History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

I know where there is a sleeve valve Panhard 6 cut out engine, but the guy refuse absolutly anybody to take pictures because he's got more than one one off or extremly rare Panhard and DB. Problem is a lot of people know he's got them...
I'll try to take a spy picture of it next time I go there.

 

That's pretty funny, right there! He's got a cutout rare engine and wants to -- what -- hide it away? Why? Why doesn't he offer to let a good photog for a major publication take good pix and publish them, on the condition HE makes some dough out of the pix circulating?

People.

 

BTW, what year is the Delaunay-Belleville? One of our regs has been looking hard -- a long time -- for a photo or two of a '32.

 

[QUOTE=jimi'shemi

That said, I've still enjoyed the conversation about a KEEN make with a super power plant. We've talked about the sleeve-valve engines before. BUT, I don't think anyone posted any pics of the internal workings. Anyone know where we might find such a thing?

Knight Sleeve Valve Engine on Youtube.

This is a cutaway of a Knight Sleeve Valve engine. This design of engine does not use the traditional poppet type valve found in most other internal combustion engines.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NSMYjRNQ8Rs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Wow, Mike! I totally misunderstood (OR mis-guessed) the design. I'd imagined it as sleeves, pushed up/down. Wild tought, I suppose!

Instead, they used revolving sleeves! I am amazed to see the real thing. Big THANKS, Mike, and everybody who's participated!

 

I have no idea how to link to the article since it is something I scanned but I'll be happy to send it to anyone who sends me a private message.

 

From:
Silent Knight

How sleeve-valve engines work

Hemmings Classic Car Dec, 2010



At the foot of each cylinder, at a right angle to the axis of the crankshaft and immediately above the valveshaft, is the sleeve shaft. This consists of a single shaft and a worm wheel mounted on bearings with the valveshaft worm gear. It rotates at a ratio of 1:2 (one-half the engine speed). A universal coupling or ball and socket connection is placed within a housing located at the foot of the sleeve valve. The socket is fixed to the sleeve, while the sphere zone is free to rotate and slide on the sleeve shaft crankpin.
Rotation of the sleeveshaft imparts to the sleeve a rotating and reciprocating motion. A point on the sleeve surface travels in a closed curved path in an elliptical shape. The path of the sleeve shaft crank and universal coupling at the point of actuation is circular. When projected onto the sleeve wall, the motion becomes elliptical because the radius of the sleeve surface is less than the distance from the axis of the cylinder to the point of actuation.

http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2010/12/01/hmn_tips1.html

 

Much simpler but rarer than these were the Burt-McCollum sort (I don't know if they have been mentioned in this thread). Knight sleeves always had the problem of lubricating between the sleeves, overcome in the Burt-McCollum design by having only single sleeves. The sleeve actuation is also simplified by using ball-and-socket joints to sleeve cranks without connecting rods, which exaggerated the rotatory motion relative to the axial motion, which allowed a fairly wild sort of port timing should it be desired.

Sir Harry Ricardo had a high opinion of the Burt-McCullom engine type, and conducted a lot of research on it, at one stage reaching better than 10:1 compression ratios on early unimproved fuels - the stuff that had contemporary engines struggling to run 6:1 safely - without knocking. The system was seldom used in cars (Argyll and Vauxhall did, briefly) but enjoyed considerable success in large aircraft engines.

Here is the Wikipedia entry.

 

So I know Max Grabowsky founded Rapid Motor Vehicle company, and later became GMC.
But I see there are some ads for Grabowsky Power Wagons.
Are there any of them left??
Or are they extinct.

 

Peoria Illinoise

 

One of only a few left Nyberg Speedster

 

Gary, GOOD one! Ultra-Rare list, for sure.

When I searched Nyberg info nearly two years ago, I could only find THREE survivors. One is in a museum out west (Boulder or Washington state, I think). And Corky Coker and his dad have the other two down in Tennessee, near where the second Nyberg plant opened, back when!

 

1940 American Bantam publicity photo. Is this actually a prototype that didn't go to full
production? Check the vents. Bantam would soon get out of the car biz and turn its attention
to developing -- with Willys and Ford -- a light, general-purpose ("Jeep") for the military.
This interesting photo was posted on FlickR by member & car buff Paul Malon.

 

Quite rare Hupp-made Hupmobile Skylark!



FlickR member Paul Malon found and posted this pic of a '40 Hupp Skylark, apparently
getting some finishing touches when ceremoniously coming off the line at Hupp's factory.
You can tell it's one of the handful (29?) actually built by Hupmobile's own force by the
painted upper grill and the wipers ABOVE the windscreen.
<!-- / message -->

 

CORRECTION: Folks (especially occasional thread visitors)! For the record: The SLEEVES the Knight sleeve-valve engines DID NOT REVOLVE! THEY WENT UP AND DOWN.

Thanks to all who contributed info. And, THANKS, Mike, for suggesting I set that point straight! We wouldn't want, ever, to let fallacious info get out there, as that could be perpetuated.

 

Burt-McCollum sleeve valves:





1926-28 Vauxhall 25-70, apparently thus powered:

 

Clicking on the 1928 model 6-80 link shows the right hand drive car which is still here in NZ as far as I know - although I haven't seen it for a few years. I would think that this would possibly be the only surviving RHD example.

 

1910 Grabowsky Power Wagons.
The engines were made to slide out of the frame for maintenance. Grabowsky Power Wagons wer built from 1908 to 1913.
Max Grabowsky originally founded Rapid Trucks, which later became GMC.

Info from American Truck Historical Society

 

All this talk of sleeve valve engines.

Stearns Knight SK-8 V8 1916 to 1918, sleeve valve technology.

Are any of these automobiles left? Extinct?

Vintageride

 

Here's some GREAT information on Minnesota made cars and trucks from The Minnesota Historical Society;

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.co

 

Yes! Check these links out:

The Stearns Register


http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/fbstearnswokr/cars/gallery.html

 

Mike, I believe he was asking specifically about the S-K V-8s. I looked both of the links over closely, then searched for four hours on the net and could find NO surviving 1915 to 1917 V-8-powered Stearns-Knights.

And the S-K 8s of '27 to '29 were all straight-eights, not V-8s.

So, EXTINCT?

 

There is supposed to be a 29/30 Sterns big 8 conv Coupe somewhere near me in Massachusetts. I have not been able to track it down as yet.

 

1923 Stearns-Knight Model SKL4 Touring Car

63 HP, 248.5 cid, Sleeve-Valve In-Line 4-Cylinder Engine
3-Speed Transmission
Chassis No. S581

From the beginning of its operations, Stearns Automobiles was a builder of high-quality and dependable automobiles. They were large massive cars that commanded respect for both its engineering the those who owned these magnificent machines.

In 1911, Stearns became the first American car to make a licensing agreement to produce their version of the Knight sleeve-valve engine. While rated at 63 HP when new, the beauty of these power plants is that the more they were used, the better the performance became. As carbon deposits built up, it raised the compression in the cylinder resulting in noticeably higher horsepower.

This beautiful example appears to have been given a partial cosmetic restoration but much of the car appears to be original including a number of interior appointments and the items under the hood. Finished in a off-white with black fenders this car represents one of the most luxurious models of the day and these cars are rarely seen being offered at auction.

The interior is trimmed in black leather and the top is also black. One interesting point we spotted during our inspection was the original dealer's plate affixed to the dashboard showing this car was sold new at one of Stearns-Knights most successful dealerships, Lynn C. Buxton's in Los Angeles, California. A part of the collection for a number of years this represents a rare chance to get a vehicle of historic proportions and good looks all rolled into one.

http://www.kruseclassics.com/index.cfm?id=208&auc_code=RO12&lot=23

 

1911 Napier Garden Car

15 HP, 2720 cc In-Line 4-Cylinder Engine, 3-Speed Transmission, Shaft Drive

Chassis No. 18281

One of the most interesting vehicles is this unique Garden car. Fitted to the chassis of one of Britain's foremost early auto builders, the hand-crafted wicker bodywork on this car was created at the Royal Institute for the Blind in Notthingham, England. The story goes that the primary function of this car was to gather flowers and to transport its passengers to fair-weather outdoor social events such as picnics, garden parties, afternoon tea or to use it as a spectator's perch during a fox hunt. This car shows signs of usage and has been exercised on a regular basis. It appears to have been restored in the 1970's, and features vintage Lucas Kings Road brass kerosene headlamps, as well as Landalite cowl lamps, and a rubber bulb operated brass horn. For safety a pair of auxiliary electric driving lamps were mounted to give a bit more dependable lighting. The wicker work is in outstanding condition with the seat pads easily removed for cleaning. One of the most unusual and recognized cars from this collection, we believe this car has great potential for invitations for display from around the world.

http://www.kruseclassics.com/index.cfm?id=208&auc_code=RO12&lot=85

 

NOT EXTINCT! I contacted Art Aseltine at;

http://www.nevadarockhounds.com/AWA/History/History.html

with the following question;

I'm trying to ascertain whether any of these still exist or were any ever even made????

Stearns Knight Model SK-8 1916-1919

I just received his response;

Jim:

Yes, there were 2,404 Stearns-Knight V-8's made between 1916 and 1919. One known to exist is now being restored by the F.B. Stearns Family Trust (Granddaughter of F.B. Stearns) in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Art

 

Good going, SunRoofCord!

 

We have an update of the "correction" in Post 5,575 -- you might call it correcting a correction! LOL. Here's more sleeve-vale info sent to me by HJManiac:

Hi Jim-

After further review I guess we are both correct only with reoect to revoving that should be rotating. See below and the HAMB posting.

Not a day goes by without us learning something.

Mike

At the foot of each cylinder, at a right angle to the axis of the crankshaft and immediately above the valveshaft, is the sleeve shaft. This consists of a single shaft and a worm wheel mounted on bearings with the valveshaft worm gear. It rotates at a ratio of 1:2 (one-half the engine speed). A universal coupling or ball and socket connection is placed within a housing located at the foot of the sleeve valve. The socket is fixed to the sleeve, while the sphere zone is free to rotate and slide on the sleeve shaft crankpin.

Rotation of the sleeveshaft imparts to the sleeve a rotating and reciprocating motion. A point on the sleeve surface travels in a closed curved path in an elliptical shape. The path of the sleeve shaft crank and universal coupling at the point of actuation is circular. When projected onto the sleeve wall, the motion becomes elliptical because the radius of the sleeve surface is less than the distance from the axis of the cylinder to the point of actuation.

 

AJ, could this be the Stearns-Knight you were seeking? SHARP car!



1929 Stearns-Knight Deluxe H-8-90 at Hershey Park, Hershey Week, October '11.
(The G, H and J used a 385-CID sleeve-valve straight eight.)

Here is an excerpt from comments by Matt Litwin of Hemmings Motor News:


" . . . Hershey Park – that the only known remaining example of a 1929 Stearns-Knight Deluxe H-8-90 Roadster will be on display from October 2-7, courtesy of its owner and restorer, Al Giddings. "Prior to the company’s departure from the automotive scene in 1929, the Stearns-Knight roadster was one of the fastest domestic production cars in the United States. Even though it weighed more than 5,000 pounds, its big 120-hp V-8 [SIC; but obviously an error] engine was capable of pushing the 137-inch-wheelbase chassis up to 110 MPH; its extremely close build tolerances also suggested, according to the F.B. Stearns Co., that owners could achieve 200,000 miles of trouble-free driving (at least from the engine)."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are some more S-K bits and pieces I found of particular interest:
The Stearns-Knight Series SK-8, Model Eight-33, was introduced in August 1915 (S-K had hoped to get the V-8 out by June 15 but didn't manage it until August). All of the 1916 through 1918 V-8 units built totaled about 2,403, according to computations from the serial numbers. The S-K V-8s were then discontinued, under new management, to concentrate on production of fours. (As a footnote only, per Hemmings, it is very interesting that John North Willys himself offered a sleeve-valve V-8 by August 1917!)

Sourcess:

Willys Overland Knight Registry - Stearns Knight History
clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/wokr/gallery/sk_hist.htm -
Arthur Aseltine and Associates website at: www.aseltine-associates.com/History.html
Wager, Richard. Golden Wheels, Cleveland: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1975, pp.25-38.


This brief passage is self explanatory:
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]The F.B. Stearns Chapter of the Willys-Overland-Knight Registry (WOKR) is a club within a club. Unlike other WOKR chapters, the F.B. Stearns Chapter has no geographic boundaries and no regional meets. Instead, it is a registry and information exchange for any WOKR members who own or are interested in Stearns and Stearns-Knight cars, as well as the 1929-30 Rauch & Lang gas-electric hybrids that were based on the Stearns-Knight. There are only about 15 Stearns and a little over 100 Stearns-Knights still in existence, so membership in the F.B. Stearns Chapter is understandably small.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Here are pix of a handful of SURVIVORS:


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]1917 Stearns-Knight Model L-4 Cloverleaf Touring[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]1929 Stearns-Knight Model M Cabriolet Coupe (six)[/SIZE][/FONT]



'28 Stearns-Knight speedster in New Zea-
land, thought to be one of only about 28 built.




Nice '28 S-K five-passenger sedan is powered by sleeve-valve six is owned by Reg
O'Connor of Christ Church, New Zealand. Reg was unable to find another like it in
the world, after years of searching. Photo thanks to Old Timer Gallery.

 

My wife is a relative of Chadwick....the guy who made the first supercharged car.