1906 "Bill"
4-Cycle Gas Engine
Plans |
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Advertised
by
the Downing Engine Works of
Des Plains, Illinois in 1906
for $125.00, the 3 horsepower
"Bill" engine is somewhat of
an enigma. A patent was issued
to William A. Downing for the
design but it is not known how
many were actually produced,
if any. The very simple and
attractive engine was probably
intended for light duty work
such as pumping water,
powering a grinding wheel or a
small dynamo, etc. A listing
for the "Bill" can be found on
page 141 of American Gasoline
Engines Since 1872 by C.H.
Wendel.
This is an approximate 1/3
scale model of the 1906 "Bill"
engine. It runs on propane
gas. On liquid fuel, due to
the remoteness from the
engine, the mixer soon gets
cold from liquid fuel
vaporization and after that
the fuel doesn't vaporize very
well which results in ragged
operation. A propane demand
valve was made for it and
running on propane solves that
problem. I have to presume
that the prototype engine
encountered the same problems
(it may have ran on
illuminating gas), but there
was no propane to the rescue
back in those days!
Engine operation on propane is
a big plus. Valves and spark
plug stay very clean and there
is no smelly exhaust! I have
been changing the crankcase
oil every 10 running hours
since break-in but it still
looks new, so I am going to
extend it to 20 hours. This
wouldn't be the case using a
liquid fuel.
"Bill" is machined and
fabricated primarily of brass
bar stock. The only castings
used are the pipe elbows. The
crankshaft runs on ball
bearings, the cylinder has a
cast iron liner and the piston
is aluminum alloy.
The plans set consists of 18
pages of drawings plus a page
of construction notes.
Included in the plans are a
propane demand valve,
radiator/water pump/fan and
details on mounting a Hall
sensor and magnet so that
electronic ignition can be
used without contact points.
Specifications:
Flywheel Dia.: 3.125",
Cylinder Bore: 1", Piston
Stroke: 1.250", Engine Height:
6.85" Experience
Level: 2
PLEASE NOTE: The
parts
mentioned in paragraph 5 of
sheet 19 (Construction Notes)
are NOT included in the plan
purchase. However, these
items are available by sending
us $1 in a S.A.S.E. with a
note asking for the "Bill
parts".
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"Your
drawings are art.
Just gorgeous!" -
Sylvan
Heumann, Hillsboro,
California
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