delco light (very small)

hello,I just bought the smallest generator Ive ever seen yesterday.It was in a barn in Arizona and so it is dusty but because of the barn-not stuck.I would like to get it running but would like suggestions as to what I should do first,to clean certain parts,or do anything to the generator portion before I try to start it.I would also like to know when it was made and possibly how much h.p. the engine develops(it is a very small engine).It is a flathead four stroke with exposed valves and is all cast iron and very heavy for its size!

the tag reads delco light,serial# 16729,service# 4057,model# B-6,watts 150,volts 6,patent# 1608286,delco appliance corporation,rochester new york.

If anyone can share some tips with me on what you with an engine that has been sitting protected from everything but the dust for many years id appreciate it.Also again would like to know when it was made.

Thanks for your help...schramm...

p.s. this generator looks very similar to another one I have but it is disasembled and looks slightly larger.Another difference is this one has a cast iron gas tank as the base and the gen I just got has a square tank that sits on top of the gen portion itself.Anyway the reason I mention this is because the one ive had for a while doesnt have a tag and i was wondering if I could look another place where the number may be stamped?perhaps on the block or in generator somewhere?If you can tell where to find it I would be greatful.sorry for such a long post but I had a lot of info to get out...

Without pictures of your generators I will have to a little guessing, but my guess should be at least 80%.

The Delco B-6 should be cleaned and flush the crank case with a solvent to clean all old "gunk" out. I always take the cover off the end of the generator and make sure the brush holders are clean and the brushes are working freely and that the springs are holding them tight to the commutator. Make sure the commutator is clean. I sand with 320 grit wet or dry sand paper and then with 400 grit. As with any engine make sure the fuel tank is cleaned as well. There should be a push button on the side of the generator housing. With a 6 volt battery properly hooked up the push button is the start button. It should turn the engine over like any electric starter, and with gas in the fuel tank and if you have spark and a little choking it should start and run.

The generator with the fuel tank in the base is probably a "Tiny Tim". One way to tell them apart is to check the cary handle. The "Tiny Tim" has a cast iron handle which is part of the crank case casting and the "Little Joe" has a strap iron handle bolted to the crank case casting. Some "Tiny Tims" had a tag and some didn't. I have a magazine ad for "Little Joe" dated 1936 and a couple of ads during WW II. I presume they were both sold at about the same time. One of the ads has a picture of a tank and one has an airplane. When I get the time, or make time to sort out all my "stuff" I can give a little more accurate information.

Over about 10 years I have seen probably 30 or more "Tiny Tims" and maybe three or four were exactly the same. Some have the square fuel tank on top of the generator and some in the cast iron base.

Sorry for the long answer, but that still doesn't cover all of the "Tiny Tim" -- "Little Joe" story. If you need more help you can e-mail me and I'll try to help. Pictures of the units would help considerably.

"DELCO DON"