Bill Tenney's Class C Alky Twin Engine Couplers??

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

took apart and rebuilt 2 of least damaged of the 5 known engine couplers Bill Tenney used to couple 2 Anzani 250s to run C Alky? or D? in the NOA back sometime in the 1960s. I never seen anything like them. They again now run so smooth you can easily rotate them either direction with your thumb and forefinger doing the twisting. There is nothing inside or out indicating who or what company built these twin engine couplers though its obvious they look custom built. What is so cool about them is that you can set the twins to fire cylinders at whatever degree per multiple cylinders you divide by, right around the degree clock by gear measurement meshing points. With Anzanis there is no way to tell if he ran the twins firing each engine 180 degrees part in pairs or set them to fire alternating and firing at every 90 degrees of rotation?

What is really eye popping is the pre-cut and pre-punched for drilling 9/16 inch thick adaptor plate to fit 2 of some size of Merc 4 cylinder between 30 to 40 and 44 cubic inches as twins like the Anzani 2 bangers, but it was never drilled and finished. Eight cylinders of Merc with 8 stacks configued exhausting rearwards? Lifting an Anzani twin block C Alky is one thing! I was told by old hands that they were very heavy and went very fast. What about a 8 cylinder (twin coupled) Merc? Ouch! Class F? or old Class X?

Does anyone out there recall any information on these couplers Bill Tenney used?? Who was the daredevil NOA driver and on what?

[Fast Fred]

how about a shot of it. is it like a two into one, sidebyside or stack.

[Tim Chance]

Floyd Harris of Minneapolis ran the doubled up C motor around 1962, '63, or '64. I don't clearly remember it on a hydro but Floyd ran it on a 13' Desilva runabout. If it ever ran on a hydro Dick Pond of Keokuk, Iowa ran it. Floyd won US-1 as NOA National High Point a couple of times and I know I have a photo of the Runabout somewhere, but I think it has a Mercury on it not the Anzani(s). I also have a photo that I got from Bill Tenney of the twin engine somewhere. I remember that they used to take a lot of time getting the motors timed together, but later found it didn't make any difference and just put them on the lower unit. Jim Kolosky (eventually he became my pit man) was the only person who could crank the damn thing). Floyd would be about 70 years old now and I assume he still is in the Twin City area if you are interested in looking him up. And I saw Dick at the Memorial race for O. F. Christner a couple of years ago in Quincy and I think he still lives in Keokuk. I also don't think there was a D, and the C turned back into two A's. I think the Kaus brothers from Austin, Minn. ended up with one and I don't know about the other.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

In my spare time I have been overhauling the 2 coupler transmissions. I have and just dead reconing and some vague advice from some who seen or observed it that have been telling me the layout that I have to be able to mock setup the twin engine C the way it was "supposed" to be back then. Memories dim with age though. It would sure be appreciated if I could get some phone numbers and resulting some pictures copies or something similar done to do the eacting version from back in the early 1960s. I do know that I have all the parts and I have set versions together but the actual picture would setup the exact twin Anzani engine C Alky. I appreciate just how heavy the twin engine used to be.

The coupler transmissions are sure low drag, easy to turn. I wonder if Bill Tenney set the engines to fire a cylinder every 90 or 2 at each 180 degrees. Both are quite possible and would be had to tell apart because its all internal though one might think that the 90 degrees of firing one cylinder would be easier on the gearcases than a 180 setting for both Anzanis? The 180 degree firing order with 2 pistons firing at a time would sound distinctly different than 1 cylinder firing every 90.

I will be some pictures on here quite soon, its just a matter of polishing, painting, assembling but I would prefer to post it as a completed project the way it was as opposed to dead reconing imagination. I would be pleased with any knowlegeable healp and pictures you Tim or anyone else I can contact could give me.

When the twin is final assembled it already has more than 50% NOS Anzani parts and be able to start and run.

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

I remember Dale Kaus the most. Both brothers sure could drive like mad. When I met Dale it was to discuss buying his Sidcraft hydro (still got its picture with the runabout stacted over top) and getting a A or B Looper at the time but got talked out of it by alarmed locals who were into stock outboard racing only, who finally turned loose some of their multiples of 30Hs and 55Hs loose so more people couild buy a boat and drive. It was either do it or watch people cross over or loose them. I then got my first 55H and 30H and that was already into the 1970s and the KG9s and 40Hs went to new drivers getting started on student's racing budgets. I still wish I kept 1 Merc KG9, 40H and the Asburn banana D-Alky runabout. There were/are classics.

[Tim Chance]

I remember Dale Kaus the most. Both brothers sure could drive like mad. When I met Dale it was to discuss buying his Sidcraft hydro (still got its picture with the runabout stacted over top) and getting a A or B Looper at the time but got talked out of it by alarmed locals who were into stock outboard racing only, who finally turned loose some of their multiples of 30Hs and 55Hs loose so more people couild buy a boat and drive. It was either do it or watch people cross over or loose them. I then got my first 55H and 30H and that was already into the 1970s and the KG9s and 40Hs went to new drivers getting started on student's racing budgets. I still wish I kept 1 Merc KG9, 40H and the Asburn banana D-Alky runabout. There were/are classics.

Yes those brothers could drive. I had a C runabout with a real good Quincy deflector. The schedule worked out that I could run C and then leave the motor on the boat and later I would have Loren step up and run F. He used to win on a regular basis. Would just smoke the 44's. That Sid Craft. It was John Wood's old D Mod boat and Dale ran A and B flatheads on it (Loren ran runabouts). A co-worker of mine bought it when the Kaus' quit, for me to run. I can't remember where it went after that. And the Ashburn runabouts. I was 11 years old when I saw my first race. I still remember 2 Ashburn's going at it side-by-side with 4-cyl Mercs. Thinking back it had to be Stan Doseth of Minneapolis and Bruce Kline the Fire Chief of LaPorte City, Iowa. As to the photo of the 4-cyl Anzani that I got from Bill Tenney. I have it in a box marked "Boat Racing Memroabilia". The box is in a safe place. So safe, I can't find it. But I will and when I do I'll send it to you if you'll send me your address. My e-mail is timchanceracing@yahoo.com To Fast Fred: the motors were side-by-side.