[SEL] Fw: John Ames 3HP Stover - Needs Help

[Paul Maples]

Curt I have never met John, I just know that he is an engine collector, old 
farm equipment collector, restores old antique cars into beautiful showroom 
pieces, is 72 years old and he responded to my plea for help when I was 
trying to find the right Fuel Saver Arm for my 1905 Stover. He has his nice 
early 3HP Stover (now with a busted piston) that appeared to have the right 
fuel saver arm as mine needed and he was sending me pictures of the engine 
and arm.

He later took the arm off and send it to me so that I could get one made for 
my engine but once I got it I discovered that it was not the right one and I 
quickly returned it.

We became friends though e-mail and he even offered to try and make a Fuel 
Saver Arm based on the designed of the one on his engine and then he 
actually did make an arm for my engine that was very nice for someone that 
only had a welder and a hand grinder to use.

When John first told me of the piston falling down in the cylinder and he 
could not get it out I suggested to him that I figured the skirt of the 
piston had fell far enough down that the lower ring had popped out and this 
was why he could not get the piston back up. He later confirmed to me that 
this was exactly what happened. The first thing I suggested to John was that 
he go out and get a large flat adjustable metal hose clamp and see if he 
could get it around the lower ring and collapse it enough to get the piston 
started back up in the cylinder. I never heard whether he tried this or not, 
I just received the message and pictures that I sent you folks showing where 
he was at. I too was alarmed that he was drilling out the top of the piston 
as surely I would think there is another way to do it. John told me he had 
worked on the engine four days trying to get the piston out without damaging 
it but had finally give it up.

I ask him just a few minutes ago if he had a spare piston and rings and he 
told me he had no idea of where to even start looking for a piston and 
rings.

I know that this happening to his engine is the last thing in the world he 
wanted as he had only recently purchased this engine. It was one of those 
unintended mishaps that John never intended to happen.

I just hope that there is someone who can suggest to him how he can now get 
the remains of the piston out without damaging the rod and cylinder wall.

Thanks,

Paul


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curt" <curt at imc-group.com>
To: "The SEL email discussion list" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 7:49 AM
Subject: Re: [SEL] Fw: John Ames 3HP Stover - Needs Help


> Paul,
> Goodness what a mess! I hear you telling us that this fellow is a good 
> friend of yours, but jeez, some people shouldn't own these valuable 
> historical machines. I only hope you aren't taking mechanicing clues from 
> this chap......what a hack. And I'm holding back my real opinion since 
> you've told us he's a friend of yours.
> I guess it is easy to Monday morning QB, but breaking a piston out would 
> be a last resort in my book. As someone else  mentioned, he should have 
> focused his effort on compressing that bottom ring. Has he got a 
> replacement piston lined up? If not it looks like he may get to experience 
> some pattern and corebox work!
> I said this before, we are simply caretakers of these engines and I 
> believe we have a responsibility to care for these engines as best we can 
> for the short duration we own them. Seeing this done to any engine, let 
> alone a nice rare Stover, pains me greatly.
> Curt Holland
> Gastonia, NC
>
> Paul Maples wrote:
>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: Paul Maples To: sel at lists.stationary-engine.com Cc: AMESDOLL at CS.COM 
>>Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:45 PM
>>Subject: John Ames 3HP Stover - Needs Help
>>
>>
>>Hey Guys my good friend in Missouri, John Ames, has a 3HP Stover that had 
>>a knocking noise in it and he opened the engine up to see what was going 
>>on. He took the rod loose and was trying to rotate the crank to get the 
>>rod into position to push the piston out but the piston and rod fell to 
>>the bottom He just sent me this message:
>>
>>
>>I HAVE BEEN IN  REAL MESS ON MY ENGINE FOR 4 FULL AFTERNOONS.  WHEN THE 
>>ROD AND PISTON DROPPED DOWN AND WEDGED IN THE OIL SUMP THEN THE BOTTOM
>>RING ON THE PISTON POPPED OUT THEN THE PISTON WOULD NOT GO UP OR DOWN.  I 
>>HAVE BEEN DRILLING THE TOP OF THE PISTON OFF WITH A SEARIES OF HOLES THEN 
>>PUT TWO 1/2 INCH ALL THREADS DOWN THROUGH THE PISTON TOP SECURED WITH NUTS 
>>THEN A PLATE ACROSS THE BLOCK THEN TIGHTENED THE TOP NUTS. SUCCEDED IN 
>>PULLING THE TOP OF THE PISTON OFF BUT THAT IS AS FAR AS I HAVE GOTTEN TO 
>>DATE.  GOT ANY IDEAS?
>>JOHN
>>
>>http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g36/wheelterrapin/JohnAmesStover1.jpg
>>http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g36/wheelterrapin/JohnAmesStover2.jpg
>>http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g36/wheelterrapin/JohnAmesStover3.jpg
>>
>>Guys let's help old John out with some ideas on how to get his piston and 
>>rod out.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Paul
>>_______________________________________________
>>SEL mailing list
>>SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com
>>http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/sel
>>
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> SEL mailing list
> SEL at lists.stationary-engine.com
> http://www.stationary-engine.com/mailman/listinfo/sel
>