What unique or different engines/ unique or different cars fascinate you just for those reasons?

[Gunsmoke]

Very intriguing 16 cyl 2 stroke George, must have had an interesting front rear weight ratio!  All that weight over drive wheels would make it a pretty unique driving experience. What was it (maker) and did it ever race? I'm guessing German?

[dictator27]

Commer TS3 "Knocker" horizontal 3 cylinder 6 piston 2 stroke diesel.

Trojan.  Square 4 2 stroke engine, two spark plugs and two connecting rods.

 

[28 Chrysler]

Rotary valve flat 2

1897 Henriod Duc Kellner

Edited May 27, 2023 by 28 Chrysler (see edit history)

[1939_Buick]

7 hours ago, dictator27 said:

Commer TS3 "Knocker" horizontal 3 cylinder 6 piston 2 stroke diesel

And a bark like no other engine with that supercharger

https://www.sa.hillman.org.au/TS3.htm

 

https://www.sa.hillman.org.au/CommerTS3.htm

Edited May 27, 2023 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Bloo]

7 hours ago, dictator27 said:

Commer TS3 "Knocker" horizontal 3 cylinder 6 piston 2 stroke diesel.

Trojan.  Square 4 2 stroke engine, two spark plugs and two connecting rods.

 

 

9 minutes ago, 1939_Buick said:

And a bark like no other engine with that supercharger

https://www.sa.hillman.org.au/TS3.htm

 

https://www.sa.hillman.org.au/CommerTS3.htm

 

Best sounding diesel engine ever. There really isn't even any close competition. We never had them in the US, but the Canadians got some.

 

 

[8E45E]

[alsancle]

On 5/25/2023 at 9:29 AM, George K said:

Amplex/American Simplex. Two stroke. Google 1908 American Simplex I phone video. Corky Coker shakedown cruise in his. Post it just for the noise. Linking isn’t my thing.

 

 

[George K]

16 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

 

Thanks A.J. I can’t get enough of that funky two stroke pop.

[Pfeil]

14 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

 

Those VW air cooled engines were tough and reliable. 

As long as you do the maintenance schedule to the letter. And remember spark plugs come out for cleaning or replacement every six months or 6,000 miles, always clean the oil strainer every oil change and oil changes are every 1500 miles or six months whichever comes first. Depending on what temperature you always use the appropriate Straight weight oil. Valves are adjusted every 3,000 miles. When starting a cold engine always warm the engine before taking off (114 degrees oil temp before driving off). Never rev a cold engine. And while driving never lug (below 2,000 rpm) or over rev (over4,000 rpm)- their cruise sweet spot is 2200-2800 rpm.

The car below (65, 1200"A" Custom Euro Sedan) I've owned for 55 years. Original engine, I rebuilt it in 1971. Because it's a 1200"A" it used the old design (Reimspiess) Engine that goes back to 1937. I drove the car today, like a Swiss watch! 

[George K]

10 hours ago, Gunsmoke said:

Very intriguing 16 cyl 2 stroke George, must have had an interesting front rear weight ratio!  All that weight over drive wheels would make it a pretty unique driving experience. What was it (maker) and did it ever race? I'm guessing German?

Count Carlo Felice Trossi. Google him and you will get great information. He was Italian. Also had this Mercedes. 

[Pfeil]

1951 VW Beetle diesel. Joint VW/Porsche project.

 

probably based on the Porsche engine case note generator stand like the bolt on 356 engine.

356 engine

[dictator27]

3 hours ago, Bloo said:

 

 

Best sounding diesel engine ever. There really isn't even any close competition. We never had them in the US, but the Canadians got some.

 

 

The city of Vancouver, BC ordered about two dozen gully cleaners from a Britsh company in the 1960's.  They came attached to Commers equipped with the TS3 diesel.  The earsplitting howl of those engines was impossible to ignore.  Detroit 2 strikers didn't even come close.

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by dictator27 (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

Napier built several very interesting engines. The Deltic for starters.

 

[1912Staver]

[1912Staver]

And the Napier Sabre. Lots of HP in a compact package.

 

[1912Staver]

Cut away of a Sabre.

 

[Phillip Cole]

On 5/27/2023 at 6:55 AM, Rusty_OToole said:

Speaking of VWs, early VW beetles had 9 wooden parts on them that no other car had. Can you name them?

Wow, that no other car had... 

That's throwing me off!

Definitely just guessing:

Push rods

Parcel tray (does bamboo count)

Convertible back window bows

Floor pans

I know there's some kind of wooden, interior support

[Rusty_OToole]

30 minutes ago, Phillip Cole said:

Wow, that no other car had... 

That's throwing me off!

Definitely just guessing:

Push rods

Parcel tray (does bamboo count)

Convertible back window bows

Floor pans

I know there's some kind of wooden, interior support

Phillip you score 8 out of 9! Not many people know early VWs had pushrods made of aluminum tubes stiffened with wooden dowels.

 

The 9th wooden part - the gas gauge. VWs had the most accurate reliable gas gauge in the world, a wooden ruler marked off in liters or gallons. It was supposed to go in a pocket in the middle of the hood, handy for checking the level in the gas tank. I had dozens of VWs  but only one still had the gas gauge, it hangs in my garage to this day.

 

You may be right about the bamboo parcel shelf and the wooden convertible top header but not all cars had those.

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

Phillip you score 8 out of 9! Not many people know early VWs had pushrods made of aluminum tubes stiffened with wooden dowels.

 

The 9th wooden part - the gas gauge. VWs had the most accurate reliable gas gauge in the world, a wooden ruler marked off in liters or gallons. It was supposed to go in a pocket in the middle of the hood, handy for checking the level in the gas tank. I had dozens of VWs  but only one still had the gas gauge, it hangs in my garage to this day.

 

You may be right about the bamboo parcel shelf and the wooden convertible top header but not all cars had those.

 

When you say early. What is your cutoff? You can only use that wooden gauge up to 1960.

How about what was the last year a beetle was built without a gas gauge???

What type of glue did the 1946 beetle use on the interior trim??

Edited May 28, 2023 by Pfeil (see edit history)

[oldcarfudd]

My '61 Beetle, bought new, had neither a measuring stick nor a gas gauge.  But I've had plenty of early cars with gravity-flow tanks and no gauges for which I use a stick.

[Rusty_OToole]

2 hours ago, Pfeil said:

When you say early. What is your cutoff? You can only use that wooden gauge up to 1960.

How about what was the last year a beetle was built without a gas gauge???

What type of glue did the 1946 beetle use on the interior trim??

I had a 66 standard Beetle (Canada only) with no gas gauge. I believe 68 was the year they became standard equipment (not an optional accessory).

Trick question, 1946 beetles didn't have interior trim.

[Phillip Cole]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

I had a 66 standard Beetle (Canada only) with no gas gauge. I believe 68 was the year they became standard equipment (not an optional accessory).

Trick question, 1946 beetles didn't have interior trim.

Which explains why I didn't know about the gas guage.  Our VW Beetle convertible is a 68. 

[zepher]

23 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

 

 

That thing looks like it scoots, and I also noticed how tight the steering ratio was.

It didn't take three turns of the wheel to go around a corner.

Has to be a complete blast to drive.

Nothing sounds or smells like a 2-smoke.

[8E45E]

Being Memorial Day, a FWD Miller.

 

Craig

 

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

I had a 66 standard Beetle (Canada only) with no gas gauge. I believe 68 was the year they became standard equipment (not an optional accessory).

Trick question, 1946 beetles didn't have interior trim.

The '66 Beetle Custom I saw at a show last year had a gas gauge.

 

[Pfeil]

4 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

I had a 66 standard Beetle (Canada only) with no gas gauge. I believe 68 was the year they became standard equipment (not an optional accessory).

Trick question, 1946 beetles didn't have interior trim.

There was no 1200"A" (former standard model called 1200"A" after 1964) in Canada in 1966. The cars Canada would have was a deluxe model and the 1200 Custom. 

 

VW didn't sell the 1200"A" (former standard) in Canada, just the 1200"A" Custom which is a subset of the 1200"A". The difference between a 1200"A" and the 1200"A" Custom would be body molding, bumpers, door handles, chrome headlamp bezels, front turn signal housings and hub caps would all be painted L328 steel gray instead of chromed.

The last no gas gauge model would be 1967 in the 1200"A" Euro model. 1974 would be the last 6Volt car. The last German beetle built would be from the Emden Plant in Jan 1978, it was a 1200 40hp swing axle Beetle.

 

The first Canadian 1200 Standard Custom model would be in 1961. Unlike the Euro models it would have the new 40hp engine while the Euro models would continue with the original design 36hp through until 1966. Below the ad for the first Canadian Custom.

 

 

 

1946 Beetles had door panels and just like newer Standards and later 1200"A" and 1200"A Customs and would have limited carpeting on door sill, kick panels and would have a 3/4 headliner.

The glue the British were using on the headliner in 1946 was fish glue, and when it rained or there was high humidity the cars stunk of fish. 

[Pfeil]

55 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

The '66 Beetle Custom I saw at a show last year had a gas gauge.

 

Yes, Canadian Customs had a gas gauge. Euros didn't.  And like all Customs they use the old long steering column and the 1956-1959 deluxe steering wheel. also, Canadian Customs have an MPH speedo instead of a kilometer speedo. 

[Rusty_OToole]

The 66 custom I had, had a plain rear view mirror (not day/night) a nose license plate light and other cheap features, some you mention and a few you did not. It did have a gas gauge but the former owner said he added it as an accessory. Like the one you show it did not seem to fit very well and on my car, the backing plate was originally green but had been painted blue with a brush. Perhaps I misunderstood and the PO had replaced the original gas gauge with one from another car.

It did have a "1200" emblem on the rear deck where most 66s had a "1300". It had the old 40HP motor. It was the only one I had ever seen. I believe now they are very rare, my old one is the only original, unmodified one I know of. Last I heard it was being restored by the guy I sold it to, an expert bodyman and mechanic.

[Pfeil]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

The 66 custom I had, had a plain rear view mirror (not day/night) a nose license plate light and other cheap features, some you mention and a few you did not. It did have a gas gauge but the former owner said he added it as an accessory. Like the one you show it did not seem to fit very well and on my car, the backing plate was originally green but had been painted blue with a brush. Perhaps I misunderstood and the PO had replaced the original gas gauge with one from another car.

It did have a "1200" emblem on the rear deck where most 66s had a "1300". It had the old 40HP motor. It was the only one I had ever seen. I believe now they are very rare, my old one is the only original, unmodified one I know of. Last I heard it was being restored by the guy I sold it to, an expert bodyman and mechanic.

They are VERY rare these days. Funny you mentioned the old engine. There was a redesign on the 40hp that happened in 1966. From 66-78 the 40 hp gained cam bearings and the large oil pump that the 1300, 1500, and 1600 got. I also have a 64 113 (deluxe) that I bought from the original owner in 1974. The original owner blew up the original 40hp in 1966 and bought through the dealer a factory remanufactured engine from the Kassle Plant and that engine was a 1966 40hp with all the goodies mentioned before. That engine went from 1966 to 74, and from 1974 when I got it to 2012 before I needed to tear it down 168,000 miles later. The crank didn't even need to be turned, just micro polish. The crank was a 10/10 from the Kassel plant. To keep the engine all German I had to put a big bore kit in it from Mahle. Only the Chinese make 77mm stock piston/liner sets. So now my 1200 is 1385.

[PWN]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:31 PM, bryankazmer said:

Well, actually if there is more than one it's not "unique," and there is no such thing as "fairly unique."

But usually we're happy if we don't see break/brake and axle/axel misused.

 

So in the spirit of the thing, Adams-Farwell Rotary.

 

 

My grandfather had one in Wauchula FL, in the 50's, I think Harrah's has it now. He sold it and sent three kids to college.

[John E. Guitar]

On 5/28/2023 at 4:49 AM, 28 Chrysler said:

Rotary valve flat 2

1897 Henriod Duc Kellner

The Henriod uses conventional poppet valves and an external combustion chamber rather than a rotary valve. The inlet valve is atmospheric and the exhaust valve is cam driven. 

 

A great looking car.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by John E. Guitar (see edit history)

[Tim Edwards]

How about this engine, it's a toroidal style. Although I have yet to determine who made it for what or even when, it caught my eye due to its very unconventional design. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Tim Edwards (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

On 5/28/2023 at 1:03 PM, Rusty_OToole said:

I had a 66 standard Beetle (Canada only) with no gas gauge. I believe 68 was the year they became standard equipment (not an optional accessory).

Trick question, 1946 beetles didn't have interior trim.

Forgot to mention about interior of 46 Beetle. There was such a shortage of material in Germany after the war the Brits and German workers got a hold of the only glue to be found for installing the headliner. It was fish glue. When it rained and there was high humidity the cars stank of fish.

[John E. Guitar]

3 hours ago, Tim Edwards said:

How about this engine, it's a toroidal style. Although I have yet to determine who made it for what or even when, it caught my eye due to its very unconventional design. 

Granville Bradshaw's Omega engine.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Bradshaw

[1939_Buick]

4 hours ago, John E. Guitar said:

Granville Bradshaw's Omega engine.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Bradshaw

A *very* unusual design. Any working?

http://www.micapeak.com/winona/strange/omega.html

 

 

 

Quote

 

The Granville Bradshaw Omega

Late in 1955, came the Omega engine, which was of a rotary form, ingenious and most unusual. It was difficult to see how it worked at all, but the design was intended to reduce the inertial loadings of the conventional layout.

The design was based on an annular cylinder, formed from two light-alloy castings bolted together. Within these was formed a toroidal chamber, which can be likened to an inner tube or an O-ring, being a ring with a round cross- section.

For the Omega, the working surface was hard chrome plated and within it were four double- ended pistons with rings at each end and a shape to match the toroid. Each opposing pair was joined by a cross-link, and each of these was bolted to one of two concentric shafts. These each had a short arm at the other end, with a connecting rod to join that to a 180-degree, two- throw crankshaft.

As this turned, the links caused the pistons to move some 30 degrees back and forth, so the space between the opposing crowns varied. If this was not enough, the entire cylinder also rotated at half crankshaft speed and was driven from this by helical gears. In its sides were cut inlet and exhaust ports, and the single sparking plug was screwed into the side. Lubrication was by petroil, with a separate system for the crankshaft, and cooling was by fins on the toroid and enclosure to guide the air.

The Omega was the final fling of a man whose ideas were always clever and innovative, but who sadly failed to understand the commercial needs of the business. His designs were novel, but invariably costly and seldom trouble-free, so his long involvement with the industry made news and kept everyone intrigued, rather than pro- ducing machines for riding. Without such men, the world would be the poorer.

Roy Bacon 1989

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Tim Edwards]

14 hours ago, John E. Guitar said:

Granville Bradshaw's Omega engine.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Bradshaw

 

10 hours ago, 1939_Buick said:

A *very* unusual design. Any working?

http://www.micapeak.com/winona/strange/omega.html

 

 

 

 

I do not believe my engine is an example of the Bradshaw Omega engine due to the valve configuration. The engine that I have uses poppet style valves that are located in the head of the piston and not ports as described  in the quoted paragraph. Also, my engine is liquid cooled and the spark plugs are arranged around the center of the toroidal chamber. Although I have not attempted to get it running, it does show signs that it did in fact run at some point as carbon is seen in the exhaust and on the spark plugs. 

[Ozstatman]

There'd also the Sarich Orbital Engine.

[30DodgePanel]

On 5/25/2023 at 4:59 PM, alsancle said:

 

 

Found this on eBay today and made me think of this thread.

 

 

[arcticbuicks]

[arcticbuicks]

sleeve valve engines