On Thu, 12 Jan 1995 TATERRY@aol.com wrote:
> Some one told me once that every B-29 (that was a WWII bomber for you younger
> SOL'ers) had a Crosley engine in the wing to power the Aux system in case one
> I quote form the 1953 "Sports Car Album", which incidently features a
> Arnolt-MG on the cover, under the Siata section "The beautiful little Spider
> roadster can be bought in Italy w/WW for less than $2,000; its then fitted by
> the customer with the engine of his choice. An American would choose the
> excellent Crosley "Super Sports" engine for which Nardi has speed
I had heard of Crosley CoBra sheet metal engines being used as stationary
power sources during the war. Their extremely light weight would make it
feasible to use them in aircraft, though I had not heard of it. I wonder
how it would work--would the Crosley be running all the time, or just be
started as the plane began its death spiral? "Oh, Lord, Charlie, the
right engine is on fire. Start the Crosley, or our geese are cooked." I
don't recall that line from any John Wayne movies.
But wait a minute, didn't the B29 have four engines? With one engine out,
there would still be 3 huge engines to call upon. Wouldn't a tiny 4
banger be sort of superfluous? And the thought of 4 little Crosley
engines in the wings... Anyway, it makes a good story. I guess we could
look it up somewhere, but wotthehell. Roland is real old, maybe he will
know.
The Super Sports was an upmarket (well, upmarket in Crosley terms) version
of the HotShot (better trim, sort of real doors) and the engine would be
cast iron.
If someone wants to give you one, I would take it. Make a heck of a lamp
or coffee table base, if nothing else, and a Siata might turn up.
Sorry for this non-brit car post folks; I am supposed to be reviewing an
article about ion channels in fat cells, and somehow it has not captured
my imagination.
Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
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