International Harvester 1½ hp. M

Below are a few pictures of an International Harvester 1½ hp. kerosene engine my brother and I got about six years ago. Since this engine is pretty heavily covered with oil and grease I'm hoping there is not too much rust. The flywheels are covered with rust but no apparent deep pitting like on some engines I have worked with.

As the pictures show the fuel system has had some modification from original. To start with we will probably use the existing carburetion until we find the proper two fuel carburetor for it. I understand there were two different types of carburetors used on the kerosene engines and I would like to know whether the two or three needle valve unit is correct for this engine.

At first the plan was to restore it to the way it last ran with the modified fuel system but since we have found out that it is one of the relatively rare early understrike types we will eventually restore it back to original. According to the serial number it was manufactured in 1918.

January, 2007 - The engine has now been restored to close to the condition it would have left the factory in 1918. The restoration occurred in the spring and summer of 2006. I took many pictures during the refurbishment and have added links at the bottom of this page to several pages of pictures that I think may be of interest to others working on engines of this type. Except for size, the 3 and 6 hp. type M engines are close to being a carbon copy of this 1½ hp. example.

There were many missing parts including most of the fuel system but by doing a fair amount of research I'm convinced that the replacements obtained through eBay and other sources are correct for this engine.

This is not meant to be a tutorial on how to restore an engine since there are so many different variables regarding any specific engine but more of a resource of pictorial information about this very popular type. The pictures do show a few of the tools and methods that were available to us. I originally took the pictures just to document progress and as a reference for how things should go back together.

The engine runs fine on the magneto but for now we are using a battery for starting.

There are larger pictures lurking behind these thumbnails

	As you can see, the overall condition is typical. Lots of dirt and rust and missing parts.
	Apparently there were major problems with the fuel system. Now it is fitted with a gravity flow tank.
	Also there has been a little modification of the carburetor. This was probably added due to the gravity flow fuel tank. Note the weight wired on to keep the choke open.
	Per the serial number on the tag it appears to have been made in mid 1918.
	Fuel pump body seems good but the plunger is missing.
	Ignitor is good.
	Most of the bits and pieces except for fuel system.
	eBay acquisitions.

Click here to see some pictures showing the relationship of the crank and cam gears for proper timing. These were taken to help a friend put an engine together that had NO marked teeth.

Click here for a page of pictures taken during the clean up and restoration.

Click here for another page of pictures during restoration.

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Updated February 9, 2007

Travelocity