It looks to me like it's just the cylinders that are sheet metal, and they're attached to a cast crank gallery. But then again, it's entirely possible I could be missing something.

Still, I don't know how someone could possibly think a sheet metal engine block was a good idea.

The Axis: The Germans, the Italians, the Japanese.

Favored imported cars in U.S.: BMW's, Mercedes, Audis, VW's, Ferraris, Maseratis, Bentleys, Minis, Lexuses, Infinitis, Subarus, Mitsubishis, Toyotas, Nissans, etc.

America needs to fight back.

@elwood: I can under the circumstances....With so much metal going to the war effort, they had to use what they had. I think its a great piece of automotive history.

@Chinese Knockoff Bento: Well, I can understand why they did it, but while it's a great piece of automotive history, it's not such a great piece of automotive engineering history.

Here's a better shot of the interior of the Sheet Metal Engine:

I find it fascinating that this engine was even built, because of the war rationing and cheap engineering. Even though it didn't quite work as an automobile engine, it did prove it's worth as a work horse for power generation, refrigeration plants, and so on. They were reliable in these applications.

who cares about reliability? At 133 pounds, you ought to be able to keep a spare engine in the trunk and perform a roadside engine swap (no hoist needed) to get back home. Rebuild in the garage next weekend.

@UDMan: Most all of the Crosleys I have seen moved with such an utter absence of alacrity that I suppose you could consider them to be "stationary applications."

I still see one, a wagon, cruising around town, however it's a later, iron-block car. In fact, there used to be quite a few Crosleys in the area, and they would meet at a restaurant called LeRoys for lunch. It was fun to watch them- two to a parking space.

@UDMan: So what if we hooked it to a CVT? Or a serial-hybrid drivetrain?

Still no Buick V8 that powered Land Rovers :(

@kleinlowe: With today's advances in rust prevention, and machine tolerances, a sheet metal engine could work today for a serial-hybrid drivetrain. I wonder if it's up to the riggers of modern day emission controls.

what, the chinese hasn't honored this fine design with a flattering copy?

@UDMan: I bet the high combustion temperatures necessary to control emissions would be the bane of a sheet metal engine. You could probably make it work just fine with modern technology, the problem is that it's just not worth it to try. Especially not with the prevalence of aluminum castings.

@elwood: Hey, you go to war with the sheetmetal engine block that you have, not the sheetmetal engine block you might want or wish to have at a later time.

A sheet metal engine is pretty cool,
now to just find a cast iron body to stick it in.....

The cast iron (CIBA) engine that replaced the COBRA engine only weighed 17 pounds more. It was one of the very first American production OHC engines and was remarkably successful in early sports car racing, including winning the first Sebring endurance race.

@Mad_Science: Zing! Take that, Rumsey.

A near contemporary, the Farmall Cub, was fitted with a 60 c.i. motor. The Cub was the 50's version of a lawn tractor - if that doesn't put this dinky little mill into perspective for you, nothing will.

I've seen Crosley motors in old H-Modified cars, and they're pretty damn cool. The '40s and '50s speed parts on them are pretty neat, too-like the stuff you'd find on an old hot rod's motor, but itty-bitty. Seriously, these things are tiny. But hey, you can't really complain about up to 65 horses from 750cc.

In honor of the COBRA, my computer firewall has developed pinhole leaks.

I can't say I've ever heard of this little thing but the sheer-metal construction is bloody cool.

They were origanal to be helocopter motors... oops

I have a 49 hotshot and it has the same motor. 26HP and leaks,oil water and whatever.

@elwood: The sheet metal was the outside of the thing the block itself is cast iron.

No it wasn't@muleshoe:

Aw, that's cute. It'd look neat in a microscopic kid's T-bucket.