Technical Automotive parts in industrial applications

Walking around the local old junkyard today and seen this 40s Mack truck with a cement mixer that had a pony motor so I had to check it out,it had a 215 or 223 Ford six hooked to a 40 to 48 car and possibly up to a 52 truck trans. I walked pass this truck for many years and today was the first time I really looked at it and might go back and grab that bellhousing and clutch parts.

 

I’m always checking old generators and welders looking for cool engines.

 

If its a 6 cylinder the 1/2 bell won't bolt to an 8ba. The hogs head might be the same as one off a big truck 4 speed. If so it will be useful to adapt a T-5 to a flathead V8. But on closer look it looks like the trans is an all one piece unit so no hogshead. But its hard to tell for sure from the photos.

 

I like sixes so if I ever run into a good 223 cheap those parts might be used on something.

 

Got a customer in the city that’s in a very old building. They package Aresol cans , so very explosive environment.
They have a ford flathead running on natural gas , running a pump as part of there fire suppression system.
They have it inspected every year and it passes so they have not replaced it.
Next time I’m out there I’ll snap a pic.

the unit is in a separate out building with massive water pipes running into the building.
Engine fires up at the drop of water pressure in the lines.
Was told it’s not a regular sprinkler system
But basically a high volume pressure washer type thing .

 

My C59A flathead was used out in western Canada for some industrial application. I still have the rad and 3sp trans, but have no idea what it could have been used for.

 

The 132-138ci Aussie GM Holden I6 grey motor (1948-1963) did a lot of service in industrial applications - forklifts, cement mixers, irrigation pumps, sawmills etc. GM Holden sold them as a specific standalone industrial motor. Some applications (like irrigation pumps) did not have a battery system, so GM Holden offered hand cranks, mechanical gauges and magnetos as options. The Vertex magnetos are sought after by the go-fast crowd

Cheers,
Harv

 

The more I think about it I do not need any more parts for future projects so if anyone can use it I will let you know where its at.

 

Back home in Arkansas, a local saw mill was using a 60-70's era big blog Mopar with a manual transmission to run the mill. Every time we went to buy slabs, I would be over at that engine just studying it!

 

I remember seeing road graders with two 348/409 Chevy engines in a row. I never looked at one close enough to see how they were hooked together.

 

In my travels around the country to industrial sites before retirement, I saw plenty of Ford, Mopar, GMC, and Chevy engines being used to power backup pumps, generators, and the like. One I heard of but didn't see was the Air Force using Nailhead Buicks as a starter motor for the SR-71.

 

Worked in a machine shop and they had a vertical turret lathe with a six foot diameter chuck. It was an older machine that someone adapted an old manual truck transmission to it for rpm changes to the chuck. It was used as a splitter to give more choices in speed.

 

I never seen that engine ever bolted to one of those older trans so I might grab the parts.

 

View attachment 5020069 If you ever see one of these Hough airport tugs in the wild, know that some of them had Mopar V8 powered generators in the back of them. Some had 413’s, but some had 354 Chrysler Industrial Hemis! I missed one by a day, but I did manage to get a valve cover! View attachment 5020048
[/QUOTE] View attachment 5020069

 

Thompson Tank manufactures vacuum tanks and trailers, and their own line of vacuum pumps. One model is based on a 454 Chevy V8 with their own proprietary heads. Years ago they had a model based on a Chevy 292 Inline Six. https://www.thompsontank.com/pumps/Pumps-Dynamic-CMS-Sample-Page-3.356ab.php

 

Worked at a mill and they had a '30 chrysler products transmission as a gear reducer in the drive for a large floor mounted drill. Worked at a paper mill that had a Buick st 8 powering a backup flood pump.

 

A junkyard not far from here had a crane powered by a postwar Chrysler straight eight flathead with a 2 barrel carb. I thought about trying to buy the engine but couldn't figure out how to get it out of the crane. It's gone now. I did get a Chrysler industrial flathead six, late model with the full flow oil filter, that used to power a centrifugal irrigation pump. Also got most of a newly rebuilt 265 Chrysler flathead six industrial engine with a cracked block, saved the crankshaft, pistons, rods, cam etc.
Industrial and marine engines had some interesting variations on common car and truck engines.

 

I think I needs me one of these:



Surely the neighbours wouldn't mind...

Cheers,
Harv

 

At the aircraft museum in Mcminville, OR, there is an SR71 and a starter cart as you described.

 

Yellow (Buick-powered) or white (Chev-powered)?

Cheers,
Harv

 

Always liked the hemi siren....

 

View attachment 5020069 [/QUOTE]
I operated a tug just like it in the early 90s. Was handling the ground ops for the L-1011.

 

I dont remember the color, but the engines were Buick,the plaque confirmed it.

 

View attachment 5020069 [/QUOTE]
There are smaller tugs with Hemis also. I found this one and bought i for $500. after dismantling for the 354 Hemi the ground power generator for the copper the scrap was over $900. I do wonder why it has one industrial valve cover and one firepower. The block does have the industrial tag riveted to it.

 

Gotta give a shameless plug for the Ford 240/300 straight six.
You can find them in all types of industrial equipment.

 

I've got pics on my other computer of a Ford A model powered welding machine. It used the front part of the chassis with the radiator and hood , well maybe more than the front as the generator/welder was hooked up where the transmission would go. I think it even used the Model A suspension with the steering locked somehow. There was a stamped tag on it with the company name that did the conversions. I'll have to see if I can find it amongst 1/2 million other pics I have...

 

My buddy Jim, had a Model A engined air compressor. The thing supposedly ran on two of the cylinders and the remaining two did the air compressing. It had a regular '28 syle Model A gas tank and hood. Unfortunately, Jim passed away before he could get it going. I remembered looking it up on Google for him and apparently these were used to build Mount Rushmore.

 

AG330 start cart.






.

 

I didn't take pics (should have) but until about 2 weeks ago, there was a transmission bolted to the outside of a small building I pass almost daily. The opposite side had a flat belt pulley sticking out of it. Obviously being used for gear reduction for something. It looked Early Ford, but had a bump out for a starter - so not Flathead. The building got new steel siding.