Qunicy Loopers FC64 FG52 FC62

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the crank is finally out of the block. looks like new pistons and rings are in order. she was 'rode hard and put away wet'. a lot of cleaning and soaking for right now. i was able to loosen the nuts on the rod but the center bearing is locked. a good soaking will do the trick. couldn't convince the wife to let me use the roasting pan for soaking so i'm off the get a pan and a hone for the cyls. i hope the crank cleans up.

frank

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went to sears and got a cyl hone and it did the trick. all the cyls cleaned up nicely. i got all the rods off and the crude is coming off. i thin a wire brush wheel will take alll the heavy crude off. then some emory cloth to bring it back to life. it's sweat equity time. the bottom of the rods has the imprint of the bearings, but i hope they will come out with emory. any suggestions as to whether i should scrap the pistons or try to get the imprints out with emory? i imagine the piston end will be the same. still trying to get the center beaing out. it's soaking and that will be tried later.richard ollhoff will be getting a call on monday for my piston order. here are 2 pictures of the honed block. big difference.

frank

[Original Looper 1]

Frank,

However you finally decide to clean your block, do not, repeat, do not, have your aluminum Quincy block boiled out in a commercial engine shop. Even if you have it done where they specialize in aluminum blocks, the heat and caustic emulsion could actually rotate the sleeves and misalign the ports to the block. Also, the extreme heat and duration of the heat could cause warpage to the block.

For all of you engine restorers out there, I too like to restore engines and by accident I came across a product called Evapo - Rust. It's military grade. The company is out of Texas and in talking with one of their reps, he told me they discovered this product by accident. It's non-caustic, it's biodegradable and it removes rust. I personally have had fantastic results using it. What it does chemically is to cause the rust to release it's hold on the metal. This company also makes many other good products, some used by our military and if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

Here is the toll free number for Orison Company to get one of their free product catalogues: 1-800-460-2403. The web site is www.orisonmarketing.com

One note: this product works only when the temperatures are above 70 degrees and it must remain wet to perform correctly (use it in the shade, not in direct sunlight).

Good luck with your Looper restorations and keep us all updated. You've convinced me you're a very determined person and determination is necessary for success.

thanks,

Paul A Christner

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paul,

thank you for your reply. i don't want to mess the engines up. i'm sure there a lot more loopers sitting out there waiting to restored and with the info you just provided just saved a lot of people a lot of heart ache. i went to the website and they had a 'before' pictute of a piston that looks just like mine do and the 'after' picture looks brand new. i will be ordering ith product today and will report back.

after the block is clean, what do you suggest i use for a paint? i had thought about jet coat but i think that would hold in the heat. it looked like your dad's shop painted them. am i correct. if so a good engine enamel would be good?

this project has been all i had hoped for. restoring theses engines has been a dream of mine, but never knew where to look for them. then once i got started the replies for you paul and all the others have been great. knowing the developers son is following this and giving advise not only to me but to others as well show me the family pride you have in any project that has a quincy looper involved. by the number count on the viewing from this project there are a lot of others following this. a lot of eyes reading and that is so cool. i will not let any of you down.

can't wait to clean this baby up!

thanks again paul,

frank

[Original Looper 1]

Frank,

I would most definitely say no to jet hot coating the engine block. The water system in your C Looper is marginal by today's standards, although it was contemporary for the 1960's time period in which it was designed.

I think that jet coating is primarily designed for exhaust systems and performance uses where insulating the heat of the exhaust advances the horsepower. With the Looper, I don't think the aluminum should even be painted. It's possible that Quincy Welding painted a few Loopers, but I am certain that the vast majority were left natural cast aluminum to better dissipate the heat.

Frank, we sold engines in kit form, assembled power heads and complete engine packages with lower unit and drivehousing. That being said, people can be and were creative in assembling their Loopers. It is possible yours was painted by the original owner. To my knowledge, I don't ever recall us painting a Looper block. We did paint the head gaskets and when looking at your pictures of the disassembled block, it appears your head gaskets were painted.

Now back to the surface cleaning of the block. I've seen some very poor looking finishes due to improper media blasting the block. I think, at the current state of auto, cycle and outboard restorations, that unpainted aluminum block surface/finish restoration is an ongoing science. I would cautiously proceed in determining how and what you use to clean the block. The original new-like patina is the goal to recreate but I don't know of any "one method fits all" considering there are so many degrees of aged aluminum surfaces to deal with in the restoration process.

I am myself experimenting with a chemical process that is highly temperamental and too complex to try to explain effectively here at this time. It's still an experiment in progress right now, although the results so far have been spectacular in terms of luster and original looking patina. I'll get back to you once I've worked on this some more.

Richard Ollhoff has his restoration finishes on unpainted aluminum surfaces down pat and if his procedures and finishes satisfies your needs and requirements, then go with his system. I posted his phone numbers to this thread previously.

There is another gentleman that restores old outboards and race engines by the name of Bob Dunlap. His restorations are meticulous and spot on original. He is a member at BRF and he would be a good one to consult too.

R C Hawie is another expert restorer, although he is not hooked up to any computers at this time. I have personally witnessed his assemblies and restorations and he is one of the few people I would trust with my priceless collectable engines.

Frank, I hope this helps you with your restoration. I will be watching your progress as I am sure others will too.

thanks,

Paul A Christner

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paul,

thanks for the input. it is my concern that anything that is baked in a block will keep the heat in and that means bad things happening inside. i am ordering the rust cleaner today from the company you told me about yesterday. that will clean up the crank and some areas of the block. i spoke with richard ollhoff yesterday to order new pictons and about cleaning the block. he does not paint his blocks. he syas he uses 100 - 170 mesh glass beads to clean his blocks. my concern is finding someone who will actually use that mesh and not just say they will. i might just have to use a brush and some elbow grease to clean it. i will write bob dunlop to see what he uses too. i wrote him about a boat for the loopers. i will be interested and i'm sure others will be interested in your cleaning process. there are a lot of looper fans who are looking at this project and i think it is great!

switching gears for a minute, the tower and clamps are a mess. i should be able to to powder coat those without any danger of heat retention. what are your thoughts.

thanks for all you help on the project paul. all your input and ides have helped me a great deal.

frank

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paul,

i looked at the orison web site you told us about the other day. they have a lot of products that may help me clean the block. have you had any experience with their paint removal product, biosafe paint solvent? looks like that may help remove the paint from the elbows and other places that were painted. also aluminator, an oxide remover. this one has acid in it and i'm not sure acid and restoration should be used in the same sentence. although it says it will make it shine. any experience with that product? i'm going to call orison today but will hold off on these products until i hear from you. i will be ordering the rust product though.

frank

[Original Looper 1]

Frank,

The only product that I have personally used and have 1st hand experience with from Orison is the evapo-rust, which I have had amazing results. The people there seem to be honest and genuine, so I wouldn't be afraid to ask them any and all questions you may have pertaining to their other products. What I always try to do with a new product is to try a small test area and if the results are satisfactory, cautiously proceed. In other words, don't get in a hurry.

I too have had a wide range of varying success when I had my aluminum parts glass beaded. Too many problems occur when they use the wrong grit beads or dirty or soiled beads. That's why I am in the process of evolving my new cleaning system.

As to the clamp brackets and drivehousing, I've seen some awesome looking restorations where those items were properly cleaned and then painted with 2 part epoxy paint, the original Mercury Cloud white. Wow! Does it look clean and nice!

There is a gentleman on this web site from Canada that has a pristinely restored cloud white Mercury 55H that is beautiful. There are pictures posted on BRF, I think the thread was under motors for sale. Look closely at the detail of his restoration - it's beyond meticulous.

I forgot to mention this in the past so please excuse me, for all of you Quincy Looper purists out there - there is a gentleman in Quincy, IL by the name of Mark "Chopper" Hummelsheim that is one of the original Quincy Welding race engine assemblers and technicians. He runs a tool supply business and is an expert machinest and mechanic. Mark was building Loopers when I was young enough to ride my Schwinn Stingray (remember them?) down to Quincy Welding to watch the guys at work. I just talked with Mark on the phone and he will consider, on a limited basis, some clients that want either restoration work or race modifications. I still have the record books on porting, pistons, etc for reference. Mark is a good friend of mine and he is honest and highly talented. Mark also happens to be best friends with another former Quincy Welding technician, Gene East. Yes that Gene East, aka Easter Bunny. Gene is the best welder in Quincy, IL. Gene is a registered member here at BRF & checks in often.

You can reach Mark at James Supply Company, 111 N. 10th, Quincy, IL 62301.
Phone: 1-217-223-3866.

Can you imagine having access to the original Looper crew from Quincy Welding while working on your racing equipment? Wow!!!

thanks,

Paul A Christner

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paul,

holy cow paul, the original crew from quincy!!!! how great is that. i will make the call as soon as i get everything clean up. this is great!!!

i called orison today and you were right they are very helpful and nice. i ended up getting the evapo rust(2 1/2 gals) and the paint remover. they said the paint remover is also a great degreaser when diluted. i will let everyone know how it works. i should get in by either friday or next tuesday.

i have always liked the way the looper looked in the merc tower. i want that to be just right. i know the cloud white looks awsome. i was thinking about painting it in a medium blue. and have the throttle control and the distribuutor stop done in the same color. just a thought.

i have noticed there are 2 types of exhaust elbows you used on the looper. the 2 i have now have a single gussett support,for lack of a better term, on the top and bottom of the elbow. the bruce nichols elbow shows 2 on the elbows, top and bottom. was there an engineering change. also maybe later we can get into the variety of ignition systems used. the ones posted here have 2 different systems.

i will be away this weekend in virginia beach at a soccer tounament one of my son-in-laws teams is in. he's the coach. are there and looper fans down there that would like to let me see their collections? let me know.

frank

[Dave_E71]

Paul and Frank,

How about walnut shell media blasting http://www.kramerindustriesonline.co...nut-shells.htm ? I haven't used it in a blast cabinet but it works well in a vibratory polisher for cleaning dirty brass


Dave