Nutgone goes all Lister! (Lister A tank cooled project).

What a lovely day it's been here. The sun has been shining, the birds were singing, spring is in the air.

A perfect day to buy a new project methinks.......

Tank Cooled Lister A anyone???







It needs a mag, fuel & water tanks & a trolley making up, but it turns over, so can't be too bad. I think this will be another engine fund project, I seem to remember that restored Lister A types are fetching good money these days, & I need some money for the rallies this season.

If there's any cracks in it I will walk away though, I think. Unless someone here can advise me on these engines (I'm not big on Listers).

Anyone got any idea what I could've paid for it? Or what I should have paid for it? I think the hopper cooled ones are more sought after, but I'm pretty sure the tank cooled ones are quite popular as well.

Any thoughts? Have I made a big mistake, or am I heading in the right direction?

Here's a quick copy & paste of the description....

Here we have a RA Lister stationary engine with twin flywheels

Type A Spec 55 HP 2 1/2 RPM 600 No 49648

Twin flywheel, single cyclinder which turns over with both valves opening and closing

Comes with starting handle

It is a nice looking engine and would be a lovely project for someone!!!

Has no magneto, so sold as spares or repairs.

We have a loader here to assist loading!

Any idea on age???

You should send a letter to David Edington and all i know Is that the single flywheel versions are more sought after You should get the book aswell, the A and B story

I think single flywheel ones are really big money these days, as they were the very early ones. But that's about as far as my knowledge goes.

If this one has any signs of frost cracks or damage I think I may just walk away, as nothing was mentioned in the description. But I would like to hear from anyone else who knows a bit more than I do on these engines (that's not difficult though, as I know very little).

Anything really bad I should look out for? What about a mag? Could I make a Wico A fit? Would this have had a Lucas RS or the ML magneto originally?

I see it still has it's fuel pump, is there an oil pump on these? Is it a combined pump like the larger Listers (I had a Lister L hopper cooled when I was about 14, but I only ever got as far as taking it apart before my parents announced they were selling the house & going to live on a boat, so I had to get rid of it).

Any & all info greatly received.

Also, could I get hold o a hopper cooled head/barrel or this & change it to hopper cooling? Would it be worth the trouble?

If it was a complete scrapper, should I get it anyway? I'm sure I could break it for spares if it was un-restorable (& you know I wouldn't do that unless it was really bad, after all I've repaired all sorts over the past few months).

I have a lister A book right infront of me so I can tell you that the rs1 was introduced in approx 1937 any other questions I could probably answer

nutgone wrote:Here's a quick copy & paste of the description....

Here we have a RA Lister stationary engine with twin flywheels

Type A Spec 55 HP 2 1/2 RPM 600 No 49648

Twin flywheel, single cyclinder which turns over with both valves opening and closing

Comes with starting handle

It is a nice looking engine and would be a lovely project for someone!!!

Has no magneto, so sold as spares or repairs.

We have a loader here to assist loading!

Any idea on age???

Best guess is August 1925 as Serial# 49657 was built on that date, so yours may be a bit older but I would assume not by too much, In the book it is called "new pattern" and presumably was a tank cooled engine.

Regards, John.

Welcome to the A clan nutts .

Great engines they are runs all day long , feal free to ask me any questions on them i have stripped 3 down over the years .

Matt

Smitty wrote:

Best guess is August 1925 as Serial# 49657 was built on that date, so yours may be a bit older but I would assume not by too much, In the book it is called "new pattern" and presumably was a tank cooled engine.

Regards, John.

Cheers John, I think the "New Pattern" bit may be something to do with the change over from single to twin flywheels, but that's just a guess.

I didn't think it would be that old TBH, quite surprised, it'll be my oldest engine.

matt86 wrote:Welcome to the A clan nutts .

Great engines they are runs all day long , feal free to ask me any questions on them i have stripped 3 down over the years .

Matt

Anything nasty I should look out or Matt, apart from the obvious frost damage & big end knocks I mean?

Any little oddities that are particular to these engines???

nutgone wrote:

matt86 wrote:Welcome to the A clan nutts .

Great engines they are runs all day long , feal free to ask me any questions on them i have stripped 3 down over the years .

Matt

Anything nasty I should look out or Matt, apart from the obvious frost damage & big end knocks I mean?

Any little oddities that are particular to these engines???

nothing really , just check the mains dont rubble too much , and the big end is in good condition . A real robust engine . Oh watch out on the shaft where the rockers piviot ans the rockers seize to the shaft ... Thats why there is a greaser for the shaft .

matt

Oh yours is a standard rotation engine which is anticlockwise . So get a anticlockwise rs1 or sr1

matt

Cheers Matt. I've got a couple of anticlockwise Wico A mags, but both have busted coils, so might just look out or a Lucas one, or even an ML mag. I have a Lucas SR1 (anticlock) on the bench, but that's got no coil in either, I was going to use it for my magneto experiments.

Anyway, I will look out for a mag, & a sprocket to fit it (although I might just have one of those too). It'll want a chain too, & a silencer, but there's a guy on eBay who does those cheap(ish).

Not even sure where it's going yet, I think it'll have to live outside here for now. I need to finish this Ruston Hornsby 6PB first though, as it's for someone else & has a deadline attached. I can give the Lister a spray with my home made easing oil in the meantime though.

Still got to pick it up yet.

Thanks for the info Matt, that's very handy. I know where to come now.

Nice engine Nuts this has come as a bit of a suprise.

If there is any frost damage you can sometimes get away with using plastic metal to seal it.

Stu.

Surprise? Yes indeed. I was quite surprised myself, I didn't have any plans for another project just yet, but I suppose you've got to grab these things when they come along.

Still no word from the seller yet, unless eBay aren't emailing me when I get a message. I will have to check my account. Hope he's not going to mess me about. I think I bought a Tarpen off him last year (the first one I bought, second one I restored on here though). He might just be busy.

BTW, when I come to offload it, would it be OK to roll it down a pair o ramps on the flywheels (if I was very careful). I remember buying a hopper cooled Lister L years ago & that was pulled out of a ditch & up a hill on it's flywheels. Mind you, that was seized solid, so it didn't do much rolling. It was muddy though, I remember the 2 lines left in the turf up the bank. I also remember the shackle giving way on the Tirfer winch that the bloke was using, a piece of it flew just past my left ear like a bullet!

Anyway, can I roll it on it's flywheels? I've got a trolley to put it on (the barrow trolley I had the Kohler on before, which came with the Stuart Turner P6), so I would roll it down onto that, it wouldn't be resting on the flywheels for long.

Personally I think it would be ok to use the flywheels for the short distance but at the end of the day it's up to you if you want to take the risk.

Stu.

One of our local guys used to unload his Amanco from his van, flip it upside down, then trundle it across the rallyfield on it's flywheels like wheeling a wheelbarrow to ware he was running it. Never needed a trolley and it didn't appear to cause it any harm, he did take the oiler off though.

Pete.

I know Stuart Turner tell you not to rest their engines on the flywheel (as the flywheel is lower than the engine block, so they say when the engine is removed it must be put on wood blocks), but a Stuart Turner flywheel is a different kettle of fish.

I thought it would probably be fine, but thought I'd better ask just in case anyone knew anything specific about it. It's only going to be on it's way out o the car anyway. I will probably try to position the trolley under & between the ramps (if I manage to get hold of any ramps in time) & roll it down until the engine base is resting on the trolley.

If I can't get hold of any ramps then I'm not sure what I'll do. It's going to be a heavy lump for my dad & me to lug about, might have to get Ian to give us a hand. Or just go to Wickes & buy a couple of lengths of 4X2 to roll it down. Then use them to make the proper trolley. (the trolley I'm loading it onto is just a temporary one).

Thanks for the advice guys.

Oh yes, I just heard back from the seller as well. I can collect it any day but Thursday. Best get some ramps sorted I suppose. Can't get it until tomorrow at the earliest anyway, as I'm skint until then!

Hopefully You are now hooked on Lister's

Lewis MacRae wrote:Hopefully You are now hooked on Lister's

Dunno about that Lewis, I always like to be that little bit different (although some of my engines are so "different" I can't run them at rallies, like the Homelite, it runs at about 3000-4000rpm & sounds like a chainsaw. You're never likely to see another, but as "exhibits" go it's not the most friendly on the ear ).

I'm picking it up tomorrow though!

Trouble is my back hurts after pulling & pushing the Kohler around yesterday, I just hope it's ok by the morning. The seller has a tractor with a loader to help us load it up, I'm going to pop into Wickes & get some timber to roll it down to get it out.

I hear they're quite heavy. Can someone refresh my memory as to just how heavy they actually are???

nutgone wrote:

Lewis MacRae wrote:Hopefully You are now hooked on Lister's

Dunno about that Lewis, I always like to be that little bit different (although some of my engines are so "different" I can't run them at rallies, like the Homelite, it runs at about 3000-4000rpm & sounds like a chainsaw. You're never likely to see another, but as "exhibits" go it's not the most friendly on the ear ).

I'm picking it up tomorrow though!

Trouble is my back hurts after pulling & pushing the Kohler around yesterday, I just hope it's ok by the morning. The seller has a tractor with a loader to help us load it up, I'm going to pop into Wickes & get some timber to roll it down to get it out.

I hear they're quite heavy. Can someone refresh my memory as to just how heavy they actually are???

They are quite heavy A 13 year old and 59 year old can lift one on the trolley with ease.
Cheers Dan

Well I don't struggle much with lifting, but my dad's around 70 now & struggles a bit (he does OK though, but he was a self employed car mechanic all through the 80s & much of the 90s, he used to lift engines in & out on his own & do clutches & gearboxes etc, so needs to watch himself these days).

I'm sure we'll manage, but I know my brother & I (both 33, almost 34 & reasonably fit where lifting is concerned) struggled with a Lister D, but I think that was more due to the awkwardness of it & having nothing to grab hold of.

I saw that one on Ebay and lamented the distance that I live from where most of the bargains are

mm5aho wrote:I saw that one on Ebay and lamented the distance that I live from where most of the bargains are

Believe me, the bargains are still few & far between, even here. I think a lot of buyers down here want running & restored engines, this one took a good eye to spot the "potential" in it.

Also, I think it was partly because it was such a nice sunny day yesterday, I bet a lot of potential buyers were still out enjoying the last of the daylight as it was just fading into night-time around then (8:00pm). & it was a beautiful evening to sit out with a glass of wine. These things often get forgotten or people think "I've got enough projects". I think it's coming into the wrong time of year for projects as well, most enthusiasts are thinking about showing off all their winter's work. That's the trouble with me, I don't know when to stop!

Anyway, keep an eye out, there'll be pics of it on here tomorrow, all being well. I've spoken to the seller today & he assures me the water jacket is all good on it, & as most of the paint is gone I should be able to spot any cracks quite easily.

Nice one mate. I saw that on eBay. Looks like a good project there I look foward to following your progress