Yair . . . I've been off line with computer/connection issues and I saw your detail about the Gray Marine engines but didn't get in a reply before my system crashed . . . and now I've forgotten the thread. It's interesting how old wives tales are propagated. In northern Australia and the Pacific islands the 6-71 was known as a "grey" or "gray" marine even if it wasn't. After the war here must have been thousands of them out there, I suppose as spares for the Higgins boats and what all. The old feller I worked for at Kiapit in the early seventys still had six or eight he'd scored on a forty-four gallon drum collecting trip up to Manus . . . they were still packed in grease in ply wood crates with U.S. markings. They ended up in all sorts of unlikely and unsuitable applications. Just before my time there was a bit of consternation when the boys had stuffed one into a Thornycroft and didn't realise it was a mirror image variant with reverse rotation. LOL. Cheers.
I wondered where you've been. The thread you're looking for is here: HeavyEquipmentForums
G'day Scrub Puller - Yeah, I wondered where you went to. A lot of BS tales are made up by people trying to impress others, when they really don't have a clue about origins. I make a study of industrial manufacturing history - it really is interesting, to see how companies evolve or disappear, and how they are usually only successful when they have a driving force behind them - sometimes an individual, but more often two or sometimes up to 5 or 6 people who operate together very successfully. Typical of this, is a fascinating little book called "The Birth of the Chrysler Corporation & its Engineering Legacy", by Carl Breer. Breer was an engineer with the Zeder-Skelton-Breer Engineering Co, who worked on engineering design improvements for Chrysler. The ZSB group produced a huge range of ideas and improvements that led to Chrysler being a leader in the auto manufacturing field all through the 1920's and into the 1950's. The ZSB men introduced curved windshields, hydraulic brakes, "fresh air" heaters, air cleaners, oil filters, all-steel car bodies, Amola steel, super-finished crankshafts, stellite valves, and a host of other major engineering achievements that still stand as outstanding achievements in their time. Interesting to hear about the Gray Marine engines left behind during WW2. The Gray Marine engines powered many American landing craft that were a boon in the Pacific Islands - LST's LCT's, LCI's, LCA's, LCR's, LCE's, LCP's, LCS's, LCV's, LCF's - the list is huge. The counter-rotational engines were used to prevent handling problems with twin screw vessels. With counter-rotating props, it cancels out the tendency to drive the craft sideways. Cat produced a number of their big V-series engines of the 1950's with both RH and LH rotation for twin-powered U.S. Navy craft.
Two of the best books of the sort I've read are: R.G. Letourneau, mover of men and mountains, and a history of the Cummins engine company that was commissioned by the company for an anniversary in the early '90s.
Yes, any books on both R.G. Le Tourneau and Clessie Cummins are good reading. R.G. Le Tourneau had an amazingly inventive mind - even if a lot of his ideas were somewhat oddball. I was particularly interested to see, in the story of Clessie Cummins, the support and impact of the Irwin, Sweeney and Miller families who were all tied in with the Irwin banking operations. The Irwins & Millers bankrolled Clessie for 20 yrs without a single dollar of return. They were bankers with a social conscience, and they are a part of modern America that is missing today. The Irwin believed in Clessies dream, and continued to bankroll him, even though many of Clessies ideas failed. In todays world, the instant the modern-day Irwin banking group didn't get 15% ROI immediately - or looked like losing a dollar - they would have pulled the rug from under Clessie, unceremoniously. Then they would have turned around and sold Clessies ideas to the Chinese, so they could generate 15% ROI immediately. I personally feel that some of America's problems today, are related to "quick-return" greed, and a lack of social conscience towards anyone other than shareholders. After all, the benefits from Irwins wise investment and support of Clessie Cummins, are still with us after more than 85 years. If the Irwin family had withdrawn support from Clessie early on in the piece, looking for instant rewards, Clessie would have probably ended up, just another "failed inventor".
Well said, Oz