OT: overland car

karl f · Apr 3, 2009

Anyone with any information about Overland cars? I have an engine/transmission out of one i wish to make a life long project. It's a four cylinder, L head. 20s or earlier. i'm guessing a 3ish x 4ish bore and stroke. Unique design, the generator would bolt to the timing cover and the distributor is driven by the generator.
I cannot find as useful of websites about them as yt is about tractors.
pistons, bearings, valves, carb, intake manifold, timing gear and distributor have me worried about even getting to the point of running engine. manifold, gear, and distributor are missing, carb is rotten--who knew gray colored non-ferrous metal could "rust" away?
any type of info you could provide i will appreciate, even basic hints about basket case orphan engines. it's a real basket case too, sitting on a rock pile for 60 years! should i just start disassembling and assessing?
Not sure what i want to do with it when engine is restored/functional, maybe make a tractor, or do a reverse hot rod--put the old low power powertrain in the modern car, or a classic-looking kit car, or start a quest for body/etc. found out it was my grandpa's so it will have a place in my heart whatever i do, except selling of course!

thank you
karl f
email also is open.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 3, 2009

Not too familiar with Overland, except in the context of Willys-Overland, so I wnet to Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, the last year of production for any cars with the name Overland was 1926. So whatever you have for an engine, it's at least 80 years old.

There was mention of the sleeve-valve Willys-Knight engine...which is an engine, as I understand it, that had cylinder sleeves that moved up and down to reveal/conceal openings in the sleeve walls that would line up with the intake and exhaust ports and served the purpose of the engine valves. The sleeves were on a cam, much like the valves on more modern engines, and had to be timed. One of my grand-dad's contemporaries told me a story after grand-dad's passing about how grand-dad had come up with a way to use a test light to time the sleeve-valve Willys-Knight engine...he said they had to use their imagination to come up with these shop-designed solutions because manuals with actual factory-recommended service procedures on those engines were rare, even in the 1920's.

Sorry I can't be of any more help than that. I hope someone else can give you some information that can help you salvage that [apparently] classic engine.

Leroy · Apr 3, 2009

Would it possibly be the sleeve valve engine? Overland in various models used both regular valve and sleeve valve engines. I think they are covered in a shop manual that I have.

Duner Wi · Apr 3, 2009

REdmud who posts here has a 1915. Maybe he can help.
Check the archives.

Duner Wi · Apr 3, 2009

REdmud who posts here has a 1915. Maybe he can help.Check the archives.

Kruse · Apr 3, 2009

We had a local banker who had a Wilys-Knight. For his 50th anniversary he made his car o look like new. It was my understanding he bought two other cars to get parts for his wedding car. That was about 20 years ago.

JDemaris · Apr 3, 2009

My neighbor has a 1912 in his barn, along with a 1902 Oldsmobile.
Here are some specs from one of my Willys-Overland history/data books.

First Willys was sold as a "commercial car" and had a four-cylinder engine with 3 3/4" X 4 1/2" bore and stroke, 199 c.i.
1913 it got an engine a bit bigger, 4" X 4 1/2" with 226 c.i. 1914 increased to 4 1/8" X 4 1/2" and 240 c.i. 1916 it kept the 240 cube engine and also had a smaller 153 c.i. engine. 1917 it added a third engine - 179 c.i. with separate cylinders (not monoblock). 1920 a 143 c.i. engine came out, 3 3/8" X 4". 1924 it was increased to 154 c.i., 3 1/2" X 4". Taxi-cabs were available with bigger sixes.
1927 another new engine. Four cylinder 134 c.i., 3 1/8" X 4 3/8". Also the six cylinder with 170 c.i., 3" X 4". 1928 the six was elarged to 178 c.i. 1929 the four was increadsed to 129 c.i. 1930 a bigger six was added to the options with 192 c.i.
The Willys-Overland 134 c.i. four was carrried over to the Military Jeep.

Kestrel in CT · Apr 3, 2009

You're pretty brave to tackle that. Go to the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) web site's discussion forum and start there. You'll be in good company.

I copied this from a 1918 Country Gentleman magazine I have.

Good luck !

DScott · Apr 3, 2009

(quoted from post at 23:55:48 04/02/09) Anyone with any information about Overland cars? I have an engine/transmission out of one i wish to make a life long project. It's a four cylinder, L head. 20s or earlier. i'm guessing a 3ish x 4ish bore and stroke. Unique design, the generator would bolt to the timing cover and the distributor is driven by the generator.
I cannot find as useful of websites about them as yt is about tractors.
pistons, bearings, valves, carb, intake manifold, timing gear and distributor have me worried about even getting to the point of running engine. manifold, gear, and distributor are missing, carb is rotten--who knew gray colored non-ferrous metal could "rust" away?
any type of info you could provide i will appreciate, even basic hints about basket case orphan engines. it's a real basket case too, sitting on a rock pile for 60 years! should i just start disassembling and assessing?
Not sure what i want to do with it when engine is restored/functional, maybe make a tractor, or do a reverse hot rod--put the old low power powertrain in the modern car, or a classic-looking kit car, or start a quest for body/etc. found out it was my grandpa's so it will have a place in my heart whatever i do, except selling of course!

thank you
karl f
email also is open.

Yea, I have one. It's a 1924. They are pretty neat and there's a lot of history to them. There is a Willys car club that can put you in contact with people well versed in these as well as parts and etc. You can find them at www.wokr.org/

karl f · Apr 3, 2009

thanks everyone. i have a Dykes automobile encyclopedia from 1929 that gives some info too, but not enough of course. I also got a owners manual from ebay on the model 91 and 92, the design is most similar to those particular models. now I need to find a serial number and list and off i go!

would be neat if it was a willys-knight, but it's the overland L head. Still special in its rarity and sentimental value.

karl f

karl f · Apr 3, 2009

dscott, do you have any pics of the engine??
thanks
karl f
floor_it @ yahoo.com

DScott · Apr 3, 2009

(quoted from post at 11:00:01 04/03/09) dscott, do you have any pics of the engine??
thanks
karl f
floor_it @ yahoo.com

No, I sure don't. The car is at my BIL's right now in storage. I had some of the engine and carb but I can't find them right now. I'll keep looking and if they turn up I'll post them.

OT: overland car

karl f

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Anonymous-0

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Leroy

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Duner Wi

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Duner Wi

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Kruse

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JDemaris

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Kestrel in CT

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DScott

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karl f

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karl f

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DScott

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