Description

1929 Gerber engine.

John Gerber built this engine during the winter of 1929. After completing the 1929 racing season, John realized that he would need a new engine for his car if he was to continue to win races.

John got out his drawing board and proceeded to execute drawings for an overhead cam as well as a new special crankshaft and camshaft for the Chevrolet 4-cylinder engine block.

The Iowa Machine Company in Cedar Rapids owned by Pete Horsky and Bill Paseka, were doing a lot of John's machine work. John went to them with his plans and he made part of the patterns and Mr. Paseka made the balance.

To aid in his work, John installed a machine shop in a building behind in mother-in-laws home so he would have a good place to work.

The Muskegon Specialty Company produced the camshaft to John's specifications. Finkel & Sons, Chicago provided a flat forging to make a crankshaft and a Harley Davidson double-roller drive chain and sprockets served as a camshaft. The valve springs came from an overhead-cam 6-cylinder Stutz engine, the two oil pumps from an Overland "6", one for pressure and one for scavenger. He mounted the pressure pump on the end of the shaft, which was driven by a new gear that took the place of the old crankshaft gear. The sprocket that drove the overhead cam was also mounted on this shaft. The scavenger was mounted on the end of the water pump and magneto shaft.

He used an old-type Chevrolet engine block with a bracket instead of a bell housing around the flywheel and a 1928 Model A Ford multiple plate and flywheel.

He had patterns made for an aluminum crankcase and special pistons (discarding the Model T crankcase and transmission). The crankshaft was made for 4-3/8 inch stroke using Model A Ford connecting rods and Hudson Super "6" counter weights. The cylinder head was changed to accommodate two sparkplugs in each cylinder using a two-spark Bosch magneto. The overhead cam used the cup system of tappets and he changed the intake ports to downdraft. The carbureted gas entered into the top of the cylinder head using two late model downdraft Winfield carburetors. The cylinder head pattern was changed to bring intake gases in from the top.

The work took all winter and spring with the final work being done at the Iowa Machine Shop with the help of Messrs, Paseka, and Horsky.





EasternMuseumofMotorRacing