Thought some folks would enjoy seeing this. The pictured engine belongs to a guy I know that is restoring it to put it back in the midget. In the early 50s we called then "shaker" motors and they could run with the little Offys on shorter tracks. The old Harley motor, as can be seen, has jacketed barrels and heads. The midget body is what it goes in. It's Edger Elder's old midget. He built it, and a lot of others, by hand. When I was 7 to 11 years old me and other neighborhood kids were occasionally called upon to push this machine by hand to get it started. I can remember being on the right side of the rear nerf bars pushing and the engine would fire and blast me with alcohol fumes. Edger would make a few laps around the block and then trailer it for the Saturday event. They don't make them like this no more.
Watercooled 1947 Knucklehead
- Thread starter Oldsalt
- Start date
- Tags 1947 knucklehead watercooled
Tom
Take another look at the two pictures. To the left of the engine on the bench is what was called an "In And Out" box. No clutch. The engine was engaged by yanking back on the lever. Brutal....but it worked. In the picture of the midget body, his hand is next to it, you can see a big bulge in the side of the body. There is another bulge just like it on the other side. That is what was necessary to clear the heads. So the crank shaft is parallel with the long axis of the chassis. Can you imagine a guy in a small machine shop making the casting patterns and then finish machining the parts and then selling a few engines to racers? Parizzi, the guy who designed and built the motors, was a talented guy. Edger made the aluminum body with a set of hammers,dollies, and shot bags. Welded the pieces together with an oxy/acet. torch. It makes me feel humble. But it also convinces me that we can do anything if we set our mind to it.
Fresno is a hell hole that no one but an idiot would fail to get out of if they did not live out-of-town. But they have always had first class racing equipment.
Take another look at the two pictures. To the left of the engine on the bench is what was called an "In And Out" box. No clutch. The engine was engaged by yanking back on the lever. Brutal....but it worked. In the picture of the midget body, his hand is next to it, you can see a big bulge in the side of the body. There is another bulge just like it on the other side. That is what was necessary to clear the heads. So the crank shaft is parallel with the long axis of the chassis. Can you imagine a guy in a small machine shop making the casting patterns and then finish machining the parts and then selling a few engines to racers? Parizzi, the guy who designed and built the motors, was a talented guy. Edger made the aluminum body with a set of hammers,dollies, and shot bags. Welded the pieces together with an oxy/acet. torch. It makes me feel humble. But it also convinces me that we can do anything if we set our mind to it.
Fresno is a hell hole that no one but an idiot would fail to get out of if they did not live out-of-town. But they have always had first class racing equipment.
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Is that carb a Linkert ? And I see a mag is it a Joe Hunt ? A great looking motor I remember seeing a few of the knuckle head motors running in the mid 60's and then they faded to the Pan's and then the shovel head's.
Steve
Steve
knuskleheads
I actually know a couple guys who have similar knuckleheads with water cooled cylinders there are even some of those knucklehead midget motors that ran custom made cast iron engine cases. there was i guy here in st.louis (when i was a little kid) that had one of these motors with a blower on it mounted in a go kart sized mini exhibition dragster
I actually know a couple guys who have similar knuckleheads with water cooled cylinders there are even some of those knucklehead midget motors that ran custom made cast iron engine cases. there was i guy here in st.louis (when i was a little kid) that had one of these motors with a blower on it mounted in a go kart sized mini exhibition dragster
He added the electric starter to the engine plate because it will allow it to be started for exhibition without a push truck or us bare foot kids off the street.
Yes..there were no electric start HDs in 47! I couldn't resist showing my 41 Knuckle with an electric starter. The first pic shows a special "nose" that had to be machined to hold the pinion shaft because the HD starter is suppose to be only usable with an aluminum primary case. Necessary because a 41 has a "tin pan" primary and nothing to support the shaft. The other pic shows how it was necessary for me to make a special "horseshoe" oil tank that has a false bottom to accommodate the late model starter on top the stock trans. I added a late model HD ring gear to the stock 41 clutch basket. I did this because in my tottering old age it was becoming increasingly more difficult for me to start. The young Wanttabes don't even notice it. Out of pride I kick start it if an older knowledgeable guy is around .
Yes..there were no electric start HDs in 47! I couldn't resist showing my 41 Knuckle with an electric starter. The first pic shows a special "nose" that had to be machined to hold the pinion shaft because the HD starter is suppose to be only usable with an aluminum primary case. Necessary because a 41 has a "tin pan" primary and nothing to support the shaft. The other pic shows how it was necessary for me to make a special "horseshoe" oil tank that has a false bottom to accommodate the late model starter on top the stock trans. I added a late model HD ring gear to the stock 41 clutch basket. I did this because in my tottering old age it was becoming increasingly more difficult for me to start. The young Wanttabes don't even notice it. Out of pride I kick start it if an older knowledgeable guy is around .