"When you're working on cast iron, hide all your big hammers," he said. "Use heat as much as possible. Cast iron doesn't like too much hammering."
Every restoration project has its own surprises, and the 2 hp Famous was no exception.
"It has a pretty fragile cooling fan, made of tin," Mike said. "It sits up on top, unprotected. But through all that damage, it was perfect. It didn't even look like it had ever been bumped." Most of the small parts, too, survived the passage of time. It had been abandoned, but the engine was complete.
"My friend had told him that the engine would be there, and that he should come see it; that it would be running," Mike said. "Well, he came and looked at it, had his picture taken by it... he kind of had tears in his eyes. He didn't think he would ever see it running again."
For more information: Mike Mahnke, Rt. 1, Box 38, Bessemer, Mich., 49911; (906) 663-4452. FC 1
The 2 hp Famous
The general specifications of this outfit are as follows:
Revolutions per minute, 650. Diameter of fly wheel, 17 1/2" Face of fly wheel, 2 1/8" Capacity of gasoline tank, 2 1/4 gallons. Length of skids, 38" Width of skids, 18 1/4" Weight of outfit complete, 327 pounds. Height of outfit, 34"
--from "Gasoline Engines," published by International Harvester Company of America.