# Ford's First Engine



## RickWeber

I'd like to send out a big *Thank You* to Chris ("Vascon2196") and all the others on this forum who posted advice in helping Chris get his Ford engine running. This undoubtedly saved me a huge amount of time in constructing mine.

I was able to avoid problems with valve seating, electrical, carburetor, etc. by either studying Chris' solutions or incorporating solutions proposed by others. I also was able to come up with a couple innovations to make building this engine easier than past designs, while still having the look and feel of Ford's original prototype.

It took about ten minutes worth of tinkering with the carburetion and it was off and running on Coleman fuel.  

I'm now in the process of tearing it down to clean up the details and install the battery and buzz coil in the base. When I get it re-assembled, I'll post photos and provide pdf files of my valve and cylinder mods. 

P.S.   (The flywheel is a pretty ugly casting. Any suggestions on a 13-inch dia alternative?)


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## gld

Why replace that flywheel. I think it looks cool. 

I vote leave it.

Good job on the engine.


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## RickWeber

Little better photo.


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## t.l.a.r. eng

The flywheel is what helps make the engine visualy interesting and different, my vote to keep it also.

Nice job on the engine.


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## 10K Pete

Was Fords first engine built from pipe fittings?  That pretty cool!

Pete


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## RickWeber

10K Pete said:


> Was Fords first engine built from pipe fittings?  That pretty cool!
> 
> Pete



Yes, he modified standard fittings of the day. Others who visit this website have built replicas similar to this one. You can check out the archives for more photos.


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## RickWeber

t.l.a.r. eng said:


> The flywheel is what helps make the engine visualy interesting and different, my vote to keep it also.
> 
> Nice job on the engine.



Thank you. My lathe isn't big enough to swing that flywheel to really clean it up nicely. I'll need to check with my friends with bigger machines to use.


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## RickWeber

This engine is a hoot to run. After 4 or 5 drops of fuel enter the engine, I give the flywheel a spin and off she goes. I'm still baffled why this so-called carburetor works. Fuel drips onto a screen mesh in the intake piping, which I guess kinda atomizes it. The result is the faster the fuel drips (up to a point of flooding) the faster she goes. It's about as far away from a Weber 4-barrel as you can get. I don't run it more than 2 or 3 minutes because it does get hot. Just re-fiitted it with new "points", and that really smoothed out the running. A piece of wire being whacked around by the cam definitely does not provide a well timed system.

Again, all of the posts on Vascon's Ford engine project helped to ensure a successful outcome. Thanks!!


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## Barnbikes

I believe Henry Ford did remake this his engine later with a water sleeve because it did overheat. Wonder if you could put washers on the cylinder for cooling purposes.


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## RickWeber

Barnbikes said:


> I believe Henry Ford did remake this his engine later with a water sleeve because it did overheat. Wonder if you could put washers on the cylinder for cooling purposes.



That would seem to help cooling. But, I'd like to keep it as close as possible to the original.


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## Barnbikes

Found this picture on the web.






http://www.oldengine.org/members/siefker/shows/portland-05-swap/henryford2ndreplica.jpg


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## RickWeber

Barnbikes said:


> Found this picture on the web.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.oldengine.org/members/siefker/shows/portland-05-swap/henryford2ndreplica.jpg



Nice! I hadn't seen that version.


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## mattty

Love the  engine. Where can I get the plans from?
Thanks Matt


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## RickWeber

mattty said:


> Love the  engine. Where can I get the plans from?
> Thanks Matt



Not sure if you want the first or second engine. I'm creating plans for the first Ford engine (single cylinder), drawing from the Ford archives, Leon Ridenour's sketches, and suggested improvements by posters on this forum. The plans include subtle mods that allow for easier construction, at the same time solving some of the frustrations some builders have had getting their engines to run. Stay tuned for pdf files on this website.


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## mattty

excellent ,I can't wait to make this engine.


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## AlbertdeWitte

RickWeber said:


> Not sure if you want the first or second engine. I'm creating plans for the first Ford engine (single cylinder), drawing from the Ford archives, Leon Ridenour's sketches, and suggested improvements by posters on this forum. The plans include subtle mods that allow for easier construction, at the same time solving some of the frustrations some builders have had getting their engines to run. Stay tuned for pdf files on this website.



Hi Rick

Thanks for sharing, this is one I want to build after the Redwing, I would love to get more information on it eg plans and notes. Any help would be appreciated

Thanks


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## RickWeber

AlbertdeWitte said:


> Hi Rick
> 
> Thanks for sharing, this is one I want to build after the Redwing, I would love to get more information on it eg plans and notes. Any help would be appreciated
> 
> Thanks



Will do. Working on the drawings now.


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## kquiggle

Interested persons can purchase copies of Ford's First Engine (1893) plans from Leon Ridenour at his website:

https://sites.google.com/site/fordengine1893/

I recently purchased a set of these plans myself, and I have been studying them and comparing them to historical material on the Ford Museum website. The plans from Leon include a video with build information, as well as other items (details on the website). From my readings (and some discussions with Leon, who was nice enough to discuss this with me on the phone) it is clear that this is a "finicky" engine, and Leon put in a lot of work adapting the design to modern materials and getting it to work.

One example of this is the use of a plumbing tee for the "combustion chamber"; if you look at pictures of the original engine, you will see that it does not use a "normal" plumbing tee. Based on my own investigations (which includes looking at plumbing and steam fitting catalogs from the late 1800's early 1900's), I do not believe it is a tee at all. Rather, I think Ford re-purposed an angle valve, or possibly a pressure relief valve. Henry Ford was a "steam engineer" in 1893, so it's seems likely to me that he would some steam fittings in his engine (and he may also have been thinking that steam fittings - designed to work under pressure - would be better for this application. This is purely speculation on my part, but I have not been able to find a "tee" either modern or 19th century which matches the original). Other parts of the engine appear to be standard plumbing fittings which have changed little (if at all) between 1893 and today.

I also believe that the published history of the engine (that Henry built the engine at work and then took it home and started it up for the first time in his kitchen) has been romanticized and is not historically accurate. In all probability Henry had to work on the engine more than a little to get it to work - all of which would have been done in the workshop. Once he had it working, he took it home to show to his wife. I think this actually makes a better story: Henry was proud of his little engine and he wanted to share it with his wife.

While my hope is to build a working replica of the engine eventually, I am also interested in the history of the engine, and would like to find out as much about it from that angle as possible (Leon's website includes some of the history, as well as links to other sources). I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has more information along these lines, or who has built a replica and would care to comment on my theories.


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## RickWeber

Mr. Ridenour did a fine job with his sketches for the Ford engine. However, there are some problems with his plans that several posters on this website have encountered. And, many solutions to those problems have also been posted here.

I am in the process of compiling the best of these solutions along with a couple of mine and creating an accurate new set of plans for this engine. My version, which appears very close to Mr. Ridenour's and Ford's original will be available free as pdfs on this website when I finish them. This set includes drawings of important features and subassemblies not included in the Ridenour plans.

Yes, I'm guessing that you are right about the tee. I also don't believe that Ford used a standard plumbing tee in his model. And this is why many who have built this model have encountered compression issues due to the oversize combustion chamber that a tee provides, even when stuffing it with JB Weld. On my version, I silver soldered a plug in the end of the cylinder tube and ran the tube all the way back in the tee, just past the spark plug. A steel cross tube, with NPT male threads on both ends, runs through and is silver soldered to the cylinder tube. The intake and exhaust valves are then screwed onto this cross tube. Everything is tight, and with the two rings that Mr. Ridenour sells fitted to a properly-dimensioned piston running in the honed cylinder, the compression is more than adequate for the engine to run on Coleman fuel.

In fact, my engine starts and runs nicely with one whip of the flywheel, even when cold. (I wonder if Ford ran his prototype on naphtha, which was commonly available at that time, or gasoline.)

I had hoped to have the drawings finished by now, but am now guessing it will be late May.


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## kquiggle

Rick - 

My own feeling is that there is a bit of conflict between trying to create a historically accurate reproduction of "Ford's first" as opposed to making a working version using modern materials.

Your comments about naptha are a case in point. It's very difficult to know what Ford used as fuel for his engine, not only because it's not mentioned in any history I have found, but also because the definitions for "naphtha" and "gasoline" are all over the map. There were many petroleum distillates sold as gasoline and naphtha in 1893, and they were certainly not the same as what we have today. 

Coleman lantern fuel (per Wikipedia) "is a mixture of cyclohexane, nonane, octane, heptane, and pentane." Based on my so far limited research, naphtha in 1893 was probably a mixture of mostly heptane and pentane, so Coleman fuel may be a fair approximation, although probably not as volatile as "1893 naphtha." My guess is that a low compression engine like Ford's first, using a contact igniter and no carburetor, would likely work much better with a highly volatile fuel mixture.

Other historical questions arise with respect to the ignition system. Ford connected his engine to a light socket (in his day, I assume 110 V DC); according to drawings prepared much later, the engine was wired in series with the light bulb. There is conflicting evidence as to whether Ford used a spark coil or not, but my guess is that he did not.

What this all adds up to, I think, is that getting the engine to work is going to take a bit of tinkering because it is very difficult to replicate the original engine exactly. Currently available information on the engine is somewhat suspect, as the only available drawings were created in 1944 - fifty years after the engine was built, and those drawings are not very detailed.


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## kquiggle

Rick - 

I concur with your idea about building a historically accurate engine, as I would like to do that also. Toward that end, I have been conducting some research on the engine and related materials and technology around 1893.

My research is in the early stages, but in the interest of furthering discussion, I have created a website to document my findings. The website (link below) is a work in progress, so I expect it will be growing and changing as I do further research (and I may well change some of my early conclusions).

I welcome comments, criticism, and contributions from all interested persons.


https://sites.google.com/site/lagad...es-mills-etc/build---ford-s-first-engine-1893


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## vascon2196

Wow...I just came across this! I have not seen another Ford's first engine in a while. I've also been busy building a full-size replica of Ford's first car, the Quadricycle. I can't wait for the engine shows this summer....looking forward to seeing everyone's great craftsmanship.

I fired my Ford engine up for my students...they get a kick out of it.


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## kquiggle

Chris - 

I'd love to get a look at your Quadricycle - please post an update some time to let us know where you will be showing it.

In the meanwhile, I've been continuing my more modest efforts in researching Ford's first engine. I have also been in contact with the Ford museum, and am making plans to get a first hand look at the original engine later this year. I have a whole list of questions about the engine I would like to get answers to; if anyone in this group has similar questions let me know what they are and I'll be happy to try to get answers (though of course I can't promise that I will be successful).


More updates here:

https://sites.google.com/site/lagad...es-mills-etc/build---ford-s-first-engine-1893


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## vascon2196

The Quadricycle is still at least a year away from completing but I'll keep everyone on this site posted for sure.

I have read 7 books about Ford and there are conflicting facts about his first engine. Even Ford himself mentioned that the engine was destroyed right after he proved it was going to work. He described it with little detail but enough for people to piece it together and create an engine.

Ford modeled it after the Kane-Pennington engine.

Hopefully you get a few more "real" answers from the folks at the museum.

Good luck.


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## kquiggle

Chris - 

Thanks for the comment. This is the first time I have heard Kane-Pennington mentioned in connection with the Ford engine; do you happen to recall where this is documented?

You are right about conflicting facts - even the few items at the Ford Museum website are not in full agreement with each other. Meanwhile, I'm having an interesting time looking at historical materials on the development of the internal combustion engine; right now I'm going through old editions of a publication called "Horseless Age" - fascinating stuff.

The people at the museum have been very helpful so far; I'm looking forward to a visit later this year.


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## vascon2196

Here is an image I found online...you will notice the similarities.


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## Cymro77

I like the flywheel.  Keep it!


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## kquiggle

The Kane-Pennington engine does have a number of similarities to the Ford engine, but what I would really like to find is a quote from Ford saying that he studied that particular engine, or words to that effect. During my research, I have looked at a fair number of patents and publications from the era, and not surprisingly, have run across any number of engines with one or more features similar to the Ford engine.


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## vascon2196

I'll check the books I have...I'm almost positive there is a paragraph or two related to his first engine. I'll post what I find.


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## kquiggle

Chris - 

Much appreciated. There are of course a ton of books on Henry Ford, but most of them focus on his life with Ford Motor and later. Would you care to recommend any books that are more relevant to the topic at hand?


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## vascon2196

kquiggle said:


> Chris -
> 
> Would you care to recommend any books that are more relevant to the topic at hand?



This one is pretty good. He talks about his childhood and seeing his first engine.


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## kquiggle

Thanks for the reference - plus I found it free on google books: https://books.google.com/books?id=8elRmsxDBWsC&dq=editions:jJfDO-snbtQC&pg=PP11#v=onepage&q&f=false

I already started reading it, and it contradicts the history published on the Ford Museum site.


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## RickWeber

My Ford engine has a new home in Burbank, CA.


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## vascon2196

RickWeber said:


> My Ford engine has a new home in Burbank, CA.


Awesome!!!!!


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## doug11k

RickWeber said:


> My Ford engine has a new home in Burbank, CA.


Rick,
Did you ever finish your drawings with mods?


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## RickWeber

No, sorry... we got caught up in a move to our new home and building a new shop. It is still on my check list, though. Stay tuned.


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## Rolland

This was one I built a couple of years ago.


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## Rolland

This is the two cylinder that Leon made some time back there were no plans or drawings other than photos so it was reverse engineeredhe has the information


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## el gringo

another one


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## el gringo

yet another one


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## bikerbob

RickWeber said:


> Not sure if you want the first or second engine. I'm creating plans for the first Ford engine (single cylinder), drawing from the Ford archives, Leon Ridenour's sketches, and suggested improvements by posters on this forum. The plans include subtle mods that allow for easier construction, at the same time solving some of the frustrations some builders have had getting their engines to run. Stay tuned for pdf files on this website.


If still available could I recieve plans for the first engine; forward to [email protected]
Thank you


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## doug11k

Bob,
See post #35


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## nel2lar

I have got a cast iron curve spoke wheel. The only thing is the wheel is about 4 foot high. I have entertained the idea to make this engine scaled up in all portions. I need to get off the pot and do something. 
Beautiful engine.
Nelson


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## Jennifer Edwards

RickWeber said:


> I'd like to send out a big *Thank You* to Chris ("Vascon2196") and all the others on this forum who posted advice in helping Chris get his Ford engine running. This undoubtedly saved me a huge amount of time in constructing mine.
> 
> I was able to avoid problems with valve seating, electrical, carburetor, etc. by either studying Chris' solutions or incorporating solutions proposed by others. I also was able to come up with a couple innovations to make building this engine easier than past designs, while still having the look and feel of Ford's original prototype.
> 
> It took about ten minutes worth of tinkering with the carburetion and it was off and running on Coleman fuel.
> 
> I'm now in the process of tearing it down to clean up the details and install the battery and buzz coil in the base. When I get it re-assembled, I'll post photos and provide pdf files of my valve and cylinder mods.
> 
> P.S.   (The flywheel is a pretty ugly casting. Any suggestions on a 13-inch dia alternative?)
> 
> View attachment 82055


i now this reply is rather late, but I just LOVE the look of that flywheel. it seems apropriate to the priod that ford was dong his thing. Also I am willing to bet that old Henry used whatever he could scrounge up when first experimenting with his engine.


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