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

Richard Strobel Richard_Strobel7 at msn.com
Fri Oct 20 10:20:35 PDT 2006


I'm in e-mail contact with John.  There is no way he can compress or break 
the ring.  I'm out of ideas for now.

RickinMt.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Maples" <paulmaples at sbcglobal.net>
To: "The SEL email discussion list" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 10:42 AM
Subject: Re: [SEL] Fw: John Ames 3HP Stover - Needs Help


> 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
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
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> >
>
>
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