Engines at Work

Working for the public sometimes has its perks for a guy like me.  I see quite a few people in my travels during the week and every once and a while one of them is interested in or has some of the same old junk as I do.  A few months back we did some work at a customers new house and in the back of one of the outbuildings there was a few engines.  My boss saw them first and set me on the chase.

The first engine that I found in the barn was a small Detroit marine engine.  It seems to be complete though it is stuck.  This motor would have been used on a small boat and they were used all over the country. 

Like many marine engines this one has quite a bit of brass on it that when polished up is going to look very nice.  Since getting it home I have filled the cylinder with marvel mystery oil and at some point I am going to try to get it freed up.  The other engine is not in nearly as good of shape.

When it is all set together like in the picture it looks nice but the whole engine was disassembled and the cylinder was sunk in the mud.  The bore is very pitted and the piston is stuck tight. 

A few people have told me that it is still saveable but it is missing a handful of parts and quite frankly I haven't decided what to do with it.  Eventually it may end up as a stone wall decoration.  The last thing I hauled home was a simple pulley set.

It is nothing special but it is old iron so I ended up with that as well.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often!