Help ID Waukesha engine

[olivergirl]

I'm trying to figure out exactly what engines these are on the Waukesha assembly line. I'm not even sure if it's for a truck or tractor but I'm leaning towards truck. Does anyone recognize them? The picture is from the 1940's era.

[John Schwiebert]

Well I am going to take a different approach. The one I can see the best is a 4 cylinder L-head engine minus the head. My guess some version of the FC Waukesha which they made many of. Do you think the picture was taken in the World War 2 area and they could be for Clark airborne tractors. We also had an A-C forklift at work with an F-C Waukesha engine. On your marine engine question, I am also sure you have some power unit parts books and I do remember there were parts listed in there for marine applications. I think you could also at one time Geihl chopper with an optional Oliver engine. More questions?

[olivergirl]

Thanks John. I do feel like it's taken during WWII. In the large picture, there are flags hanging everywhere so to me that would indicate it's war time.

As for the marine engine, that would be different than the one on the Gehl. I have the literature on the power unit on the Gehl. The marine engine was for work boats and used a water cooled exhaust manifold and had a deeper oil pan to allow for the sway of oil. I just don't know of anyone that has one They only sold them from 1956-59.

[John Schwiebert]

I had a good feeling that was what you wanted, I wonder who they sold them to and if they were for general marine use or gen sets and who the customers were. When I worked in the machine shop we did a lot of marine engine (Toledo=Lake Erie) and most of them had deeper pans because another reason was they set in the boat at an angle and I though all marine engines like that had the water cooler manifolds. The other shade of green also did that as I had a call on a couple of them but no Oliver units. I think about all the older L-head Waukesha truck engines were 6 cylinder units. I gave an old book that had a lot of that information away once. He has gotten more use ou of it but sometimes I wish I had it back, FYI When I went went to Fort Belvoir Mechanic school in 63 they had just replaced the 185 (77) Military engines with Continentals. Two weeks earlier and I would have ben taught fundamental mechanics on them.

[Bud Tierney]

Well, ordinarily I'd never get on the wrong side of one of John's opinions, but since John doesn't have his book and I've got an FC parts book (M-2584 5-57), I'll chance it, with the provisos that my little familiarity with Wauks is all on paper, and that my set doesn't show a very big pic, and I don't have software to blow it up..
A: on the closest engine, is that a faint line of light indicating the engine had two cyl heads?? (the valve-hole spacing looks like it, too) The FC's in my book have a one-piece head and block;
B: the center-up exh manifold in my book is shaped different;
C: the insp plates on my cast pan are narrower and longer than in the pic;
D: the block drawing in mine shows a much narrower topmost part of the block, with the FC block having a squarer look and with squarer corners, and the rear of the block in my drawing doesn't have that little step that seems to show just under the rim of the roller-mount the engine is on.
Now, if the drawing in my book is accurate, and not superceded by a later book showing changes, the question of what 4cyl it could be in the WWII years I'm not much help on; I show some VI's (VIL,VIS etc) 1939-48, and XAH 48-54, altho I've got XA/XAH listings from the 30's. There's a whole raft of 4's I have no dates for. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can place the engines in the pic.

[John Schwiebert]

Bud: I looked at the picture this morning, I am also a little more awake. I think that might two heads as you mentioned. I need to get a magnafing glass out. As far as the FC series, didnt the first F-12 Farmalls use the FC engine and also the RC case and the first 100 or so A-C model B's which would date them before World War 2. Thanks for pointing that out. John

[Bud Tierney]

John: I don't have anything to hand on the Allis or the Farmall, but I do remember the Case's used them well before WWII (oh, yes: 37-40 in the Mod R, RC and RO per 1950 Motor Trk/Trctr Manual,: covers 36-49)) and the #1 CO-OP also used them. Prod of the #1 CO-OP supposedly started in (May or June?) 1936, so even if they were a new design then that puts them into widespread use well before WWII.

[Tom Cwach]

There are quite a few headless engines in the picture. Late teens, WW1 era.

[Bud Tierney]

Sherry, I think Tom's hit whats been staring us all in the face but we couldn't see because we were thinking in a 1940's frame. I couldn't open the 55.9KB, but I did the 1.17MB you sent: blow it up, look at the construction of the building, at the ceiling and supports, just look at the whole impression of the assembly area. It looks a lot more like late teens/early 20' s factory construction and layout than it does a 1940-era layout. Off in the middle distance on the ceiling are what looks like some belt pulleys; those days a lot of factory/assembley line stuff was belt driven, and those engines, as Tom says, fit WWI a lot better than WWII: everything about them screams "old style" engines, just like everything about the whole building and the assembly areas, the workbenches, even the way the piston/rod sets are laid out on the workbench. It just doesn't seem possible that was a Waukesha (or any other established m'f'r's) layout in the 40's, and even if they opened an old abandoned building for WWII prod, those old engines, with cyls cast in pairs, are just too old. Check the date source of the picture; if it says 1940's try to determine if it's a 1940's print of an older picture, and let us know what you find.

[olivergirl]

There is no date on the photo. I studied all of the flags in the background and just assumed it was following WWII. In my larger picture, I could count at least 14 flags. My mistake. I am 100% sure it's the Waukesha plant though.

[stephen girouard]

american warrior compressor co. hwy 90 new iberia, there is an old 2 headed waukasha in front , 20 ft in the air , it always caught my attention,

[Bud Tierney]

Sherry, if you're still following this thread, did you ever find out which engines those were? Looking thru a 24 catalog I see seven Wauk engines of that period, all 4's (no Wauk 6's are listed), up to 43/4 and 5 inch bores; all were shown in both trucks and tractors. Since there weren't very many "square" or "oversquare" engines in those days, those bores would make for hefty cid. I'm just not familiar enough with the manifolding of the period (looks like forward and down exhaust) to tell if truck/tractor or if could be either. I'll have to go thru my tractor notes to see if I can tell which of the seven were cast in pairs (probably all were!!). With sympathy, Bud

[richard owen]

I have a Waukesha ICK engine 4 cylider. It has the # 121202 and 40140. It has never been started. Ever.

[Bud Tierney]

UUhhhh....Rich, are you bragging or complaining??...
Seriously, your post isn't very clear as to your reason for posting; are you asking for information or advice, or posting the engine because it's for sale???
Personally, I'm dying of curiosity as to what 121202's and 40140's are...
A truly NOS ICK engine would generate a lot of interest (people used then for everything imaginable), but you really need to start a new thread--only a few readers will see it "piggybacking" on this old thread, and people looking for ICK's, or people who have one now, may not see it at all. Good luck.