This engine restoration article could easily have been titled “Restoration Interrupted”, as it dragged on for quite some time longer than I thought it would and was sidelined at various times as well. As my fellow Sydney Antique Machinery Club members are aware, I am also a keen car enthusiast and I find that having a few cars to maintain and keep on the road seems to push the stationary engines aside at times.

One thing I love about our engines is that you can always come back to a shed-stored engine or a stalled restoration project and there is little that would have deteriorated in the interim – try that with a car and you’ll often find dead batteries, hard, flat-spotted tyres, and seized brakes!

Over the years, my engine collection has gravitated towards the American ma