Australian made engines

[MatthewT]

Hi , is there a list out there of Australian made engines ?
Thanks
Regards
Matthew

[Eric Schulz]

Here is a list of Australian engines. These are mostly brand names. Make, manufacturer and address would be more informative, I know, but a bigger job than I want to do here.
I have left out all the contract brands, as that is just doubling up. For instance, The Ronaldson-Tippett N had lots of name plates put on it, but it was still a R-T N.
Some brand names were used by more than one manufacturer, so that is what the "x 2" etc, means.
There is an old bloke working on a website dealing with Australian engine and tractor history. He is a bit slow, so it may take some weeks yet. A link will be shown on this forum when it is up and running.
--Eric

Ace, Acme x 4, Agra, Amplion, Anderson, Atlas-Kolding, Atom, Auster, Austral, Australight,

Bagshaw, Baltic, Barlow, Bartram, Bave-U, BCL, Be Bo, Beecraft, Biggs, Bird, Blaxland, Blue Streak, BMS, Bowen, Brent, Broad, Bruce & McClure, Bulldog, Burnleigh, Burton, Buzacott,

C-Powa, Caldwell-Vale, Carter, Casey Jones, Chadwick, Challenge, Chandler, Chapman, Cheney, Chico, Chrysler, Clacher, CLAE, Clarke, Clement Davidson, Cliff & Bunting, Clutterbuck, Comet, Commando, Cooper, Cowley, Cromac,

Davies, Dennis, Derwent, Dial, Diamond, Dingo, Doxford, Dreadnought, Droford,

Ede, Ekins, Electrolite, Elmet, Empire, ERL, Evinrude, Excelsior x 2, Express,

Faneco, Farr & Broad, Federal, Fieldmaster, Formby,

Gem, Godfrey, Gold Cheetah, Goldfields, Grafter, Graham, Groper, Guldner,

H-B, Haebich, Hall, Hamdorf, Hardi, Hardman, Hartill, Hercules, Holden, Hornet, Hornet, Horwood, Horwood Bagshaw, Howard, Humble, Hurricane,

Illman, Imperial, International, Invincible,

JBC, Jelbart, JET, John Boundy, JTJ,

K-L, Kandoo, Kay, King x 2, Kirby-Lauson, Kirby-Tecumseh,

LAG, Lark-Parkes, LB&D, Leheney, Lewis, Little Husky, Little Wonder x 3, Loch-Laird, Lutz,

Macque, Marino, Marlin, Mars, Martin, McCulloch, McDonald, McKenzie & Holland, Meadowbank, Merriman, Metters, Mirlees, Moffat Virtue, Mordiesel, Mumford,

Nancarrow, National, Neptune, New Record, Nicholson & Morrow,

Olds, Olympic, Opitz, Orient, Orton & Burns, Owen,

Parker, Paternoster, Penguin, Perkins, Perry, Phoenix x 4, Pilot x 2, Pioneer, Platypus, Polar, Pope, Premier, President, Purcell,

Rand, Rayson, Reading, Record, Reliance x 2, Rex, Richards, Richardson x 2, Riptide, Riverside, Robinson, Robison x 2, Ronaldson-Tippett, Rosebery, Rudoil, Ruston Hornsby, Rutland,

Sampson/Samson, Saul, Schmitt, Schulstad, Schultz, Scott x 2, Scott Bonnar, Seamaster, Seasprite, Sentinel, Simplex x 2, Skipper, Smith & Faulkner, Southern Cross, Speed, Spiller, Stag, Standard, Stanway, Star, Stateimp, Sulzer, Sunbeam, Sundex, Sundial, Sundiesel, Sunduo, Sunpep, Sunpet, Sunshine, Suntower, Swinnerton Weston, Syme,

Tarrant, Tartar, Tasman, Terrier, Thistle, Tiger, Tillico, Tilly, Titan, Trescowthick, Trewella, Triton, Triumph x 3,

Underwood, Union,

V, Vanguard, Verity, Vernier, Vickery, Victa, Victor x 2, Victory x 2, Viking, Villiers, Vinco, Vivian,

WAG, Wales, Walker, Wallis x 2, WASP, Wege, West-Ho, White, Williams x 2, Wills, Wilson, Wing, Winter & Taylor, Wisconsin, Wishart, Wittber,

Yarra, Young

[MatthewT]

Hello Eric , thank you for your excellent reply .
regards
Matthew

[E27N]

ruddy 'ell!!!!!! that's a big list more than I thought

[Patrick M Livingstone]

Eric's list is pretty amazing. Nowhere near as comprehensive are these pages with Australian Engines:
Patrick's Australian Engine Pics

Kerry's Australian Made Engines

[john gilbert]

Eric, man, you are bloody amazing, all that info you have stored away there, Kerry & Patric, your websites need a few more engines boys, I wonder how many of those metioned by Eric have Survived into preservation. cheers John

[Ray Freeman]

From Bob Wallis to whom I emailed the list too.
Please add: “The Wills” (maybe as listed (Geo) Wills and “Excelsior” made by Mortlock Bros (and Tough) Perth after the WW2 until the Lister “D” came back into supply.

[Eric Schulz]

Ray, the Wills I have listed is Wills Engineering P/L, North Coburg, who made small 2 stroke engines. Is there another Wills?
Two Excelsiors are listed, including the Malloch Brothers, Perth, edition. They probably didn't make any of the engines themselves. Tuff Engineering, aluminium fabricators, Perth, are still listed. Is that the firm that made some Excelsiors? Or, was there Tough Engineering?
Thanks for your contribution. Always looking for details.

Eric

[Eric Schulz]

John, I did a bit of a tally up and I would say that about 75% of the engines I listed have at least one still with us, even if not alive.

Eric

[Ray Freeman]

Got a club meeting tonight Eric so I will ask the question

[Ray Freeman]

Eric after some investigation last night Bob sent me the info this morning. The Wills that we have is a upright engine similar in style to a Lister. The crankcase cover has Wills,Made in Perth. I can get some pics of the engine if you would like?

The “Wills” is made by KL Engineering for Geo Wills and Co Perth. The casting says made in Aust. We have only had this engine for less than a month and nobody so-far has heard of it before – No other data is know yet by Geo Wills had an agency in Perth selling machinery – for instance there is an steam portable (bones) at Whiteman Park made by Ransome, Simms and Jeffery’s that is badged Geo Wills “Sole Agent”. Will research GW when I get back from Sydney etc.

Malloch Bros Perth (who sold Lister Products) gained permission from Lister to build the Lister “D” after the WW2 due to supplies from England drying up. The “Excelsior” to start with was made from various parts on the shelf mixed with their own manufacturering. This is why when you see an Excelsior some has full dish flywheels and some spoked some have the “D” Carburettor and some have an Amal etc etc. However Malloch had difficulties in rating these engines to 2HP so they approached Tough Engineering who said they would have no difficulty – Malloch gave them an order for either 10 or a dozen. These can be identified only by an Amal carby and the spacers between the rockers being machined. The Malloch only had a section of water pipe as the divider. (there maybe more – later). I understand about 140 (+) were made and I know of 6 still round (MPC has one and I have one)

Never heard of Tuff, I think it is a derivative of Tough.

The Statimp (shortening of State Implement Works – the State Engineering and Implement Works (WA) was also manufactured after the WW1 as supplies dried up from Galloway for a short period (one at MPC)

[Patrick M Livingstone]

Hi Ray. If it was made by KL for Wills it possibly looks something like this:

These were made by Kelly & Lewis and sold under many, many different names.

[Eric Schulz]

Thanks, Ray, for finding the Wills info. As Patrick said, it looks pretty certain that this is a rebadged K-L engine.
Someone once told me that the first Excelsior engines that Malloch Bros sold were made by Metters, who had a factory in Perth.
The photo is either the last or one of the last Excelsiors made, No.164, seen at the last NHMA rally.

Eric

[Wayne Timms]

Hello Eric,

Does this engine qualify to be on the list or not?

Regards,
Wayne

www.bluefuel-whitesmoke.com

[Eric Schulz]

Because it is a German Farnir motorcycle engine, I have not included it. Only the flywheel, crankshaft extension, belt driven governor and base are Australian. Still a very nice engine to have.

Eric

[Anton van der Cruijsen]

Hi all,

engines, engines, engines always only engines on the forum, why not more pictures of the men behind the engines and story`s?

[Wayne Timms]

Hi Eric,

Although the unit bulk mass and weight is made in Australia, I would agree with you about not including it in Australian made engines. The engine itself is not made in Australia. Maybe this is why the plate says 'motor engineers' rather than manufacturers.

How about this one, the Auster, most of the internal parts are surplus American automotive, (T model Ford) - timing gears, piston, conrod, valves. I haven't confirmed this myself but have no reason to doubt the information.

With Felix engines, the tall bases were made in Australia, and some engines have cylinder barrels made in Australia. Do they count as Australian made engines?

The Burnley, on your list, apart from the crankshaft, flywheels, and some extra valve equipment is a Rosebery.

There was one of these engines at the last Ballarat swapmeet and after being studied over the weekend by a number of collectors the conclusion was it was a Rosebury with added parts. On this particular engine the paintwork was original, the flywheels had maroon paint, with no undercoat, and the engine block had maroon paint but under this was standard Rosebery green.

Regards,
Wayne

www.bluefuel-whitesmoke.com

[Wayne Timms]

Hey Anton,

With regards to your first photo.

The guy furthest from the Chapman fuel tank is Hans, where most of us start with an engine and look for the last bolt, Hans works the other way, he starts with the bolt and looks for the rest of the engine. I have known him for many years, a great guy and he is an encyclopedia of knowledge.

I don't know who the other chap is , but I know he will correct me if I am wrong about the Chapman fueltank.

Regards,
Wayne

www.bluefuel-whitesmoke.com

[Eric Schulz]

This is how I regard Australian made. It was designed here and most of it made here. Most engines have imported parts on them; magnetos, lubricators, carburettors, etc. We still regard them as Australian.
An engine that was designed overseas and only has an Australian cylinder block is not Australian made in my book.
I have no primary source information on the Burnleigh. Another Melbourne engine manufacturer told me that there were only a few built and it was a copy of the Fuller & Johnson. The Rosebery was also a copy, so it is probably a bit hard to prove who made what.
The Auster (designed in Australia) photo is interesting, as this makes it the third style of this engine that I have seen.

Eric

[Wayne Timms]

Hello Eric & Everyone,

With the Auster, you say this is the 3rd style, I only know of singles and twins styles?

Below is a photo of engines which I believe were made in Australia. Who, when and where - I have no idea.

The flywheels on the larger engine are 2 foot in diameter. The smaller one is a little too big to be a sample or model.

Regards,
Wayne

www.bluefuel-whitesmoke.com