Henry Ford's first engine - anyone?

[Joe in Oz]

It is nick-named the "kitchen sink engine" by some, because over Christmas 1893, all exited, Henry brought his first engine home to show Mrs Ford, clamped it to the kitchen sink and with her help started it up.
I intend to build a replica with my grandson to show him that you can build an engine from bits lying about and get him to use some of my tools and machines.
In our scociety I don't believe his generation will ever be let anywhere near machine tools unless they get a job in a machine shop. Sadly, if you don't have a sense of what a machine shop looks like or what can be done there and how exciting it is to see raw materials transformed into complicated and valuable goods, why would you ever want to consider a career in machining or tool-making or metal production/fabrication?
Anyway, after that ramble, I actually wandered if anyone has ever seen the engine in the Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan - or can incorporate a look for this engine in their next visit there?
I know I can buy replica plans (does anyone here have a set for sale, by the way - even scanned as a PDF is fine?), but I have never seen any photos of the original. I have a small sketch of it (from a magazine of the day I believe), but is shows little technical detail, because the artist who drew it probably didn't knwo what he or she was looking at, so it's an impression rather than a representation.
I would really like to see a couple of photos of the actual original engine Henry built.
If anyone can help, I'd be very grateful - and my grandson will be too in time.... when he realises the significane of this project in a few years' time.
Cheers,
Joe in Australia

 

[Amigo]

Joe, I have none of the info you are seeking. However, if you have an interest in other early 4 cylinder Model A & B Ford engines, you might find this interesting:

www.secretsofspeed.com/ROOF.htm

The first OH valve after market Ford head was designed & built by Robert (Bob) Roof back in the 20's. His grandson Jim recently redesigned it & is now called the "Roof 101 Cyclone". It is being manufactured in Cincinnati Ohio & sold thru Charlie Yapp.
I am not into Fords earlier than 32 but I did do just a tad of prototype work on this head project for Jim, who has been a friend of mine since childhood.

Hope you find the info in the link I provided interesting.

Best regards to you in "Oz",

Amigo

 

[Amigo]

Bob, what triggers the spark & where is the coil?

 

[Joe in Oz]

Hi all.
Thanks you all very much for the contributions and photos of some of the many replicas others have built, mostly on the basis of the plans by Leon Ridenour in Knoxville, Tennessee.
I actually have all these photos already - I did a lot of reseach over the past few weeks.

So I don't seem to have posed my request clearly:
I'm looking for photos of the ORIGINAL engine built by Henry himself. There are none on the 'net I've been able to find. It seems the only way to get them is someone sneeking a camera into the FOrd museum and taking some ;D

 

[Joe in Oz]

Oh, I meant to also say that Henry nor Joseph Williams had invented the trembler coil yet. His piston had a little wire hook screwed to the top. The spark plug had just a central electrode which he connected the mains (shown in the magazine drawing - the wire going to the light socket above the sink) most likely 110V DC at the time. When the piston got to top dead centre, the little wire would touch the electrode and make a spark (would have been a nice fat one at that, I suspect!).
Unimaginable today, but Henry had to start somewhere....

I will be using a buzz-box! I have an original Ford coil from around 1919 for the purpose. ;D

 

[SteamWilly]

Ford's original Kitchen Sink engine used a protruding rod on the end of the piston to separate contacts and fire the spark. This method was also used on the Quadricycle engine.
In descriptions of the engine, they often say that "Ford was experimenting with the principles of internal combustion" but they DON'T say WHAT he was actually trying to do, which is to work out a usable ignition system.

The ignition driven off the rod on the head of the piston is the CRITICAL PART OF THIS ENGINE, AND THE ENTIRE AND SOLE REASON IT WAS CONSTRUCTED.

It was only run that one single time, on Christmas Eve, and then was put in Henry Ford's attic and stored until gathered for the Greenfield Village Museum by Evangeline Cote Dahlinger, who was a secretary to Mr. Ford for many years. Henry Ford was trying to get around using a magneto, which were used on farm engines, but which were VERY expensive. Early cars like the Brush Runabout had a magneto available for purchase, (A Bosch DU-1) but I doubt they ever sold one, since the magneto cost $200 and the entire car only cost $495 without the magneto, using a simple interrupter instead. (On the Ford Model T, Henry designed the magneto to be part of the engine, so he could control costs, and not pay for a separate expensive magneto for the ignition system.)

A full set of plans is available on the "EARLY FORD REGISTRY" website. They have the plans for the "Kitchen Sink" engine, and also a complete set of plans for the "Ford Quadricycle". The Quadricycle plans were drawn up in 1953 and later improved, by George DeAngelis, who was in charge of Ford's technical publications in the 1950's. He released them with the Ford Motor Co.'s approval, through the EFR organization. I currently have in work a "Kitchen Sink" engine, as well as one of the "Quadricycles" from the DeAngelis plans. So far as I know, DeAngelis is the only person ever permitted to closely examine, measure, and document the Ford Quadricycle.

 

[SteamWilly]

Once the Quadricycle reached the Henry Ford Museum, the ONLY time it ever left was to go to the shop of George DeAngelis, who disassembled it completely, treated and removed the rust, touched up scratches, and coated most bare metal parts with lacquer to stop further rusting. The only thing replaced were the ignition wires, which were cracking. The original wires were retained and returned with the Quadricycle back to the Henry Ford Museum. Although the engine was considered operable, it was decided never to run it, as the lacquer on the engine parts would not stand the heat, and the protection of the engine parts would be ruined, thus necessitating constant disassembly and relacquering each time the engine was ever run. So it has remained in it's glass case since then. They DO have 2 replicas that are operated, for public relations and for commercials. I saw an ad for Ford from the 1960's that had a lineup of Ford cars on the highway, led by the replica Quadricycle (The replicas were also built by George DeAngelis.)