99hp fire pump motor

[nathanmac]

Well it's a holiday weekend here in NZ and I was doing some work at my mother's house and didn't feel like attacking anything too difficult in the garage. Now that I finally have a V8 project I decided I'd haul out the motor my late father had put aside for his retirement project.

The story is that this motor is a Canadian 99hp motor that lived it's life until 1988 in a stationary fire pump built by the Colonial Motor Company where it was a backup pump at the local hospital board. My father worked as a mechanic there and he serviced and test ran it himself once or twice a year from 1972 until it was decommissioned and replaced.

When he aqcuired it then, he replaced rings and bearings and did the valves, then brought it home and I remember as a kid that he ran it for about 5-10 seconds before putting under the bench until he could find something worthy to put it in.

So today is the first time in a long time it's been allowed out from under the bench, although I've regularly turned it over a revolution or two so it didn't freeze up. I found all the old gauges from the fire pump, and the hour meter reads 124.5 hours. I understand it was built in 1943 (for WW2?), and the hospital got it straight after (I still have the operators manual for the pump), but it never fought a fire there.

What I'm wondering from those with more experience than me is what I should expect to have to do before I attempt to fire it up again and put it in my 41 pickup? Bearing in mind it was pulled down and overhauled 23 years ago, it's not like it was yesterday, but I don't want to be going overboard with it. I have a friend with a borescope I intend to have a look inside with - what should I be looking for in particular with this motor? It's obviously been sitting dry with no water in the water jackets.

For interest's sake it seems to have some sort of governer or something underneath the carburetor - I'm not really sure what it is, maybe someone here is more familiar with these than me? The heads both have C81A cast into them and the carburetor is Model 21-29. Not sure what else might date this more accurately, but from what I remember the 1943 date was thought to be fairly accurate.

I don't want to make a meal of this motor, so what can I do to make sure it's good to go before I crank the starter for the first time? Thanks in advance...

[40 Deluxe]

A little oil in each spark plug hole and fresh oil in the crankcase for starters. Were the cam lobes greased when it was assembled? If so and it only ran a few seconds, you're probably OK. Otherwise, somehow get some oil on the lobes for initial startup. Overfill the crankcase enough so the cam is submerged in oil, rotate the engine a few turns and drain down to the proper level. You can pump some oil in through the gauge fitting to lube the rods and mains.

[FlatheadTed]

If my calculations are correct it has done only 6000 miles at 50MPH .Run it over with the starter with the plugs out with a oil gauge hooked up get a reading.If you have turned it over its unlikely to have rusty bores .I would get the truck road ready then run the motor out on the main highway give it curry otherwise itl be a oil burner I would avoid putting oil down the pots unless its got rust there ..

[nathanmac]

I'd never thought of trying to figure out how many miles that would equate to - that's not a heck of a lot over 70-ish years! Not sure how the pump loading it up would have worn things, but I know it only had new rings and bearings when Dad got it. The blocks probably still cracked after 124 hours?! And you reckon don't baby it for a start? In theory it probably didn't idle that much anyway - I'm guessing when it was tested to make sure it was working it would be relatively high revs? I've just had a look through the book and it doesn't state a rpm figure, so maybe it just ran flat out regardless?

When crank up day rolls around I think it will pay to have someone a bit more knowledgeable than myself look over how it's all hooked up.

There is no oil filter with it - is it going to be worth hooking one up? Is there anyone that has had any experience with these pump motors and knows what else that might be different? Need to know if I'm going to have to find replacement parts or set it up a bit differently.

[nathanmac]

Well there isn't much to see with a borescope as there isn't enough room to get it right in. It seems pretty good and clean from what I can see through the 4 plug holes I've looked at.

Is there any way of telling whether this is a relieved block without pulling a head off? Is there a difference in shape that should be visible through the plug hole? There don't appear to be any valve inserts and I can't tell whether there are sleeves in the bores - not familiar enough with these to know what it 'should' or 'shouldn't' have.

[FlatheadTed]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I think you will have a good motor there . Shouldn't have sleeves .Just remove the govner .There maybe rust on valve seats ,if its light it will come of with use .If you can see the guide you will see the re leaf.

[Kurt in NJ]

Unless the cooling system has been covered up perfectly all these years you need to look for mouse nests --perhaps back flushing the cooling passages.

[Fairlane500]

Sounds like a great engine, good luck!

[Bruce Lancaster]

Somewhere in my collection I have a sort of maintenance manual that was supplied with a British WWII fire pump...probably a Battle of Britain relic from the raids on London!
It was not a special manual, just a normal passenger car owner's manual (I think 1940) with a rubber stamp in the front indicating it was for a fire pump. Original operator was presumed smart enough to find the stuff on changing the oil while ignoring the instructions for cigar lighter and window cranks...

[nathanmac]

Hi Bruce when I went to hunt out the manual a few months ago I was looking for what I thought was a beige coloured book that had pictures of the raids in Britain as part of the instruction for wartime use. I used to be under the impression that the fire pumps were all built in England using imported motors, but that was obviously incorrect. I may have been confused with a book that I had read about early V8's as a kid.

The booklet I did find is red and published by the Colonial Motor Company of NZ and covers a few of their products, including stationary pumps, trailer pumps and some fire engine info. There are a couple of photos of a 38-39 fire engine and a 40 fire engine brand new for different brigades here in NZ. Its a really interesting wee book.

[Bruce Lancaster]

I believe England built only 221 1937 type engines, using them through WWII and on into the fifties, and that any 24 stud ones would have been Canadian. I think Canadian production was the biggest source of engines for commonwealth Fords, and that Canadian supply lines also contained USA engines. Canadian engines for the war were I think mostly 239's. The 21-29 carb is what the Canadians would have been using in '43...England used a whole variety of odd carbs, including one barrels on an adaptor. I've collected a bunch of British, Canadian, and Australian manuals that went with a variety of Ford products in the war...

[Fairlane500]

Solex Carburettors I think???

[Ralph Moore]

Gaskets are cheap, I would pull the heads/intake off and get a better look. You never know what could happen after 20+ years. And just to be safe, the oil pan as well. Gaskets dry out, especially the old cork ones, and you will end up replacing them for leaks later on anyway.

[hbleadsled]

NathanMac = I pre oiled the motor using a new small garden sprayer, hooked into the rear of the motor where the oil preasure sender goes, leave the handle in place, remove the tip make conection pump up preasure, put in 4 qts.,I also turned motor by hand one half turn every quart.good luck. Harold central coast Ca.

[cmbrucew]

Originally Posted by FlatheadTed

If my calculations are correct it has done only 6000 miles at 50MPH .Run it over with the starter with the plugs out with a oil gauge hooked up get a reading.If you have turned it over its unlikely to have rusty bores .I would get the truck road ready then run the motor out on the main highway give it curry otherwise itl be a oil burner I would avoid putting oil down the pots unless its got rust there ..

Hi Ted
What do you mean curry?
Thank you
Bruce

[Mart]

Originally Posted by cmbrucew

Hi Ted
What do you mean curry?
Thank you
Bruce

Drive it enthusiastically!

[Fairlane500]

Its a common term down here for giving it a little gas!!!

[nathanmac]

Cheers for the tips here, really looking forward to getting to the curry stage but it's a wee way off.