Dave, where's your location? And could you send photos? We'll help all we can to
get those cars sold.

Happy New Year ...


-----Original Message-----
From: Crosley@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 5:34 AM
To: Crosley@yahoogroups.com
Subject: =CROSLEY CAR OWNERS CLUB= Digest Number 1382

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. 3 crosley's
     From: David


Message
________________________________________________________________________
1. 3 crosley's
     Posted by: "David" captos48@... captos48
     Date: Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:44 pm ((PST))

I have a hot shot  51 station wagon and a super sport  wagon is complete with
new rubber kit for all windows many extras  i was going to restore them I just
do not have the time call 951 201 0820 if interested   Dave






Messages in this topic (1)



    ~ Esse quam videre ~


Post your Crosley chat, stories, questions/answers and memories now at
www.onelist.com/group/Crosley/post

Visit our CCOC Store: www.cafepress.com/CrosleyClub
CCOC websites:
<www.onelist.com/group/Crosley>
<www.onelist.com/group/CrosleyService>

The CCOC - A Fine Club.
You see us everywhere.
Organized 1952 - reorganized 2006.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links



------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy this April 1 story in Hemmings www.hemmings.com:

EXCLUSIVE! Crosley to return as government-backed automaker in 2011!
by Daniel Strohl

We've just received confirmation from executives at Crosley Corporation that
after a 57-year hiatus on producing automobiles, the company has secured
financing with the federal government and will return once again as an automaker
in early 2011.

In a deal that has been months in the making, the Obama administration's auto
industry task force, frustrated with the current Big Three's halting attempts to
produce a fleet of green automobiles, decided to go ahead and fund an outside
company with experience in the auto industry to construct such a fleet of
affordable and efficient automobiles. According to sources, the task force spent
an entire week coming up with a list of independent automobile manufacturers
still in existence, but ruled out Studebaker for its decidedly fuel-inefficient
XUV, and ruled out Packard for its incredibly expensive V-12-powered concept.

Reportedly, it was task force member A.F. Day who recalled that Crosley still
exists as an appliance manufacturer, now located in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. (Another branch of Crosley's former company still produces radios in
Louisville, Kentucky.) Day approached Crosley officials with a $2.2 billion loan
guarantee, which is earmarked for a new factory in the Winston-Salem area
(though other sources state that the factory could possibly be built in Alabama
or even near Cincinnati). Day will also work with Crosley officials to choose an
industry leader to head up the new company; sources suggest that Roger Penske's
name tops the short list of candidates.

As you can see from the teaser photo at the top of this post, which was released
to the media this morning, and from our spy shot above (see New Photos) it
appears that the new Crosley Automobile Corporation, which is expected to file
papers of incorporation soon, will quickly enter the market by rebadging a
Toyota product, the iQ, which is expected to hit the American market shortly
before the Crosley's expected launch date. However, sources tell us that the
Crosley will differ from the iQ in that the Crosley will offer an all-electric
drivetrain with lithium-ion batteries designed to fully charge in about 10
minutes. Range is expected to be about 300 miles, and top speed about 80 miles
per hour. No official word on where the battery technology and electric
drivetrain is expected to come from, though rumors pinpoint North Carolina-based
battery company and defense contractor Saft for supplying the lithium-ion
batteries.

Pricing so far has not been announced, but expect an entry-level price tag less
than $10,000. Dealership franchise agreements are being hammered out as we
speak. It is expected that Crosley will work with Toyota on developing a station
wagon version for sale sometime in 2013.

We will bring more details as they come in.

;-)

I am looking for a restorable set of original Crosley disc brakes. Does anyone
have a set for sale or know where I can find a set? These are intended for a
Crosley-based Hmod race car we are trying to bring back to period-correct
specifications.
Thanks for your help.
Jorge

Former body shop becomes retreat for car enthusiast
by Tahree Lane

Chuck Hymore's playground pulls together his favorite things.

The antique and classic cars are finally in one place. Dozens of vintage signs
and license plates are thoughtfully hung. A former paint booth has become a
stainless-steel kitchen.

The 40-foot-by-80-foot body shop in East Toledo that was originally Earl's
Garage was in bad shape when he bought it almost four years ago. He retired last
year from the Toledo Police Department where, for 16 years, he was a resource
officer at Waite High School, his 1975 alma mater.

"I've always collected cars since I was about 16 years old," he says. "Over the
years I'd buy them and fix them up, but I didn't have ample storage. Having them
all under one roof is nice."

Imagination, building savvy, and untold hours of work created this homage to
nostalgia circa 1940 to 1970.

"Once I got into it, I got ideas," he says. "One thing led to another."

The ambiance is easily altered by raising or lowering light levels in various
areas, and by clicking one of 11 remotes that illuminate signs. He built one
above the kitchen door: "Carol's Restaurant," named for his mother, Carol
Leggett.

Part of the fun, of course, is hunting for old metal treasures. "I like the
thrill of getting the deal."

At a Toledo junk yard entangled in saplings, he found 40-feet of neon signage in
three 150-pound sections. He and a friend cut the trees down, then wrestled and
strapped the pieces to the top of a commercial van. After the broken neon was
repaired, they hauled them onto scaffolding and bolted them into place 13-feet
high. The message: "Fabulous B-B-Q Ribs & Chicken."

Other signs are for Red Man tobacco, Gulf Supreme Motor Oil ($20 at a barn
sale), Rexall Drugs (drove to Nashville for it), Pepsi-Cola, and taxi services.
A candy machine holds treats for a nickel.
He's rebuilding a fairly new purchase: a 1948 Crosley fire truck, originally
used inside factories and later purchased by amusement parks. It's 16 feet long
and can hold about a dozen children. "It'll be a parade car," perhaps in a
future East Toledo Christmas parade.

A pair of stained-glass windows from an Old West End home are near the front
door. Upon entering the attractive brick-facade building that he spent two
summers restoring is a vintage bicycle, a porch swing hanging on chains, and a
marquee for the "Route 66 Drive In," that took him a month to build. Black
stools edge a bar. A huge painting of a '50s-era diner at night was done by
Clint White, of Toledo's police force.

Mr. Hymore gets a kick out of the wow-factor the place generates, especially
among the under-30 crowd.

"When you're bad and you die, God sends you back as a mechanic with a lot of
friends and relatives." A mechanic is sentenced to work on new, not vintage,
cars.

Contact Tahree Lane at: tlane@... or 419-724-6075.

Courtesy Toledo Blade.

----- Original Message -----

From: Bill

To: Crosley@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 9:50 PM

Subject: Re: =CROSLEY CAR OWNERS CLUB= What if ...

 

Ahhhhhh, OK. A vehicle that will attain 80 MPH and go 300 miles, for "about $10,000.00" and recharge in 10 minutes?  I think the source of the batteries is from somewhere in area 51, close by the plant that will manufacture the vehicle itself.   LOL, I know the whole story must be some kind of joke. BUT, the author should have come up with some more realistic figures.  THEN, Roger Penske?  That is a laugh.   Thanks for todays chuckle. --- On Wed, 12/28/11, LouRugani <x779@...> wrote: From: LouRugani <x779@...> Subject: =CROSLEY CAR OWNERS CLUB= What if ... To: Crosley@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 5:29 PM   Enjoy this April 1 story in Hemmings www.hemmings.com: EXCLUSIVE! Crosley to return as government-backed automaker in 2011! by Daniel Strohl We've just received confirmation from executives at Crosley Corporation that after a 57-year hiatus on producing automobiles, the company has secured financing with the federal government and will return once again as an automaker in early 2011. In a deal that has been months in the making, the Obama administration's auto industry task force, frustrated with the current Big Three's halting attempts to produce a fleet of green automobiles, decided to go ahead and fund an outside company with experience in the auto industry to construct such a fleet of affordable and efficient automobiles. According to sources, the task force spent an entire week coming up with a list of independent automobile manufacturers still in existence, but ruled out Studebaker for its decidedly fuel-inefficient XUV, and ruled out Packard for its incredibly expensive V-12-powered concept. Reportedly, it was task force member A.F. Day who recalled that Crosley still exists as an appliance manufacturer, now located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Another branch of Crosley's former company still produces radios in Louisville, Kentucky.) Day approached Crosley officials with a $2.2 billion loan guarantee, which is earmarked for a new factory in the Winston-Salem area (though other sources state that the factory could possibly be built in Alabama or even near Cincinnati). Day will also work with Crosley officials to choose an industry leader to head up the new company; sources suggest that Roger Penske's name tops the short list of candidates. As you can see from the teaser photo at the top of this post, which was released to the media this morning, and from our spy shot above (see New Photos) it appears that the new Crosley Automobile Corporation, which is expected to file papers of incorporation soon, will quickly enter the market by rebadging a Toyota product, the iQ, which is expected to hit the American market shortly before the Crosley's expected launch date. However, sources tell us that the Crosley will differ from the iQ in that the Crosley will offer an all-electric drivetrain with lithium-ion batteries designed to fully charge in about 10 minutes. Range is expected to be about 300 miles, and top speed about 80 miles per hour. No official word on where the battery technology and electric drivetrain is expected to come from, though rumors pinpoint North Carolina-based battery company and defense contractor Saft for supplying the lithium-ion batteries. Pricing so far has not been announced, but expect an entry-level price tag less than $10,000. Dealership franchise agreements are being hammered out as we speak. It is expected that Crosley will work with Toyota on developing a station wagon version for sale sometime in 2013. We will bring more details as they come in. ;-)

Prev    Next    Normal view To: x779@...
From: Louis Rugani
Subject: cobra
Date: Thursday, December 29, 2011 1:40 PM


Did Carroll Shelby Buy The Crosley "CoBra" Trademark For $1?

by Chris Demorro on December 27, 2011

There are a great many legends and myths associated with American automobiles.
Two of these stories involved Ford and Crosley.

Carroll Shelby would go on to become a legend himself, and he came up with the
legendary "Cobra," a lightweight British sportscar with a powerful V8 under the
hood.

The Cobra name itself has become synonymous with the car, but there has always
been a question about where the name came from, and whether Shelby had to pay
Crosley Motors, Inc. $1 to trademark the Cobra (or CoBra) name.

The editors at Hemmings Auto Blog looked into this question and came up with
some theories.

In 1946 Crosley licensed a military engine designed by Lloyd M. Taylor that
weighed just 133 pounds with all the accessories, including the flywheel. Built
from copper-brazed steel stampings, the water-cooled overhead-camshaft engine
was a great generator but a poor automobile engine, though with proper care it
remained servicable, and several are still powering Crosleys today.

That engine was officially called the 'CoBra' (for "Copper Brazed"), but by 1949
it was replaced by the Crosley CIBA ('Cast Iron Block Assembly') engine due to
the CoBras' rusting, electrolysis and overheating issues.

In early July of 1952 Crosley Motors ended production, and though the engine
patent passed through several other companies, none ever bothered to trademark
the CoBra name again. American trademark protection expires after 10 years and 6
month, so when Shelby went ahead with the Cobra name in 1962, he didn't have to
pay anyone a penny, or so Hemmings says.

Does that mean that Shelby's own legendary account of dreaming of the name
'Cobra' is 100% true? Maybe, maybe not, but it's also true that Powel Crosley
died just months before Shelby named his creation 'Cobra'. Could this death have
awakened memories of the Cobra name? That's a story none of us will ever really
know, but it does add to the legends, doesn't it?

The glory of racing, on eBay! Vintage racing, with buzzing, spindly,
half-century-old machines setting their drum brakes on fire and bashing
expensively into tire walls. Glory! The sensible thing is to buy some broke
racer-dude's ready-to-go MGB or Datsun Sports for 40 percent of the money he has
invested in it. But no, because the garage needs a racy Crosley-based roadster
project in need of absolutely everything. A diamond in the rough, like an
Almquist Sabre II that fits onto a Crosley chassis.

In the mid-1950s, Almquist made a line of metal-reinforced fiberglass bodies
that budget-minded racers could assemble based on Crosley frames or other
short-wheelbase chassis - and by "assemble" is meant "re-engineer the whole
structure more or less from scratch." The Sabre II body on a Crosley chassis
with period-correct running gear sure would trigger envious murmurings in the
paddock of any vintage-racing event nowadays, and it's possible to get into the
sport at a totally reasonably price.

This 1955 Almquist Sabre II project in Kentucky had a top bid at the time of
this writing of just $1,300.51. It's based on a Crosley chassis, it's very
rough, and it's missing quite a few bits and pieces. See photos of it in our
CCOC 'Crosley-Almquist' album.

'Twas the night before New Year,
And out in the shed,
Awaiting my presence,
My Crosley, abed.

The party was swinging
And the guests were all lit,
So I figured I'd mess
With the Crosley a bit.

I popped the release
And I lifted the hood,
When a deep voice behind me
Said "Looks pretty good!"

Well, as you can imagine,
I spun around quick,
And there, by the workbench
Was good old Saint Nick!

He looked a bit peaked
Now that Christmas was gone;
His suit needed cleaning,
And he stifled a yawn.

I stood there a bit,
Not sure what to say.
Santa: "Don't suppose
You'd trade for my sleigh?"

I said "No way, Santa",
With a sardonic grin,
"But seeing you're free,
We could go for a spin!"

His round little mouth
Curled up like a bow
And turned into a smile
Ad he said "Hey, let's go!!"

So as not to disturb
The revelers' beat,
We pushed out the Crosley
Into the street.

Then slipping inside,
I pulled the choke rich,
Turned on the key,
and pressed the chrome switch.

The sound of the CIBA
Took him by surprise,
But he liked it a lot,
By the look in his eyes.

I turned on the lights,
And with dashboard aglow
We headed on out
Where the old cars all go.

And Santa's grin widened
Approaching his ears
With every shift up
As I went through the gears.

Then he yelled, "Can't recall
When I've felt so alive!"
So I backed off the gas
And said "You wanna drive?"

Old Santa seemed stunned
As I gave him the keys.
He walked past the headlights
And slid in with ease.

He slipped into First
With nary a crunch.
I thought to myself
"I have a hunch

He's done this before!"
Then he slid into Second
As smoothly as butter.
"An expert!" I reckoned.

For several hours
We drove through the night;
The Crosley was humming
And traffic was light.

I sat there just watching,
With nary a word
As the CC cruised on
While the CIBA Four purred.

The hours passed quickly,
And quietly, too;
The road up ahead
Seemed to vanish from view.

And it seemed we were airborne!
The rooftops below
And streetlamps looked smaller
As higher we'd go.

"On, Crosley!", he called,
As the hour grew late,
Exhorting the horses,
(Twenty-six now, not eight.)

As we flew through the skies
On that cold winter night,
We'd both laugh together
In fun and delight.

But the sound of a horn
Was heard from afar,
And growing in volume,
And not from the car.

I snapped wide awake
And there, with their horns,
The guests were all toasting
The New Years Day morn.

I rubbed on my eyes
And crawled off the cot,
Walked out to the Crosley -
And the hood was still hot!

And under the visor
A note had been pinned:
"Happy New Year, my friend,
And thanks for the spin!"

========

Happy 2012 CCOCers!

Lou Rugani and Robert Kirk

DECEMBER
3 Sat POC Christmas Party
4 Sun IL AACA Christmas Party

JANUARY 2012
4-7 Wed-Sat CCCA Winter Meeting, Dallas, TX

FEBRUARY 2012
9-11 Thu-Sat. AACA Nat’l Winter Meeting, Phila, PA

NOTE: Dates subject to change; call first!
   ============

Sponsor Key:

AACA: Antique Automobile Club of America
ACD: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Club
ATHS: American Truck Historical Society
BCA: Buick Club of America
BDC: Bentley Drivers’ Club
CCOC: Crosley Car Owners Club
CLC: Cadillac, LaSalle Club
CCCA: Classic Car Club of America
HCCCA: Horseless Carriage Club of America
HCI: Hupmobile Club International
HET: Hudson, Essex, Terraplane Club
HHFC: HH Franklin Club
KFOC: Kaiser Frazer Owners Club
LCOC: Lincoln Continental Owners Club
LOC: Lincoln Owners Club
MAFCA: Model A Ford Club of America
MARC: Model A  Restorers Club
NAHC: Nat’l Automotive History Collection
NCCA: Nash Car Club of America
NCRS: Nat’l Corvette Restorers Society
NWC: Nat’l Woodie Club
PAS: Pierce Arrow Society
PAC: Packard Automobile Classics
POCI; Pontiac Oakland Club Intn’l
RROC: Rolls Royce Owners Club
SDC: Studebakers’ Drivers’ Club
SEMA: Special Equipment Mfgrs. Assn.
VCCCA: Vintage Chevrolet Club of America
VMCCCA: Veteran Motor Car Club of America
WPC: Walter P. Chrysler Club

IL AACA: Illinois Region, Antique Auto Club of America
CCE: Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts
GIRCCCA: Greater Illinois Region, Classic Car Club of America
LMR-RROC: Lake Michigan Region-Rolls Royce Owners Club
LOL: Land of Lincoln Region, PKD Club
POC: Packards of Chicagoland (Region of PAC)
VSCDA: Vintage Sports Car Drivers Assn.
WIRCCCA: Wisc. Region, Classic Car Club of America
WOTL: West of the Lake Region, Cadillac LaSalle Club
                          Chicagoland Cruise Nights:

Westchester-Mon nite
Winfield-Mon nite
McHenry-Mon nite (Green St.)
Alsip-Tues nite
Bridgeview-Tues nite
Bartlett-Tues nite
Carpentersville-Tues nite
Grayslake-Tues nite
Huntley-Tues nite
Lake Zurich-Tues nite
Plainfield-Tues nite
Port Barrington-Tues nite
West Chicago-Tues nite
Cary-Wed nite
Elmhurst-Wed nite
Geneva-Wed nite
St. Charles-Wed nite
Lemont (Downtown) Wed nite
Libertyville-3rd Wed of the month
Mundelein-2nd Wed of the month
Addison-Thurs nite
Barrington-Thurs nite
Frankfort-Thurs nite
Westmont-Thurs nite
Woodridge-Thurs nite
Batavia-Fri nite
Geneva-Fri nite
Downers Grove-Fri nite
Long Grove-1st & 3rd Fri of each month
Rolling Meadows-Fri nite
Roselle-Fri nite
South Elgin-Fri nite
Wheaton-Fri nite
Villa Park-Fri-nite
East Dundee-Sat nite
Homer Glen-Sat. nite
Lombard-Sat. nite
Mt. Prospect-Sat. nite
Roselle-Sat. nite
Cary-“Driveable Dreams” Cruise Nite, 1st Sat of the Month (Starts March) 8-11 AM
Mt. Carroll-Sat. July 19th, August 21st & Sept 18th

For more info on Cruise Nites, log onto:
www.chicagoareacruise nights.com .

=CCOC=

On behalf of Robert Kirk and myself:

Thanks for being part of the CCOC, now in our sixth year of reactivation. Our
Crosley cars, trucks and specialty vehicles represent the lifelong dream of
Powel Crosley, Jr. and his thousands of employees and the communities in which
they were built, and CCOC policy is to support the restoration and preservation
of all surviving Crosleys and the perpetuation of the Crosley history and
legacy. Check our ever-growing archives at the Photos and Files links, and at
Crosley Service www.onelist.com/group/CrosleyService . Every CCOC member is
important and appreciated. Thanks.

Lou Rugani

Crosley Car Owners Club (CCOC)

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the Crosley
group.

   File        : /The Crosley CoBra and CIBA engines after 1952.
   Uploaded by : mrcooby <x779@...>
   Description : By James Hebert, Leigh Knudson, Scott Stewart and Lou Rugani

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Crosley/files/The%20Crosley%20CoBra%20and%20CIBA%2\
0engines%20after%201952.

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/web/index.html
Regards,

mrcooby <x779@...>

Fisher Pierce manufactured and sold outboard engines in the late 1960s, very
innovative engines unlike any other outboard available in the market at that
time. The Fisher Pierce Bearcat 55 engine was one of the last applications of
the lightweight four-cylinder motor. Its history goes back a long way, beginning
prior to World War II.

The engine that would become the Bearcat was initially developed by Lloyd M.
Taylor of Taylor Engines Inc., California in the early 1940s, a breakthrough
engine design known at the "Tin Block" or CoBra engine because of the unique
manufacturing method for producing the block, involving steel stampings (the
"Tin") which were assembled by copper-hydrogen brazing, hence 'CoBra'.

The block was formed from about 125 steel stampings arranged into an engine
block and temporarily held together by press-fit or spot welds. The blocks were
then copper-brazed in a special 60-foot long furnace at over 2,000
degrees-Fahrenheit. Hardness and temper were imparted to the steel by
controlling the cooling time. The finished engine block weighed only 14 pounds.
Its light weight was just one of many refinements that allowed the
small-displacement (44 cubic inch) engine to produce impressive performance.

Crosley Motors, Incorporated was a spinoff of Crosley Manufacturing Company, the
huge and profitable company of Cincinnati native Powel Crosley, Jr. Its initial
success came in the 1920s when a home radio cost more than a Model T Ford. Much
like Steve Jobs and Apple Computer would do in the 1970s for the personal
computer, Crosley designed and produced an inexpensive radio that everyone could
afford and many bought. It was a fabulous success. In the process of bringing
radio reception to the masses, Powel Crosley essentially created the radio
broadcasting business as well. He also built and operated the first broadcast
"Super Station" ... famous WLW in Cincinnati, which transmitted at the
unimaginable power of a half-million watts through the overnight hours and could
be heard in all 48 states. He became wealthy from all these successful
businesses, but he still yearned to fulfill his boyhood ambition and build cars.
His company continued in the car business, concentrating on producing
inexpensive mini-cars.

The lightweight Taylor engine caught the attention of Paul Klotsch, chief
engineer of Crosley Motors, Inc., who was impressed with its capabilities. The
patented engine's horsepower, fuel consumption and other parameters were so
outstanding that Crosley Motors negotiated an exclusive license to it from
Taylor. Before Crosley could use the engine in a car, World War II intervened,
stopping all auto production.

In the midst of World War II the Navy needed a lightweight engine for use in
driving generators and pumps. Crosley utilized the CoBra engine for this
application, and six prototypes were built, developing 35 HP at 5000 RPM when
running on aviation-grade gasoline and with a high compression ratio. After
exhaustive tests, including 1,200 hours of continuous operation at that level,
the CoBra engine was chosen for the contract award. It easily exceeded all
specifications. Thousands of the small four-cylinder engine were built for use
in lightweight generators that could be air-dropped. The engine also was widely
used in marine applications as a pump engine, as a generator-set on PT boats and
amphibious assault craft, and in many other applications.

After the war, Crosley used the engine with lower compression ratios and lower
horsepower rating (26 HP @ 5300 RPM) as its automobile engine. Running at
variable loads and speeds, it was not as successful as in its military career.
The copper and steel block suffered from electrolysis corrosion problems in its
water jacket when the plastic or zinc inner liner broke down, and it seemed
sensitive to overheating if coolant was low. (Anti-freeze solutions in the
1940's contained salts, which aggravated corrosion.) As the extreme light weight
was not mandated in automotive use, in 1949 Crosley changed to a cast iron block
having the same horsepower and displacement but weighing 12 pounds more. Crosley
called this engine the CIBA (Cast Iron Block Assembly).

In the early 1950s Crosley began producing, among its other automotive products,
the Hot Shot, a small, lightweight sports car powered by the CIBA engine. To
demonstrate its low weight, the company distributed promotional photographs
showing Powel Crosley himself dressed in a suit and holding the engine in his
hands. (In this respect Crosley was not unlike Dick Fisher in his flare for
promotion and publicity.) The Crosley Hotshot sold for $872 and found a niche
market in the postwar automotive business. It featured unheard-of innovations
like gear-driven overhead-cam engine. A stock Hotshot entered and won the first
Sebring Sports Car Endurance Race, although it was a handicap-rated race, the
last time so run. Total Crosley automobile sales peaked at 29,000 units in 1948.

With its history linked to marine use, the Crosley engine was well-known to many
Navy veterans and boaters and was popular with many home-builders of small
inboard runabouts. There were plenty of war-surplus engines or Crosley auto
engines available, and they could be easily adapted to inboard marine use. Plans
from the 1950s for 14-foot mini-runabouts often suggested using an engine like
the Crosley for propulsion. The APBA 48-cubic-inch racing class used the Crosley
engine as well, as did a "Crackerbox-44" class.

Crosley ceased production in July of 1952 and sold the rights and tooling for
its four-cylinder engine to the Aero-Jet General Corporation, who was primarily
interested in it to produce parts and engines for government use.

At some point, three different versions of the engine for marine use were
developed ... a V-drive, a VIP (possibly for "vertical inline power"), and an
outboard configuration. The V-drive was intended for inboard mounting in small
boats with the driveshaft facing forward. The driveshaft met the propeller shaft
in a "vee" and was coupled by a pulley system. The VIP drive mounted the engine
vertically but as an inboard rather than as an outboard. The driveshaft was
coupled to a watertight ball-and-socket-type coupling through the hull that was
installed at the bottom of the hull. The lower unit looked like an outboard
lower unit and was rotated to steer the boat, and there was also a conventional
outboard-motor version. (Thanks to Jack Rose for information on these three
models.)

The engine also caught the attention of famed hydroplane racer Lou Fageol.
Fageol's family owned the Twin Coach bus company of Kent, Ohio. They picked up
the Crosley CIBA motor from Aero-Jet in the mid-1950s and developed a Fageol-44
marine motor based on it. This early 4-stroke engine did not achieve enduring
success or wide distribution. Lou Fageol was also a race-car driver and he
experimented with creating an automotive 8-cylinder version of the Crosley
engine. A number of mirror-image blocks were cast to be used in an opposing,
pancake design. (The mirror image was necessary to place the intake and exhaust
ports on top of the engine on both sides.) The new 8-cylinder design did not
come to fruition. In about 1959 Fageol sold the rights, tooling, and parts for
the Crosley engine and the outboard design to Bud Crofton, a Californian then
starting his own auto-manufacturing business. (There is more information in the
archives of Kent State University.)

Bud Crofton was a longstanding and successful San Diego GMC Truck dealer who
became a manufacturer of small utility trucks. He returned the Crosley engine to
automobile use with a series of Crofton vehicles including the Crofton Bug,
largely inspired by the Crosley Farm-O-Road. He also produced an outboard motor,
although not much is known about the Crofton outboard; it appears mainly as a
footnote in lists of American antique outboards. Shortly after buying the
Crosley engine from Fageol, the U.S. government ordered over $1,000,000 in spare
parts from Crofton. This was substantially more than Crofton had paid Fageol for
the engine and inventory, and this deal reportedly created some strained
relationships.

Some of the mirror-image castings were machined into blocks by the frugal
Crofton, leading to some odd engines with intake and exhaust manifolds on the
opposite side from the ordinary. Ultimately, the Homelite Company, makers of
small engine-powered devices such as chainsaws, became interested in the
outboard motors, and bought the Crosley outboard engine from Crofton in about
1961.

In the early 1960s, Homelite developed a derivative of the Crosley engine into a
successful 4-stroke outboard engine. They increased the displacement of the
cast-iron block to almost 60 cubic inches, enabling the engine to be rated at 55
HP at 5500 RPM. All the outstanding features of the Crosley engine were retained
... the integral cylinder heads which eliminated any potential problems due to
head gasket failure, the precise bevel-gear-driven overhead cam which eliminated
timing variations from belt sloppiness, the extra-strong five-main-bearing
balanced steel crankshaft, and the lightweight aluminum crankcase casting,
aluminum valve covers, and aluminum oil pan.

The Homelite 4-stroke outboard was years ahead of its time, but its marketing
was limited by the lack of a recreational marine dealer network. By 1966 it had
caught the attention of Dick Fisher, perhaps by its use on the transom of his
own Boston Whaler, and Homelite agreed to sell their outboard manufacturing to
Fisher Pierce.

There were probably many things about the Homelite 55 that attracted Dick
Fisher. The outboard was unconventional and in many ways superior to the
conventional 2-cycle outboards. Under Fisher Pierce the Homelite engine was
re-badged as the Bearcat-55, suggesting the potential of great power in small
size.

Fisher Pierce produced the four-cycle outboard for six years, from 1966 until
1972. By this time the engine had received considerable development, and many
details of its design and manufacture had been refined. The Bearcat-55 had
amazing features for its time, including a voltage-regulated alternator charging
system, thermostatically-controlled cooling system, single-lever
throttle/gearshift remote controls, warning lights and horns, pressure
lubrication, high-performance cams and valves, and many other innovations. The
engine produced 55-HP without smoke, ran smoothly and reliably, and weighed only
227 pounds. The only features it lacked in comparison to current outboard
engines are power-tilt and trim.

Fisher Pierce literature from the period extolled the virtues of the 4-stroke
engine. Little mention is made of environmental impact, but much emphasis is
given to economy of operation, no doubt an attempt to offset the engine's higher
initial cost.

A Fisher Pierce brochure presented these arguments:

"55 HP. SCORE CARD
Burns Regular Gas
No messy mixing of gas and oil
Fuel Consumption Wide Open: 4.5 - 5 gals per hour
Water Ski: 2 - 3 gals per hour average
Cruise: 1.5 - 4 gals per hour
Idle: 0.8 quart per hour
8 Hours Fishing on 2 gallons Regular Gas
The only large outboard that will troll all day on ONE QUART of gas per hour (or
less)

How 4-CYCLE compares with 2-CYCLE
2-CYCLE:
Efficient only at full cruising speed
Requires accurate mixing oil with fuel
Requires small engine for fishing, large engine for skiing and cruising
2-cycle 50-55 HP average
Wide open: 6-8 gals/hr fuel
Cost, complete: $1000-1100
Add small trolling engine:
$300-400
Total 2-cycle cost to troll, cruise, and water ski:
$1300-1500

4-CYCLE 55 HP BEARCAT
One engine for everything, trolling, cruising, water skiing
Wide open: 4 - 5 gals/hr Regular gas, no oil
Price $1310.90 - $1364.75
4-CYCLE COST SAVINGS
Cost to own: $100 less
One four-cycle vs. two 2-cycles
Cost to operate: per hour, wide open:
2-cycle: 7 gals oil/gas mix @ 0.44 = $3.08 / hr
Four-cycle: 5 gals reg gas @ 0.34 = $1.70/ hr
Minimum savings, wide open = $1.40 / hr
And four-cycle savings proportionately more at reduced throttle."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 55-Bearcat engine initial cost was higher, but in the long run the engine
would save money for the wise buyer. Of course, to realize savings from fuel
economy, the engine would need to have endurance. It would have to last long
enough to pay back its higher cost in saved gasoline.

Fisher showed the comparison at wide-open speeds, where the fuel economy
difference was greatest in terms of dollars, but the least in terms of
difference in rate of fuel consumption. He hinted that savings are greater at
idle speeds, and they are in terms of the rate of consumption but they are the
least in terms of dollars-per-hour. It is at idle where outboards spend most of
their lives operating..

If the price differential between 2-cycle and four-cycle engines was $400, at
trolling/idle speeds the four-cycle engine had a lower fuel consumption of about
0.8 gals/hour. With fue; and oil at $0.45/gallon, you'd be saving about
$0.36/hour. To recover the $400 initial cost you would have to troll for about
1,100 hours. As the price of gasoline rose, however, the time to recoup the $400
shrinks. At $2.00/gallon for gas and oil, the $400 would be saved in only 250
hours of trolling, saving money in only the second season of use for average
boaters or fishermen.

Another aspect of four-cycle engines that perhaps appealed to Fisher was that
oil did not need to be mixed with the fuel. With most outboard boats, a 6 or
12-gallon external tank was the norm, Mixing oil in tanks with large-capacities
would be a problem; it would be much neater if the engine could use straight
gas. Later 2-cycle engines ameliorated this problem by the development of oil
injection, keeping the oil separated from the gas in tankage and only mixing
them just prior to induction into the engine.

After six years in the outboard business, Fisher Pierce ceased production of
their innovative four-cycle engines in 1972. Ironically, their most important
marketing feature, good fuel economy, would have made them much more attractive
to buyers the following year when in 1973 an OPEC Cartel simultaneously reduced
oil production and raised oil prices, creating a gas shortage coupled with a
sudden rise in prices that stunned America. Particularly on the East Coast,
Americans waited in long lines to buy gasoline at prices double or triple what
they paid the year before. It was often difficult to obtain sufficient gasoline
to even drive to work. Recreational power boating was noticeably affected.
Sailboat sales boomed, while powerboat sales declined. In that market, the
fuel-efficient Bearcat engine may have been a much stronger competitor.

The four-cycle outboard was pretty much forgotten for more than a decade until
Honda adapted its four-cycle car engine to marine use in the 1980s. Like the
Bearcat, the Honda four-cycle outboards were initially limited to mid-range
horsepower and, like Bearcat, they had the four-cycle market to themselves for
as long as they wanted it. That all changed in the 1990s when pro-environment
legislators, having regulated unburnt hydro-carbons from the exhaust of the
American automobile, turned their zeal on the recreational marine industry.
Outboard engines were not only polluting the air, it seems, they were also
fouling America's water (and especially California's water!). California and the
Federal Government passed legislation to ban the future sale of engines which
did not conform to new, low pollution requirements, and in some cases to outlaw
the use of non-compliant engines on certain bodies of water. To meet the new and
stringent regulations governing emissions, outboard engine makers returned to
four-cycle engines.

With low emissions the primary objective, the four-cycle engine was a natural
choice. The technology for carefully controlling its combustion to be pollution
free was already very well developed by thirty years of work in the automotive
industry, and Bearcat et al had already demonstrated the workability of the
four-cycle engine as an outboard. All major makers of outboards soon had
four-cycle engines in their product line or had licensed them from others. (The
only maker of outboards without a four-cycle engine, OMC, went into bankruptcy
in 2000.)

Now, decades since it first appeared on the market, the
Crosley/Homelite/Bearcat-55 outboard is making a bit of a comeback. In northern
California the engine was always popular for use on houseboats operating on the
many large lakes in the area. Ed Ewing, longtime owner of Economy 4 Cycle Marine
of Redding, California, had quite an inventory of restored Bearcats and limited
his business to 4-stroke outboards, and in particular the renovation of
Bearcat-55 engines. For about $1,800 he'd sell a completely rebuilt and
refurbished Bearcat with an improved electronic ignition system, and back it
with a one-year powerhead warranty. He had as many as 300 in stock at various
times. "I like to keep them going," he'd say. "They're good engines."

Here is a table comparing the 2-cycle Merc 500, the four-cycle Crosley, and the
Homelite/Bearcat 55-HP engines:

ENGINE COMPARISONS:
Merc 500 - Crosley COBRA - Bearcat 55
BORE (in.) 2.5625 - 2.5000 - 2.7500
STROKE (in.) 2.125 - 2.250 - 2.500
CYLINDERS 4 - 4 - 4
DISPLACEMENT (cu. in.) 43.8 - 44.2 - 59.4
HORSEPOWER 50 - 26.5 - 55
HP / CUBIC INCH 1.14 - 0.60 - 0.93

If you are looking for Crosley power for your boat, check with Economy 4 Cycle
Marine (530)241-7990. Parts for Bearcat engines are also available from
www.bearcat55.com.

Most of the material above was gathered through on-line investigations, with
contributions from Leigh Knudsen and Scott Stewart.

Here is the URL for Powel Crosley, Jr.'s 1918 patent on an engine starter:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=IUpsAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1&dq=1302637&source=gbs_selec\
ted_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q=1302637&f=true
We'll post this in our Links as well.

I worked in the former Crosley factory in Marion, Indiana. In the mid 60's, it
was a General Tire plant making fiberglass parts (gun stocks, Chrysler and
Corvette parts) and foam rubber.
Richard Wells

(From www.ericsmusclecars.com :)

The popularity of English sports cars in the 1950s enticed some American
manufacturers into the field.

Nash introduced its beautiful 1951 British-American Hash-Healey, General Motors
its 1953 Chevrolet Corvette and Ford its two-seater 1955 Thunderbird. But the
smallest of them all, Crosley Motors, had the honour of introducing the first
post-Second World War American sports car.

In the 1920s the adventurous Powel Crosley, Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio discovered
radio but was appalled at a radio's high cost. Working with University of
Cincinnati engineering students he developed a $20 radio. He founded the Crosley
Corp., and within a few years was the world's largest radio manufacturer. He
even established a station, WLW in Cincinnati. Crosley branched out into
appliances and pioneered the refrigerator with shelves in the door, the Crosley
"Shelvador."

Crosley had another dream: building a small, economical car. With his finances
secure, in 1939 he started producing a tiny, basic car with a two-cylinder,
air-cooled, 0.6-litre engine. It sold modestly until the Second World War ended
car building in 1942.

Auto production resumed in 1945 and in those car-starved years Crosley prospered
moderately with his diminutive cars, now much improved with a four-cylinder
engine. To add some lustre to the line of cars, station wagons and pickup
trucks, he introduced the 1949 Crosley Hotshot sports car.

The tiny roadster was just 3,467-mm long with styling resembling an inverted
bathtub, a popular styling theme at that time. There were no doors or trunk lid,
the spare tire was bolted onto the rear deck and the windshield was a flat sheet
of glass. Mounting the headlamps on the hood frog-eye fashion avoided intricate
metal stampings.

The Hotshot's wheelbase was only 2,159-mm, its track 1,016-mm and it rode on
tiny 4.50 by 12-inch tires. Weight was a feathery 499-kg.

Suspension was basic semi-elliptic springs and solid axle in front and
quarter-elliptics and coil springs with a solid axle at the rear. Power went to
the rear wheels through a three-speed, non-synchromesh, floor-shift
transmission.

Under the simple hood was its best feature: an overhead camshaft,
five-main-bearing, four-cylinder engine. Although displacing only 725-cc, it
produced 26.5 horsepower at 5,400-rpm, a then astronomical speed for an American
engine. It boasted America's highest specific power output.

It had a larger bore than stroke – 63.50 by 57.15-mm – before most manufacturers
had discovered its advantages. And overhead cams were a rarity in American
production cars.

The engine had powered war-time Navy generating sets, and its sheet metal
construction made it very light. The sheet metal was brazed together, thus the
name "Cobra" (for COpper BRAzed) block. Unfortunately in automotive service the
engine developed disastrous leaks, allowing coolant into the oil. Crosley
changed to a cast iron "Ciba" (Cast Iron Block Assembly) engine in 1948, and the
head and block were one unit.

Another advanced although then unappreciated feature was four-wheel "Hydradisc"
calliper type disc brakes introduced in 1949, making the Crosley the world's
first production car with four-wheel calliper discs. Adapted from aircraft use,
they proved troublesome for cars, and since Crosley lacked the engineering
resources to develop them they were used for only one year.

The Hotshot soon gained a reputation of sorts by "winning" the first 1950
six-hour Sebring, Florida endurance race. Its victory was not for speed, but
under an "Index of Performance" handicapping formula based on distance travelled
and engine size. With its tiny engine the Crosley won at a speed of 84 km/h. A
Hotshot also did well in the 1951 24 hours of Le Mans, France until its
generator failed.

Mechanix Illustrated car tester Tom McCahill (10/'49) reported zero to 96 km/h
in 28.1 seconds and top speed of 119 km/h. This was not quite as fast as the MG
TD's 22.8 seconds to 96, and 129 km/h top speed, but McCahill noted the MG had a
1.25 litre engine and cost about twice as much.

McCahill admitted that the Hotshot and later Super Sport, which had doors and a
10.0:1 compression ratio, were simply and crudely built to keep the price under
$1,000. Although he dubbed it a "tin tub on wheels with a fine engine," he
concluded that it was "dollar for dollar and pound for pound…one of the greatest
sports cars ever built."

But the enjoyable little sports car couldn't save Crosley Motors. From a 1948
high of 29,089, sales declined annually until by 1952 demand was too low to
continue production.

Powel Crosley's Hotshot/Super Sports was a sports car truly built for having
fun. But it was just too small and ahead of its time, so remains a tiny chapter
in automotive history.

Our CCOC gift-shop supplier is offering a one-day-only sale. Combine CCOC
t-shirt discounts with this offer for up to 45% off on t-shirts. This sale
applies to short & long sleeve CCOC tees (adult and kids), subject to
availability, and can be combined with other coupon code offers.

Save 15% off all CCOC t-shirts, excluding shipping charges, gift wrap charges,
taxes and custom duties. Enter code NEWTEE at checkout.

Promotion ends today, January 4, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. (PST).

All CCOC items are always sold at cost.

Click the link at the bottom for pictures and ordering information

Whirlpool Corp. builds Crosley washing machines in Clyde, Ohio and is the
world's biggest washer maker. It's asking the U.S. government to impose duties
on imports of residential washing machines made by South Korean rivals Samsung
Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc, the second time in a year that Whirlpool
sought to use U.S. trade laws to protect itself from imports.

Whirlpool is accusing the two Korean companies of "dumping" washers made in
Korea and Mexico into the U.S. market at prices below their production costs
because they benefit from various Korean government subsidies.

David MacGregor, an analyst at Longbow Research in Cleveland, fears that duties
might help persuade LG and Samsung to set up U.S. manufacturing, making them
even more competitive.

At Clyde, Whirlpool just began bringing back to that plant some front-load
washers it had been producing in Germany and Mexico. But, the company said in
its petition to the government, unfairly priced imports have wiped out profits
on that production in Clyde, "to the point where Whirlpool's ability to maintain
its commitment to expanded U.S. production is very much at risk."

LG and Samsung sold tens of thousands of washers at deep discounts, sometimes as
much as 50 percent, during the recent Black Friday sales period, Whirlpool said.
Whirlpool tried to limit its Black Friday promotions this year and ended up
losing market share, it said.

Imports of residential washers are at 34 percent of the U.S. market, up from 28%
for 2008 as a whole. Last October, Whirlpool said it would eliminate 5,000 jobs
and close a refrigerator plant in Fort Smith, Ark, leaving eight manufacturing
sites in the U.S.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
CROSLEY CAR OWNERS CLUB (CCOC)

Membership today: 451

Hi,
On the Farmoroad original vacuum wiper motors, they are the same as the right
side of the reg Crosley car and also the retaining nut. What I need to know is
the thickness of the inner and outer spacers (different part number than reg
Crosley or roasters) for the shaft and are they tapered at all? Also do they
still have the line up stud built into these spacers. My friend still looking
for the following Farmoroad parts, steering gear, rear hubs, transfer case, and
windshield.
Thanks
Steve olinger@...

CINCINNATI, October, 1949: Airplane-type hydraulic brakes have become standard
equipment on all Crosley cars, it has been reported by Powel Crosley, Jr.,
president of Crosley Motors, Incorporated.

The new disc-type hydraulic brake was subjected to rigid testing for a year
before it was adapted, Crosley said. He described it as a direct adaptation of
the Goodyear-Hawley aircraft brake now used on private, commercial and military
planes.

The "Hydradisc" brake differs radically from conventional auto brakes, Crosley
said. The latter operate through outward expansion of brake shoes against the
inner surface of a brake drum. In the new Crosley brake, a cast-iron disc,
instead of a drum, rotates as part of the wheel. In place of brake shoes there
are two friction "spots" which are fixed on opposite sides of the disc. When the
brake is applied the "spots" clamp against the disc under hydraulic pressure, it
was explained.

"Because the two 'spots' faced with brake lining material engage only a small
part of the revolving disc surface at a time, all the rest of this surface
remains comparatively cool," Crosley added. "Application of braking pressure on
a disc instead of a drum prevents the 'fading' which usually results from water,
mud, snow, ice or oil in the drum. These lubricants are slung off the disc by
centrifugal force and the friction spots, under pressure, wipe clean their path
at each revolution of the wheel and disc."

Besides providing maximum safety and longer brake life, Crosley said, the new
hydraulics have the advantage of a simple single-screw adjustment that is easily
accessible.

===========

Crosley Corporation was the first company to mix cars with electronics in 1939,
and a cream 1939 Crosley 1-A is featured this week at the Consumer Electronics
Show's Crosley exhibit in Detroit. Check our CCOC New Photos for a look at it.

Cars only used to be seen there in the audio section where companies such as
Pioneer and Sony displayed aftermarket audio systems. Now, auto companies
install electronics right into their new cars and create their own displays at
the CES.
Despite the CES going on at the same time as the Detroit Auto Show, plenty of
people who managed to split their time between the two shows.

The 1939 Crosley 1-A was at the Crosley radio booth. The revived Crosley is very
proud of both its automotive and electronics history as it is now once again the
leader in retro home electronics (though it has not yet announced a return to
building cars.)

Other car companies at the CES featuring electronics included Audi's sneak peek
of the dashboard in the upcoming 2013 Audi A3.

Mercedes-Benz showed off its idea of a future dashboard in the F125 concept car
and the new SL.

Ferrari was there, tied into official Ferrari-branded headphones and other audio
accessories.

Chrysler displayed its cars while promoting Uconnect, its
telematics/infotainment system.

Many other cars were on display throughout the 1.86 million square feet of
displays at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. It was obviously
far less than the number of new TVs, tablets, cameras or sound systems on
display but, cars were far more popular there than refrigerators or washing
machines (even Crosley Shelvadors), which was encouraging.