor rebuild (new sleeves, pistons, heads, etc thanks to Jerry S.). Will A.J. pay your speeding ticket after your speed run?

OK, I know somebody doesn't like sidemount mirrors, but note: they are in all the vintage pictures. Also no mirrors make lane changes dangerous. I assume you will be driving it in at least some traffic. I added side mirrors after some lane changes I made that resulted in extreme honking. Save the sidemount covers, I'll be glad to rescue them.

I bought freeze plugs at NAPA. Stopped at Autozone first because it is closer to me. Autozone clerk: "Hi can I help you?" Me: "Yes I'm looking for some freeze plugs, here are the sizes" Autozone clerk: (funny look on his face) "Oh, are those for and engine?" Off I went to NAPA.

The very late serial number Stearns Knight H engines (chassis were either H - 137" or J - 145", and all engines were H)) did not use a traditional junk ring. The Brunn car is very near the end of the S/N list for known cars, so I suspect that it does not have them. In their place is a double wide, double deep ring groove. In that groove are 4 compression rings - 2 high and 2 deep. I had trouble sourcing these rings and had them made for engine #11961. The car had been idle for 50 years, and all rings were very stuck despite being replaced a couple year prior to being parked. I don't think I have any service bulletins or other documentation about this change. I think these engines are more simple than a poppet valve engine and have fewer parts. They are just different. And yes - getting a ride in and driving the Brunn was a major blast! Mark

I was amazed at the engineering of the spindle retainer system when I first took one apart. Still impressed by their engineering.

Looking for a Sparton Junior horn as pictured with a 6 3/4" trumpet. Please contact me at mark66a@gmail.com

Prior to Universal joints a rag joint, or fabric disc was used to allow for the various angles present in a drive shaft. Somewhere in 1927 or 1928 a small firm in Beloit, WI called "Mechanics" developed the universal joint. It is not what you see today but was an oil filled sealed device using bushing style parts rather than the later needle bearings. Many were not lubricated properly and were destroyed. Some survive, like this one from the '29 J-8-90 that is in my shop currently. Below is a series of photos following disassembly and reassembly. I had seals springs and keepers made to do this job. You can do it as well. Contact me for suppliers if you want to do yours. "Mechanics" later bought Borg and Beck Clutch and after that Warner Gear and renamed the firm Borg Warner. The survivor today has a division called "Mechanics" that makes industrial size and truck universal joints.

Great info Cookie Man. I have that in my SK Service Bulletin book as well, and totally forgot about it! Mystery solved.

Your pump should pick up oil from under the screen. On the H motors there is an area in the pan where the pump passes through the screen area. Most Stearns are similar in design. In photo Round area- for dip stick, more rectangular one is for oil pump.

I just did a quick look at material I have for the '24 thru '26 models C and S. Neither sales literature or Operations manuals list the oil capacity. They just say that the oil level indicator should be at the red mark and to not let it fall below half full. I suggest that these motors will take at lest 8 quarts. The F was a very different motor than the C or S and shares many parts with the G and H 8 cyl engines. The models M & N 6 cyl cars were on 1928 Willys Knight Great Six chassis. That motor calls for 8 quarts, but they quickly use one quart and then stay put.... So I just put in 7. Not much help here for Ned, but "your garage man will know"!! Ned, I suggest you determine how deep into the pan the oil pump is located. I have not been inside of a C and your pump is different that what I have worked with. You most likely will not need an extension tube.

They are being rebuilt regularly. Check in with the W.O.K.R. club. A member recently did a total rebuild on a 1912 Stearns Knight four.

Just a couple of comments regarding discussions on the WK cars. First, the engines are simple and easy to work on. Many parts ARE available thru the club. The engines are strong and durable. I have driven my stock 66A coast to coast three times on the Great Race, as well as on many club tours and to events in Nashville and eastern Ohio. Don't let a "different" design cloud your opinion of this car. Many were driven well over 100,000 miles in a day when that number was "unreachable". Second, buffalo wire wheels were an option on the 66A cars and are listed in the parts book. Wood was standard. Varsity Roadsters used wires as standard- but not buffalo wire wheels. An interesting note on the 66A styling. Headlights, cowl lights and tail lights were shaped like a shield to accompany the Knight mascot. It won one of the very first styling awards for an automobile. Cars built at the very end of the series. used a different cowl light due to exhausting the normal cowl light parts bin. The 1928 66A chassis and drive train was used by Stearns for their M and N model cars in 1929.

Hmmmm....Suppose I did locate a 2bbl hot spot and intake that could be loaned out to make copies. If someone wanted to do that project the originals would then be available in exchange for a copied set when the originals were returned. The issue of fitting a 2bbl carb between the block and steering box still exists.

I believe A.J. is correct. Not easy to manufacture a new hot spot with no example or prints to reference. I think the Brunn was built later than late 1928 because of serial numbers. The Brunn chassis # is 11932, Engine #1200 - per W.O.K.R. registry records. The highest chassis number (1929) is 11993 with engine #1277. W.O.K.R. registry starts 1929 production with J series chassis #11823 and engine #699.

One more note. I have a very nice, rebuilt Stromberg SF3 which I have been hoping to bolt up to a Stearns Knight 8 cyl. However - it will not fit. It has a big butt and will not wiggle in between the cylinder block and the steering box. Sigh.... now I apparently have to find a Zenith63AW14. My supply of unusable nicely rebuilt vintage carbs is growing.

Stearns "official" description: Intake Manifold: Swan square section; The intake gasses before reaching the intake manifold pass through a vertical riser or hot spot 7 3/8" long - which is insulated from the manifold and carburetor thru which all the exhaust gasses also pass; no provision is made to bypass these gases.Hot Spot or vertical riser is cast iron; finish black vitreous enamel wt 15 1/2 lbs. Standard carb: Tillotson vertical outlet; plain tube type size 1 1/2". Air cleaner: Tillotson centrifugal Source Stearns Knight Deluxe series Data Book. When I got home after visiting Ed I picked through my stash of parts. I did not find a two barrel hot spot. I think I spotted a two barrel intake manifold and the correct U shaped exhaust pipe for the two barrel. You'd need all the parts. Anyone else have a hot spot available??? Anybody?? The two barrel was very late in the '29 production run after Motor # 1193 (mid year 1929) , and not noted in the Data Book, any owner manual or part list that I am aware of. It is referenced in Service Bulletin #74 dated 5/20/1929 below. Service Bulletin #75 was issued the same day, and introduced the Skinner Oil Rectifier on the Deluxe line of cars. Note the Two barrel hot spot was designed differently than the one barrel.

That would be an admirable project. However - - very few of the H/J cars have 2 barrel intakes. Maybe one other than the Brunn. The fit problem is the space between the cylinder block and the steering box. The flange for the carb is just in front of that space. Many carbs have the bowl to the back, which doesn't fit into that space. The manifold flange bolt holes are not parallel to the engine, with the front cocked off to the left. That gave clearance for the bowl between the block and steering box for the original carb. I have tried turning a carb around, but again have clearance issues. The carb throat is longer from flange center than the bowl. So, reversed, it slides between the block and steering box OK, but the throat opening hits the block a bit further back due to the flange angle. The 2bbl cars have different intake manifold, hot spot, and initial exhaust pipe bend than the 1bbl cars. A carb adapter for the 2bbl manifold would be different than an adapter for a 1bbl manifold. I'd suggest an exhaustive search for a carb that will fit. I have tried 4 carbs at this point. 2 fit. One large enough, but no accelerator pump. The BB2 fits and has an accelerator pump, but I'm concerned about it's ability to deliver enough fuel at road speed. Perhaps some of our fellow enthusiasts reading this will provide a winning suggestion! Criteria: Updraft, capable of providing fuel for 385CID engine at maximum 4,000 rpm, accelerator pump, narrow bowl area - in both one and two barrel configurations.

Dave Bell's old SK touring is still zooming around on W.O.K.R. tours. Fast and reliable. That car in the video is a deal for some lucky soul. Last I saw the red "S" it was missing some sleeves and not running. Hope they have gotten it back on the road. Heading off to the radiator shop next week for the J car I'm working on here. Still need an appropriate carb with an accelerator pump. Runs great on a BB-2, but likely not enough fuel delivery for road speeds. Peter just finished paint on a cylinder block and transmission case for the other H-8-90 in the shop. Anxious to get back on that project.

Ahem.... Seems to me more louvers were needed to expel more hot air so as to not get overheated.

27 louvers on non-shutter cars.

Chassis #s for eight cyl Stearns 1927 thru 1929: G- 1927 and 1928 - G1 thru G641, H -1928 and 1929 (137"WB) H15650 thru H15976, J - 1928 and 1929 (145"WB) J11650 thru J12037. Low production! Survivor cars that I am aware of: G=3 - 2 sedans, 1 cabriolet. H=8 - 1 modified speedster, 3 coupes, 1 cabriolet, 3 sedans, J=10 - 1 Brunn Town Cabriolet, 1 Brunn Victoria, 2 limousines, 1 Informal Limousine, 1 Touring, 4 sedans. So, 641 G cars built with 3 known survivors, 326 H cars built with 8 known survivors, 387 J cars built with 10 known survivors one of which is a street rod. Gives a total of 21 chassis #s with 20 engines plus a surviving take out engine which is incomplete. Hopefully more cars surface!!

Interesting trivia which few in the world care about. This is taken from the W.O.K.R. registry of known cars and is in sequence of chassis numbers... The 7 passenger touring (former rotted sedan) chassis #J11921 & engine #H1159 does not have radiator shutters. The '29 Brunn bodied Stearns Knight, Chassis #J11932, with engine #H1200 has radiator shutters. The next is chassis #J11961 has engine #H1161 and does NOT have shutters. Next is chassis #J11990 which formerly had engine #H1275 and had radiator shutters .... this car was street rodded :( ... To make room for the shutter mechanism, the radiator was moved forward, the hood was longer, and the radiator shell was larger front to back. I believe those adjustments also moved the headlight bar forward a bit. So... how did Stearns keep record of cars with radiator shutters? Doesn't appear to be after a certain chassis number. Could it be that cars with 1200 and up engine numbers was the record?? Will we ever know? Hopefully the shop will have warmed up enough by tomorrow to work in it.

I am somewhat torn between the wood and wire wheels on a big Stearns sedan. That Rollston, with beautifully painted and striped wheels would look grand. I do have a set of those side-mounts if I were to go that way. Here is a G Cabriolet 8 cyl with wood wheels. The detail up close is beautiful. Wish the photo were high enough resolution to see that. Visualize side-mounts on this! Car is in Ohio.

As I recall, the models F,G and H engines used the same oil pump. I'm not sure which model was the last to use the pump in your C model. Note that H and J models were mechanically identical but with different wheelbases. Following model C were models S ('25 thru Aug 26) and D (Sept '26 to ??). I have never understood the sequence. All shared the same bore, stroke and wheelbase.