Scratch-Built One-Off Wonders

By Bill Vossler
Published on July 5, 2012
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Mark expanded the concept of a Fairbanks-Morse 6 hp engine and created this scratch-built 50 hp engine. Weighing in at 2,300 pounds, the engine resembles a steam engine, a tactic used by early manufacturers to ease concerns of buyers more familiar with steam engines than the newfangled gas engines.
Mark expanded the concept of a Fairbanks-Morse 6 hp engine and created this scratch-built 50 hp engine. Weighing in at 2,300 pounds, the engine resembles a steam engine, a tactic used by early manufacturers to ease concerns of buyers more familiar with steam engines than the newfangled gas engines.
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A rear view of Mark Goesch’s 50 hp scratch-built engine.
A rear view of Mark Goesch’s 50 hp scratch-built engine.
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Mark with his 50 hp scratch-built engine. The engine’s 585-pound flywheels originally came from a 15 hp Reid engine.
Mark with his 50 hp scratch-built engine. The engine’s 585-pound flywheels originally came from a 15 hp Reid engine.
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The throttle blade, inside the brass-colored circle at right center, was made from a dime.
The throttle blade, inside the brass-colored circle at right center, was made from a dime.
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The cam components of Mark’s smallest scratch-built engine.
The cam components of Mark’s smallest scratch-built engine.
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The smallest of Mark’s engines, this one-cylinder opposed can be carried by hand.
The smallest of Mark’s engines, this one-cylinder opposed can be carried by hand.
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Mark’s largest scratch-built gas engines include the 50 hp engine at right and the Snow replica at front. “God gave me the talent to do it,” Mark says, “and my dad showed me what to do with that talent.”
Mark’s largest scratch-built gas engines include the 50 hp engine at right and the Snow replica at front. “God gave me the talent to do it,” Mark says, “and my dad showed me what to do with that talent.”
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Mark’s 4-cylinder engine. The flywheel is on the left, cam gears are in the middle, connecting rod is at right and a pressure gauge is at lower right.
Mark’s 4-cylinder engine. The flywheel is on the left, cam gears are in the middle, connecting rod is at right and a pressure gauge is at lower right.
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From the front of the engine looking down: our intake rocker arms and one exhaust rocker arm (on the right bottom). The engine’s heads are solid steel and were bored for valve assembly. The intake and exhaust valves are interchangeable and the rocker arms are all the same.
From the front of the engine looking down: our intake rocker arms and one exhaust rocker arm (on the right bottom). The engine’s heads are solid steel and were bored for valve assembly. The intake and exhaust valves are interchangeable and the rocker arms are all the same.
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The 4 hp engine’s gear train seen from the rear. Note the balancing holes Mark drilled in the flywheel’s interior to balance it for this engine. At right side: the aluminum-colored counter weight and connecting rod.
The 4 hp engine’s gear train seen from the rear. Note the balancing holes Mark drilled in the flywheel’s interior to balance it for this engine. At right side: the aluminum-colored counter weight and connecting rod.
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A front view of the Goesch, showing (from near to far) a scratch-built carburetor, power circuit and the horizontal engine head. The blue box emblazoned with the letter “G” is the water reservoir.
A front view of the Goesch, showing (from near to far) a scratch-built carburetor, power circuit and the horizontal engine head. The blue box emblazoned with the letter “G” is the water reservoir.
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Mark named this scratch-built engine the Goesch in honor of a logo on one of his dad’s ball caps. Everything is scratch-built except for the flywheels.
Mark named this scratch-built engine the Goesch in honor of a logo on one of his dad’s ball caps. Everything is scratch-built except for the flywheels.
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Mark’s system to keep the connecting rod bearing oiled essentially slices oil droplets as they’re about to fall, flinging half of each droplet onto the bearing.
Mark’s system to keep the connecting rod bearing oiled essentially slices oil droplets as they’re about to fall, flinging half of each droplet onto the bearing.
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After building a trio of single-cylinder engines, Mark tackled this much more challenging 4-cylinder engine. Mark says he’s learned patience from his hobby. “You take three steps forward and two steps back,” he says. “It’s amazing how much time you can put into it. You have to have some reward, and that comes when it works right.”
After building a trio of single-cylinder engines, Mark tackled this much more challenging 4-cylinder engine. Mark says he’s learned patience from his hobby. “You take three steps forward and two steps back,” he says. “It’s amazing how much time you can put into it. You have to have some reward, and that comes when it works right.”

In the world of old iron, Mark Goesch is a unique guy. The Sioux Center, Iowa, man builds gasoline engines from scratch — but they’re not miniatures. They’re full-size gasoline engines.

Even more unique, Mark doesn’t use blueprints. “Without blueprints, I need something to fall back on, so I use my memory,” he says. “I only build an engine if I can close my eyes and see it. If I can’t see it, I can’t build it. I close my eyes and my inner vision sees the engine in detail. Like looking at a picture or a bright object. When you close your eyes, you see that object, but I see the engine in detail.”

Catalyst close to home

Mark’s father, Wilbur, was a machinist. That skill and interest spilled over to Mark, who also works as a machinist. “My dad was into old stuff, so as a kid I had some wheels and axles from old hay sweeps and pump rakes,” he recalls. “I put them together with plywood pieces, pushed them up a hill and let them roll down. As I got older, I wanted to build something useful. Miniature builders are very, very talented people who don’t get the recognition they deserve, but I wanted to build something that would be more useful than a miniature.”

Mark’s family’s first farm engine was a 6 hp Fairbanks-Morse bought from the grandson of the original purchaser. “It had pumped water in southwest South Dakota for years,” he says. After restoring it, Mark figured he could just as well build an engine. Most restorers wouldn’t think that way, but his background gave him a unique perspective. Since then, Mark has scratch-built four full-size gasoline engines and a dynamometer.

The first scratch-built project

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