This is an old Sattley engine, I think a 1 1/2 horse. Dad is in the process of getting it running. This thing has a history in the family. Dad first got it about 40 years ago. It belonged, at that time, to one of my mother's uncles who had passed away. His brother, another close uncle, gave it to dad, thinking he could get it running. He did; can vaguely remember him having it, as I was just a kid.
Fast forward to 10 years ago- After Dad's heart attack, they had an auction and he sold a lot of his old stuff. This engine was NOT supposed to sell, but accidentally got into the sale. ANOTHER uncle, not so close, happened to buy it for $100. Dad tried to buy it back explaining it wasn't supposed to have sold, but he would not sell it back. Well, last year it ended up back at Dad's - the son of the new owner brought it back, thinking Dad could once again get it running.
It's been a lot of work - it has sat the whole 10 years it seems, and the fuel pump system was all froze up and parts had to be made. I have the lathe and mill still in the back room at work, so Dad has been in a lot working on it - so I get to help with the project to. He's finishing up making a gear for a hand crank, which was lost during the last 10 years.... hopefully soon to be running.
Some of the engineering on this old stuff really amazes me. For example, the fuel pump system is really elaborate. A cam runs a rod up and down in a cylinder, with a check-valve, which is down in the gas tank (underneath the engine) which acts as a piston pumping fuel up to the carb - when it reaches a given level, it "runs over" into a return line, that runs it back down to the tank. Amazing stuff!! all with no computer aided design!!!
Quote from: greenbarn on May 20, 2015, 21:20:05 PM
Some of the engineering on this old stuff really amazes me. (...) Amazing stuff!! all with no computer aided design!!!
That's really cool. I run into stuff that was designed pre computers all the time at work (structural testing on aircraft). It's pretty amazing when you realize that a lot of the planes still flying today were designed before computers were used by those companies. That goes not only for the overall design, but also for the engines as well.