Saturday, August 29, 2009

1940s Crosley

It's rare to see Crosley 2 door sedans, nevermind the stationwagon. They were mechanically advanced for their time..that's an overhead cam engine, 4 cylinder, under the hood.
They were the first American car with front disc brakes..unfortunately they rusted badly, and had to be replaced with conventional shoes and drums. But it was quite a tribute to a company that got started selling Crosley radios.



The CoBra (Copper Brazed, also known as "The Mighty Tin") was originally developed by Lloyd Taylor, of Taylor Engines in California, for military use aboard PT boats and B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. The engine was made from sheet metal rather than cast iron like most other engines. This was done to get a thin, uniform wall thickness and thus avoid the creation of hot spots around the combustion chamber that could ignite the fuel, causing pre-ignition (knocks). These engines were used mainly to power generators, refrigeration compressors, etc., and were widely praised for their successes in the war effort.

The engine was not adopted for automobile use until 1946. It was a very small, very lightweight engine; the block weighed only 14.8 pounds (6.7 kg); complete with all accessories (including the flywheel) weighing only 133 pounds (60 kg). The engine displaced a mere 44 cu in (0.721 L) and produced 26 horsepower (19 kW) at 5200 rpm. Longevity was not a requirement for their war duties, but unfortunately, corrosion became a problem for engines in long-term service, as in automobiles. Serious problems led to a tarnished reputation as the power plants in Crosley cars.
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