What years were the generators gear driven off the front of the engine with an integrated distributor?
Did they ever use an Autolite IGW 4179 distributor?
A friend, former neighbor/current Landlord of the famous ODSS "OR" has this interesting specimen we looked at last weekend.
It appears to be an early 171. Milt says his dad and his uncle (both Old Order Mennonites) needed a 10 hp engine to run a wood planer. All they had available was a Chevy 171 engine (probably out of a 490 car). The engine was 20 hp. They didn't need 20 hp. They needed 10 HP. So they cut the back half of the engine off. They cobbled some other things onto it (like the Ford Model NH carburetor from a Model T). Not sure if the dizzy is original to the engine or another add on.
Milt is hoping to get this engine to run again. It think it would be cool to get it running again. Could also be fun to tear it down and see what they did to the crankshaft.
He said it ran the planer great for years.
All comments/observations welcome.
Last edited by John Milliman; 08/01/20231:08 PM. Reason: Unscrew myself
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
I found one of these in 2015, but it was made from cylinders 3 and 4. Also, there were enough numbers left on the head and block so I could identify the head as from 1925 and the block from 1926. Here's more info about that engine: 1925/26 Chevy 2-cylinder engine
Regarding this engine (which by the way is 171 cu), the last year for the generator (with the pot metal distributor body and oil pump at the rear) is 1925. My friend George Childs has his Great-grandfather's 1925 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup and it has that generator, distributor, oil pump set up.
I noticed in the photos that the generator name plate is still there. If it were gently cleaned (maybe using dish soap and an old toothbrush), you might find its part number and that would provide another clue toward identifying the beast.
Another clue I can point out is that the flywheel seems to be for a cone clutch, which would date it to 1924 or earlier.
Yeah, I'd love to see a video of that engine running!
Cheers, Dean
Last edited by Rustoholic; 08/08/202311:43 PM. Reason: corrected a mistake. The gen is not a starter too.
What is the item that's bring driven off the end of the starter/generator- - - - -a water pump, maybe? I don't see the distributor offhand- - - -is it hidden somewhere? Any 4 cylinder distributor with the right direction of rotation could be modified to run 2 cylinders instead of all four, by grinding a couple of cam lobes down flat to disable two coil impulses. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
The original distributor would've fit into the hole right behind the generator. You can see the worm gear at the bottom of the pot metal hole that would've driven the distributor. BTW, the distributor housing was also made from pot metal. Yuck!
The thingee at the end of the whole assembly is the oil pump. The generator shaft drove all three units: generator, distributor, and oil pump.
Here's what Lou MacMillan had to say about this engine:
"The reminisce of the casting number might be #327773 found under the exhaust manifold.
It would be a late '23 or '24 cuz the oil pump is behind the generator rather than in front of the cam gear.
GM stamped the serial number on the flywheel so there's no telling that way. "
What-a-setup! Dean
Last edited by Rustoholic; 07/30/20235:00 PM. Reason: added Lou's statement
Jerry -- They just plugged two of the distributor connections.
Thanks Dean for relaying that from Lou. Always good to hear from him!
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Is that an oil pump on the rear of the generator (or maybe combination starter/generator)?
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
Yes, that dohickey at the end of the assembly is a gear oil pump.
I was mistaken earlier when I posted that the generator was a starter too. It is not.
The '24 engine had a regular starter motor that was mounted on the same side as the generator/distributor/oil pump assembly.
Since the back half of this engine is gone, the mount for the original electric starter is gone too.
Another friend, Ed Archer, has a 1924 Chevy one ton truck. His starter engages the gear on the flywheel out in open space, not in a housing that covers the bendix gear, like my '28 engines. According to Ed, the '24 engine is a very different beast that the '26+ engines. Especially since it used a leather cone clutch instead of the standard flat clutch with linings.
