Fords Quadricycle Engine

[rdean]

While I was waiting on the helical gears to arrive for another project I came across this on the net.


Having already built Ford's Kitchen Sink engine I recognized several similarities in this design. He used plumbing fittings for the intake valves but now he had proper exhaust valves.
The water cooling was new and was thought to have been borrowed from the Carl Benz engine.
He had a buzz coil ignition system that was fired off a brass strip that was attached to the one and only rocker arm. He also had a trip lever that was said to be actuated when the piston was at top dead center but there is no information on this devise that sticks out the side of each cylinder.
It is a two cylinder design with the pistons attached to the flywheel in such a way that both pistons move together similar to a single throw crankshaft.
Since there were no counter weights on the rod throws the engine would have had a large amount of vibration.
A single rocker arm operated both exhaust valves with a single push-pull rod from the timing gear.
Bore was reported at 2.56 and the stroke was 5.98 inches.
There are several variations of the engine but none are the original through out as seen from old videos of Ford himself driving. I ma sure Ford made improvements to the engine also.
There is a lot more to be said and I won't be reproducing the engine but rather building a version of the engine of my own design.

I started with a 2" aluminum bar for the cylinders.


Over to the lathe for the first end.


Flip it around for the other end.


The two cylinders before cutting them apart. Doing it this way I only wasted 3/4" of material.


Thanks for looking
Ray

 

[Boswell]

I won't be reproducing the engine but rather building a version of the engine of my own design.

Will you be including all of the plumbing fittings? I think it gives the engine a little low-rent look

 

[markba633csi]

Hardly low rent with the price of brass these days

 

[pontiac428]

It's ingenious as a 4-stroke and savagely primitive at the same time. I can imagine an urban hobby machinist making one in his basement in 1896 thinking all the effort of keeping horses is for fools (who must be pitied!).

 

[rdean]

Will you be including all of the plumbing fittings?

I will do my best to use plumbing fittings for the water system but not for the intake valves.

Hardly low rent with the price of brass these days

You're right there.

keeping horses is for fools

The internal combustion engine surely changed many things.

I cut the cylinders apart and bored the inside for 0.800 pistons.
I usually use cast iron liners but not for this engine. We'll see how that works out.


This piece of channel iron was calling to me from the steel bin.
It said it would make a nice mounting plate for the cylinders.


I just had to remove the bits that were not needed.
Another dodgy setup but the result was a difference of 0.027 from top to bottom. I can live with that.


The result so far.


Thanks for looking
Ray

 

[rdean]

Big day 20 holes drilled and tapped 6 x 32.



All the holes lined up properly.


I did some cosmetic work on the cylinder support and cut some frame rails.


Engine frame bolted together.


Thanks for looking.
Ray

 

[Chris Hamel]

Isn't it great to find usable stuff in the scrap bin.